Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) TV host KC Montero and at least 100 other local and foreign nationals were arrested at a high-end bar in Makati City on Sunday for allegedly violating community quarantine guidelines against mass gathering. Makati police said it conducted an operation at posh roofdeck lounge bar Skye in Salcedo Village on Sunday afternoon. Authorities said at least 100 customers were caught drinking liquor several of them even violating social distancing rules. Makati Police Deputy Chief PMaj. Gideon Ines said 113 customers were arrested, 73 of which are foreign nationals. "Nagpaliwanag naman yug may-ari ng bar. Ayon sa kanya, hindi daw alam 'yung panuntunan regarding sa GCQ kung talagang allowed po yung sa dine-in. But actually pagdating natin doon, 'yun pala ay isang bar na may nag-iinuman then napakarami pong customers. Pagka titingnan mo is talagang andun yung mga violation ng distancing restrictions," he told CNN Philppines' Balitaan. [Translation: The owner explained that they are not aware of GCQ restrictions, if dine-in is allowed. But when we arrived, we saw that it was a bar. A lot of the customers were drinking. You can see that they were violating physical distancing restrictions.] Makati City remains under general community quarantine with restaurants and cafes only allowed to operate at 30 percent of its regular capacity. Bars are still prohibited from reopening. Following the raid, police arrested one of the bar owners and the customers. Those arrested were brought to the Brgy. Guadalupe Nuevo Gym to maintain physical distancing. Those rounded up will be facing charges for violation of Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases Law, according to Makati Police Chief PCol Oscar Jacildo. CNN Philippines is trying to reach the bar owners for comment. Foreign investors are considering relocating their production bases out of China, but this doesnt mean that all of them will flock to Vietnam. Nguyen Anh Duong from the Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) said the FDI capital flow to Vietnam has become stronger under the impact of Covid-19. Previously, foreign investors wavered between leaving China and staying. But now they are more determined about the departure. Despite Covid-19, FDI capital keeps flowing to Vietnam. The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) reported that from the beginning of the year to May 20, 1,212 foreign invested projects were granted investment registration certificates with total capital of $7.44 billion, an increase of 15.4 percent compared with the same period last year. Vietnam has become more attractive to foreign investors thanks to its capability of containing the pandemic very early. Moreover, the 16 FTAs of which Vietnam is a member, especially the FTA with the EU, also helps Vietnam. Nevertheless, Duong stressed that the disruption of the supply chain in China during the pandemic has made investors more cautious, which will change the structure of the value chain. Vietnam has become more attractive to foreign investors thanks to its capability of containing the pandemic very early. Moreover, the 16 FTAs of which Vietnam is a member, especially the FTA with the EU, also helps Vietnam. Foreign investors have learned a lesson that they relied too heavily on China. And the lesson also made them realize that they must not rely on other countries as well, Duong explained. Therefore, if they think of setting up production facilities in Vietnam, they may install only parts of their production lines, he said. Dont be too excited about the new FDI wave, he concluded. Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon quoted Eugene Lim, president of WTS Taxise in Singapore, as saying that multi-national groups will have to think about switching from a concentrated, effective and resource-saving model to a model which disperses risks while ensuring operations at reasonable costs and competitiveness. Lim thinks that instead of setting up big factories in China, the groups will build many small factories in localities near major markets. The factories will increase application of modern technologies in production, including 3D printing, AI and Blockchain, to maintain competitiveness without having to expand production scale. Vo Tri Thanh, a respected economist, commented that politicizing the economy increased in the post-Covid-19 period. The evidence is that countries have called their enterprises back home in the US-China trade war. Protectionism is also on the rise. Thanh, who is also the director of the Institute for Brand and Competition Strategy, said the world is changing fast and investment flows are moving all the time, so Vietnam needs to take the initiative and apply measures to grab capital flow. Mai Lan Growing waves of FDI investment set to pose challenges for unskilled workers Foreign enterprises are beginning to shift their investments into industries that require medium-level workers or higher-skilled workers as opposed to putting money into labour-intensive industries as in the past, But I was talking about something else. There are more than a few seniors out there who continue working well beyond age 70. And depending on how much money they are making, those extra earnings added to their Social Security account could increase their monthly Social Security check. For example, I have a friend who is a doctor, and he is still practicing medicine even though he is 90 years old. And every year, he gets a little boost in his Social Security checks because of all the money he is still pumping into the system. Q: A woman wrote to ask you if she could take benefits on her husbands record first and then later switch to her own. You said she could not do that. But I beg to differ. Because I did just that when I signed up for Social Security several years ago. A: I didnt have the space in that prior column to explain there used to be a loophole in the law that allowed people to file for spousal benefits first and delay taking their own until a later date, usually at age 70, to get the delayed retirement credits referred to in the prior answer. That loophole closed on Jan. 2, 2020. You were lucky and turned 66 prior to that point so you jumped through the loophole. But everyone turning 66 after Jan. 2, 2020, cant do that. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Locust swarm seen in Gurugram now in UPs Kasganj The swarm of locusts which was seen in different parts of Delhi NCR including Gurugram and south Delhi on Saturday has reached Kasganj in western Uttar Pradesh after an unsuccessful attempt to control it, a top official of the Locust Warning Organisation said on Sunday. Read more In Ladakh, India gave a befitting reply to those coveting our territories: PM Modi on Mann ki Baat Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday India has shown the world its sense of fraternity during the coronavirus pandemic as well its strength and commitment to protecting its sovereignty and borders as he addressed Mann Ki Baat, his monthly radio programme. Read more Apples Craig Federighi explains why theres no native Calculator and Weather app for iPad Apples senior vice president of everything software, Craig Federighi was the star of this years WWDC 2020 keynote presentation (like every other year). He talked about a lot of things including the upcoming iOS 14, macOS, tvOS, watchOS and iPadOS updates. Read more Amitabh Bachchan shares rare family pic of 3 generations in one frame, features son Abhishek and grandson Agastya Actor Amitabh Bachchan on Saturday posted a throwback picture with his son Abhishek and grandson Agastya. He also wrote how inadvertently they all posed in a similar fashion. Read more David Beckham shows off his new talent with DIY beehive during quarantine If they were to ever make a show about Keeping up with the Beckhams, it would certainly be one that I would keep up with. David Beckham has been the epitome of manhood in personality, looks, and fitness since his early days with Manchester United. Read more Probing every angle behind Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide: Mumbai Police Mumbai Police updated on Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide. Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhishek Trimukhe said that Bandra police has recorded statements of 27 people so far in connection with the death case of the Bollywood actor. Read more Not from India, from New York: Chef Vikas Khannas reply to news anchor on his sense of hunger wins Internet Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna has already won people over by conducting massive food distribution drives amid Covid-19. Read more Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of C&C Group plc (LON:CCR) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example! Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for C&C Group Is C&C Group fairly valued? We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Levered FCF (, Millions) 131.9m 12.0m 74.1m 97.6m 94.5m 92.8m 92.0m 91.7m 91.9m 92.3m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ -4.99% Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Est @ -3.13% Est @ -1.82% Est @ -0.91% Est @ -0.27% Est @ 0.18% Est @ 0.49% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 8.0% 122 10.3 58.8 71.7 64.3 58.5 53.7 49.5 46.0 42.8 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 577m Story continues The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.0%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2029 (1 + g) (r g) = 92m (1 + 1.2%) (8.0% 1.2%) = 1.4b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 1.4b ( 1 + 8.0%)10= 638m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is 1.2b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK2.3, the company appears quite undervalued at a 36% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind. LSE:CCR Discounted Cash Flow June 28th 2020 Important assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at C&C Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.0%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.897. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Looking Ahead: Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For C&C Group, we've put together three fundamental elements you should explore: Risks: Be aware that C&C Group is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about... Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for CCR's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the LSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here. 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. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 21:39:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent reached 371,548 as of Sunday morning, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The Africa CDC in its latest situation update issued on Sunday morning said that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the continent rose from 359,408 on Saturday afternoon to 371,548 as of Sunday morning. The continental disease control and prevention agency also disclosed that the death toll from the pandemic also rose from 9,283 to 9,484 as of Sunday morning. Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the continent, the highly affected African countries in terms of positive cases include South Africa with 131,800 confirmed cases, Egypt with 63,923 confirmed cases, Nigeria with 24,077 confirmed cases, and Ghana with 16,431 confirmed cases. The Africa CDC also said that the Southern Africa region is now the most affected area across the continent in terms of positive COVID-19 cases. John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC, on Friday urged the African continent to brace itself for a rise in the number of cases after easing of lockdowns, as he noted that the onset of COVID-19 pandemic was delayed in Africa but the number of cases and deaths "is increasing rapidly every day." Enditem US Highlights Uyghur Detention Camps in International Torture Victim Message Eugene Whong 2020-06-26 -- The United States highlighted the detention of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China in remarks honoring worldwide victims of torture Friday, as Uyghur and Tibetan rights groups called on the international community to hold Beijing accountable for its abuses of human rights. "In the People's Republic of China, more than a million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and members of other predominantly Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang have been arbitrarily detained in internment camps, where many report torture," said State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus in a statement. The remarks were issued for the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, an annual observance on the anniversary of the day the UN Convention Against Torture went in to effect in 1987. Ortagus noted that 166 countries had ratified the convention, but lamented that torture continues in places all over the globe. She also condemned torture by governments in North Korea, Iran, Syria, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, as well as censuring Russia for arbitrary detention and torture in Chechnya. "These countries are only a few examples of the many governments around the world that continue to use torture to silence dissent, coerce confessions, and extract extrajudicial punishment, actions which are antithetical to the rule of law," Ortagus said. "We call on all governments to act to prevent torture, to provide compensation and rehabilitation for survivors of torture, and to bring those who engage in torture to justice." WUC demands accountability for Beijing The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) marked the day demanding that the Chinese government stop torturing not only interned Uyghurs in Xinjiang, but also people in other regions controlled by Beijing, including Hong Kong, where Beijing is imposing tough anti-sedition laws and police have violently dealt with public protests. It said the Chinese Communist Party uses torture to keep Uyghur internees in line or force them to falsely confess to crimes, and to punish Uyghurs, Tibetans and Hong Kongers for their dissenting views against Chinese rule. "The Chinese government is using torture and inhuman punishment to force Uyghurs to accept indoctrination and assimilation in the internment camps," said Germany-based WUC President Dolkun Isa. "This is an affront to human dignity and has left many camp detainees deeply traumatized. As an international community, we cannot accept this." The WUC called on the international community to pressure China to stop using torture; investigate systemic torture in the PRC, especially in internment camps; and require Beijing to implement the UN Convention Against Torture. UN statement Also on Friday, more than 50 of the UN's independent China experts voiced "alarm regarding the repression of fundamental freedoms in China," and urged the international community to hold Beijing to its international human rights obligations. The experts condemned expressed "grave concern" about issues including collective repression of religious and ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, the detention of lawyers, allegations of forced labor, censorship and anti-terrorism and sedition laws in Hong Kong, it said. The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) lauded the UN statement as "welcome at a critical time for Tibet, which has been under a severe lockdown from the Chinese authorities." "There must be unfettered access to Tibet to create transparency and accountability, and reports about a wide range of systematic rights violations in Tibet must be investigated," the Washington-based ICT said in a statement. "The Chinese government must live up to its obligations according to international law. We strongly support the [experts'] recommendation to create a special independent mechanism to monitor and investigate human rights violations by the Chinese government, particularly in Tibet," it added. From India, meanwhile, the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), published a plea to the international community to investigate the unresolved case of spiritual leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who died in a Chinese prison in 2015 after serving 13 years. Through a translation provided by the TCHRD, the leader's niece, Nyima Lhamo said her uncle was falsely convicted, and while in jail was subject to torture involving exposure to extremely cold and hot water. "A genuine, transparent investigation of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's death and the prosecution of the responsible officials would send a clear message that the PRC is committed to rule of law and ending the culture of impunity that has allowed human rights violations to occur in Tibet unchecked," the TCHRD said. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 06:08:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LISBON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The 19th Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, also known as "Chinese Bridge" contest, was held online in Portugal on Sunday, with Nuno Magalhaes from the Confucius Institute at the University of Lisbon winning the champion. The contest, conducted online for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was attended by four students from Confucius institutes in Portugal, who presented the videos of their pre-recorded speeches and talent performances. In his speech, Magalhaes gave a moving story of how Chinese and Portuguese peoples showed solidarity and helped each other in the fight against the pandemic. "Viruses are the common enemy of mankind, and we must fight together. Although our language and culture are different, human emotions are interlinked, and goodness and care have no borders. In the face of disaster, everyone can only unite in order to make the world better," he said. Zhou Gaoyu, an official with the Chinese Embassy in Portugal, expressed congratulations to the contestants, saying that he was very pleased that the "Chinese Bridge" competition could be successfully held during the special period of the pandemic. Magalhaes will attend the online Chinese proficiency competition for the world university students on behalf of Portugal. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 16:06:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen to 202,955 in Pakistan with 4,118 fatalities, according to the data released by the country's health ministry on Sunday morning. A total of 4,072 new cases and 83 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, the ministry said. The mortality rate of the COVID-19 infected patients is about 2 percent. Overall, there are 106,213 active cases in Pakistan and 92,624 people have recovered, which is 45.6 percent of the total confirmed cases. The country's southern Sindh province is the most affected region with 78,267 cases followed by eastern Punjab province with 74,202 cases, the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province reported 25,380 cases and 12,395 cases have been reported in the capital city Islamabad. Punjab recorded 1,673 deaths followed by Sindh where 1,243 infected people have lost their lives, the statistics showed, adding that Pakistan has conducted 1,239,153 tests officially so far. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed hope that Pakistan will see off the worst of this crisis if the people follow the standard operating procedure (SOPs). Earlier this month, Khan reiterated stance against violators of the SOPs to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country amid the recent surge in new cases. Enditem The 1998 TV Week Logie Awards is shaping up to be one of the wildest nights in Australian television industry history. While the infamous tale of Tracy Grimshaw's naked mishap has been widely reported, Seven's The Morning Show host Larry Emdur has revealed a lesser-known story from the same night. Speaking to News.com.au, Larry claimed he and Friends star Matt LeBlanc became his drinking buddy after he spotted the sitcom superstar looking bored and out of place. Revealed: Friends star Matt LeBlanc's (right) apparently had a wild night with Larry Emdur at the 1998 Logie Award 'You look bored as sh*t, mate... Want a Sambuca?' Emdur recalled of his first words to LeBlanc, claiming he responded with: 'Hell, yeah. Are you Italian?' The former host of The Price Is Right then joked that he kept telling LeBlanc how much his wife loved his work, and was surprised to wake up with a signed photo from LeBlanc in his hotel room. 'I thought it was really sweet he remembered because I didnt remember a thing,' he said. 'You look bored as sh*t, mate... Want a Sambuca?' Emdur (left) recalled his first words to LeBlanc at the TV night of nights, claiming the actor responded with 'Hell, yeah. Are you Italian?'. Pictured with TV co-host Kylie Gillies in 2020 That particular year, a naked Tracy Grimshaw, then host of Today, inadvertently locked herself out of her hotel room after drinking tequila shots with James Packer. In 2018, the A Current Affair host finally came clean about what really happened during her infamous nude run. 'I got drunk because that's what everyone does at the Logies. And I raced back to my room at three o'clock in the morning thinking the girls from hair and make-up were about to walk in to get me ready to do the Today show,' she told 2DAY FM. 'I didnt remember a thing': The former host of The Price Is Right then joked that he kept telling LeBlanc how much his wife (right) loved his work, and was surprised to wake up with a signed photo from LeBlanc in his hotel room 'Suddenly I was naked out in the hallway': That particular year, a naked Tracy Grimshaw (pictured in the 90s), then host of Today, inadvertently locked herself out of her hotel room after drinking tequila shots with James Packer 'I pulled the dress off, ripped the jewellery off and raced in to have a shower before they arrived. I mistook the bathroom door for the front door. Suddenly I was naked out in the hallway,' she said. This year's 62nd TV Week Logie Awards, which was scheduled for June 28, was cancelled in April due to the outbreak of coronavirus. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter revealed in November that a Friends reunion special was indeed happening at HBO Max for 2020. Each of the show's main stars - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer - were in talks to return, with series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman. The deals were finalized and the reunion special was officially announced in late February, confirming the cast will reunite for an, 'untitled unscripted special'. Indias aviation industry may take up to two years to recover from the turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, said IndiGo, the countrys top domestic airline. The budget carrier is focusing on controlling costs and maintaining liquidity to tide over the crisis, CEO Ronojoy Dutta said in an email interview. He said a recovery would also depend upon how soon other nations reopen their skies. Edited excerpts: Leisure flying has taken a back seat. Is safety the biggest factor that is keeping people from flying? We can all agree to the fact that due to the pandemic situation, business and leisure travel may take a back seat for some time until the virus subsides to a great extent. However, the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from one passenger to another passenger on board is very low, making flying the safest way to travel. The reasons for this are that the customers sit facing forward and not toward each other, seat backs provide a barrier, the use of HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters and the direction of the air flow on board (from ceiling to floor), and the limited movement onboard aircraft once seated add to the onboard protection. Furthermore, as a responsible airline, we have also taken steps to ensure our passengers and crew members are safe while onboard. When will industry return to pre-Covid-19 level in India in terms of travel demand? There have been a lot of estimations that predict the recovery of the aviation industry, which has been hit hard by this pandemic. We believe it may take 18-24 months to recover from the current situation to come back to the pre-Covid-19 levels of travel demand, also depending upon how other countries resume international operations. The international travel demand will largely depend on how different countries are placed in terms of Covid-19. We expect the aviation industry to slowly and steadily rise even stronger. Furthermore, what will drive this recovery is consumer confidence in airlines . Can you elaborate on the costs measures initiated by IndiGo? Amid the crisis situation, we strive to manage not for profitability or growth but for liquidity. Our focus is on reducing costs, exploring alternate sources of revenue, and building consumer and employee confidence. We are negotiating better prices and terms with partners, staggering pay cuts, placing our discretionary expenses on hold and deferment of certain capital expenditure projects to reduce costs. We are replacing our old A-320ceos with new A-320neos to enhance cost efficiency and freezing supplementary rentals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a joint briefing about an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump on the International Criminal Court at the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S., June 11, 2020. Photo by Reuters/Yuri Gripas. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Sunday that China cannot be allowed to treat the South China Sea as its "maritime empire. "The United States welcomes ASEAN leaders insistence that South China Sea disputes be resolved in line with international law, including UNCLOS. China cannot be allowed to treat the SCS as its maritime empire. We will have more to say on this topic soon," the tweet read. The UNCLOS refers to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The South China Sea is known in Vietnam as the East Sea. Pompeo also included a link to the ASEAN Leaders' Vision Statement on a Cohesive And Responsive ASEAN: Rising Above Challenges And Sustaining Growth, which was passed by ASEAN leaders at the 36th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi on Friday. Previously, on June 2, Pompeo had also tweeted a diplomatic note sent by U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft to the U.N. in response to the one sent by the Permanent Mission of China to the U.N. on December 12. China was responding to Malaysias submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. "The U.S. rejects these maritime claims as inconsistent with international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention," Crafts note read. Pompeo's Sunday tweet followed the Chairman's Statement of the 36th ASEAN Summit, in which ASEAN leaders expressed concern over recent South China Sea developments and called on all parties to build trust. "We discussed the situation in the South China Sea, during which concerns were expressed over land reclamations, recent developments, activities and serious incidents, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region," the chairman's statement read. It also called on member countries to strengthen mutual trust and refrain from activities that complicate or escalate disputes and harm peace and stability in the region. They also need to avoid actions that might complicate the situation and pursue peaceful resolutions and comply with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, the statement noted. "We reaffirm that the 1982 UNCLOS is the basis for determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights, jurisdiction and legitimate interests over maritime zones, as it sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out." The chairman's statement followed a series of provocative actions by China conducted in the South China Sea since the start of this year, while countries around the world were focused on battling the Covid-19 pandemic. China formed the so-called "Xisha" and "Nansha" districts on Vietnams Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands, sank Vietnamese fishing vessels off the Paracels, unilaterally issued a fishing ban and sent a ship to tag Malaysias oil and gas exploration vessel. China also recently announced a vegetable farming project on Woody (Phu Lam) Island of the Paracels to strengthen its illegal sovereignty claim. China also sent two diplomatic notes to the United Nations to make the infamous Four Sha claim, which covers a broader range than the notorious, illegal nine-dash line. The 36th ASEAN Summit, with Vietnam as chair, took place online Friday because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Vietnam is also scheduled to chair the 37th ASEAN Summit at the end of this year. Auckland, New Zealand, 29 June 2020 - Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited announced today its results for the full year ended 31 March 2020. Operating revenue was $1.26 billion, up 18% over last year, or 14% in constant currency. Net profit after tax was $287.3 million, up 37% over the previous year, or 30% in constant currency. Excluding the impact from tax changes, being the R&D tax credit and building tax depreciation, net profit after tax grew 23% in constant currency. The increase in revenue was largely driven by growth in the use of the companys OptiflowTM nasal high flow therapy, demand for products to treat COVID-19 patients, and strong hospital hardware sales throughout the course of the year. The 2020 financial year was already on track to deliver strong growth before the coronavirus impacted sales, said Managing Director and CEO Lewis Gradon. Beginning in January, the demand for our respiratory humidifiers accelerated in a way that has been unprecedented. With new processes, new procedures and new ways of working safely, we managed to double and in some instances triple, output for some of our hospital hardware products over just a few months at the end of the year. Im incredibly proud of our people and their unyielding commitment to doing the right thing for patients, said Mr Gradon. For the Hospital product group, which includes products used in respiratory, acute and surgical care, operating revenue increased 25%, or 21% in constant currency, to $801.3 million for the year. Sales from new applications consumables, which includes products used for nasal high flow therapy, increased by 23% in constant currency over the previous financial year. For the Homecare product group, which includes products used in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and respiratory support in the home, revenue rose 9%, or 4% in constant currency, to finish at $457 million for the year. During the year, the company introduced its F&P ViteraTM OSA full face mask into the US market and launched the new F&P EvoraTM compact nasal mask in Australasia, Europe and Canada. Both of these new masks have been well received. Gross margin decreased by 73 basis points to 66.1%, primarily driven by additional air freight costs required to acquire increased supply of raw materials and expedite finished goods to customers for patient use towards the end of the financial year, as well as the additional start-up costs of the companys second Mexico manufacturing facility. Capital management and dividend The company also announced that it has expanded its previous dividend policy into a broader capital management policy. The companys priority is to appropriately invest in the business to support long term sustainable growth. The company has maintained a target debt-to-debt-plus-equity ratio in the range of +5% to -5%, and the company expects to increase dividends as earnings grow, while taking into consideration the target gearing ratio. A copy of the new capital management policy is available on the companys website at www.fphcare.com/capital-management. In accordance with the companys capital management policy, the directors have approved a final dividend of 15.5 cents per share, an increase of 15% on the final dividend last year. This brings the total dividend for the year to 27.5 cents per share, an increase of 18% on last year. The final dividend, carrying full New Zealand imputation credit, will be paid on 17 July 2020 with a record date of 7 July 2020. Outlook for FY2021 We cannot predict the scope, duration or impact of COVID-19 and its effects on our operations and financial results, said Mr Gradon. In the midst of this uncertainty, we will continue doing what we are known for expanding our range of innovative products with patients at the centre. For the first three months of FY21 our Hospital product group growth has continued to accelerate, with hardware growth of over 300%, and hospital consumables tracking at over a one-third increase, compared to the first three months of FY20. In our Homecare product group we are seeing evidence of both a lower OSA diagnosis rate, and OSA mask resupply levels in the beginning of FY21 returning closer to expected levels compared to the elevated levels at the end of FY20. Homecare growth for the first three months of FY21 has therefore been closer to the FY20 full year rate. Some costs, most significantly freight, also remained elevated during the first three months of FY21. We value a long term relationship with our customers, and we have not increased their prices. Due to significant uncertainty in the extent and duration of the impact of COVID-19 on global demand for our products, we have made some assumptions to allow us to provide some guidance for FY21. As a result, our guidance is provided on the basis that global hospitalisations due to COVID-19 peak for the first quarter of this financial year, and hospitalisations for respiratory-related illnesses and OSA diagnostic activity steadily return to normal by the end of our first half. On this basis and at current exchange rates, full year operating revenue for the 2021 financial year would be approximately $1.48 billion and net profit after tax would be approximately $325 million to $340 million. Our assumption for guidance is not a prediction of the course of COVID-19 around the world. We are continuing to grow manufacturing capacity of hospital products during our 2021 financial year to ensure a further increase in supply of our respiratory products is available if required. Construction is complete on our fourth manufacturing building in New Zealand. As we bring forward capital expenditure spending for new product tooling and manufacturing capacity we expect capital expenditure for the 2021 financial year to be approximately $160 million. I want to recognise our suppliers, customers, shareholders, clinical partners, government agencies and especially, our employees for your support this year. Thanks to you, our products were used to treat around 16 million patients last year, including patients with COVID-19 all over the world. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare is resilient and well-positioned to respond to the global pandemic and adapt to a new normal. We are confident that our innovative products and therapies will continue to shape the future of care in hospitals and homes, concluded Mr Gradon. Overview of key results for the 2020 financial year - 37% growth in net profit after tax to a record $287.3 million. - 18% growth in operating revenue to a record $1.26 billion, 14% growth in constant currency. - 25% growth in Hospital operating revenue, 21% growth in constant currency. - 23% constant currency revenue growth for new applications consumables; i.e. products used in non-invasive ventilation, Optiflow nasal high flow therapy, and surgical applications, accounting for 64% of Hospital consumables revenue. - 9% growth in Homecare operating revenue, 4% growth in constant currency. - 4% growth in constant currency revenue in OSA masks. - Investment in R&D was 9% of revenue, or $118.5 million. - 15% increase in final dividend to 15.5 cps (2019: 13.5 cps). Source: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. 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It is more meaningful as the world is at risk of a second COVID-19 wave. Two months ahead of schedule One day in mid-June, Master Mac Van Trong at the Vabiotech received a message from Dr. Do Tuan Dat, the President of Vabiotech, saying that the research project carried out by Trong and his colleagues "has worked and the candidate vaccine has relatively high immunity. For Trong and his team, this result is "vital", showing that the project for a possible COVID-19 vaccine they are pursuing is on the right track and has shown initial results. "Our four sleepless months have paid off," said a Vabiotech researcher. Earlier, on May 15 and 29, two batches of serum samples taken from 50 mice injected with the candidate COVID-19 vaccine were sent to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) for assessment. By comparative injection with the inactivated wild-type virus in mice, the NIHE determined that these serum samples gave antibody responses, some of which were relatively high. This is the basis for its development into a complete vaccine," Assoc. Prof., Dr. Nguyen Le Khanh Hang, Deputy Head of the NIHEs Virology Department, said. Given this result, Vabiotech has now passed two-months of progress in the first phase of the project, which is also the most important stage in the research and production of a COVID-19 vaccine. In the next stage, the candidate vaccine will be developed into a complete vaccine, which is stable and suitable for human use. The team will also build a commercial production process that can facilitate mass production for millions or even tens of millions of doses. Though not overly hastened at the news that a range of countries have started testing their COVID-19 vaccines on humans, Vietnamese scientists are also really racing against time, especially in the context of the world facing the risk of a second coronavirus wave. According to domestic researchers, Vietnam has not set a goal of taking the lead in the race but will develop the vaccine by inheriting the worlds experience in dealing with this very new SARS-CoV-2 virus. Taking a blood sample from a lab mouse. "It would takes 9-12 months to produce a complete vaccine, but we are working hard to shorten this," Trong said. "However, compared to the 10-year average in normal vaccine production, the 18-24 month period to develop a possible COVID-19 vaccine must be seen as a significant achievement." According to Vabiotech's representative, this project is not only limited to the production of the vaccine that the world is expecting, but also extends to the bigger goal of increasing vaccine' autonomy for Vietnam, especially concerning pandemic vaccines. If there is a new strain of coronavirus in humans in the future, with the technology available at hand, researchers just need to "assemble" the genome of the new virus strain to create a new vaccine. In the A/H1N influenza pandemic, it was hard to buy a single dose of vaccine, not to mention buying millions of doses. Therefore, the vaccine creation initiative of a country is very important, explained Trong. Two studies on SARS-CoV-2 sponsored by VinIF post good results After ten years of participating in and leading major projects on the research into and production of vaccines, with Trong, this project is the most special. The reason is not only because of the "virus of the century" engulfing the world in a global pandemic but also due to the unprecedented difficulties that his research team has experienced. The project started smoothly thanks to "urgent" funding from the VinIF in response to the global pandemic. Many research phases of the project were carried out at the lab in the UKs University of Bristol from the beginning of February in order to speed up the progress. However, the project was almost halted while Europe was in lockdown, forcing all research activities to be halted. As taking advanced anticipation for this risk, the team worked almost 24 hours a day to complete to plan. Fortunately, the team members left the UK just before the countrys blockade and arrived in Vietnam just before the closing of all international air routes in late March. Master Mac Van Trong analysing the expression of COVID-19 S gene at the laboratory of the School of Biochemistry in the University of Bristol (UK). We have been under great pressure. The biggest worry is that the samples cannot be transferred to Vietnam, because if so, the study results in nearly two months would be down the drain, Trong said about this, the most difficult time for his team. To compensate for the 14-day interruption due to compulsory quarantine after returning home from abroad, the team continued to work with 1-day intensity equal to two days. Vabiotech's lab became an "isolation room for research" of scientists who returned from the UK. Thanks to that, just a month later, the candidate vaccine was completed for injection on mice. The technology used by Vabiotech in the production of the vaccine against the disease that has now infected nearly 9 million people worldwide and claimed the lives of nearly 500,000, is viral vector technology, instead of traditional inactivated or live-attenuated vaccine technologies. This is a new, versatile technology, with high production efficiency and independence on the culture of the entire pathogen that is suitable for pandemic vaccines production. Thanks to the funding, our company has upgraded the Bioreactor cell culture system, which was installed nearly 10 years ago. This new generation model is more adaptable to the virus vector technology that we are using, said Dr. Do Tuan Dat, President of Vabiotech. According to the author of many research studies on made-in-Vietnam vaccine development, the Vabiotech project could be accelerated due to the "benefit" from the results of a research project on the epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 that the NIHE is carrying out. This is also an urgent project sponsored by VinIF as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Thanks to this "decoding" information, Vietnam can still control the situation despite many countries around the world being extremely tardy in preparing for the most dangerous epidemic in the early 21st century. Vietnam has excelled as a global bright spot in disease prevention and control. We expect more successes, including the made-in-Vietnam COVID-19 vaccine," Dr. Dat added. Bill Gates: COVID-19 'will be back in big numbers' in October-November Iran Press TV Saturday, 27 June 2020 12:58 PM US billionaire and software developer Bill Gates has warned that the coronavirus epidemic "will be back in big numbers" in October-November when temperatures in the United States turn lower. Speaking at a CNN Global Town Hall on Thursday night, Gates warned that the US is still "very much in the thick of things" when it comes to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. He said he believes that we are heading for another big round of infections in the autumn. "Better treatment is reducing the deaths, but, particularly as you get into October and November, this thing will be back in big numbers, if we don't restrain our behavior more than it looks like we are right at the moment," Gates warned. Gates has expressed his disappointment over the Trump administration's lack of in containing the spread of the virus. "We do need to think about the world here and, you know, that I'm still pretty disappointed, and without US leadership, it's been hard to pull together, you know, a response," he said. "The only good news in this is that the death rate has gone down somewhat, as we're learning how to treat people better, we're less overloaded," he added, but then stressed. "But the global picture and the US picture are both more bleak than I would have expected." The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the charitable foundation that he and his wife, Melinda Gates, established in 2000, has committed $100 million to fighting the coronavirus. This is not the first time that the American billionaire has warned about ramifications of the global outbreak. He has said earlier that the coronavirus pandemic will cause pain "for years to come." "The COVID-19 pandemic the first modern pandemic will define this era," he wrote in April. "No one who lives through 'Pandemic I' will ever forget it. And it is impossible to overstate the pain that people are feeling now and will continue to feel for years to come." The United States on Thursday confirmed a daily record of nearly 40,000 new coronavirus cases, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Johns Hopkins public database reported America's largest single-day increase in new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The previous one-day record occurred on April 24, when about 36,000 were confirmed to have contracted the virus. The highest numbers were in Florida, Texas and California states. The surge in infections has prompted the three states to halt their reopening plans. Other American states have also reported an increase in the number of new infections over the past week. The US is the world's hardest-hit country by the pandemic. It has so far confirmed over 2.4 million cases. According to Johns Hopkins, 2.4 million Americans have contracted the virus, and more than 124,000 have died after contracting it. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), however, has said the real number could be ten times higher than the reported figure. According to the latest estimate by CDC officials, at least 20 million people in the US may already have been infected with COVID-19. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Number of deaths are coming down, positivity rate is decreasing rapidly: Manish Sisodia 402 new Covid-19 positive cases have been reported in Haryana today There is no decline in global coronavirus cases with the US, Mexico, India and Brazil reporting a high number of cases. Russia saw a slight dip but daily reported cases continue to remain over 6,000. Italy reported eight deaths and 175 new cases as the nation fights back from the pandemic. South Korea and China report new cases as both these governments continue to control second-wave outbreaks. Globally the number of cases recorded has crossed a grim milestone of ten million. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Washington and several other states reopening plans were hit as cases surged in the US. The halted reopening of Washington forced Trump and Pence to cancel a reelection campaign event. As India reports high number of cases, PM Modi asked people to remain extra-cautious as monsoon approaches the country. John Wayne Airport in Californias Orange County is the subject of a potential name change spearheaded by democratic politicians due to the Hollywood icons racist views. The airport was renamed to honour the actor, who lived nearby, after he died in 1979. Now the Democratic Party of Orange Country has passed an emergency resolution calling for the airport to revert back to its original name of Orange County Airport. Read more: Students protest at USC over exhibit hailing former student John Wayne John Wayne holding a rifle in a publicity photo for the movie Shepherd of the Hills. The resolution includes statements which condemns John Waynes racist and bigoted statements, calling them white supremacist, anti-LGBT and anti-Indigenous. The resolution states: It is widely recognised that racist symbols produce lasting physical and psychological stress and trauma, particularly to Black communities, people of colour and other oppressed groups, and the removal of racist symbols provides a necessary process for communities to remember historic acts of violence and recognise victims of oppression. The actor, best known for his leading roles in Western films, made several racist statements in a 1971 interview with Playboy Magazine, even admitting he was a believer in white supremacy. The statue of John Wayne at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Wednesday, September 25, 2019. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) The interview saw Wayne say: I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I dont believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people. He also took aim at Native American people. He said: I dont feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival. Read more: Resurfaced 1971 Playboy interview of John Wayne goes viral There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves. There has been a recent surge of actions and petitions to remove place names and symbols linked to figures who profited from or believed in white supremacy. The demands come off the back of the Black Lives Matter movement gaining public attention and traction after George Floyd, a black man, was killed by police in Minneapolis while he was being restrained. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 19:13:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WINDHOEK, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Porterico Van Wyk, a 13-year-old Namibian boy, is a great believer in the importance of learning different languages. For the past few weeks, Van Wyk has been teaching other youngsters how to speak Chinese. Van Wyk gives free training on Saturday and Sunday for an hour at home in Rehoboth, a town in central Namibia, 90 kilometers south of the capital Windhoek. The boy started learning Chinese language through a few friends and later online. "I decided on Chinese because of the great relationship that China and Namibia have. I have interest in the Chinese culture, language and the customs that attracted me. China has opened itself up to the world, encouraging foreign investment and economic cooperation," he said. Besides Chinese, Van Wyk also speaks Afrikaans and English, he is proud to share what he knows with other youngsters. "Learning a new language is one of the absolute best investments that anyone can make. Don't just learn one word, read on and discover more," The boy stressed. Van Wyk said he is pleased to see that the Namibian youth are embracing the Chinese language more. "There is an increase in those who are eager to learn the Chinese language. I started off with only one student, but now I have five," he said. Van Wyk said for now he is not taking in any more students. "I don't want to have too much on my hands at once. I also have other commitments such as my daily household tasks and school work. For now the five youngsters that I am teaching is enough. I plan to teach them until December," he added. The boy said he is happy that his parents allowed him to do what he loves. "We might be children, but we also have dreams and passions. If you listen to your children and advise them on what is right then they will be happy. My parents gave us a few rules to follow and I will certainly do that. I am pleased to share what I know with others," he said. According to Zhang Fan, director of Confucius Institute in the University of Namibia (UNAM), Chinese lessons were introduced to Namibia from 2013. Zhang said the rising demand to learn the Chinese language in Namibia has allowed the institution to grow bigger. The institute currently has 15 Chinese teaching sites in the country and has taught over 5,600 students by now. "Annually the number of Nambian people who are interested in learning Chinese are increasing. We now have more schools in Namibia teaching the Chinese language. Currently we have schools in Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Rundu and Ongwediva," Zhang said. The director said many Namibians are eager to learn Chinese, because it has the potential to improve international communication and open international doors for them. "Many Namibian students have said that they are learning Chinese because of the educational opportunities. Education is the key to a successful future. We are giving a scholarship to the best Namibian students to go and study in China," he added. Zhang said the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a temporary stop on teaching, so he teaches online. "When it comes to learning Chinese online, classes may not be as effective as face-to-face lessons, but it keeps the inspiration going," he said. Enditem Christian app launches worlds first artificial intelligence audio Bible Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The makers of the Christian meditation app Soultime have announced the development and release of the worlds first-ever audio version of the Bible read in its entirety by an artificial intelligence voice amounting to 100 hours of audible scripture. Soultime said in a statement that it evaluated a range of text-to-speech platforms but found Googles Wavenet the most natural sounding, however, because the Bible text is extremely complex it had to work hard to modify the basic reading to create something that both sounded natural and was truly enjoyable to listen to. Citing an example, the statement said Wavenet for some reason couldnt pronounce for His names sake, as found in the most famous of all Psalms, Psalm 23, according to Premier. The Google platform insisted on saying for His names sake, like the alcoholic beverage. AI readings have some great advantages, the makers of the Christian app added. Having developed the initial version, further [Bible reading] versions can be easily produced in different accents, genders or languages. Also as text-to-speech voices improve over time, the readings can be easily updated. Founded by London-based Mark Wagner, Soultime is an app for Christian meditation. This is not an intellectual process so much as a spiritual and emotional process of trying to understand what it is that our hearts are believing, Wagner told Premier Christian Radio last year. To do that, we need a certain amount of calm, a certain amount of peace, we need a certain amount of time. Soultime helps believers do that through music, graphics and a series of guided meditations with various themes, including Jesus carries our anxieties away, Freedom with Forgiveness, and Exploring the Lords Prayer. The app has been endorsed by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Soultime is a wonderful app. I warmly recommend it, he was quoted as saying. Similar to other meditation apps that are popular, the Soultime app when its opened plays sounds of nature such as the wind and birds chirping. It includes a daily mood check and features calming music and voices who guide users through themed meditations. Silk, one of the guides featured in the app who help users through a meditation, explained, Soultime is very much about building a hunger for the presence of God, the voice of God, the person of Jesus Christ. It seeks to build, strengthen, tune your heart with the Word of God with the voice of God, the presence of God. Its going to be focused on Jesus, the focus on the presence of God, the focus on the Bible. No other apps are focused on that. Last year, the Courage for Life ministry, which serves at-risk and incarcerated women, released the first-ever audio version of the New Testament voiced entirely by women. Often, the abuse was in their teenage years, and its trauma theyre still holding onto, Ann White, who's from that ministry, told The Christian Post at the time. Sometimes, simply hearing a mans voice is a subconscious trigger. Thats why its important to use gender-specific treatment. A New Mexico-based ministry, Faith Comes By Hearing, provides audio versions of New Testaments. Scripture recordings are available in 1,354 languages with the potential of reaching over 85 million people with the Gospel. The ministry, which seeks to help fulfill the Great Commission in this generation by providing access to the Word of God in every translated language, offers free access to its digital resources. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 18:07:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials in Uganda's ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party have said that the world needs to emulate China's people-centered development philosophy, a key factor in the country's social and economic growth and development. Richard Todwong, deputy secretary general of NRM, told Xinhua that it is upon the understanding of this philosophy that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led the country along its path of social and economic development. "For the CPC, everything starts and ends with the people. This has put their people in the center of all that they do. The people is paramount above all," he said. Augustine Otuko, an NRM youth leader in eastern Uganda, describes the CPC as a highly institutionalized party with structures running from local to national levels. "Under the CPC, there is wider consultation in different party structures about the needs and aspirations of the Chinese citizens. The consultations are aimed at guiding policy corrections or development. This makes people the heartbeat of CPC," Otuko said. He said leaders across the world should adopt a people-centered approach in their decision-making because it creates participatory contribution by both the citizens and government agencies in the implementation of any development agenda. "Anything without the people becomes a myth," Otuko said. A community with a shared future is the most ideal community that communism espouses, according to Todwong. He argued that China, through its notion of building a "community with a shared future for mankind" and the Belt and Road Initiative, is determined to share its resources with the world for mutual development. "It's out of this that China has not been selfish in sharing its resources with the rest of the world. Be it medical equipments before and during the COVID-19, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, fights against malaria, maternal health and others," Todwong said. He said China's infrastructure development, especially in developing countries in Africa, has portrayed the country as a caring world leader. The two officials were of the same opinion that all these successes cannot be achieved without instilling social and institutional disciplines in government agencies. Todwong said the social discipline that CPC instilled in the Chinese population has seen the country work hard against all odds. "Right from the Opium Wars in the mid-19th century, the Japanese invasion and many other upheavals that China went through, they emerged victorious in the face of challenges," Todwong said. "We have a lot to learn from China," Enditem Bolton told NBCs Meet the Press that he thinks the answer may be precisely because active Russian aggression like that against the American service members is a very, very serious matter and nothings been done about it, if its true, for these past four or five months, so it may look like he was negligent. But of course, he can disown everything if nobody ever told him about it. Ministers are braced for a major defeat in the House of Lords tomorrow over plans to allow Huawei to help build Britain's superfast 5G phone network. The Government has launched a major lobbying effort to talk around 20 Conservative rebels out of backing a move that would outlaw the Chinese tech giant due to its links to major human rights abuses. Since Boris Johnson gave it the green light in January, the 5G deal has been mired in controversy over fears China's communist regime could use 'back doors' in the infrastructure to access communications. But tomorrow a group of peers will seek to amend legislation to block the deal on human rights grounds, rather than over security fears. Since the Prime Minister gave the go-ahead for Huawei to build 35 per cent of the UK network, there has been growing rebellion on the issue from the Cabinet down. Mr Johnson has privately conceded he does not have the majority to get the required legislation through the Commons, and has commissioned the security services to review the original decision. But tomorrow a group of peers led by Tory Lord Forsyth and cross-bencher Lord Alton will seek to amend legislation going through the upper house to make it illegal for Britain to use technology from firms linked to human rights abuses. Labour and the Lib Dems are set to back the 'ambush'. A group of peers will seek to amend legislation to block the Huawei deal in the House of Lords (pictured) on human rights grounds The senior peers will point to Huawei's complicity in the suffering of Uighur Muslims in China's Xinjiang province. Huawei supplies equipment to security forces who have incarcerated thousands of people. The Xinjiang news agency once quoted a Huawei director as saying: 'Together with the Public Security Bureau, Huawei will unlock a new era of smart policing and help build a safer, smarter society.' However the Government argues that the Lords are targeting the wrong legislation. The peers want to amend a Bill designed to give people in rented accommodation better access to broadband, and Ministers say any delay will deny fast internet to thousands of people. One Government source said that if tomorrow's amendment was successful the whole Bill would most likely be pulled rather than have it return to the Commons and risk defeat for Mr Johnson. They added: 'This isn't a fight we want to have now,' The UK has come under heavy pressure from the United States to ditch Huawei over security fears. But the company said: 'We supply world-leading telecoms equipment to mobile and broadband network operators in 170 countries. The operators own and run these networks. We comply with all laws and regulations in nations where we work.' They launched podcast Life Uncut in July last year after making it to the final episode of The Bachelor in their respective seasons. And on Sunday, Brittany Hockley, 32, and Laura Byrne, 33, enjoyed a morning walk in Sydney with Laura's one-year-old daughter Marlie-Mae. The reality stars showed off their trim figures in chic activewear as they strolled across the promenade. Out and about: Bachelor stars Brittany Hockley (left), 32, and Laura Byrne (right), 33, enjoyed a coastal walk in Sydney with Laura's one-year-old daughter Marlie-Mae on Sunday Brittany wore a white sweater teamed with green leggings and white sneakers. She concealed her gaze behind trendy round-rimmed sunglasses, and allowed her brunette locks to flow freely. Brittany appeared to go makeup-free, also drawing attention to her radiant visage. Fresh air: The reality stars showed off their trim figures in chic activewear as they strolled across the promenade. Brittany also walked Laura's three-legged rescue dog Buster The radiographer, who starred on Nick Cummins' 2018 season of The Bachelor, held onto a coffee cup and walked Laura's three-legged rescue dog Buster. Laura also dressed casually for the occasion, opting for a grey top, paired with black leggings, a matching jacket and sneakers. She secured her brunette tresses back off her face underneath a black cap, and also looked to have gone makeup-free. Casual chic: Meanwhile, Laura who is engaged to 2017 Bachelor Matty 'J' Johnson on the show, opted for a grey top paired with black leggings and a matching jacket Laura kept a close eye on daughter Marlie-Mae in her stroller, who she shares with fiance and 2017 Bachelor Matty 'J' Johnson. Alongside podcast duties, Brittany is set to debut on spin-off Bachelor In Paradise which premieres on Channel Ten on July 15. Brittany will appear alongside other Bachelor and Bachelorette stars including Ciarran Stott, Helena Sauzier, Abbie Chatfield and Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris. Up for discussion: Brittany and Laura launched podcast Life Uncut in July last year where they discuss everything from relationships to sex and reality TV Family: Laura is pictured with Matty and their adorable daughter Marlie-Mae The show is said to wrap with three couples returning to Australia together. Filmed in Fiji last November, the third season of the show was initially meant to air in April but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Beginning. Although President Barack H. Obama had declared in a speech in Accra, Ghana, in 2009, that Africas future is up to Africans, it was really American policy toward Africa, as elsewhere in the world, to remove political leaders that the United States considered inconvenient. Those who opposed or who were at odds with US plans, such as socialists, communists, and Islamists became legitimate targets of Yankee weapons. On March 19, 2011, Obama began combat against Libya without securing a Congressional declaration of war, as the federal Constitution requires. He also refused to notify Congress that American forces were engaged in combat operations, in violation of the War Powers Act, adopted in response to the reckless, unconstitutional actions by the president in going to war in Vietnam. (Springmann, J. Michael. Visas For Al Qaeda: CIA Handouts That Rocked The World. Washington, D.C. Daena Publications: 2014). Why? Gaddafi had a socialist government that had the highest quality of life index in all Africa. It provided free education, free medical care, and interest-free housing loans. He also wanted to create a Pan-African Union with Libya at its head. On October 20, 2011, Moammar Gaddafi was murdered and the government of Libya collapsed. So did the benefits flowing to its people. Now. Libya is a shattered country with civil war and rival regimes. The Government of National Accord controls part of the country. "In December 2015 delegates from Libyas rival factions signed the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA)a UN-brokered power-sharing agreement establishing a Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by a prime minister and a nine-member presidency council drawn from constituencies and factions throughout the country. Although the GNA received recognition from the UN Security Council as the legitimate government of Libya, it struggled to consolidate its authority in both the eastern and western halves of the country." (Encyclopedia Britannica). In particular, it is battling Khalifa Hiftar, former Libyan general and now U.S. citizen. He heads the Libyan National Army (LNA), operating in the oil rich eastern part of the country. Hiftar has been steadily losing ground to the GNA, even though Russia, Egypt, and the UAE support him. Turkey, the Country, Not the Bird. In fact, Turkey has become a major problem in Libya. According to Libyan National Army Spokesman Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari, The threat posed by terrorists and extremists led by Erdogan with his groups in Libya threatens the region's peace. They have exacerbated the situation by bringing it to the current level. Moreover, this writer was told, despite agreement by the other states backing the LNA, that Turkey refused to participate in an Egyptian initiative, suggesting a new agreement between the LNA and GNA with a cease-fire starting June 8. Egypt apparently reserves the opportunity of securing its long western border with Libya by military action if necessary. The Opened Door. It began innocently enough. According to the Brussels International Center, "[i]n late December 2019, the Tripoli based-UN backed- Government of National Accord (GNA) appealed for Turkey to intervene in Libya. As a response, the Turkish Parliament held an emergency session on January 3rd, 2020, and voted to authorize President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to deploy Turkish troops to Libya. Soon after, the deployment of troops materialized. However, not only were Turkish military forces deployed but Syrian rebels from northern Syria too. In recent months, Turkeys military activities, such as its expatriation of Syrian refugees to their war-torn country and the deployment of Turkish-backed Syrian rebels to fight along the GNA in Libya, pose serious risks of escalation in the region." Seizing the opportunity, Turkey apparently wants to use it to restore the Ottoman Empire, of which Libya was once a part (As were Syria and Iraq, now invaded and occupied by Turkish forces.) Erdogan's government has been operating in Libya for some time. SADAT, founded by former Turkish Brig.Gen. Adnan Tanrverdi, has there since 2013, the author was told. It bills itself as "the first and the only company in Turkey, that internationally provides consultancy and military training services at the international defense and interior security sector." (http://www.sadat.com.tr/en/). According to informed sources, SADAT generals are responsible for GNA major offensive operations. SADAT soldiers were seen in the Tripoli region long before November 2019. Supposedly, "SADAT Defense was in Libya to determine the needs of New Libyan Armed Forces and search for possibilities for Consultancy, Training, Ordnance service delivery for Libya.". At the beginning of Turkey's military involvement in Libya, Turkish government publications wrote that "100 years later, our troops returned to the region". The Turks Are Coming, Drum, Drum, Drumming Everywhere. Adding to the problem, this author was told, SADAT's founder, Adnan Tanrverdi, one of Erdogan's chief advisors, is supposedly an Islamist, who openly declares the necessity of restoring the Muslim caliphate, based on Sharia law. According to his declarations, this Islamic Empire, with its capital at Istanbul, must consist of 61 countries, a good bit of the Arab and Muslim worlds. (Turkey Special Dispatch No. 8493; Middle East Research Institute, MEMRI, seen as an Israeli-oriented organization). As stated to the author, this will pose a serious threat to Europe. The connection and proximity to Libya and nearby Syria, where Turkey backs the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists and other unsavory groups can prove disastrous. Turkey's invasion of Iraq, operating against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), only makes matters worse. (In the past, today's Iraq had been the Ottoman provinces, vilayets, of Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra.) If Turkey continues its bloody politics in the region, it can cause a new catastrophe that might spread beyond the area. The question posed to this writer was, if all this continues, what happens to Europes security? It would certainly add to the flow of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa, destabilizing the Continent still more. Europe can't handle the present flood of aliens, with the disastrous political, economic, and human rights problems that follow. (Cf. Springmann, J. Michael. Goodbye, Europe? Hello, Chaos? Merkel's Migrant Bomb. Washington, D.C.: Daena Publications, 2017.) But? Would this necessarily be a bad thing, if, as noted Islamic scholar Kevin Barrett, Ph.D. observed on No Lies Radio, the revived Empire was based on democratic principles, economic opportunity for all, non-aggression, and no bias towards racial groups, such as the Kurds. Only time will tell. And if Turkey changes. And if the Egyptian army stays home and out of Libya. *(Top image: The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Credit: NATO North Atlantic Treaty/ Flickr) Restaurants and coffee shops in Egypt finally threw open their doors on Saturday after three months of closure, as authorities lifted a variety of business-bruising coronavirus restrictions in a bid to rescue the battered economy. In Cairo, waiters in masks served coffees at cafes and customers could once again enjoy their food at restaurants, albeit well-spaced from other clients under the 25 percent occupancy limit that the authorities now require. Many restaurants measured clients temperatures and guided them to sanitise their hands before they entered. At Eatery, a smart restaurant in New Cairo, founder and co-owner Omar Fathy said it was a relief to reopen after the dramatic financial suffering caused by the restrictions. The problem has been the negative cash flow that came with the sudden closure, he said, referring to losses of EGP 2 million ($123,700) suffered by his two branches in the two months until the end of May. I expect it will take [business] until the end of this year or the first quarter of 2021 to recover, if we dont close again. Fathy, like many restaurateurs, is implementing the new hygiene rules fully in order to entice customers back. This includes seating 50 clients as opposed to the previous 250, with tables spread metres apart. The normally packed restaurant saw only 10 percent of its pre-coronavirus occupancy on Saturday, according to the owner. He is also turning to other safe eating practices: there are no paper menus for now. Instead, a QR code is plastered on the tables, which customers scan to bring up a menu on their mobile phones. Like many operators, Eatery wants its landlord to drop rent charges for the closure period, but the management of the mall where it is located has only offered to cover half the period. Egypt announced last week it would lift many restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, reopening cafes, cinemas, clubs, and gyms after more than three months of closure, despite a spike in new infections in recent weeks. The country has recorded 63,923 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 2,708 deaths, since the outbreak began in February. But the actual numbers, like elsewhere in the world, are thought to be much higher than the reported figure, as many cases are believed to go unreported. On Saturday, however, the first wave of customers seemed happy to return to their old haunts. It feels so good because I really needed to go out. We had been locked at home with no place to go since they shut, Noha, 26, said as she waited in line to get a latte at a Starbucks in southern Cairo. The pandemic has brought the countrys vital tourism industry to a near standstill, slowed remittances from Egyptians working overseas and prompted major job cuts. The Egyptian government projects the economic growth for the fiscal year that begins on July 1 to fall to 3.5 percent if the coronavirus crisis continues until December, down from a previous estimate of 6.4 percent. But the relaxation in the restrictions, which the government says is meant to keep the economy running, has still drawn criticism. People are careless. When you open, you are actually giving everyone the impression that it is not a serious matter, so people will become even more careless, said Salma Shalaby, 29. The cabinet said the decisions to roll back the restrictions could be revoked if people do not adhere to them correctly. Elsewhere in Cairo, a bustling mega-city of around 25 million people, some are wary about the post-lockdown phase. Work wont go back to normal. People are still scared of the disease. We expected there would be a high footfall on our first day back, but it was the opposite, said Gafaar, a waiter at a traditional cafe in downtown Cairo. He expects customer numbers to drop by more than half, despite the reopening, as shisha, formerly an inextricable part of the countrys cafe scene, has been banned under the new health regulations. Mosques also reopened for worshippers for the first time in months, though they will remain closed for the weekly Friday prayer service, which draws larger crowds. I teared up while praying, said Ahmed Sobhy, after he finished the Isha prayers at a mosque in Cairos Al-Manial district. Its totally different spiritually when you pray at home to when you pray at the mosque. Search Keywords: Short link: The novel coronavirus is taking its toll on the local real estate market. According to May data from the Houston Association of Realtors, the single-family home average price dropped 7.4 percent to $298,199. The median price slipped to $249,000. HAR reports that the last time this city saw that kind of decline was January 2018. "May delivered another mixed bag of data for the Houston housing market given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on top of strains in the oil patch and the broader recession," said HAR Chairman John Nugent with RE/MAX Space Center. "We will eventually work our way through these challenges, and already see positive indicators in the form of strong rental activity, solid pending sales numbers and steady attendance at property showings across greater Houston." To get a better idea of what that means in terms of home shopping, take a look at what the average residential price tag -- roughly $300,000 -- can purchase around town. As you'll note, the closer to central Houston, the less space your dollar will afford. 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. ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has picked incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo as its presidential candidate in this year's election, setting up a third consecutive head-to-head battle against former president John Dramani Mahama. Akufo-Addo, 76, unseated Mahama in 2016 with 53.8% of the vote, cementing the gold, and cocoa producing West African nation's reputation as a leading democracy in a region that has earned notoriety for political instability. Akufo-Addo will contest the Dec. 7 poll with Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate, the NPP said in a statement on Saturday. Mahama, 61, who has been chosen by the National Democratic Congress as its candidate, defeated Akufo-Addo in the 2012 presidential race. (Reporting by Christian Akorlie; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Mike Harrison) Chinas top legislative body discussed Hong Kongs security legislation on Sunday, Radio Television Hong Kong reported, signaling Beijing may soon hand down a measure that pro-democracy activists and business groups say could erode the citys unique freedoms. At a three-day meeting that started Sunday, the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee considered the legislation to punish acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, RTHK said, citing Hong Kong non-voting delegate Ip Kwok-him. The NPC has received various opinions about the proposed law and will make some adjustment, but the change will not be substantial, he said. Ip said he believed the proposed law for Hong Kong was included on the voting agenda, but details will not be published before the vote has taken place. Stanley Ng Chau-pei, another Hong Kong delegate who attended the meeting with no voting rights, told local television TVB that he had seen the latest draft of the legislation, and that the group discussion he sat in formed consistent opinion on the bill. He declined to elaborate on the contents of the legislation and wasnt sure if the three-day meeting would pass the bill. Chinese President Xi Jinpings government announced plans in late May to impose the legislation on the former British colony following an unprecedented wave of protests last year. If the proposed law passes during this NPC session, it could come into effect in time for the symbolic July 1 anniversary of the citys return to Chinese rule in 1997. Pro-democracy politicians and foreign governments including the U.S. have criticized the proposed law as a blow to the one country, two systems principle that keeps Hong Kongs legal system separate from the mainland. About 56% of residents oppose the legislation, compared with 34% who support it, according to a Reuters/Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute poll released Friday. Hong Kong officials have defended the new law as necessary to maintain social stability after last years protests, despite acknowledging they havent seen the full proposal. Details released by state media last week showed that Beijing planned to set up a local intelligence bureau, take control of some sensitive cases and remove the courts ability to select judges on security matters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again stressed on the importance of wearing masks and following social distancing norms to keep up Indias fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) during the Unlock period as he addressed his monthly radio programme. We have to be more cautious during the Unlock phase than we were in lockdown. Your alertness will protect you from corona, PM Modi said during the 66th episode of Mann Ki Baat. Follow latest update on coronavirus here Always remember that if you do not wear a mask, do not follow the two-yard rule, or do not take other necessary precautions, you are putting yourself as well as others at risk particularly the children and elders of the house, he said. Therefore, I request all the countrymen and I make this request again and again and I request that you do not be negligent, take care of yourself, and others too. Before this, the Prime Minister had in his last Mann Ki Baat episode on May 31 cautioned that the battle against the coronavirus pandemic is a long one as he warned against complacency and reiterated the need for social distancing and wearing masks. Since then the number of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases have surged from 182,143 to more than five lakhs and the death toll has mounted to over 16,000 from 5,164. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage According to the Union health ministry data on Sunday,India recorded another biggest single-day jump in Covid-19 cases with more than 19,900 infections recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing the tally to 528,859. There were 19,906 Covid-19 cases between Saturday and Sunday morning and 410 patients succumbed to the disease during that time. The death toll is now 16,095. The white beadwork trailing across Tom Jones photographs traces the spirits of his Ho-Chunk ancestors. The University of Wisconsin professor creates portraits of his people from the inside out, rooted in cultural identity, sans the feathers and fringe of outsider depictions. Santa Fes IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Art is presenting Tom Jones: Unrelenting Spirits through March 28, 2021. The exhibition includes recent works from his Studies in Cultural Appropriation series, an exploration of how popular culture, fashion and design lifts from American Indian culture. Using a found black and white image of a 1920s couple, he beaded the suit of the male figure in Native American designs in Cultural Appropriation Study 23. Im intrigued by things I find in antique stores, he said. That figure is a cut-out. Although the work raises questions about cultural borrowing in the fashion industry, Jones declines to take a stand. He referenced a (nameless) fashion designer who lifted a jacket pattern from a Northwest Coast cape. I mean, as artists were just putting things out there, he said. There are native people who do the same thing. Its when is it taken too far; when they take images and they dont know what they are. Its a fine line. There are so many different levels of taking and stealing. The artist collects antique glass beads everywhere he travels, most recently from Paris. Some are more than 100 years old. His portrait of Elizah Leonard (2019) features the sitter in fancy dress haloed in a vine of white flowers. I look at old beadwork designs from my own tribe, he said. They say you should never copy it; you should just be informed by it. Jones found the rhinestone beads in New York; he created the flowers from mother-of-pearl. He sketches out the designs on paper first before tracing them using Photoshop to use as templates. When you walk past it, they all glimmer, he said. Jones began learning how to bead when he was in second grade. By the time he advanced to high school, he was selling pendants, hat bands and earrings to his classmates. I try to stick to white, he said. It represents the spirits. When I was in third grade, my mother saw a Sioux medicine man for healing, he continued. They turned all the lights off and then the women started singing to bring the spirits. These white orbs started floating around the room. That kind of stuck with me. Jones grew up in Florida and North Carolina before his mother returned to Wisconsin to eventually earn a law degree. She served as tribal president in the 1980s. Hes been photographing the tribe since he earned masters degrees in photography and museum studies at Chicagos Columbia College in 1998. Beaded stars entwine the figure in his 2015 portrait of the veteran Colin Carrimon, who cradles the folded American flag of a deceased ancestor. Weve fought in every war for the U.S. except for the War of 1812, he said. And we also had code talkers. Much of Jones inspiration came from the Kiowa photographer Horace Poolaw, who lived from 1906 to 1984. Hes the first (native) person I saw who was photographing their own community, he said. When Jones was working at Columbia College, a colleague mentioned she was related to the late photographer by marriage. She said his glass plate negatives were tucked under a bed in a plastic bin in Anadarko, Oklahoma. We took a group of students down there and we digitized all the negatives, he said. The collection resulted in a book published by Yale University, as well as an exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in New York. He informed my work and I was able to do something and give back, Jones said. Today hes drawing portraits, an idea that germinated during a 2019 Institute of American Indian Art residency. Somebody asked me to be in a missing indigenous women show, he said. He met a woman who had been abducted in Albuquerque. Theyre people in profile, he said. Im having them face the sun with their eyes closed. Southern superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday expressed deep pain and grief at the tragic death of two traders of Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district after the father-son duo were allegedly thrashed in police custody. Rajinikanth spoke to P Jayaraj's widow over the phone and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the family, the actor's public relations manager said in a tweet on Sunday. It lent a warm personal touch to the actor's response to a grave tragedy that has hit the national headlines at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Jayaraj and his son Bennix, arrested for allegedly violating lockdown norms on business hours of their cellphone shop, died at a hospital in Kovilpatti on June 23, with their relatives alleging that they were physically assaulted at the Sathankulam police station by police personnel. The incident had triggered a political and civil society furore leading to the suspension of four policemen, including two sub-inspectors. Demands have been made for stringent action against the erring policemen. Meanwhile, the BJP Tamil Nadu unit president L Murugan expressed hope that justice would be done in this custodial death case. The duo were the sold breadwinners of the family. Mr. Murugan said, "...the Sathankulam incident is a blot on the Tamil Nadu police," adding that action against the culprits was the need of the hour. The BJP would be willing to assist the family in any way to get justice, he said. Demand for medical oxygen has soared since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic. (AFP) Hyderabad: Oxygen therapy is proving to be useful in severe cases of COVID-19 in Telangana and the state government is planning to set up wards with direct oxygen supply to beds in the coronavirus wards at Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi Hospital and Telangana Institute of Medical Science and Research. Tenders have been floated inviting contractors to set up oxygen supply to hospital beds. It will take more than a month to equip the beds. Presently, oxygen ports from large cylinders are being used at Gandhi Hospital and the King Koti hospital. In King Koti, patients have learnt to operate the oxygen lines themselves. The only problem is the oxygen supply in view of the large demand. A senior government officer said the supply line was not consistent. Only 5 per cent of the severe cases require ventilator support whereas the rest of them can be managed with oxygen therapy. Anticipating a rise in new cases, capacity building is now being carried out, he told Deccan Chronicle. It is against this backdrop that special oxygen wards are being planned in the hospitals. According to government sources, the decision is late, but has been made finally. To set up an oxygen plant in the hospital requires huge investment and land and it will take more than a month to be functional. The facility is available at Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences but it is a non-Covid 19 hospital, explained sources. With patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19 advised home quarantine, supply of portable oxygen cylinders is being recommended by doctors. In Mumbai and Delhi, community hubs have been formed for patients to reach out for pulse oximeters and oxygen cylinders. A senior family physician explained, A back-up plan is needed as we will see a situation like Mumbai and Delhi. The availability of medical oxygen will help us save a lot of patients and if it has to be carried out at home we must be prepared to provide the same. Pence at First Baptist Dallas: Americas foundation is freedom, freedoms foundation is faith Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Vice President Mike Pence was the special guest speaker at the annual Celebrate Freedom Sunday at First Baptist Church Dallas, where told congregants that Christians need to hold fast to freedom and faith in these challenging times. It is good to be back in church, Pence told the congregation before sharing a quote by President Donald Trump who recently said, We will never stop fighting for the sacred values that bind us together as America. Trump, he added, also said, 'faith and family, and not the bureaucracy and government, is the true way of life,' and the 'we live by the words of our national motto: In God we trust.' Pence continued, The foundation of America is freedom, and the foundation of freedom is faith." "From day one, President Trump has protected the freedom of all Americans. Only the nations that have the Lord as their God are blessed," he said. "In these challenging times, lets hold fast to freedom and to faith. Lets start praying for America again," he encouraged Christians before saying, "the greatest honor of my life is to be your vice president." Dr. Ben Carson, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who also spoke at the service, said Christians should stand for what they believe in. Lets not look to somebody else to solve our problems, he told the congregants. We all have a sphere of influence. Within that sphere of influence, we can determine how were going to act, how we are going to treat our fellow men, he explained. Were the ones who can push godly principles of loving your fellow men, caring about your neighbor, developing your God-given talents to the utmost so that you should become valuable to the people around you; you have values and principles that govern your life. And if we do that, not only will we be a great nation, but we will have one nation under God, he concluded. Before introducing Pence, Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress, a member of President Donald Trumps Evangelical Advisory Board and White House Faith Initiative, praised the Administration for enacting the most pro-life, pre-religious liberty, pro-Israel, pro-conservative judiciary in the history of America. Pence, the pastor added, is a man of deep faith. He believes in the power of prayer despite being ridiculed for his faith." He also hailed the vice president for being "a champion of religious liberty in our country and around the world. Some had criticized Pence for speaking at an in-person service at a time when the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has been rising in Dallas and other areas across the nation following a month of protests and the lifting of lockdown orders. A reporter with NBC News' Dallas affiliate WFAA asked Jeffress to respond to those who believe masks infringe on their freedom. I tell them thats ludicrous, the pastor said. Theres nothing political about wearing a mask, Jeffress added. Its a medical issue. I think people who have common sense realize a mask doesnt only protect them, but it protects those around them as well. And as Christians especially, were supposed to be concerned not just for ourselves but the well-being of our weaker brother. In this case those who might be more susceptible to the virus. The church had encouraged everyone to wear face masks, practice social distancing, and use the hand sanitizer stations set up throughout the church's campus. Those vulnerable to illness had been advised to stay home and watch online. The church also said it would not go beyond about 2,200 people inside the main sanctuary where Pence spoke. When Pence arrived in Dallas Sunday morning, he was greeted by Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Speaker Dennis Bonnen at Love Field Airport. Pence and the others were seen wearing masks. After leaving the church, Pence joined Abbott, Carson, Dr. Deborah Birx, Sen. John Cornyn, and other health experts at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for a closed-door briefing on COVID-19. BRUNSWICK HILLS TOWNSHIP, Ohio Suspicious person: Keats Boulevard A resident reported a suspicious man taking photos of his property at 5:38 p.m. June 19. The caller said he confronted the man, who said the callers home was on a list of foreclosed properties. The man was unable to produce the list, however. The caller told police that he suspects the man may be a private investigator hired by a man that both the caller and his wife have protection orders against in Ohio and California. Theft: Yorton Drive A man reported a possible online theft June 18 after sending a woman $400 through Venmo for an iPhone the woman was selling on Facebook Marketplace. The man sent the payment June 14 and the phone was to be delivered June 18. He said he had been unable to reach the seller, who claimed to live in Painesville, but had a Bucyrus, Ohio, phone number. The man said he was advised by Venmo to file a police report. There was no further information at the time of the report. Driving under suspension: Grafton Road A driver was pulled over at 11:54 p.m. June 19 for driving under suspension. The man told police that he was not aware that his license had been suspended. He was cited and released. Read more news from the Brunswick Sun. If ever an issue called out for compromise, its finding a way to give the 700,000 Americans who live in the District of Columbia full congressional representation. But thats not what Democrats in the House of Representatives did on Friday when in a lockstep party-line vote they approved creation of a new state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, in honor of the Virginia-born first president and Frederick Douglass, the Maryland-born abolitionist and former slave. The Senate will now block the measure, and the stalemate will likely continue for years. There is no doubt that Frederick Douglass thought the 19th-century status of Washingtons residents was unacceptable. Although he himself served as U.S. marshal for the District of Columbia, he noted that its residents have neither voice nor vote in all the practical politics of the United States. They are hardly to be called citizens of the United States. Since then, residents of Washington, D.C., have been granted the right to vote for president and a delegate in the House to represent their interests. But that clearly falls short of full voting rights. But Washingtons House delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the prime mover of statehood, isnt being honest when she claims that Congress has only two choices: It can continue to exercise undemocratic, autocratic authority over the District, or it can pass her statehood bill. No alternative. But there is an answer that neither continues the unacceptable status quo nor creates an artificial state largely for the expedient purpose of electing two new Democratic senators. Congress can give back what it took from Maryland and Virginia when it created the District in 1801. Its called retrocession, and the job is already half done. In 1847, the federal government ceded the portion of D.C. south of the Potomac River back to Virginia. It is now the cities of Alexandria and Arlington. Residents elect a member to the U.S. House, vote for two Senators, and escape the direct federal oversight of their affairs that Washington D.C. endures. Story continues It makes practical sense to simply allow the current residents of Washington, D.C., to become residents in a newly designated Douglass County, Md., and share in that states representation in Congress. Last year, columnist Charles Lane of the Washington Post listed additional advantages of retrocession: District residents would have a large delegation in Marylands state legislature, they would regain control of prosecutors and courts, and they could streamline services by eliminating multiple layers of bureaucracy. The federal government ought to be willing to grease retrocession by supplying transitional aid, possibly by reprogramming annual grants to the District, he wrote. In the past, many Marylanders have been knee-jerk opponents of taking back the District. When Maryland Democratic governor William Donald Schaefer said he supported the concept in 1990, an anonymous state senator scoffed at the idea, noting that D.C.s many urban problems would greatly strap state resources. But the Washington, D.C., of today is booming, gentrification has created a huge tax base, and the city has made progress in lowering crime and creating charter schools. D.C. has a higher per capita personal income than any state does, and a higher bond rating than 35 states. But the proponents of D.C. statehood act as if the idea of retrocession doesnt exist. In a Washington Examiner opinion piece in 2018, David Krucoff, a Washington businessman and policy maven, noted his disappointment at how a Senate hearing on D.C. enfranchisement went in 2014: My disgust with the failure of D.C.s efforts to gain representation boiled over when I attended a disingenuous Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing on D.C. enfranchisement in September of 2014. At the hearing, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., the only senator on the committee who was even present, begged all those testifying from D.C. if there was anything else that could be done besides for D.C. to become the 51st state. Our representatives answered in unison that there was nothing else that could be done. However, every one of them, starting with the Districts House delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, knew about the Virginia retrocession. They either avoided the question or lied in their responses right in front of hundreds of us that day. Since that hearing, Krucoff has tirelessly campaigned for the idea of retrocession. But while many elected officials agree with him privately, none will publicly back it. As Charles Lane noted last year: Its revealing that local politicians would resist Krucoffs proposal (and others like it), even though it accomplishes the main ostensible purpose of the D.C. statehood and voting rights movements. I doubt that Frederick Douglass would approve of such short-sighted political expediency and its consequent willingness to let a problem fester rather than solve it. One of the 19th centurys most eloquent critics of socialism and collectivism, Douglass was a man of decisive action. If given a choice between gaining full voting rights for Washington, D.C., residents (with their new status as residents of his native Maryland) and waiting many more years under the illusion that D.C. statehood will pass political and constitutional muster, we should all ask: What would Frederick Douglass do? More from National Review Universal Studios Japan plans to postpone the opening of its new area in Osaka featuring the popular Nintendo game character Mario due to the coronavirus epidemic. Construction of the new theme area, including attractions and restaurants, is almost complete at the USJ site in Osaka's Konohana Ward. The operator of the park initially planned to open it in late July. But the company says the schedule will have to be changed as the new attraction is likely to boost the number of visitors. Such an increase is in conflict with the top priority in the epidemic of avoiding crowded places and close-contact settings. The company says at this moment, it is still unsure when it can open the new area. The operator invested about 560 million dollars in the construction. The company reopened the theme park itself on June 8 by only welcoming visitors from the local Kansai area and effectively limiting their number to about half of the usual figure. President Emmanuel Macron on Monday pledged a raft of new commitments to the environment after his ruling party was routed in local elections marked by spectacular gains for the Greens. Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) party failed to notch up any significant victory in the second round of Sunday's municipal elections that had been postponed for over three months due to the coronavirus pandemic. By contrast, the Greens made gains that exceeded their own expectations, with Green mayors now set to lead key regional hubs like Bordeaux, Lyon and Strasbourg. Seeking to quickly regain the initiative, Marcron announced 15 billion euros ($17 billion) would be invested over two years in "the ecological conversion of our economy". The president stressed the need to "reconcile economy and ecology" in a nod to the sweeping gains of the Europe Ecology - Green Party (EELV) in elections marked by a record abstention rate of around 60 percent. Hosting 150 members of a so-called "citizen's convention" on climate reform for a pre-scheduled meeting, Macron promised the creation of a fund to invest in cleaner transport and buildings, and to "invent the industries of tomorrow." On Twitter, the president argued his government had a strong record on ecology, but conceded that "we need to go further, stronger." - 'In denial' - The EELV on Sunday also took the towns and cities of Grenoble, Besancon, Tours, Poitiers and Annecy in a green sweep unlike any France had seen before. In Paris, Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo was re-elected after forming an alliance with the EELV, with the pro-Macron candidate trailing in a distant third. The LREM, created just months before Macron's successful 2017 presidential bid, failed to take a single major city and only five of 10 ministers in his government secured wins in councils they contested. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe won the mayorship of the Normandy city of Le Havre, but he is not a card-carrying LREM member. EELV party head Yannick Jadot said the vote proved that Macron had been "in denial" over growing public demand for ambitious measures to fight climate change. He told Europe 1 radio the EELV would not join Macron's government, and urged the president to take on board a long list of measures proposed by the citizens' convention he had set up. Macron said he would not oppose a 2021 referendum on some of the proposals, including rewriting the constitution to include mention of the urgency of protecting the environment and fighting climate change. But he did not support a four-percent tax on company dividends or lowering the speed limit on national roads from 130 to 110 kilometres(81 to 68 miles) per hour. - 'Disappointment' - There was heated speculation Monday that Macron would reshuffle his cabinet, possibly axing Philippe who enjoys more support than he does, according to opinion polls. Macron has promised that the second part of is presidency would take note of failings during the first. Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye expressed "disappointment" Sunday over the LREM's poor showing in the second round, which was held amid strict coronavirus anti-contagion measures. She blamed "internal divisions", which were notably on display in Paris where Macron's candidate Agnes Buzyn was hobbled by maverick challenger Cedric Villani. Traditional right-wing and Socialist parties managed respectable showings, contested more than three months after the March 15 first round was held just as the COVID-19 epidemic was gaining ground, and two days before France entered lockdown. The right-wing The Republicans won in more than half of cities with more than 9,000 residents, capturing Toulouse and Nice among others. The Socialists, which did poorly in the 2017 national race, took Paris, Nantes, Le Mans, Dijon and Montpellier, and just managed to beat off a strong challenge from the EELV in Lille. Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally claimed a big victory in Perpignan in the southwest, giving it control of a city with more than 100,000 inhabitants for the first time since 1995. Only 40 percent of the country's 16.5 million eligible voters cast ballots, however, in a record-low turnout reflecting disapproval of Macron as well as coronavirus contagion fears. Macron expressed "concern" over the low turnout just 22 months before presidential elections in which he is likely to face off against Le Pen. burs-mlr/sjw/txw Part self-help, part spiritual guidance, tarot is fast becoming the problem-solver for uncertain times. International tarot expert Alice Grist explains how we can all unlock its powers Part self-help, part spiritual guidance, tarot is fast becoming the problem-solver for uncertain times Throughout my life the tarot has guided me: from love and career queries to difficult decisions and parenthood My relationship with the tarot started when I was 13 years old and I bought my first deck with a book voucher. It has been not only my objective friend, but also my saviour. In January 2018, aged 39, my husband had a heart attack. During his recuperation, in desperation, I reached for my cards. The Star came out the card that speaks to your inner ability to turn the worst situation into something much better and I knew everything would be all right, and that we would come out of this transformed. And that is exactly what happened. This is one piece of tarot magic Ill never forget. Tarot can help people get answers and make sense of their lives Over the years, I have found that the tarot cards have an uncanny ability to empower you, so all those things you want can be found or created. The cards can guide you to become amazingly intuitive and to understand the power you have over your life. They tell it how it is and they dont pull their punches. If you are happy with your lot and dont fancy changing, growing or flowing with life, then maybe stop reading now. For the tarot cards are megawatt tools of self-help, self-love and self-growth. A modern form of divination, the magic of the cards is found not in the paper they are printed on, but in the hearts and minds of the people who hold them. They tap into the ancient intuition that each one of us holds. People want answers and purpose, to make sense of their lives and feel something magical within themselves. They want to know that everything will be OK; that they will survive, be successful, fall in love, be healthy and happy. Although the tarot cannot directly give you this, it sure can prod you in the right direction, while assisting you to overcome the hurdles that have previously held you back. Tarot cards provide the seeds to build a more spiritually connected life. I highly recommend that you get a deck and start a lifetime journey that will enlighten, empower and very often amaze you. The main cards to know The Sun brings power, The Moon change and Death isnt what you think. The 78-card deck is divided into two sections. Heres what they represent The Major Arcana There are 22 cards in the Major Arcana. These trump cards, made of major characters and life themes, are numbered 0 to 21, usually in roman numerals. The numbers themselves contain meanings that you may find reflect important numbers in your own life. They stretch across all meaningful experiences and speak to individual character and personality. Some of the Major Arcana cards will remind you of yourself, while others will cause you to recall life events. Some may remind you of characters youve encountered in reality or in films and books. As you peruse the Major Arcana, it is good to jot down notes. A few words written down to define each card from your perspective are the start of a real connection with that card. The Major Arcana contains all of life, so while there are human characters within it, such as The Empress, The Hermit and The Magician, there are bigger subjects such as The World, The Star and Death. These cards are like onions, with layers of meaning. You wont be able to pierce that vast depth straight away; youre not supposed to. Aim to think of a handful of things that each card makes you see/feel/recall/understand. The more time you spend with these big characters and themes, the more youll discover about yourself. As the archetypes of human existence, they reflect all the roles that a person undertakes in life. The Minor Arcana The rest of the tarot deck is known as the Minor Arcana. These cards represent the gritty detail of life they really assist us in getting to grips with our life situation and the minutiae of our emotions, actions and thoughts. They consist of four suits, each containing 14 cards and each representing a different element. The suits are: Wands (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air) and Pentacles also known as Coins in some decks (earth). Each suit of the Minor Arcana has individual themes and qualities. Wands (batons) speak to us of growth, creativity, dreams and ambition. They also speak of the fears and furrows that halt our creative endeavours. They are about the passion we need to embrace, control and own as we navigate our way through life. Cups represent feelings and relationships. Some say they are the suit of love, but they are also the suit of passion, hope, tears and fears. Swords are representative of choice, decisions and the realm of thought. They are about boundaries as they represent limitations. Swords speak to creating mental clarity and fighting through difficulties towards truth. Pentacles (coins) represent abundance (or the lack of), money, work and the material world. They show us our attitude towards work, and our ambitions and dreams for our careers. They offer guidance on attracting and manifesting what we desire, and the work that this entails. Advertisement The Fool (left); The Magician (right) The Fool is about breaking rules and crossing boundaries. This card challenges us to live. He reminds us constantly that we must take the leap, often before we are ready, and that rules and limitations will only weigh us down. The Fool asks us to reject overthinking and step into the unknown. The Magician This represents the ability to take skills, beliefs and dreams and meld them into something you desire. The Magician asks us to recall times when we made amazing things happen. He asks us to dream big and to use what we already have in order to reach where we desire to go to. The Empress (left); The Emperor (right) The Empress She is all about the way we nurture our lives, the people in them and the wider community. Compassion, empathy and guidance are within us all to be given out. She keeps her boundaries; she knows when to say no. More importantly, she knows the love that flows when she finds it appropriate to say yes. The Emperor He is searching for safety and power, and is preoccupied with being on top. Hes an inspiring leader, but his negative side shows we can become so consumed by our goals that we fail and become unwilling. When this occurs, we must take time out to reconnect with what really matters in life. The Lovers (left); The Hermit (right) The Lovers This encapsulates love and lust which can be wonderful or horrible. It focuses on codependency that unhealthy reliance upon another person to make you happy and warns that sexual compatibility isnt the same as mental compatibility. Its the card of affairs and no-strings sexual connections. The Hermit insists that we are the expert in our own life and asks us to dig deep inside ourselves and get to know his wisdom through our intuitions and instincts. This card represents a fantastic time for self-discovery and for growth. Wheel Of Fortune (left); Justice (right) Wheel Of Fortune People come to the tarot looking for very specific answers: what does my future hold? Should I marry/divorce/have children/travel? This card reminds us that even as we make our plans, they come undone easily. Anything can happen; the only way to be in control is to recognise that control is an illusion. Justice is about balance. This is a big card, and a huge concept. The Justice card acts as a reminder to release control over other people and what we think of them. It asks us to place faith in things working out as they should. The Hanged Man (left); Death (right) The Hanged Man For me, this card is a reminder just to be in the situation I am experiencing. So be present where you are: take it all in, learn what you can; then regroup, rejuvenate and await better circumstances. This indicates a great time for working on yourself and the immediate world around you. The Death Death speaks of endings and beginnings. It is not a card to be afraid of, but rather one to be welcomed. Often in life we cling on to old ways or situations that no longer make us happy. Death can be a welcome friend as she sweeps in and removes these obstacles to our happiness. Temperance (left); The Devil (right) Temperance This speaks of patience and taking our sweet time. All kinds of possibilities reside within you. Yet to invoke that potential most powerfully, you must be patient, calm and measured. Do not be pushed or rushed; commit to the long haul. Great things come to those who wait and slowly apply themselves. The Devil This card reflects our inner turmoil. He is not an evil force waiting to pounce; he is our inner world getting ready to drag us down. This scary card is the one I least like to pull. He tells me that a person is suffering. Yet there is a glimmer of hope, which lies in recognising that all of this is in our power to turn around. The Tower (left); The Star (right) The Tower mirrors to us the chaos and drama we sometimes find ourselves mixed up in. It reminds us to keep standing that you were here before this situation arose and you will be here after it. Provide shelter and support to loved ones who are not naturally as strong as you. The Star is a turning point, speaking to our ability to make the worst situation better. It asks us to be vulnerable we cannot pretend any more. In becoming our most honest selves, it promises a happier existence. Not everybody is up for the challenge. If you are, the Star is telling you that it will be OK. The Moon (left); The Sun (right) The Moon This reflects the eerie quality of change. Sometimes transformation is full of joy and wonder. Other times, it can leave us reeling as we try to adjust to new ways. The Moon speaks to that in-between space where we are no longer what we were but are not yet at the next level of who we are becoming. The Sun This card gifts us big doses of power and self-understanding, which can thrust us onwards to great things. It usually shows up when a person needs a reminder of what they can achieve. However, too much time in the Sun can leave us weary and burned out. Getting the balance right is important. Judgement (left); The World (right); Judgement When Judgement arises in a spread, I know that events are unfolding that are outside the control of who Im reading for. It is an awakening: we are called upon to grow, to rise up beyond what we were. Ask yourself, Am I building or destroying? as you form your opinions on others and make your moves. The World This helps us recall our fundamental power. The World asks us to make bold moves, knowing that this is the point of our life. The card arises not for silly choices, but for huge, life-altering things. Every time it shows up, it bellows a reminder that the world is ours and we ought to start believing that. How to read the cards To begin, I recommend you flick through the deck. See which cards you like and which you dont. You will adore some images they will give you good feelings and hope. Others may make you uncomfortable and unclear. There will probably be a few you have no feelings towards. This is all normal. Allow connections to form. Ask yourself as you wander through each image: what does this card tell me? Look at every picture and consider what story is being told. Figure that out and you have your base meaning upon which you can layer dozens of variations over time. The tarot is not a rock-solid predictor. The cards might show us possibility and our highest potential, but we always have free will, so we can take what the tarot says and ignore it. The tarot is often the navigation system we need, a wake-up call that confirms what we know deep down. With continued use, the cards will open up your intuitive side and your natural psychic abilities. A tarot card spread is the method by which a reader lays out the cards on the table then interprets the meanings. There are many different spreads used by readers. Always begin by shuffling the deck. Questions you may wish to consider as you meet each card include What is my very first feeling when I look at this card? Do any words, memories, colours or unexpected thoughts spring to mind? As I gaze a little longer, what details do I notice? Does this card remind me of anyone I know (or characters from stories/TV/film, etc)? Do I like this card or not, and why? This is an edited extract from The Book of Tarot: A Contemporary Guide to Finding Your Intuition and Reading The Tarot by Alice Grist, which will be published on 2 July by Piatkus, price 12.99. Order a copy for 7.79 (40% off RR P) at whsmith.co.uk by entering code YOUTAROT at checkout UNTIL 12 JULY . Book number: 9780349425023. FOR TERMS & CONDITIONS , GO TO www.whsmith.co.uk/terms. Nine Of Wands Tarot expert Alice Grist guides YOU magazines Miranda Thompson through the decks powers One-Card Reading Pick a card, any card: simply set your intent, ask a question and select a single card from the deck to receive an insightful answer. Dont expect it to be a clear yes or no; the tarot is tricky like that. Instead, it will give you something to work with and think about. Miranda asked: Should I move to the countryside? The cards said: Nine of Wands. This is a card that is all about engaging with something with childlike joy, says Alice. Its a yes card. If that means you wanting to engage with nature then I see this card as representing a child walking to a blossoming part of her life. If moving to the country is your goal, youre on the route. If youre projecting that into the future then you will manifest it. Trust that everything will be taken care of. Miranda says: I grew up in the countryside and, while Im happy in London, I cant help but think what life might be like somewhere with more fields! Im glad that this seems to be something that might happen eventually. Should I/ - Shouldn't I? The Empress (left); The Five Of Swords (right) Two-Card Reading Think of a question that involves a choice such as yes or no, or if I do or if I dont. Pull two cards from the top of the deck and lay them face down, one to the left and one to the right. Assign one of these options to each of the cards. Turn the cards over to reveal the answers. Miranda asked: Should I change my career? The cards said To stay: The Empress. This is a good card its hugely powerful, potent, expressive and creative, says Alice. I think of The Empress as flying through the universe. The answer is quite apparent: there is huge potential for you to stay in your career. Its empowering, nurturing and a great place to be. To change: Five of Swords. This represents moving on and a new beginning, says Alice. But you really would be quite vulnerable. This card is saying it would be difficult to cut ties with the people you know and where you are. A move would grant you a new start, but it would be overwhelming. Miranda says: Amid all the corona chaos, I was wondering if the hustle of city life was still for me but I have to say Im very relieved with this tarot result! I love my job and Im pleased that tarot thinks its a great fit for me too. Past - Present - Future Three-card reading You can perform a basic past, present and future spread, especially if it relates to a specific situation, such as love or health. The first card is placed on the left and symbolises events in the past; the second card is placed in the middle to represent the present; and the third card is placed on the right hand side, for the potential future. Queen Of Cups (left); Six Of Wands (centre); Ace Of Swords (right) Or you could just throw a situation out to the universe. With no question in mind, but with a need for guidance, you can ask for wisdom and pull three cards. This can bring up all kinds of truth; knowing this will help redirect your thoughts and set you on a better path. Miranda asked: Whats going to happen after lockdown? The cards said The past: Queen of Cups. This card is asking us to think how we can offer more love to others, says Alice. Although its been a challenging time, its also brought a lot of good, as weve been staying in touch with our loved ones more. The present: Six of Wands. This card says, I can move forward and its something I can get over, explains Alice. Weve faced our inner demons, and those of us who found it difficult are getting ready to ride forward. The future: Ace of Swords. This represents a new beginning, says Alice. I always think of it as like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. Were coming out refreshed. People are going to be full of energy and want to grab life. Its really positive. Miranda says: That is a relief! I feel more excited about the future. Peyton Chesser played it safe for weeks, rarely leaving her apartment even as she watched her peers venturing to gyms and flocking to bars in Houstons midtown. Eventually, she caved. The 23-year-old law student attended one class at her cycle studio, and she developed COVID-19 symptoms just two days later. The diagnosis turned Chesser into another case in a growing trend: Harris Countys young adults contracted COVID-19 at higher rates than all other age groups over the past month, leading to a massive spike in coronavirus cases that has sprung the area into its highest Code Red threat level. The number of reported coronavirus cases has tripled in Harris County since mid-May. People 20 to 29 made up nearly a quarter of all new cases, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of Harris County Public Health data. That group now accounts for more than a fifth of the countys total confirmed cases, up from a little more than 16 percent May 15. People ages 30 to 39 made up roughly the same amount, making those two age groups the largest drivers of the increase mirroring state and national trends that place younger people at the center of the dramatic surge. Chesser lamented that she might have picked up the disease the first time she went to a nonessential business it wasnt worth it, she said. But she doesnt fault the studio, and she finds it hard to blame millennials when it is legal to enter the establishments that they frequent. You cant allow the states leadership and government to say that something is all right to do ... and then get upset with them for doing what they were allowed to do, she said. They failed people. As the state moved forward with reopening, Houston physicians watched with concern as case numbers skyrocketed in June, even while patients in their hospitals seemed less ill. Given that the disease generally affects young people less seriously, medical leaders realized that young people could be at the root of the uptick. Citing their own lack of completed studies, they have declined to say whether young people are definitively driving the increase, but they agreed that all signs pointed in that direction. I dont mean to be throwing the 20-somethings under the bus, said Houston Health Authority director Dr. David Persse. Its real. Nature of the beast While people of all ages have been getting sick from the coronavirus, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases for people ages 20 to 29, according to local health data, with more than 4,000 newly reported cases in that age group since mid-May. On the other hand, people 40 and older, while still seeing an increase in the number of cases, constitute a smaller portion of the overall number compared with their younger counterparts. They went from making up 55 percent of all cases to a little more than 46 percent as of June 26. Thats ultimately good news for older people who are more vulnerable to the disease, but the rise in young adult cases is preventable by going out less or wearing masks more, said Dr. Roberta Schwartz, executive vice president of Houston Methodist. I think that were doing a very good job in Houston, or a better job, of keeping our elderly protected, she said. But there are far more millennials and younger people out and about. Young adults who are less at risk of serious complications from the disease also have a false sense of security, Persse said, making them more likely to assess their own personal risk and take a chance. Now is the worst time to think that way, Persse said. Some 20-somethings are going to get sick with a capital S. Several Houston hospitals could not immediately provide data on hospitalization rates among people in their 20s or 30s, but executives said they have seen young people in ICUs and intubated. In some cases, they are discharged with long-term lung damage, Persse said. Despite the surge in cases, younger people are not dying of the virus anywhere close to the rate of older people. Only two people under 30 have died from COVID-19 in Harris County, and they both had an underlying health condition, according to local health data. Seven people between 30 and 39 have died from coronavirus. As of June 26, people 60 and older make up more than 80 percent of the countys 361 deaths despite making up less than half of the countys 27,000-plus confirmed cases. Some of that discrepancy in death rates has naturally led to a feeling of indestructibility in millennials, said James McDeavitt, senior vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. Coupled with young peoples greater needs for social interaction, he said, its easy to see how people in their 20s are contributing so heavily to the increase. Its not a moral failing on the part of people, he said. Its just the nature of the beast. You kind of get comfortable Dom Frisko, 28, took the end of the statewide stay-at-home order as a sign that the situation was improving. He watched an increasing number of people leave their homes without getting sick. He didnt know anyone with COVID-19, either. Maybe its not as bad as they say, he said. On June 7, he came down with the disease, experiencing fever, body aches, and later, a loss of taste and smell. Its hard to know where he contracted the coronavirus, but he said it was likely one of three places: in Kemah, at a bar, or at the gym. At all of the spots, masks were scarce and people didnt always follow social distancing guidelines, Frisko said. At first I would go out and I had a mask on, and you see nobodys wearing a mask, he said. You kind of get comfortable. Now, as cases continue to skyrocket in Houston and across Texas, state leaders are reinstating measures to combat the spread. Gov. Greg Abbott ordered bars to be closed by noon Friday, and he has scaled back restaurant occupancy from 75 to 50 percent. Texas had surpassed 5,100 COVID-19 hospitalizations, with more than 1,800 of them in the 25-county region in Southeast Texas, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. Chesser and Frisko are waiting for negative test results while self-isolating at home. Both of them are open about their COVID-19 diagnoses, posting about their experiences and fielding questions from friends on social media. Moving forward, they each said they plan to be more careful. Studies arent conclusive on whether they will maintain immunity, and they dont want to spread the virus to anyone else. Im going to question myself, Do I need to go to this place or not? Frisko said. I just want to be more safe for other people. samantha.ketterer@chron.com jordan.rubio@chron.com Weve known for weeks that hospitals get payments for diagnosing Covid19, and even using ventilators. That should worry everyone. Hospitals in the US are getting money for diagnosing Covid19. They get more money if those patients are then put on ventilators. Its time we really started thinking about what that means. Early on in the launch of the Sars-Cov-2/Covid19 pandemic, it was revealed by Dr Scott Jensen that hospitals in the US were getting paid bonuses for diagnosing Covid19 in their patients, and then larger bonuses again if those patients were put on ventilators. Were not fact-checking that. We dont need to. Its already been done. As soon as his words were aired, the independent fact checkers descended upon them in an effort to prove him wrong. They could not. Resorting instead to weasel words and obfuscations. Snopes found his assertions plausible, Politifact called it half true, and FactCheck said it was true, writing: Recent legislation pays hospitals higher Medicare rates for COVID-19 patients and treatment Before adding: but there is no evidence of fraudulent reporting. Which is funny because, to that point, nobody had suggested anything fraudulent. Jensen himself went out of his way to say he didnt think there was any fraud, but there was an avenue for it. Obviously the fact checkers agreed, because they all felt the need to add very similar qualifications. The very fact they rushed to pre-emptively defend the practice illustrates how potentially corrupt it is. The key fact here, established and unchallenged, is that the CARES act does direct a 20% bonus Medicaid payment to hospitals for every diagnosis of Covid19, and a greater payment again for the use of a ventilator. As I said, were not fact-checking that. And we cant fact-check whether or not there is fraudulent reporting, but theres no denying that these payouts potentially incentivise artificially inflating case numbers. How big an incentive are we talking about? The CARES act channelled $175bn dollars into the fight against coronavirus, including $15 billion purely for treating COVID patients without insurance. 15 BILLION dollars. Thats a lot of extra money. You couldnt blame a doctor for gaming the system to get a little for his struggling, under-funded clinic. For labelling some unknown respiratory illness Covid19, or re-ordering a test known to create false-positives until he gets the result which may pay a nurses salary, or re-stock a pharmacy. If a few thousand doctors do that a few hundred times each, youve created a pandemic out of nowhere, with a comparatively small outlay and 99% of those involved believing theyre doing the right thing. The American medical system is broken, of course. Has been for decades, and Dr Jensens revelations received a comparatively large amount of coverage which people in the UK and Europe largely filed away as just American healthcare doing American healthcare things. What received markedly less coverage is the fact the UKs NHS has its own Covid money problem. We dont know if they operate a similar money for diagnosis system, and when we contacted the NHS to clarify this we were passed around various NHS offices before eventually being totally ignored. We received no answer to the question at all. We do know that the NHS has received over 14 billion in extra funds since the crisis erupted. Which doesnt include all the money saved from running the NHS at well under capacity for over three months. On March 17th Sir Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of the NHS, sent out this letter to the chairs of every NHS trust, as well as GP surgeries and other NHS providers that explains how that money will be spent. Including: Nationally we are now in the process of block-buying capacity in independent hospitals. Which means paying private hospitals to keep beds empty. And: Additional funding to cover your extra costs of responding to the coronavirus emergency [] financial constraints must not and will not stand in the way of taking immediate and necessary action Which means that the more a hospital responds to the emergency ie. the more tests they run, the more non-Covid patients they discharge to make room for the surge, and the more operations they cancel the more money they get. Though couched throughout in the subtly deceptive language of the British bureaucrat, theres no denying the implications of some of the content. Theres more than enough hints here suggesting huge potential for transferring public money into private hands. But thats not the worst of it. Wasting millions of pounds bulk buying bed space in private hospitals and contracting emergency Nightingale hospitals to do nothing but stand empty as well as a host of estimated expenditures and other reimbursements well, that starts to reak of corruption, perhaps even embezzling. Obviously morally bankrupt, but corruption is expected in a capitalist system. Breakage. The cost of doing business. Whats worse where this gets really shady is around the questions of ventilators. The Stevens letter says this on the subject of mechanical ventilation: National procurement for assisted respiratory support capacity, particularly mechanical ventilation, is also well under way in conjunction with the Department of Health and Social Care. In addition, the Government is working with the manufacturing sector to bring new manufacturers online. Invasive mechanical ventilators are not a first-choice treatment for patients with respiratory viruses, so channelling fund to manufacturers is, at best, wasted money. However, I cant find any direct evidence that NHS hospitals have a financial incentive to use ventilators. But there is absolutely no denying that American hospitals do. Ventilators are known to likely make respiratory conditions much worse by damaging the lungs. A lot of times putting someone on a ventilator is a death sentence. Weve been told that by several whistleblowers, not to mention medical experts. Put those two bits of information together. Hospitals in the US and perhaps other countries are therefore employing treatments they know may kill their patients, in order to secure money. There is a hard reality here weve all been slowly becoming aware of for a while now. Its time we looked it square in the face. Look at this in context. Look at the tests which cause false positives, and the coroner guidelines being changed. Consider the nursing home deaths, the enforced illegal use of DNRs and how at odds all of that is with the actual threat of the virus. Its all coming together to form a very disturbing picture. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 10:40:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Sunday confirmed two new imported COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 141, according to a Health Ministry's press statement. The latest cases are two Cambodian males, aged 15 and 23 years old, the statement said, adding that both travelled to Cambodia from Malaysia via a direct flight on Friday. "They were tested positive for COVID-19 (on Saturday) and are currently undergoing treatment at the Chak Angre Health Center in southern Phnom Penh," Health Ministry's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said in the statement. She added that other 105 passengers including 103 Cambodians and two Malaysians have been placed under a 14-day mandatory quarantine at various quarantine centers. The Southeast Asian country has recorded a total of 141 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, with 129 patients cured and 12 remained hospitalized, said Vandine. Enditem Zoom calls during lockdown have sparked an increase in sales of 'freckle removal pens' which dermatologists warn could inadvertently lead to skin cancer. The British Dermatologist Association is calling for the sale of pens which remove freckles, moles and skin tags at home to be banned. The organisation is concerned that the beauty devices could lead to burns, scarring and further pigmentation - and may also make cancerous melanomas harder to spot, reports The Sunday Telegraph. Dr Bav Shergill believes that communicating with colleagues over video calls while working from home and socialising online, which means you are forced to stare at your face 'in a little box on the side of the screen for hours on end', has made Brits more aware of blemishes and imperfections. Zoom calls during lockdown have sparked an increase in sales of 'freckle removal pens' which dermatologists warn could inadvertently lead to skin cancer. Stock image Professional skin tag and mole removal will use treatments such as lasers, peels or prescription topical creams safely in a controlled environment, conducted by someone with medical insurance, if the marks are judged to be benign. These pens use heat or electric currents to remove dark marks on the skin, but it cannot tell if it is potentially cancerous. One 'freckle removal' product, costing just 10.99 on Amazon, claims to 'safely remove nevus, spots, tattoo, freckles, pigmentation and granulation tissue' - and its product description says the pen is 'safer than the laser way'. Dr Shergill explained that these devices could be dangerous as people may use them on cancerous melanomas, believing they're removing a regular mole or freckle. The British Dermatologist Association is calling for the sale of pens which remove freckles, moles and skin tags at home to be banned. Stock image This could cause a scar or reaction on top of the skin, covering the pigment and making the melanoma difficult to spot. Consequently the melanoma could then spread as the cancerous cells remain underneath the skin. Dr Shergill told how many people are 'ashamed' of buying these products online and don't report their purchases, meaning it's difficult to collate specific sales statistics. One 'freckle removal' product costing just 10.99 on Amazon (pictured) claims to safely remove nevus, spots, tattoo, freckles, pigmentation and granulation tissue However, the medical professional explained that the number of adverts and anecdotal evidence they've received means that there has been a definite rise in people buying these pens. 'I think we have never had so much time to look at ourselves as we have at the moment,' said Dr Shergill. 'And people who ordinarily wouldn't have more than a slight glance at themselves in the mirror before they left the house are now faced with having to look at themselves in a little box on the side of the screen for hours on end.' The British Dermatologist Association is now calling for the sale of freckle removal pens to be banned. This comes after news the demand for cosmetic surgery procedures has increased during lockdown as a number of Brits are unhappy with how they look on video calls. Cosmetic Surgeon Dr Lucy Glancey, of Dr Glancey Clinics London and Essex, told FEMAIL she has had an influx of inquiries for the non-invasive 'NeckTite' procedure - with bookings up by 400 per cent. The tightening treatment uses radio frequency to breakdown fat around the jowls and neck, and give a 'lifted, contoured' look to the jawline and surrounding area. Cosmetic Surgeon Dr Lucy Glancey, from London, told FEMAIL she has seen a huge rise in bookings for a neck tightening treatment, as an increased number of Brits are unhappy with how they look on video calls (seen left before and right after) It claims to last up to five years, but will set you back 1800-2800 depending on the area treated, and if liposuction is needed on top. Dr Glancey said: 'FaceTime and Zoom calls are now the new norm since lockdown, but for many the often unflattering angle and lighting has given them a complex about their chin and jawline area. 'Whilst Botox and filler in the jawline area is easy and popular, it doesnt last forever and is a very temporary solution. 'People are realising that video calls could be here to stay, and are anxious to get their jawlines seen to.' Tessa Boersma delivered Indian-inspired tacos on Sunday's episode of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win, but her dish disappointed the judges and saw her eliminated from the competition. The 28-year old was filling a challenge brief which called for something completely new that the judges had never seen before. She whipped up chapatti, which she said is like a wholemeal Indian roti, with tandoori flathead, asafoetida and mint raita, a pineapple and coriander salsa and a smoked Kashmiri chilli hot sauce. Out: Tessa Boersma (pictured) delivered Indian-inspired tacos on Sunday's episode of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win, but her dish disappointed the judges and saw her eliminated from the competition However the judges felt the fish was overwhelmed by the hot sauce, and the citrus flavours, which left the dish ultimately tasting Mexican. Upon leaving, Tessa told the judges: 'I did as best as I could. It was, like... I couldn't beat Reynold. You know, his mind is so incredible. But, yeah, like, I'm bummed, but I'm really happy.' She then broke down in tears as she wished all her fellow contestants a sad farewell, particularity to fellow competitor Reynold Poernomo. Oh no! The judges felt her fish tacos were overwhelmed by the hot sauce, and the citrus flavours, which left the dish ultimately tasting Mexican Upon leaving, Tessa told the judges: 'I did as best as I could. It was, like... I couldn't beat Reynold. You know, his mind is so incredible. But, yeah, like, I'm bummed, but I'm really happy' Tears: She then broke down in tears as she wished all her fellow contestants a sad farewell, particularity to fellow competitor Reynold Poernomo (left) 'See ya later. Well done, mate. You're amazing. You gotta win it. Thanks so much. Sorry, I'm a crying mess,' she said. Fans were disappointed with the outcome, with many feeling that Tessa didn't have a fair chance against Reynold. One fan Tweeted: 'Hearing Tessa say 'I could never win against Reynold' is so heartbreaking like no honey you're better than him in so many ways'. Unhappy: Fans were disappointed with the outcome, with many feeling that Tessa didn't have a fair chance against Reynold Someone else added: 'This is BS, rigged and biased ! How can you screw up a key ingredient and eliminate the other person. Maybe it wasn't cohesive but she nailed the cook'. Another wrote: 'Obviously I'm happy Reynold is safe, but to be fair if Tessa had half the amount of favouritism... she'd still be there. Tessa is a much better cook.' One more fan wrote: 'I am pretty sure production played a part in today's elimination. Tessa would have stayed had Reynold not been such a popular contestant. I'm fuming! Too much flavour in an Indian Mexican dish LOSES over pre-made sorbet?' Issues? It's not the first time that fans have felt that Tessa had the odds stacked against her in the competition Drama: A frustrating mistake ended up costing Tessa Boersma a place in the immunity challenge during an episode earlier this month. But many fans are convinced she probably wouldn't have secured a spot anyway It's not the first time that fans have felt that Tessa had the odds stacked against her in the competition. A frustrating mistake ended up costing Tessa Boersma a place in the immunity challenge during an episode earlier this month. But many fans are convinced she probably wouldn't have secured a spot anyway. 'The judges lowkey never seem impressed with Tessa, I like these judges but theyre pretty s**t with hiding their biases,' wrote one viewer. Added another: 'Poor Tessa. But the producers were after her for a long time. So saw it coming.' MasterChef continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten The remaining examinations for class 10 students of Rajasthan state board will be held as per schedule on June 29 and 30 after the Supreme Court on Sunday declined a plea by the mother of a class 10 student to cancel the exam in view of Covid-19 pandemic. At a special sitting held late evening on Sunday, a 3-judge bench of the top court headed by justice AM Khanwilkar declined to grant relief to the petitioner, Maghi Devi who had moved the court on June 27 seeking urgent relief in view of the fact the exams are scheduled to commence from Monday. The bench which also comprised justices Dinseh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna observed that the state government has taken necessary precautionary measures and the court was not inclined to interfere at the eleventh hour when the exams are set to commence on Monday. The same three-judge bench had, last week, paved the way for cancellation of remaining CBSE and ICSE examinations in view of the Coronavirus threat. Devi cited this aspect to bolster her case. The Supreme Court had passed a direction not to conduct examinations for classes 10 and 12 of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) by order dated June 26, 2020, she pointed out. More than 1.1 million students are appearing for class 10 examinations under the Rajasthan state board this year. The examinations had commenced in March and were held up till March 18 when it was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Subsequently, the Board of Secondary Education of Rajasthan had decided in May that the remaining exams for class 10 will be held on June 29 and June 30. The petitioner approached the Rajasthan high court against that decision but the high court dismissed the same giving a green signal for holding the remaining examinations in strict compliance with the instructions of the central and state government. Later, Devi had also filed a contempt petition before the high court alleging that measures to contain Covid-19 have not been satisfactorily adopted by the authorities conducting the examinations. It was argued that there was no thermal screening of students, hand sanitisers were not available and measures have not been adopted to maintain social distancing during the exam. This petition was also dismissed by the high court on June 18 prompting Devi to approach the Supreme Court. She argued that the high court failed to take into account the fact the children will be exposed to the risk of getting infected by Coronavirus jeopardizing their health. The high court failed to appreciate that about 120 schools which are examination centres were used to quarantine people for labourers in transit, the petition stated. My husband, Ross, likes doing jigsaws, and the Covid-19 shutdown has allowed him to complete several. As I like to find spiritual parallels to earthly activities, Im sharing three spiritual truths from jigsaws. Little by Little While jigsaws arent physically demanding, they can be mentally challenging. Ross generally does 1000-piece puzzles. They require patience. They are completed one piece at a time, little by little. This reminds me of the instructions that God gave to Moses concerning their enemies who lived in Canaan. God had promised to give the land to his people, but it was going to take some time and effort on their part. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land Exodus chapter 23 verses 29 to 30. The people were going to take possession of the land gradually because they needed to increase. This increase was probably spiritual as well as numerical. For forty years the Israelites had walked around the wilderness with Gods provision and protection. He handfed them with daily manna and provided warmth and shelter by a cloud. Once in Canaan, they would have to find their own food and build houses for themselves. They would have to grow up. This wasnt going to be instant growth, but rather slow little by little growth so that their capacity to trust God in the face of warfare would develop. Often, we become impatient with little by little growth. We live in an instant world and often expect instant change and instant growth, but God knows this sort of change doesnt last. Whereas the little by little changes add up over time and make a big difference. A jigsaw puzzle just started is vastly different from the one thats almost finished, and its the little by little changes that make the difference. Out of chaos, a picture appears Ross completes his puzzles in our sunroom, where we often have morning and afternoon tea. When I enter the room, it seems like people, streets, houses or animals have stepped out of the chaos. When God calls us to a task or a ministry, it may be unclear what we are supposed to do in the situation. Yet as we begin and time passes things become clearer and a way forward becomes apparent. Sometimes were reluctant to embark on a task when we cant see the end result. However, God is only asking us to take the first step, and then the step after that. Lets begin our God-given tasks with the courage to take the first step and trust God to make things clearer as we continue on the path, he has for us. Sometimes I dont notice that Ross has added a handful of pieces to the puzzle, but over time the picture becomes clearer and clearer. The outcome I always encourage Ross to leave the puzzle completed for a little while after he has finished. I want to enjoy the finished puzzle. Ive seen it grow from a chaotic mess to a complete picture and it feels like I have been on a journey of discovery. I want to enjoy the fruit of his labours. Likewise, there are times in the Christian life when we pause and rest. We take time to reflect on where we were when we first became a Christian, how we have grown in our spiritual walk and how we can celebrate the relationship we now have with God. We can also reflect that one day God will have finished his work of reconciliation and restoration, and we will be amazed at how all the pieces have come together and created a beautiful new world. Vietnamese in Ukraine make efforts in COVID-19 fight The Vietnamese community in Ukraine has been carrying out various measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 amid increasing infections in the host nation. Nguyen Nhu Manh, head of the overseas Vietnamese association and the associations COVID-19 prevention and control board in Odessa province, said the association began preparation for the fight against the disease in early March. Medical staff come to sterilise Lang Sen (Photo: VNA) When two Vietnamese in the locality were found contracting the COVID-19, the board has conducted a series preventive measures and place under quarantine 76 people having contact with them, he added. The two cases are a Vietnamese couple living in a Vietnamese residential area in Odessa city called Lang Sen (Lotus Village). They are the 304th and 305th patients of the city and are under treatment, with their health remaining stable. The Lang Sen area has been frequently sterilised to prevent the spread of the virus, Manh said. Meanwhile, in response to a call from the Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine, the associations executive board established a COVID-19 fund to raise financial assistance for the communitys related prevention and control work, particularly in emergency situations. To date, the fund has received more than 6,000 USD, including 400 USD from the embassy. According to information sources of Vietnamese expats in Ukraine, the capital Kiev has so far recorded seven Vietnamese infected with the virus. The Ukrainian Ministry of Health posted a total of 40,008 COVID-19 cases in the country on June 25, an increase of 994 cases compared to the previous day. The local death toll reached 1,067, with 17,758 patients recovered. Odessa and Kharkov, the two provinces with large Vietnamese populations in the country, recorded 1,465 and 1,947 infections, respectively. The pontiff says that the love for Jesus should be put above family affections, that kinship ties, if put first, can deviate from the true good. He urges the faithful to pray for the people of Yemen, especially the children, who are suffering because of the serious humanitarian crisis. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis called on those who followed todays Angelus to pray that Europe and the United Nations may improve the tragic situation of Syrians as well as the Lebanese who have taken them in. Before, he noted that the Gospel says to put love towards Jesus above family affections, "that kinship ties, if they are put first, can deviate from the true good. Speaking to a thousand people, spread out over St Peter's Square, Francis said that today's Gospel (Mt 10: 37-42) strongly echoes the call to fully live and without hesitation our devotion to the Lord. Jesus asked his disciples to take seriously evangelical needs, even when this requires sacrifice and effort. "The first demanding request that he made to those who followed him was that of putting love towards him above family affection. He said: Whoever loves father or mother [. . .] son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, (Mt 10: 37). Jesus certainly does not intend to underestimate love for parents and children, but he knows that kinship ties, if put first, can deviate from the true good. We see it in the corruption of governments when they put love of relatives before love of country. We could point to many examples in this regard, not to mention those situations in which family affections are mixed with choices opposed to the Gospel. On the other hand, when love for parents and children is moved and purified by the love for the Lord, it then becomes fully fruitful and produces good in the family itself and far beyond it. Francis noted that Jesus complains about the doctors of the law for neglecting their parents and that he pushes to love parents and children. Jesus told his disciples: whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me (Mt 10:38). It is a question of following him on the path that He himself followed, without looking for shortcuts. There is no true love without a cross, that is, without personally paying a price. Carried with Jesus, the cross is not frightening, because He is always at our side to support us in the hour of the toughest tests, to give us strength and courage. There is no need to fret to preserve ones own life, with a fearful and selfish attitude. Jesus warned: Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Mt 10:39). This is the paradox of the Gospel. But, thank God, we also have many examples of this even in this pandemic. The fullness of life and joy is found by giving yourself for the Gospel and for your brothers and sisters, with openness, acceptance and benevolence. In doing so, we can experience Gods generosity and gratitude. Jesus reminded us of this [when he said]: Whoever receives you receives me [. . .] whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones [. . .] he will surely not lose his reward (Mt 10:40,42). God the Fathers generous gratitude takes into account even the smallest act of love and service rendered onto [our] brothers. This contagious recognition helps each of us have gratitude for those who take care of our needs. When someone offers us a service, we must not think that everything is due to us. Many services are done out of love. Think about the volunteers. Gratitude, gratitude, is first of all a sign of good education, but it is also a badge for Christians. It is a simple but genuine sign of the kingdom of God, which is a kingdom of free and grateful love ". After the Marian prayer the Pope said that "the fourth conference of the European Union and the United Nations will be held next Tuesday, 30 June, to support the future of Syria and the region. Let us pray for this important meeting, that it may improve the tragic situation of the Syrian and neighbouring peoples, especially Lebanon, amid serious socio-political and economic crises that the pandemic has made even more difficult. [. . .] Some children are suffering from hunger." "I call upon you to pray for the people of Yemen, especially the children, who are suffering because of the serious humanitarian crisis, as well as for those affected by severe floods in western Ukraine. May they experience the comfort of the Lord and the help of their fellow human beings. China has imposed a strict lockdown on some 500,000 people near Beijing to contain a new coronavirus outbreak. Italy has registered the lowest number of daily deaths since March 1. Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The respiratory disease has killed almost half a million people in seven months. More than five million have recovered. Here are the latest updates: Sunday, June 28 21:00 GMT Global number of deaths tops half a million The global number of reported coronavirus fatalities stands at 500,108, according to figures gathered by Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Meanwhile, the total number of infections worldwide stands at 10,063,319. 19:56 GMT US to extend Texas testing capabilities as long as state leaders want Pence US Vice President Pence said the federal government would extend support for coronavirus testing in Texas as long as necessary amid a dangerous surge in new cases, after US health officials had moved to curb some sites in various localities. Pence said the decision to transition from some federal testing sites was made several weeks ago, before the latest rise in COVID-19 cases, telling reporters at a news conference in Dallas: Well be extending that every bit as long as Texas wants us to. If we don't act, children will die." Millions of Yemeni children face starvation as aid dries up amid the COVID-19 pandemic, warns UNICEF. pic.twitter.com/RQTqZEGTJd Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 28, 2020 19:54 GMT South Africas surge of virus cases expected to rise rapidly South Africas current surge of COVID-19 cases is expected to dramatically increase in the coming weeks and press the countrys hospitals to the limit, the health minister said. South Africa, a country of 57 million people, already has more than a third of the reported cases for all 54 countries in Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion people. More than 4,300 people have been hospitalised out of South Africas 138,000 confirmed cases, Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said in a statement. He warned this number is expected to rise quickly. We are seeing a rapid rise in the cumulative number of positive COVID-19 cases indicating that, as we had expected, we are approaching a surge during the months of July and August, Mkhize said in a statement. It is anticipated that while every province will unfortunately witness an increase in their numbers, areas where there is high economic activity will experience an exponential rise, said Mkhize, saying that the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban will see the biggest increases. 18:08 GMT Virus death toll drops to five in NY, once the US epicentre Five people died from the coronavirus in New York state, a death toll Governor Andrew Cuomo called the lowest number we have had since this started. We are on the exact opposite end, Cuomo said in an interview with NBCs Meet the Press. We have less than 800 people in hospitals lowest number basically since we started. The governor cautioned, however, that the numbers could spike again if New Yorkers let their guard down and fail to follow social distancing and mask-wearing requirements. Im now afraid of the spread coming from other states because we are one country and people travel, Cuomo said. Im afraid the infection rate in the other states will come back to New York and raise that rate again. 15:26 GMT Low turnout expected as France votes in local polls French people went to the polls wearing face masks in the final round of municipal elections expected to yield a rebuke for President Emmanuel Macrons party. Amid persistent fears of coronavirus contagion, just more than 15 percent of voters had turned out by midday fewer even than four hours into the first election round on March 15 marked by a record 55 percent abstention rate. Polls opened for 12 hours for some 16.5 million eligible voters at 8am (06:00 GMT) in nearly 5,000 cities and towns, about 15 percent of the countrys municipal councils, where the first election round did not yield a decisive outcome. Power remains up for grabs in the key cities of Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, and Strasbourg. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and her husband Jean Marc Germain queue up before casting their votes for the second round of the mayoral elections at a polling station in Paris [Joel Saget/Reuters] 14:52 GMT Cases in Florida rise by 8,530 in past 24 hours The number of cases in Florida increased by 8,530, bringing the total number of infections to 141,075 after a record rise of 9,585 the day before. A man is seen waiting at a walk-up COVID-19 testing centre in Miami Beach, Florida [Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu] 14:16 GMT UK death toll up 36 to 43,550 fatalities The United Kingdoms death toll from confirmed coronavirus cases has risen to 43,550, an increase of 36 from a day earlier, government figures showed. 13:43 GMT Turkey imposes partial curfew for university exams Turkey imposed a partial curfew as nationwide university entrance exams were held. The curfew started at 9.30am (06:30GMT) and will end at 6:30pm (15:30GMT), according to a statement by the Interior Ministry. However, students will be allowed to use public transport to reach the exam venue. Also, relatives will be allowed to drop off students. During the lockdown, bakeries, markets, grocery stores, and butchers will remain open. Parents wait outside the main campus of the Istanbul University while their children take the national university entrance exams, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease [Murad Sezer/Reuters] 13:35 GMT Kuwait reports 551 new infections The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health announced 551 new infections, raising the total number of cases to 44,942. Deaths reached 348 with four additional fatalities. The Ministrys spokesman, Abdullah al-Sanad, said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the confirmed cases included patients who had contracted the virus due to mingling with infected people. Others remained under examination to determine the source of the infection. The 551 infections included 341 Kuwaitis and 210 non-Kuwaitis, al-Sanad said. 13:28 GMT Indonesian president threatens to reshuffle cabinet over COVID-19 response Indonesian President Joko Widodo told his cabinet he is ready to reshuffle ministers or even disband government agencies that he feels have not done enough to fight the coronavirus outbreak, according to his office. Widodo made the remarks in a cabinet meeting on June 18, the video of which was released by his office on Sunday. I see that many of us are working as though things are normal. Thats whats irritating me. Dont you have feelings? This is a crisis, Widodo said in the video. I will take any extraordinary measures for our 267 million people, for the nation. It can be disbanding agencies, can be a reshuffle, I have thought of everything, he said, adding that he may also issue more emergency rules if needed. Hello, this is Farah Najjar taking over from my colleague Usaid Siddiqui. 12:50 GMT Greek island to host German doctors for free as flights to resume The Greek island of Kos will host dozens of German doctors for free from Monday, the tourism ministry said as the country prepared to reopen its regional airports to passenger flights. The visiting 170 doctors will be hosted for free in recognition and gratitude for their contribution in combating the coronavirus in Germany, the Greek tourism ministry said. Officials from German tour operator TUI will be among the passengers and will meet Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis on the island, the ministry said. 12:40 GMT Beijing ramps up testing capacity, reaching a third of citys population so far Beijing has ramped up coronavirus testing efforts and has tested about a third of the Chinese capitals population so far, a city official said, as authorities seek to control an outbreak stemming from a wholesale market in mid-June. As of noon, Beijing had collected 8.29 million patient samples for testing and completed 7.69 million tests, Zhang Qiang, an official from Beijings municipal committee, told a news conference. 12:15 GMT France goes to polls in second round of local elections People in France are voting in the final round of municipal elections, which are expected to yield a low voter turnout and a rebuke for the party of President Emmanuel Macron. The opening round was held on March 15, just as the coronavirus pandemic was gaining momentum. The second phase, scheduled for March 22, was postponed after France went into lockdown on March 17. Read more here. Despite a record abstention rate of 55 percent, the first round yielded a decisive outcome in some 85 percent, or 30,000, of French communes [Christophe Archambault/Pool/Reuters] 11:30 GMT Sri Lanka lifts virus lockdown, says no community spread Sri Lankas nationwide lockdown has been lifted, one month after a selective curfew was reimposed during a surge in coronavirus infections, the countrys president said. The island nation imposed the lockdown on March 20 and lifted it gradually over the past two months, although a nighttime curfew remained in place. It reintroduced tighter restrictions in late May and early June to curb large gatherings for the funeral of a popular government minister and for a religious festival. 10:59 GMT Philippines has fastest increase in COVID-19 cases: WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Philippines had the fastest increase in COVID-19 cases in the Western Pacific region, local media outlets reported. The announcement prompted the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) to say the WHO should not cherry-pick countries for comparison, the Philippine Star said on Facebook. According to GMA News Online, between June 16 and 28, the total number of new cases in the Philippines was 9,655, followed by Singapore with 2,610 new cases. 10:35 GMT South Korea to allow limited number of fans at sports games South Korea said it will begin allowing limited numbers of spectators at sports games as it seeks to return to normal after months of strict physical distancing rules to combat the coronavirus. The country endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China but appears to have brought it largely under control with an extensive trace, test and treat programme while never imposing a compulsory lockdown. Social distancing rules were relaxed in early May and some professional sports including baseball and soccer started new seasons, albeit behind closed doors. 10:10 GMT US sanctions, coronavirus make for Irans toughest year: Rouhani Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country is experiencing its toughest year because of US sanctions coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus crisis exacerbated economic problems that had worsened after US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 from Irans nuclear deal with major powers and reimposed sanctions. On Monday, Irans rial fell to its lowest ever level against the US dollar. 09:25 GMT France holds municipal elections postponed by coronavirus France is holding the second round of municipal elections in 5,000 towns and cities that was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The voting to fill local offices in Paris and thousands of other places was suspended after the first round of nationwide municipal elections on March 15, which produced decisive outcomes in some 30,000 mostly small communes. 08:58 GMT Virus-hit Iran to make masks compulsory from next week Irans President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that mask-wearing will be mandatory in certain areas as of next week, and gave virus-hit provinces the green light to reimpose restrictive measures. Iran has refrained from enforcing full lockdowns, and the use of masks and protective equipment has been optional in most areas. Mask-wearing would be obligatory in covered spaces where there are gatherings, Rouhani said during a televised meeting of the countrys anti-virus taskforce. 08:30 GMT Half a million in lockdown as Beijing fights new virus cluster China imposed a strict lockdown on nearly half a million people near the capital to contain a new outbreak on Sunday, as authorities warned it was soon to relax over the new cluster of cases. After China largely brought the coronavirus under control, hundreds were infected in Beijing and cases emerged in neighbouring Hebei province. Health officials said Sunday that Anxin county about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Beijing will be fully enclosed and controlled, the same measures imposed at the height of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan. 08:05 GMT Chinese firm says coronavirus vaccine candidate shows promise in human test China National Biotec Group (CNBG) said early human test results for a coronavirus vaccine candidate suggested it could be safe and effective, the firms second candidate to show encouraging results in a clinical trial. The experimental drug has induced high-level antibodies in all the inoculated participants in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial involving 1,120 healthy people, according to preliminary data, CNBG said in a post on social media platform WeChat, without disclosing specific readings. 07:35 GMT Switzerland quarantines 300 in club infection Swiss authorities say theyve ordered 300 people into quarantine after a so-called superspreader outbreak of the new coronavirus at a Zurich nightclub. Zurich officials said in a statement that a man who had been at the Flamingo Club a week ago tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, and that five people who were with him had subsequently also tested positive and reported to authorities on Friday. 07:05 GMT Pakistan producing own ventilators as cases rise Pakistans minister for science and technology says the country has started producing locally designed ventilators, as authorities reported 83 more deaths from the coronavirus. The announcement comes days after Pakistan said it was racing against time to arrange for 1,500 more ventilators as part of a contingency plan. Read more here. Pakistan has emerged as one of the countries with the fastest rate of coronavirus infections in recent weeks, according to the World Health Organization [File: Emrah Yorulmaz/Anadolu] 06:40 GMT Worldwide coronavirus infections surpass 10 million: Reuters Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, a milestone in the spread of the disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months. 06:20 GMT Czech Republic records highest daily number of new cases since April 8 The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic jumped to 260, the highest since April 8, Health Ministry data showed. That is nearly triple the 93 recorded on Thursday. In total, the country of 10.7 million has confirmed 11,298 cases, with 347 deaths as of the end of Saturday. 06:00 GMT AP Interview: Delhi minister says city faces virus challenge The acting health minister for Indias capital said that New Delhi, epicentre of the countrys outbreak, is facing a major challenge due to a shortage of trained and experienced healthcare workers, in an interview with AP news agency With over 77,000 cases, New Delhi has been hit harder than any other Indian city. Infections had been projected to rise to half a million by the end of July in Delhi, the territory that includes the capital. As the rate of infections slowed down, the number has been revised to 400,000, and Acting Health Minister Manish Sisodia said he was hopeful that it could be less. Hello, this is Usaid Siddiqui taking over from my colleague Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur 05:15 GMT NYC St Patricks Cathedral to resume indoor mass St Patricks Cathedral in New York City will hold its first indoor mass in three months on Sunday, but capacity will be limited to 25 percent and health precautions, including physical distancing, will be in place. Cardinal Timothy Dolan will celebrate a Sunday mid-morning mass, according to the Archdiocese of New York. 04:09 GMT Australias Victoria mandates coronavirus testing for travellers Australias state of Victoria will enforce coronavirus tests for returning travellers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks, Reuters news agency reported the state premier as saying on Sunday. The countrys second-most populous state had 49 new cases on Sunday, its highest in more than two months and the 12th consecutive day of double-digit rises. The rest of Australia has seen almost no infections. Australias 7,700 cases and 104 deaths remain well below that of many other nations. 03:53 GMT UK considers locking down Leicester after COVID-19 spike The British government is considering imposing a lockdown in the city of Leicester after a surge of coronavirus cases there, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is examining legislation required for the shutdown after it was disclosed that Leicester, a city of around 350,000 people, has had more than 650 new COVID-19 cases in the two weeks to June 16, the newspaper was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. As of Sunday, the UK recorded close to 312,000 cases, with at least 43,600 deaths. 03:18 GMT Ireland to keep its 14-day quarantine on British travellers Ireland will maintain a 14-day quarantine for travellers from the British mainland in July even as it plans to ease travel restrictions with some countries, Reuters news agency reported on Sunday, quoting the Sunday Times newspaper. The memo with the Irish cabinet committee said it was highly unlikely that Britain would be included in Irelands safe travel list, the report added. Ireland has just over 25,000 coronavirus cases and 1,734 deaths [File: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters] 02:57 GMT Germanys confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 256 to 193,499 The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 256 to 193,499, Reuters news agency reported on Sunday, quoting data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. The reported death toll rose by three to 8,957. 02:48 GMT US state of Hawaii to reopen campgrounds The city of Honolulu has announced that campgrounds will reopen for the first time in three months with limited permits to ensure physical distancing, AP news agency reported. Honolulu city will issue permits for just over 100 campsites across Oahu. Regular camp rules still apply. The Bellows Beach campground northeast of Honolulu will remain closed through September 4 for turtle nesting. All the other campgrounds have reopened. 02:00 GMT South Korea reports spike in cases South Koreas new coronavirus infections spiked again on Sunday with 62 new cases, including 40 local infections, raising the total to 12,715, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new tally is higher than the 51 cases reported on Saturday, hitting over 60 for the first time since June 20. The government reported no additional deaths, the total death toll remaining at 282 a fatality rate of 2.22 percent. More than 11,300 patients have recovered. Of the 12,715 cases in South Korea, more than 11,300 patients have fully recovered [Ahn Young-joon/AP] 01:25 GMT China reports 17 new COVID-19 cases, 14 in Beijing Mainland China on Sunday reported 17 new cases, mostly in the capital Beijing, according to Reuters citing government figures. The National Health Commission said 17 new infections were confirmed on Saturday, down from 21 a day earlier. In Beijing, 14 new confirmed cases were reported, down from 17 a day earlier. Since June 11, when Beijing reported its first case in the current outbreak, 311 people in the city of more than 20 million have contracted the virus. China has at least 83,500 confirmed cases. The countrys death toll stands at 4,634. 01:08 GMT Mexico reports 4,410 new cases, 602 deaths Mexicos health ministry on Saturday reported 4,410 new coronavirus infections and 602 fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 212,802 cases and 26,381 deaths, according to Reuters. The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the number of confirmed cases. 00:30 GMT Serbian defence minister, speaker test positive for coronavirus People suspected to have COVID-19 wait in front of the Hospital for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, in Belgrade [Marko Djurica/Reuters] The Serbian defence ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday that the defence minister, Aleksandar Vulin, has tested positive for the coronavirus but has no symptoms. Vulin was part of Serbias delegation led by President Aleksandar Vucic that attended a Victory Day parade this week in Moscow. Vucic met face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it was not clear whether Vulin did as well. Maja Gojkovic, the speaker of Serbias parliament, also tested positive, according to the state Tanjug news agency on Saturday. Serbia has so far registered more than 13,500 cases and 265 deaths from COVID-19. 00:10 GMT Brazil to jointly produce vaccine with Oxford, drug company The Brazilian government has announced an agreement with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to produce a promising coronavirus vaccine that is undergoing tests. Brazils health ministry said on Saturday that the country will pay $127m and receive material to produce 30.4 million doses in two batches in December and January, which would allow it to quickly start inoculation efforts if the vaccine is certified to be safe and effective. ___________________________________________________________________ Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Im Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For all the key developments from yesterday, June 27, click here. WASHINGTON (AP) - It was a startling declaration about one of the pillars of American democracy, all the more so given its source. The president of the United States last week publicly predicted without evidence that the 2020 presidential election would be "the most corrupt election in the history of our country." "We cannot let this happen," Donald Trump told an audience of young supporters at a Phoenix megachurch. "They want it to happen so badly." Just over four months before Election Day, the president is escalating his efforts to cast doubt on the integrity of the vote. It's a well-worn tactic for Trump, who in 2016 went after the very process that ultimately put him in the White House. He first attacked the Republican primaries ("rigged and boss controlled") and then the general election, when he accused the media and Democratic rival Hillary Clintons campaign of conspiring against him to undermine a free and fair election. "The process is rigged. This whole election is being rigged," he said that October when polls showed him trailing Clinton by double digits as he faced a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations. FILE - In this June 23, 2020, file photo voting stations are set up in the South Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center for voters to cast their ballot in the Kentucky primary in Louisville, Ky. Just over four months before Election Day, President Donald Trump is escalating his efforts to delegitimize the upcoming presidential election. Last week he made a startling, and unfounded, claim that 2020 will be "the most corrupt election in the history of our country." (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File) Then, as now, election experts have repeatedly discredited his claims about widespread fraud in the voting process. In a country with a history of peaceful political transition, a major-party candidate's efforts to delegitimize an election amounted to a striking rupture of faith in American democracy. But to do the same as president, historians say, is unprecedented. "Never," said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley when asked whether any past U.S. president had ever used such language. "What youre seeing is someone who's an autocrat or a dictator in action." This year, Trump has seized on efforts across the country to expand the ability of people to vote by mail. It's a movement that was spurred by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 2.4 million people in the U.S. and killed more than 125,000 nationwide. The virus is highly contagious and especially dangerous for older people, who typically vote in higher numbers and have been advised by federal health authorities to limit their interactions with others. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting, even in states with all-mail votes. Trump and many members of his administration have themselves repeatedly voted via absentee ballots. But that hasn't stopped Trump from accusing Democrats of trying to "rig the election by sending out tens of millions of mail-in ballots, using the China virus as the excuse for allowing people not to go to the polls." "People went to the polls and voted during World War I. They went to the polls and voted during World War II. We can safely go to the polls and vote during COVID-19," he said in his Phoenix speech. Trump's complaints come as he has been lagging in both internal and public polls. The criticism is seen by some as part of a broader effort by Trump to depress turnout by making it harder for people, especially in cities, to vote safely, and to lay the groundwork for a potential challenge to the results in November if he loses. Trump and his campaign vociferously deny this. Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University, said Trump may be trying to preempt the sting of a humiliation if he fails to win a second term. But Zelizer said Trump also appears to be "setting up the foundation for taking action." "What I do think is very realistic is a replay of 2000," he said, referring to the legal saga in which the Supreme Court stepped in to resolve a dispute over which candidate had won Florida. Republican George W. Bush's ultimate win in the state gave him a general election victory over Democrat Al Gore. If this year's election is close, Zelizer said, Trump could turn to the courts "and wage a political campaign to say this is being stolen and tie up efforts to count the votes." Brinkley was even more alarmist, questioning whether Trump would vacate the office if he lost. "Trump is laying down his markers very clearly that hes not going to leave the White House. I think that hes just setting the stage," Brinkley said, to say "'Im not leaving. It was a fraudulent election.'" Even barring such an extreme move, Brinkley said the president's rhetoric undermines public confidence in the electoral system. "It creates mayhem and it breaks the heart of what a democracy is." Americans already have widespread concerns about the security and integrity of elections. A February poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about one-third have high confidence that votes in the 2020 election will be counted accurately. Americans support for mail-in voting has jumped amid concerns over the virus, with 6 in 10 now saying they would support their state allowing people to vote by mail-in ballot without requiring a reason, according to an April survey. Democrats are far more likely to support it than Republicans, a partisan split that has emerged since 2018, suggesting Trumps public campaign may be resonating with his GOP backers. White House officials and Trump's campaign say he has raised the issue because Democrats are trying to use the virus as an excuse to tilt voting rules their way. "I think the president is only talking about this because Democrats have been going around to try to change rules in their favor under the guise of the virus. ... This isnt a fight he picked," said Trump campaign political adviser and senior counsel Justin Clark. "The coronavirus does not give us an excuse to radically alter our way of voting." Officials noted Trump has voiced support for the use of absentee ballots when voters have a legitimate reason, although he has not said whether that includes fear of contracting the virus. "Imposing a new voting system in a hurried fashion ahead of November only exacerbates the real, underlying concerns about the security of voting by mail without the proper safeguards," said White House spokesperson Sarah Matthews. "All Americans deserve an election system that is secure and President Trump is highlighting that Democrats plan for mass mail-in system would lead to fraud." But Wendy R. Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, said such concerns are "completely baseless," according to study after study. While no system is immune to fraud, she said, expanded voting by mail is "clearly the safest and necessary response to a pandemic." Trump's efforts to suggest otherwise are "extremely damaging to America, to our democracy, on multiple fronts," she said, noting that foreign adversaries have long tried to undermine confidence in the American politician system. "This," she said, "is in some respects doing their work for them." FILE - In this June 23, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump speaks to a group of young Republicans at Dream City Church in Phoenix. Just over four months before Election Day, Trump is escalating his efforts to delegitimize the upcoming presidential election. The president of the United States last week publicly predicted without evidence that the 2020 presidential election would be "the most corrupt election in the history of our country." (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) FILE - In this May 28, 2020, file photo a voter casts her mail-in ballot at in a drop box in West Chester, Pa., prior to the primary election. Just over four months before Election Day, President Donald Trump is escalating his efforts to delegitimize the upcoming presidential election. Last week he made a startling, and unfounded, claim that 2020 will be "the most corrupt election in the history of our country." (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that India was able to tackle Covid-19 far better than experts around the world had believed it could because of the timely country-wide lockdown, which gave it time to ramp up its health system significantly. The epidemic also taught India, he added, to be self-reliant. With timely lockdown India successfully protected the lives of thousands and lakhs of its citizens, the prime minister said in a video address streamed live to a virtual annual meeting of the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin. Contrary, he had said earlier, to fears expressed by experts around the world that India could be in deep crisis. PM Modi said that Covid-19 fatalities were less than 12 for every 1 million people in India - not even 12, he repeated to emphasise the low number - compared, in his telling, to more than 350 in the United States and more than 600 for the UK, Spain and Italy. The United States leads the world in both the death toll and infections with over 1,25,000 and 2.4 respectively, and they are both growing. If India today has been able to fight the coronavirus (he used the shorter form corona) so much better, the prime minister said, adding, the lockdown played a very big role in it. He spoke mostly in Hindi. While fighting the pandemic, India used the time period of the lockdown to ramp up its healthcare system, he said. It was able to expand the number of hospital beds for special Covid-19 treatment and isolation chamber, grow the number of labs to test coronavirus infections from one to more than 1,000, the prime minister said detailing the outcomes. He added that till three months ago, India was a net importer of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), testing kits and even N-95 masks. Today, India produces four millions PPEs a week and three million N-95s. We used to import earlier, and now we are moving towards exporting them, he said. Even ventilators, which are needed for severely ill and hospitalised patients, were mostly imported earlier, whereas 50,000 of those made in India are in the process of being deployed. Its said that every crisis teaches us something or the other, Modi said, adding, corona has taught India to be self-reliant. And this will help further strengthen the healthcare system. The prime minister went on to give a detailed account of his governments approach on health and initiatives such as on eradication of tuberculosis (TB) and mitigation of Kala-azar (Black Fever, also called visceral leishmaniasis). Our pehchan (identity), he said, is linked to manawta (humanity) not money. As the Covid-19 epidemic spread around the world, India supplied medicines and medical equipment to more than 150 countries and provided training to personnel of 16 countries, he said, adding, India sent hydroxychloroquine to many counties including America. India was now working with many countries on finding a vaccine for Covid-19. Following heavy rains and widespread floods in 2019 that replenished Iran's dams, electricity generation has again declined in 2020, according to figures published by the energy ministry on Sunday, June 28. Water flowing to dams from March to May 2020 declined by 38 percent compared with 2019 leading to a larger reduction in hydroelectric power generation. In this period Iran generated four terawatts of hydroelectric power, which was 54 percent less than in the same period last year. Iran was suffering from a persistent drought for nearly a decade until the end of 2018 and the first months of 2019 when heavy rains inundated most of the country, causing huge floods in some areas. The government hailed the end of the drought and announced that the countrys dams were full to capacity. However, experts warned that this was temporary and if rains decline reservoirs will become half-empty again. Heavy precipitation did not repeat in the 2020 season and authorities had to reduce outflow of water from dams. This in turn reduced power generation. The energy ministry says that now the country has to heavily rely on fossil fuels to generate electricity. Most of the fossil fuels used are dangerously polluting agents. During last winter, smug and bad odors engulfed the capital city Tehran for weeks. In January the head of Irans Department of Environment disclosed that power plants are using a harmful and foul-smelling oil bi-product called Mazut, which the country cannot export due to U.S. sanctions. As storage capacity is full, the government uses Mazut for power generation. In Western countries Mazut is broken down and diesel oil is produced. Protesters burned an American flag hung outside of the Justice Center in Portland, Oregon, and replaced it with a Black Lives Matter sign on the 30th straight day of anti-racism demonstrations in the city. A protest led by Rose City Justice brought more than a hundred people outside the steps of the Multnomah County Justice Center, which has become a popular spot for demonstrations. There, tensions flared as the city entered another night of demonstrations against police brutality, racism and the death of George Floyd. At around midnight a group of protesters pulled down the American flag hung outside the Justice Center. Cell phone footage shows two protesters using what appeared to be lighter fluid and some sort of aerosol spray to further ignite the already burning flag. Other were heard chanting 'no KKK, no fascist USA' while the flag burned. An American flag hanging outside the Multnomah County Justice Center Portland was burned by a group of protesters on Saturday Protesters shouted 'no KKK, no fascist USA' as they participated in the 30th straight night of anti-racism and Black Lives Matter protests in Portland Later in the night, the same group hoisted a 'Black Lives Matter' sign with colorful wire lights up the flagpole instead, prompting loud cheers from demonstrators. Similar acts of arson were conducted over the week, with the Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct being lit on fire Friday and sidewalk garbage cans set ablaze. Protesters on Thursday attempted to convert the space outside the precinct into an 'autonomous zone' similar to Seattle's CHAZ area. And on Saturday protesters began the night by erecting makeshift barricade out of discarded fencing and plastic street dividers to block off a nearby intersection, according to a police press release. Authorities had a hasty response and arrived to the scene and declared the gathering an unlawful assembly by 10:30pm. Protesters hoisted a Black Lives Matter sign with wire lights up the flagpole in response as demonstrators cheered loudly Pictured: a Black Lives Matter sign hanging on a flagpole outside the Justice Center in Portland during a night of demonstrations Authorities said protesters used discarded fencing and plastic street dividers to create a barricade to cut out an intersection (pictured) The department alleged that a 'woman with a hand held speaker was heard calling for violent resistance from the crowd' when they arrived. Deputies reportedly used riot control munitions to clear out protesters, but it's unclear what type of munitions were used. Loud booms and smoke were reported by witnesses, KOIN reports. Twitter account Portland Independent Documentarians shared a reported photo of the munition used. 'New type of impact munitions used tonight by Portland Police. It seems to be a less-lethal scatter munition containing multiple rubber projectiles,' the account wrote. Authorities said they used munitions to clear protesters out of the street, leaving some speculating over what kind they used There were reportedly more than 100 protesters present on Saturday's night demonstration Pictured: More than a hundred protesters were seen near the Justice Center building in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday Deputies eventually seized the barricade before appearing to leave Champman Square, but that didn't quell continued tensions between law enforcement and civilians. 'Officers responded to the intersection and made efforts to move the crowd away from the barricades so they could be cleared and the street could re-open,' the press release stated. 'During this engagement, officers had rocks, glass bottles, and paint thrown at them. Lasers and lights were directed at the officer's eyes.' Confrontations reportedly happened in the blocks surrounding the Justice Center. At one point, protesters and police appeared to have a standoff near a 7-Eleven store around 3am. The Portland Police Bureau said eight residents were arrested in connection to Saturday's protest. Photos shared by the department showed several instances of makeshift barricades and graffiti. The Portland Sheriff's Office shared photos of graffiti made during protested over the weekend, including one that read 'Kill All Cops' One message written with sidewalk chalk reads 'Blow up the embassy' on Saturday Authorities said eight people were arrested in connection to protests this weekend in Portland Messages sprayed onto building walls read 'Kill All Cops,' 'Hang Fascists,' 'ACAB' and 'Blow Up the Embassy.' One officer was injured after being decked in the face by a skateboard during an attempted arrest, according to the press release. Before Saturday's demonstration, four people were arrested in Portland after anti-police demonstrations turned volatile. Cops confirmed they used tear gas to try and disperse that crowd. Some protesters allegedly responding by 'shooting paintballs at the officers' face shields, rendering them unable to see'. At that time, several other fires were lit in addition to the blaze which later erupted at the police precinct. Videos and images posted to social media by demonstrator James Martin showed several separate fires set up at barricades placed between protesters and police. Videos and images posted to social media by demonstrator James Martin showed several separate fires set up at barricades placed between protesters and police One image showed tires and a dumpster set alight, as several activists donned bike helmets as if ready for a confrontation with the cops. Another image posted online showed a demonstrator left injured in the fracas, with a 'chunk' of flesh allegedly cut out of her ankle. Several businesses were also reported to have been looted. Graffiti was also scrawled across the North Precinct. While demonstrations have largely been peacefully, there have also been previous instances of violence and destruction. Last Thursday, a George Washington with a burning American flag draped across it was toppled by a group of activists. Another image posted online showed a demonstrator left injured in the fracas, with a 'chunk' of flesh allegedly cut out of her ankle One right-wing commentator described the area as looking like something from 'a war zone', while protesters accused the authorities of inflaming tensions The statue, which stood on the lawn of the German American Society in Northeast Portland, was pulled down by a group of about 30 to 40 protesters on Thursday night. Footage of the incident, which took place on the eve of Juneteenth, showed the Washington statue draped in a US flag that had been set alight just moments before it was toppled. The demonstrators placed a sticker on the head of the statue that read 'You are on Native land' and also spray-painted the statue's pedestal with the phrase 'Genocidal colonist'. It was also tagged with '1619' - a reference to the year when slaves were first brought to America. Police said a smaller group had split from several hundred peaceful protesters and threw hot dogs at police and cut a fence surrounding the Justice Center, which has been a flashpoint for conflicts between demonstrators and police. It comes after a statue of Thomas Jefferson that was based outside Portland's Jefferson High School was torn down earlier this week The base of the Jefferson statue had the words 'slave owner' and Floyd's name spray painted across it Another group set a fire around the Washington statue before tearing it down. Those responsible draped the fallen statue in a second US flag and also set that alight. The group who brought the statue down scattered before police arrived at the scene, according to local media reports. It comes as a statue of Thomas Jefferson that was based outside Portland's Jefferson High School was also torn down last week. The base of the statue had the words 'slave owner' and George Floyd's name spray painted across it. Dr Reddy's Laboratories expects to launch 25 products in the US market in the current financial year, according to a top company official. The drug major has also earmarked a capital expenditure (capex) of Rs 1,000 crore for finding various projects during the ongoing financial year. "On a full-year basis (2019-20), we launched 27 products, including four re-launch of the earlier discontinued products. We expect the new launches momentum to continue during the year with about 25 product launches lined up despite uncertainty due to COVID-19," Dr Reddy's Laboratories CEO Erez Israeli said in an analyst call. As of March 31, 2020, the company has 99 cumulative filings pending for approval with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), including two new drug approvals (NDAs), he added. "We also filed 59 drug master files globally, including seven filings made in the US," Israeli said. On new pipeline of products, he said the company is also working on a few molecules related to COVID-19. Besides, the drug maker is also working on various biosimilar products, including, the Rituximab Phase III trial is progressing as per plan. "And, in parallel, we are working on multiple other biosimilar products, which are at different stage of development," Israeli said. Commenting on the company's capital deployment plans for the current financial year, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Chief Financial Officer Saumen Chakraborty said the maximum focus would be supporting R&D (research and development) projects. "R&D and technology along with innovation will be one area of deployment. We would like to even spend more on R&D with an absolute amount," he noted. The company has chosen specific spaces where it wants to attain leadership and in line with those specific spaces, it is thinking strategically about inorganic growth as well, he added. "Beyond that, in terms of our organic expansion, whether it is in terms of marketing, brand building, and also in some of the new markets within the emerging markets area, there also we will be deploying our resources," Chakraborty said. When asked to elaborate on the capital allotted for such tasks, he added, "So granular details, I will not be able to give you. But overall, the capex for FY21 could be in excess of Rs 1,000 crore." Dr Reddy's Laboratories reported revenues of Rs 17,460 crore for the financial year 2019-20. Also read: Brazil signs deal with AstraZeneca to produce experimental coronavirus vaccine Four minutes into a video that was posted on Instagram last month, Justin Bieber leaned into the camera and adjusted the front of his black knit beanie. For some of his 130 million followers, it was a signal. In the video, someone had posted a comment asking Bieber to touch his hat if he had been a victim of a child-trafficking ring known as PizzaGate. Thousands of comments were flooding in, and there was no evidence that Bieber had seen that message. But the pop stars innocuous gesture set off a flurry of online activity, which highlighted the resurgence of one of social ... GBP/NZD Outlook Despite investors moving away from riskier currencies into safe havens, the British Pound to New Zealand Dollar (GBP/NZD) exchange rate was unable to hold advances last week. The Pounds appeal was undermined once again by Britains gloomy coronavirus and Brexit outlooks, while the New Zealand Dollar benefitted from domestic data and hopes over global economic support measures. After opening last week at the level of 1.9272, GBP/NZD spent much of the week trending higher as investors moved away from the risk-correlated New Zealand Dollar. However, after touching on a weekly high of 1.9468 in the middle of the week, GBP/NZD begun to tumble again. By Friday, GBP/NZD had shed all of its weekly losses and trended in the region of 1.9239 - below the weeks opening levels. The primary cause of last weeks movement was major shifts in global risk-sentiment. After months of market optimism that major economies could rebound from the coronavirus pandemic, last weeks data and news caused second wave fears to surge. Jumps in cases in major economies like the US and economists saying the economic impact would be bigger than expected both led to a surge in coronavirus fears. This left investors seeking out more reliable safe haven assets. Fears of new cases in New Zealand left the New Zealand Dollar weaker as well. This briefly made it easier for the Pound to gain against it, despite a lack of strong demand for Sterling. However towards the end of the week, the New Zealand Dollar regained some of its resilience. Markets are overall optimistic about how New Zealand has handled the pandemic. On top of this, major economies reopening and big economic support plans across the globe kept coronavirus panic from becoming too severe. The New Zealand Dollar also found support in the latest New Zealand data. This mornings New Zealand consumer confidence stats unexpectedly jumped to 104.5, much higher than forecasters expected. As investors remain anxious about Britains own coronavirus and Brexit situations, the New Zealand Dollar was able to recover amid continued Pound weakness. Pound (GBP) Exchange Rate Forecast: Brexit Negotiations in Focus Even strong UK data in recent weeks has been largely brushed over by investors. This is why the Pound may not be influenced much by upcoming UK ecostats, despite the data being typically influential. UK growth rate results will be published on Tuesday. These will be followed later in the week by Britains final June PMIs. If the data beats forecasts it could boost hopes for economic resilience in Britain. However, uncertainty over the coronavirus and Brexit are likely to remain the biggest focus for Sterling. Another round of Brexit negotiations are set to take place in the coming week. According to Analysts at ING, investors may have little reason to move on the Pound without Brexit developments: For GBP, however, a wait-and-see approach may prevail ahead of next weeks Brexit talks, still the key driver of the currency. New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Exchange Rate Forecast: Coronavirus Developments Could Weigh While investors remain fairly optimistic about New Zealands coronavirus outlook, the currency is still correlated to risk and trade sentiment. As a result, if fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections worsen, the New Zealand Dollar could come under new pressure. In particular, New Zealand Dollar investors may become more anxious if New Zealands economy shows signs of being weakened by the coronavirus, or if the nations domestic coronavirus situation worsens. Some New Zealand data to keep an eye out for next week includes business confidence data from June, due on Tuesday. Building permits from May will be published on Thursday. Fresh Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) speculation could also influence some Pound to New Zealand Dollar exchange rate movement next week. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic and recent military face-off on the India-China border in Ladakh, intelligence agencies have warned the government of pro-Khalistan activities in the country backed by Pakistans ISI spy agency and the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) group. The warning, sources said, mentions that these anti-India activities are being guided by one ISI handler named Abdullah in close coordination with SFJs founder Avtar Singh Pannu, who is learnt to have been residing in the United Kingdom. Abdullahs name was also revealed during questioning of three arrested suspected sympathisers of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), who were planning to execute targeted killings in various northern states. The KLF supporters were arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police in a week-long operation across Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. The ISI and SFJ have been advocating secessionist and pro-Khalistan activities in India for long following which the ministry of home affairs in July last year banned the SFJ for advocating Referendum 2020, an online campaign for Khalistan, which seeks a separate homeland for Sikhs. Intelligence agencies have also shared inputs about another person named Pak-based Gopal Singh Chawla, a close aide of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Hafiz Saeed, for his role in pro-Khalistan activities in India. It has been suggested in the warning, which was shared earlier this month, to keep the national capital on high alert ahead of Independence Day. Inputs were shared that KLF group has been tasked by ISI and SFJ for terrorist activity in the national capital, said the source. As per the information, KLF group is in close proximity with Pakistani ISI handler Abdullah and Avtar Singh Pannu of the SFJ. The KLF group has been tasked to lure youths to the organisation and has been assigned to indoctrinate youths at the behest of their bosses based in Pakistan, the sources said. For funding, another source said, the ISI handlers asked the KLF to extort money from local businessmen to arrange locally made weapons and give momentum to the terror plan. The source further claimed that Abdullah asked them to recruit fresh youth for training in terror camps in Pakistan and promised to provide them weapons like AK-47 assault rifles and sophisticated pistols for their module. The KLF suspects arrested by the Delhi Police have also told police that they were asked by their handlers to get in touch with likeminded people for which they were asked to attend court hearings of arrested militants. The group was also tasked to take help of social media sites like Facebook to upload incriminating videos with posters, photos and songs supporting Khalistan leaders and the Khalistan movement. The information sends a clear message that ISI has opened two fronts -- militancy in Jammu & Kashmir and Khalistan group in Punjab-- to destabilise India. It all began in 2018 and 2019 when ISI allowed the Sikh separatist SFJ to open its office in Pakistan and also to display the Referendum 2020 posters during Baisakhi when a large number of Indian Sikh devotees had gathered in Pakistan to celebrate the festival. Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta last year had also coordinated with the central security agencies to tackle the threat triggered by 2020 Sikh Referendum clearly aimed at pushing the ISI agenda of dividing the Sikh community. The referendum is now learnt to have been postponed till 2022, however, the Khalistan movement is being backed on a regular basis, the source said. Saudi Arabian border guards have intercepted three Iranian vessels that were spotted entering Saudi territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, state-run media reported on Saturday, adding that the ships eventually retreated. According to the state-run Saudi Press Agency, a Border Guard spokesperson said that the incident took place on Thursday. Three Iranian boats were seen entering Saudi territorial waters and failed to adhere to warnings from border guards, the agency cited the spokesperson as saying. Border guards fired warning shots, which forced the vessels to retreat, the spokesperson said, adding that no violations would be tolerated in the countrys territorial waters, as reported by the agency. The Iranian state-run Mehr news agency cited a prominent fisheries official who said the three boats involved were fishing vessels that were pushed off course by waves. The official added that no-one on board suffered injuries after the Saudi border guards opened fire, the agency reported. Saudi Arabia and Iran broke off diplomatic relations in 2016 after the Saudi authorities executed a prominent Shia cleric. The execution prompted a wave of protests in Tehran that led to the Saudi Embassy being overrun and ransacked. San Antonio officials reported 795 new COVID-19 cases and two new deaths Saturday as the rapid spread of the coronavirus continued unabated. Underscoring the urgency of the situation, the San Antonio Office of Emergency Management took the rare step of sending a wireless emergency alert to all phones in Bexar County. The message, similar to an Amber alert, appeared on mobile phones around 7 p.m. Saturday, accompanied by a sirenlike tone. STAY HOME, it said. The COVID-19 virus is spreading rapidly across Bexar County. Local hospitals are approaching capacity. Protect yourself and your family. Stay home except for essential activities, wear a face covering and avoid gathering with people outside your household. STAY SAFE. On ExpressNews.com: A timeline of COVID-19 in San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a news release that this action is reserved only for emergencies, and we have clearly reached emergency status. He added: We need every person in San Antonio and Bexar County to take this crisis seriously and behave accordingly to slow the exponential growth of the virus. The 795 new cases reported Saturday represented the largest one-day increase since the start of the pandemic in March. The previous high of 638 was set Thursday. Bexar Countys total number of confirmed cases has reached 9,652. The two deaths raised the countys death toll to 107. Some 730 people were being treated in area hospitals for COVID-19, an increase of 31 from Friday, the Metropolitan Health District reported. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios public health director resigns as pandemic rages There were 219 patients in intensive care, two fewer than the day before, and 112 were on ventilators, five fewer than on Friday. Confirmed coronavirus cases in San Antonio have more than doubled in the last two weeks. The number of hospitalizations has doubled in the last week alone. Officials reported 21 percent of staffed hospital beds in the county were available Saturday, while 66 percent of ventilators were available for use. Statewide, officials reported Saturday that 5,523 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase of more than 400 patients since Friday. The state reported 5,747 new cases Saturday. In a video posted Saturday to social media, Nirenberg said hospitals locally are reaching capacity. He implored city residents to stay home, and to wear masks, wash hands frequently and keep physical distance from others while away from your household. Prolonged face-to-face contact with people outside of our households is how this virus is spreading, Nirenberg said. The simplest of measures could have the greatest impact on our ability to contain the spread of this disease. The sharp spike in cases in recent days prompted Gov. Greg Abbott to close bars on Friday and place further restrictions on customer capacity inside restaurants. Abbott had allowed restaurants to operate at 75 percent of occupancy but scaled that back to 50 percent starting on Monday. As of Saturday, gatherings at city parks and plazas are limited to no more than 10 people. Pools and splash pads slated to reopen July 3 will remain closed. The limit on gatherings will apply to political protests if demonstrators congregate in city parks, the mayor said. COVID-19 has taken hold within our community, Nirenberg said Saturday. The spread of this virus isnt because of any one thing, so its incumbent upon all of us to patronize businesses responsibly and remain vigilant if were going to contain the spread COVID-19. diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net Maldives opens for tourists on July 15 View(s): Maldives is opening its borders on July 15 and in a bold move will allow tourists in without PCR tests or quarantine on arrival. According to the Ministry of Tourism, hotels and resorts on uninhabited islands will open on July 15 while guesthouses and hotels on inhabited islands will resume business in August 1. According to the guidelines, visitors will be provided a free 30-day visa on arrival. Travellers are required to present a health declaration card on arrival, but a health certificate is not required for entry into the Maldives. The guidelines say however that visitors with COVID 19 symptoms will be subject to a PCR test on arrival while local health authorities will conduct random testing at the airport. Visitors must have a confirmed booking in a registered tourist establishment and are required to book their entire stay in one resort or hotel while exemptions will be made for transit arrangements. All resorts will follow government guidelines on health and safety measures. Aitken Spence and John Keells Holdings operate several resorts there while SriLankan Airlines is one of the biggest operators to the Maldives. Passengers walk with their suitcases at Can Tho International Airport after a repatriation flight from Singapore in April, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Cuu Long. Vietnamese authorities repatriated 440 citizens stuck in Singapore, Malaysia, and some African countries over the past few days amid Covid-19 complications. A Vietnam Airlines flight landed at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta on Saturday, returning 310 Vietnamese passengers stuck in Singapore. Passengers included the elderly, youth under 18, people suffering illnesses and workers or tourists whose visas had expired, according to a Vietnam Foreign Ministry release. They were sent to quarantine camps in Ben Tre and An Giang provinces in the Mekong Delta. This is also the third repatriation flight from Singapore. In April and May, Vietnam also brought home over 500 citizens from the island state. Singapore is now the second hardest hit country by Covid-19 in Southeast Asia after Indonesia, with over 43,000 infections and 26 deaths. On Thursday, the national flag carrier returned 130 Vietnamese stuck in Malaysia and African countries such as Nigeria and Cameroon. 90 Vietnamese citizens from Nigeria and Cameroon were taken to Lagos where they boarded a flight operated by the Ethiopian flag carrier bound for Kuala Lumpur, and later brought home alongside 40 Vietnamese workers stranded in Malaysia. Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, all passengers received a health examination and went into quarantine to prevent community-associated infection. Vietnam has reported 355 infections so far, with 330 having recovered after treatment. The country has gone 72 days without community transmission of the virus. In the last few months, several special flights organized by the government have repatriated thousands of Vietnamese from several countries including France, India, Japan, Russia, the UAE and the U.S., as also other Southeast Asian countries. Passengers have paid their own fares. More such flights are expected to repatriate Vietnamese citizens wanting to return home to avoid facing the Covid-19 pandemic elsewhere. The pandemic has hit over 210 countries and territories, with more than 500,500 deaths reported so far. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 01:20:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Sunday denied any contacts held with the United States, following Israeli media reports about a Palestinian-U.S. dialogue over U.S. President Donald Trump's Mideast peace plan. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that Palestine's position has not changed concerning the severed ties with both the current U.S. administration and Israeli government. Abu Rudeineh reiterated the Palestinian leadership's decision against the Israeli annexation, saying that all plans to impose the annexation in one go or in phases are "a matter of principle," according to a statement published by Palestine's official WAFA news agency. "Any dialogue must be based on UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the peace plan proposed by President Mahmoud Abbas before the United Nations Security Council and on the basis of the principle of the two-state solution that ends the Israeli occupation and allows the establishment of an independent state of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," said Abu Rudeineh. "Israel must assume its full responsibility as an occupying power if it goes ahead with annexation," he was quoted as saying in the statement. On Saturday night, Israel's Public Radio reported that Abbas declined a phone call by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over the anticipated annexation plan, and that U.S. officials met secretly with Palestinian officials in an attempt to organize a channel of dialogue between the Palestinian leadership and the White House. However, no breakthrough was reported. The Israeli government is planning to annex more than 30 percent of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley. It also plans to impose sovereignty on several Israeli settlements in the territory. Tension between the two sides has mounted after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his annexation plan will be implemented on July 1. Enditem 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. Iranian news websites on Saturday reported that slain Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani's daughter Zeynab has married the son of Sayyed Hashim Safi al-Din (Saffieddin), the number two leader in the Lebanese Hezbollah. The news is based on an Instagram post by Zeynab Mughniyah, the daughter of slain Hezbollah Commander Imad Mughniyah. Zeynab Mughniyah posted an image of what appears to be a wedding decorative vignette with the names Zeynab Soleimani and Sayyed Reza Hashim Safi al-Din. The Soleimani family have neither confirmed nor denied the news which has been on almost every website since late Saturday. The groom's uncle, Abdallah Safi al-Din is the official representative of Hezbollah in Tehran. Zeynab Soleimani is 29 years old and has studied humanities at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University. Her father, Major-General Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad on January 3. After her father's death, Zeinab became a celebrity among Iranian hardliners and apparently also among some Shiites in Lebanon. Zeynab was first seen in the public domain in the footage of Khamenei's visit to the Soleimani home for condolences following the commander's death. A few days later at her father's funeral in Tehran, she delivered a fiery speech in which she called the Hezbollah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah her "uncle" and called on him to avenge her father's death. This was the first time ever a woman had addressed a prayer congregation led by Khamenei. Later while delivering a speech at the Friday prayers in Kerman she delivered another speech highly unusual for a woman -- leaning on a rifle. Zeynab somehow has close relations with Lebanon. After her father's death, on January 23, she delivered a speech in an event organized by Hezbollah Women's Affairs in Beirut. She spoke in Arabic with "nearly perfect" Lebanese accent which surprised many. She also met with Nasrallah and posted a professionally made video of the meeting on Twitter. Almost nothing has been reported about the groom except that he is Safi al-Din's son. Safi al-Din is a senior Hezbollah official and a Qom-educated cleric. He is the maternal cousin of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrollah. Safi al-Din who was designated a terrorist by the U.S. State Department in July 2018 is considered as the number two in Hezbollah leadership. The timing of the marriage has raised some eyebrows in Iran as marriages are normally avoided before the first death anniversary of a close family member. A former employee of a Walmart distribution center in Northern California has been identified as the alleged active shooter who was killed by police after he drove his SUV through the front door of the facility and opened fire on workers with a semiautomatic rifle, authorities said. The suspect is believed to have killed one employee at the distribution center in Red Bluff and injured multiple workers in the rampage on Saturday afternoon, police said. The alleged gunman was identified as 31-year-old Louis Lane, according to the Tehama County Sheriff's Office. We understand that he has a prior history with the Walmart distribution center as an employee, Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said at a news conference Saturday night. But that was not recent -- its been a while, its been a year and a half. A motive for the shooting at the Walmart facility remained under investigation on Sunday, authorities said. PHOTO: People gathering outside a Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff, Calif., June 27, 2020, after a shooting incident. (KRCR) The shooting occurred about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in the small town about 130 miles north of Sacramento. The suspected gunman showed up at the warehouse in a white SUV and circled the parking lot four times before driving into the front lobby, Johnston said at a news conference. He said the gunman got out of the vehicle as it burst into flames. "When he exits the vehicle, he is carrying a long gun, a semi-automatic weapon of some kind," Johnston said. About 200 workers were inside the warehouse when the shooting unfolded, witnesses told reporters. The suspect began shooting at employees, killing one worker, identified as Matin Haro-Lozano, 45, of Orland, California, according to a statement the sheriff's office released late Saturday. Johnston said a Red Bluff police officer responded to reports of an active shooter at the center, arriving at the scene within six minutes. That officer engaged the suspect and had an exchange of gunfire," Johnston said. He said a shootout erupted outside the facility in the parking lot. Story continues MORE: Nova Scotia shooting may have begun as a domestic violence dispute: Investigators He said a second officer showed up as the gunman was still firing at the first officer. ''The exchange of gunfire between the Red Bluff police officers and the shooter was multiple rounds,'' Johnston said, adding that at least 30 rounds were fired in the gunbattle that lasted about two minutes before the suspect was mortally wounded. He said Lane was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers found a gravely wounded Haro-Lozano and other injured employees when they swept the building in search of other suspects. They determined that Lane allegedly acted alone in the rampage. Johnston said police officers put Haro-Lozano in a patrol car and drove him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Autopsies are scheduled to be performed on Lane and Haro-Lozano on Monday. Six other employees suffered minor to moderate injuries in the episode, according to the sheriff's office. MORE: 2 police officers shot at Walmart in Arkansas, suspect killed: Police The two Red Bluff police officers who engaged the suspect in the shootout were placed on administrative leave in keeping with the protocol for officer-involved shootings, authorities said. While the sheriff's office is the lead investigative agency in the shooting, the Tehama County District Attorney is investigating the officers roles in the shootout with the suspects. The sheriffs office is leading the investigating of the shooting while the Tehama County District Attorney is specifically probing the actions of the officers involved in the incident. Former worker identified as alleged active shooter killed by police in California Walmart warehouse rampage originally appeared on abcnews.go.com India honours the spirit of friendship but those who have cast an evil eye on its territory received a befitting response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, remarks that came in the backdrop of a simmering border dispute with China that has strained ties between the two Asian powerhouses. In his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, Modi also paid tributes to the 20 Indian Army soldiers who died in a violent brawl with Chinese troops along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley, and said the country is capable of giving an appropriate response to any adversary. Our brave soldiers have proven that they will not let anyone cast an evil eye on the glory and honour of Mother India, Modi said without naming China. He stressed that Indias way of life inspires one and all to serve selflessly, but at the same time, the country was committed to safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Tensions have peaked on the border in the aftermath of the June 15 skirmish, the first deadly conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers along the LAC in 45 years. According to Indias assessment, the casualties suffered by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) were twice the deaths on the Indian side. Beijing has not disclosed the number of soldiers it lost. In his radio address, Modi said: ...the entire country comes together in paying tributes to the bravery of our jawans who attained martyrdom in Ladakh. The entire country bows to them in reverence, with gratitude. Just like their family members, every Indian painfully regrets the loss. He added that India, which is facing multiple challenges including the coronavirus disease pandemic, cyclones and locust attacks, also has had to deal with the designs of some of our neighbours. The Prime Minister also appealed to citizens to use indigenously made products, saying being vocal for local is also a way to strengthen the country and to serve it. Modi said Indias aim is to become self-reliant, its tradition is trust and friendship, and its spirit is brotherhood. We will keep moving ahead abiding by these principles, he said.A self-reliant India would be a tribute to our martyrs in the truest, deepest sense. In May, the government announced a 20-lakh-crore welfare package to boost the economy and make India self-reliant in the face of the disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. In his radio address, Modi referred to a woman from Assam, who, he said, wrote that she has resolved to buy only local products after watching the developments in eastern Ladakh. I am receiving messages on these lines from every corner of the country, Modi said. Amid the border face-off with China, clamour to boycott Chinese goods has been growing. Backers of the move say this will hurt the neighbouring country economically. An analysis of the World Banks World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) database by HT on February 15 showed Chinese imports had an average share of almost 40% in Indias total capital goods imports, one-fifth of consumer goods imports, and 15% of intermediate goods imports. The analysis was based on import data from 2014 to 2018. In his address, Modi said that before Independence, Indias defence sector was ahead of that in many countries. There used to be a multitude of ordnance factories. Many countries that lagged behind us then, are ahead of us now. After independence, we should have made efforts in the defence sector, taking advantage of our prior experience we did not. But today, in the fields of defence and technology, India is relentlessly endeavouring to advance on those fronts India is taking strides towards self-reliance, he said. The opposition Congress party, which has been unsparing in its criticism of the governments handling of the border situation, took a fresh dig at the Prime Minister. In 33 minutes of Mann ki Baat, he did not take the name of China even once. Why is the PM afraid of China? the Congresss chief spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewala, said. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, too, questioned the Prime Minister over his 18 meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the last six years. I implore the Prime Minister to say China is an aggressor, he said. While the Congress says the government has not come clean on the border situation and ceded ground to China, the Centre accuses the principal opposition party of politicising an issue of strategic interest. Both India and China have significantly reinforced their deployments with fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, heavy artillery and missile systems in the region that has garnered extensive global attention in recent weeks, particularly after the bloodshed along the LAC. Senior Indian and Chinese military commanders reached a consensus on disengaging from friction points along the LAC on June 22. However, China has not halted and instead ramped up its military activities in Galwan Valley, Depsang sector and the Finger Area near Pangong Tso, according to satellite images. They met on Alan Carr's chat show in 2016 and forged an unlikely bond. And Scarlett Moffatt, 29, has now revealed that she once went to Disneyland Paris with Tom Hardy, 42, and his family, after the A-list actor invited the Gogglebox star to play chess at his home. The former I'm A Celebrity winner detailed how she formed a friendship with the movie star after initially worrying she'd ruined her chances of becoming friends with him due to an accidental text message mix-up. What!? Scarlett Moffatt, 29, has revealed that she once went to Disneyland Paris with Tom Hardy, 42, and his family, including wife Charlotte Riley, 38, and two of his now three children Scarlett revealed the unlikely holiday - and friendship - on Elizabeth Day's How to fail podcast, after being asked if she ever got starstruck. She said: 'I think the time when I really got freaked out was when Tom Hardy came up to me and said "Scarlett, can I have a photo?" 'And I went "What?!? Do you want me to take a photo of you?" And he said "No, me and [Tom's wife Charlotte Riley] Charlotte watched you in the Jungle and we loved you in Gogglebox!" 'And I was like "What? You watch telly?" I was just so shocked that Tom Hardy watches the TV! How!? Scarlett revealed the unlikely holiday - and friendship - on Elizabeth Day's How to fail podcast , after being asked if she ever got starstruck Chance meeting: The former I'm A Celebrity winner revealed that the A-list actor invited the Gogglebox star to play chess at his home after they met on Alan Carr's chat show in 2016 'And then later his agent came in and said: "Tom would like your number and him and Charlotte would like you to come over and play chess or play board games one time." 'I said "Yeah, it's with Tom and Charlotte chess, tiddlywinks, whatever!" So I passed my number on and he texted me saying "this is Tom's number".' The GoggleBox star then admitted she made a huge gaffe, telling Elizabeth: 'I then took a photo of my outfit because me mam asked me to send one. 'I accidentally sent it to Tom while he was in the next room and I literally started crying, I was so mortified. I thought I'd ruined my chances of becoming friends with him.' Forming the friendship: Tom's agent told Scarlett: "Tom would like your number and him and Charlotte would like you to come over and play chess or play board games one time" (pictured in 2018) No way! 'Weirdly we then went to Disneyland in Paris. So him and Charlotte and two little ones and me and my dad, my little sister and my cousin' said Scarlett Luckily, Tom showed his truly down-to-earth colours, with Scarlett explaining: 'He then sent a photo back doing the exact same pose as me in the mirror saying "Whoops, was meant to send that to my mum too". He saved my embarrassment. 'I've learnt now that you can really admire someone and the work they do, but everyone's just a person.' Scarlett then revealed: 'Weirdly we then went to Disneyland in Paris. So him and Charlotte and two little ones and me and my dad, my little sister and my cousin. 'And they did Jedi training together and stuff. It was crazy but fun.' In addition to the two children he shares with wife Charlotte, Tom also has an 11-year-old son Louis with ex Rachael Speed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 20:52:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Sunday reported no new cases of COVID-19 infection, with its total confirmed cases remaining at 355 with zero deaths so far. Meanwhile, as many as 330 patients in the country have recovered from the disease, said the ministry. Vietnam has recorded no local transmission for 73 straight days while there are over 9,000 people being quarantined and monitored in the country, according to Vietnam News Agency. Enditem Kim Min-ho Armed police descended on a London common last night after two men were stabbed as volunteers gave first aid to a bleeding victim and officers arrested a suspect. The man was attacked outside a Jewish bakery by Clapton Common in Hackney and stabbed three times at around 11.20pm, according to witnesses. He then staggered inside for help before collapsing on the floor, where he was helped by volunteers from a Jewish community group. Another man was also suffering from stab wound injuries. The victims, both in their 20s were taken to hospital, where the condition of both has been assessed as neither life-threatening nor life-changing. A 33-year-old man was arrested near to the scene. He has been taken into police custody. The incident is not being treated as a hate crime. It is understood that those injured and the man arrested are Romanian nationals. At the same time, around the corner in Springfield Park, an illegal rave was being held in one of at least three similar illicit events taking place in the capital last night. The man was attacked outside a Jewish bakery in Clapton Common, Hackney and stabbed three times, according to witnesses (pictured, a bleeding victim) Earlier, officers had taken action to disperse crowds causing 'significant disruptions' at two illegal mass raves in south London. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement dispersal zones had been applied in response to events in Clapham Common and Tooting Bec Common. The 'unlicensed events' continued a sequence of unlawful gatherings in London over the past four nights which have involved police injuries. Six people were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after police received reports of a fight between a group of males armed with knives around Duke of Wellington Avenue, SE18, at 3.45pm on Saturday. A second man in his 20s suffered minor injuries. Seven people were arrested and two weapons seized by police at illegal gatherings over Friday night and Saturday morning. The arrests include two people in Newham who were carrying a firearm and a 'Rambo-style' knife respectively, the Met said. Five people were arrested at another music event in Third Avenue, West Kilburn, including two for attacking police officers. The Met said two officers were injured but did not require hospital treatment. Volunteers at the scene gave first aid to one victim, according to social media reports It comes after Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick vowed to shut down events flouting health regulations. Last night's incident comes after days of knife violence in London. On June 25, a man was stabbed near East Acton station. The victim, in his 20s, was taken to hospital where his injuries were not deemed to be life-threatening. Ten minutes after the police were first called, reports came in that a man had been attacked by a group of men near Henchman Street. Police officers are treating the two attacks as linked and are appealing for information and witnesses. This comes soon after a 48-year-old man was stabbed to death in a home in Waldegrave Road, Haringey, on June 20. Police named the victim as Mihai Gae, who was rushed to hospital but died at around 1am the following day. A man, 42, was arrested on suspicion of murder and is believed to be known to the victim, who died from a stab wound to the neck, the post-mortem revealed. Police were also called to a triple stabbing in Edmonton, Enfield, on June 22. Two men in their 20s were found with knife injuries and were treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. A third man, also in his 20s, presented himself at a north London hospital soon after. No arrests have been made so far. Priti Patel reignited her war of words with ethnic minority Labour MPs today as she branded them 'racist' for accusing her of 'gaslighting' black people. She used an appearance on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday to hit out again at a group of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Labour MPs. Last month they accused the Home Secretary of using her Indian heritage to cast doubt on black communities' experience of racism in the UK. The Cabinet minister had previously told the 33 MPs who wrote to her that she would 'not be silenced' by those suggesting she had used her own experiences of prejudice to undermine the 'very real racism' faced by black people. Ms Patel, asked on Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme whether her rivals had an issue with her, said she thought they did. 'I think clearly in the case of those Labour MPs, they simply do primarily because they clearly take the stance or the position that I don't conform to their preconceived idea or stereotypical view of what an ethnic minority woman should stand for and represent,' she said. 'In my view, that in itself is racist. 'It is very disappointing and I have made it quite clear I'm not going to dignify that letter any further.' Shadow minister Naz Shah (left) and other Labour MPs, including Diane Abbott (right), Tan Dhesi and Rosena Allin-Khan, were among those to question Ms Patel's attitude towards the Black Lives Matter protests. The letter came after the former international development secretary had responded to calls from by Labour MP Florence Eshalomi to 'act now' on racism in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd Gaslighting refers to the act of psychologically manipulating someone to doubt their own experiences. Shadow minister Naz Shah and other Labour MPs, including Diane Abbott, Tan Dhesi and Rosena Allin-Khan, were among those to question Ms Patel's attitude towards the Black Lives Matter protests. They said: 'We write to you as black, Asian and ethnic minority Labour MPs to highlight our dismay at the way you used your heritage and experiences of racism to gaslight the very real racism faced by black people and communities across the UK. 'Being a person of colour does not automatically make you an authority on all forms of racism.' The letter came after the former international development secretary had responded to calls for her to 'act now' on racism in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, US, by detailing her own experience of prejudice. Ms Patel, replying to comments made by Labour MP Florence Eshalomi in the Commons, replied: 'Well, on that basis, it must have been a very different Home Secretary who as a child was frequently called a P*** in the playground, a very different Home Secretary who was racially abused in the streets or even advised to drop her surname and use her husband's in order to advance her career. 'So, when it comes to racism, sexism, tolerance for social justice, I will not take lectures from the other side of the House.' During interviews with broadcasters on Sunday, Ms Patel called on those involved with the Black Lives Matter movement to avoid gathering for further protests, warning it risked a second wave of coronavirus. Ms Patel told Sophy Ridge: 'When it comes to protests, there are other ways people can express their views and opinions. 'With Black Lives Matter, there are legitimate voices, legitimate causes, legitimate issues that were being aired at the time ... but protesting right now will not help us get control of this awful disease, this horrible virus and stop the spread of it.' She heard gunshots in a nearby alley about two weeks ago but said she had never felt unsafe on the block in her three years of living there. She said she is aware of gang activity in the area, but it never seemed to get too close. (Refiles to correct reporting credits, no changes to text) MOSCOW, June 27 (Reuters) - Global retail giant Amazon and Japanese SoftBank have made approaches to Russian conglomerate Sistema about a possible acquisition of its online retailer Ozon, Sistema's majority owner Vladimir Evtushenkov said on Saturday. It's not immediately clear if talks are still under way or have ended. Sistema has said it was looking for partners to invest in Ozon, in which it holds a more than 40%. "The interest to Ozon among foreign investors is very high," Evtushenkov told reporters after Sistema's annual general meeting. "I can tell you that this is the only one company in Russia at which Amazon was looking from the participation point of view," he said, adding that SoftBank was also interested in Ozon. Ozon chief executive Aleksandr Shulgin met with his Amazon counterpart, Jeff Bezos, "five or six months ago," said Evtushenkov. A spokesman for Sistema declined to comment further. Ozon is the subject of interest from Russia's largest lender Sberbank, with four sources telling Reuters this month that the bank has been in talks to buy a large stake. (Reporting by Nadezhda Tsydenova; Writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Mike Harrison) 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. Is Libya headed for a conventional military confrontation between Turkey and Egypt as rivalry over the oil-rich Sirte area and the strategically significant al-Jufra base heats up? Despite cease-fire calls from Moscow and others, Ankaras operational preparations suggest that its allies in Libya the forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord might attempt to advance toward Sirte and al-Jufra in the second half of July. Aguila Saleh the head of the Tobruk-based parliament, which has backed Khalifa Hifters Libyan National Army said June 24 that they would ask Egypt to intervene militarily if the key coastal city of Sirte came under attack. On June 20, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi claimed that Egypt had a right under the UN Charter for military action in Libya to protect its western borders. He warned against military moves to seize Sirte and al-Jufra, which he called a red line for Egypts national security. Sirte is the key for controlling Libyas oil crescent region, which contributes 60% of Libya's oil exports. Sirte, which has crucial oilfields and tanker-loading facilities, is of military significance as well, being a garrison city that allows control of the Libyan coastline between Tripoli to the west and Benghazi to the east. Al-Jufra, for its part, is home to an air base that allows domination of the entire Libyan airspace, in addition to being a key route linking the countrys south to the coastline. In sum, having a say over al-Jufra means having a say over the whole of Libya. According to the US Africa Command, at least 14 Russian-made MiG-29 and Su-24 warplanes have been recently transferred to al-Jufra. Also deployed at the base are Russian-made Pantsir air defense systems and mercenaries of the Russian Wagner group. Al-Jufra is also a major train-and-equip base. African mercenaries from countries such as Sudan and Chad, recruited by Hifters forces, undergo brief trainings at the base before heading to front lines in the west to fight the Government of National Accord forces. The Government of National Accord wants Hifters forces to return to the boundaries of the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement of December 2015, that is, to withdraw from Sirte, al-Jufra and Fezzan. The government maintains that a lasting cease-fire will be impossible unless Hifters forces retreat from Sirte and al-Jufra, a position that is strongly backed by Turkey. For Hifter, however, the Skhirat agreement is already a thing of the past. Will Turkey encourage its allies to march on Sirte and al-Jufra despite the Egyptian threat of intervention and the risk that Russia will blackmail Turkey in Syrias Idlib? Could Turkey brave a conventional military power struggle against Egypt and Russia in Libya without fueling military tensions with Russia in northern Syria? Turkeys intervention in Libya has divided NATO, with France leading the anti-Turkey bloc within the alliance amid rising bilateral tensions over Libya in particular and the eastern Mediterranean in general. In furious comments June 22, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey of playing a dangerous game in Libya that can no longer be tolerated. And I'll take you back to my statement last year on NATO being brain dead. I think this is the best example of it, he said. The United States, Italy and Germany, meanwhile, hope that Turkeys military activism in Libya will hamper Russia from obtaining permanent military bases in Libya and using the country as a linchpin to expand its influence in Africa. Hence, they have adopted stances that indirectly encourage Turkeys military posture in Libya. Increasing Ankara-mediated contacts between Government of National Accord head Fayez al-Sarraj and Washington suggest that Turkey is working hard to influence the US position in Libya. While the conflict appears bound to heat up in July, is a Turkey-backed Government of National Accord offensive on the Sirte-al-Jufra axis on the cards? Intentions and capabilities matter. In terms of intentions, Ankara appears fully resolved to press ahead. The prevailing thinking in Ankara is that Egypt could conduct some token military exercises and border patrols at its Libyan frontier, but could never brave a conventional military intervention. In the words of a Turkish journalist close to intelligence services, Ankaras response to Sisi and the United Arab Emirates, Hifters chief allies, has amounted to this: We are not taking you seriously. Lets see what you can do! In terms of military capacity, however, Ankara is faced with some serious downsides. First of all, medium- and high-altitude air defense is vital for air dominance in the Sirte-al-Jufra axis, but this remains a problem for Turkey, though low-altitude air defense has been secured through the deployment of the Hisar air defense systems to Libya. Paradoxically, Ankara owns more advanced systems the S-400s it acquired from Russia last year but has failed to activate them so far and transferring them to Tripoli is out of the question. And, at least for now, Washington appears reluctant to wrangle with Russia over airspace dominance in Libya. Hence, Ankara has to plan an offensive without medium- and high-altitude airspace control, a constraint it has already experienced in Syria. This would be a very risky business if Moscow and Cairo stand their ground. Providing close air support to ground forces with combat planes, attack helicopters and armed drones is essential for military success something the Turkish army has relearned the hard way in the 72-day siege of al-Bab during Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria in 2017 or, as a matter of fact, in Tripoli at present. Bereft of close air support, Ankara will have to make the most of indirect fire support from the Storm howitzers and multiple rocket launchers it has deployed to Libya and armed drone attacks. Obviously, indirect fire support and drone attacks cannot substitute for close air support as Turkeys drone capability falls short of decisively deterring its adversaries, no matter how much it has grown in recent years. Also, the A400M planes the largest airlifters the Turkish military owns lack the capacity to transfer units of battalion size or larger and bulky military equipment. The absence of a strategic airlifter such as the C-17 Globemaster or the Ilyushin Il-76 in the Turkish air force inventory has been a pressing liability, but Qatars C-17 assistance has relieved Turkey thus far. Another potential constraint stems from Government of National Accord deficiencies in terms of an effective high command and staff officers. The deployment of Turkish generals and staff personnel to Libya appears to have largely filled the vacuum, but an offensive to capture Sirte and al-Jufra would require closer coordination between drones and ground elements, increased capabilities in intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance and command and a precision strike capability. Because of limited combat radius, Turkeys F-16 jets its only tactical assets in terms of air supremacy need multiple air refueling to fly to Libya. Forward basing could have been an option, but both Algeria and Tunisia have been reluctant to offer such assistance. Government of National Accord-controlled air bases are incapable of supporting intensive operations by NATO-standard aircraft and would be in the crosshairs of Hifters forces anyway. Also, Turkey lacks heavy bombers that could deliver overwhelming firepower in Libya. How the Turkish air force would secure its area of operation against possible interventions by Egyptian or Emirati planes is another problem that Turkish military planners must consider, even though Ankara tends to believe that neither Egypt nor the UAE would brave such action. To make up for the air forces logistical limitations, Ankara could have considered the alternative of naval aviation. Yet Turkeys first amphibious assault ship, the TCG Anadolu, is not expected to become fully operational until late 2020. Moreover, Turkey has been ousted from the F-35 program. Without the F-35B jets, the Anadolus naval aviation capabilities are reduced to helicopters and Akinci armed drones, expected to enter service early next year. In other words, the Turkish navy could hardly compensate for the air force, even though the Anadolu designed to accommodate 1,450 people and sail for 50 days without resupply at 22 knot speed promises to be a game changer for Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean. Furthermore, a failure to match military efforts with diplomacy could prevent operational achievements from translating into sustainable diplomatic gains. Last but not least, many in Ankara have come to question to what extent the ailing Turkish economy could sustain costly military ventures abroad and the defense industry, a concern that bears directly on Ankaras military activism in Libya. A South Korea-based religious group named the Shincheonji Church of Jesus said that over 4,000 members of the church recovered from COVID-19 are willing to donate plasma for developing a new treatment. The amount of blood will be about $83 billion worth if the 4,000 patients donate 500ml individually, according to the current transaction in the United States. It is difficult to accelerate developing a medicine for COVID-19 with only 200 recovered patients who expressed their will to donate blood. The massive donation from the recovered patients in the Shincheonji Church will solve the problem of the lack of blood for research, said an official from Green Cross Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company in South Korea. For the first quarter of this year, the rapid virus spread hit the church members in Daegu of South Korea, where the early signs of the crisis appeared with the controversy over the massive visitors from China before the infection of church members. Stories Continues after ad Mr. Man Hee Lee, founder of the Shincheonji Church, said that members of the church are advised to donate plasma voluntarily. As Jesus sacrificed himself with his blood for life, we hope that the blood of people can bring positive effects on overcoming the current situation, said Mr. Lee. We had a discussion with the health authorities and tried to establish a plan with details for donation. Some of the recovered members have already donated individually, feeling thankful for the assistance from the government and medical teams. They expressed their will to make contribution to the society, said an official in the church. Some local governments in South Korea recently brought lawsuits against the church with allegations that the church did not cooperate with the authorities by not submitting the full list of church facilities and members. No evidence has been found that Shincheonji supplied missing or altered lists. And there were only minor differences, said Kim Kang-lip, vice-minister of Health. Academic researches on Shincheonji and COVID-19 stated that the church provided the list of its South Korean members six days after it was requested and it was initially unclear whether shut down facilities and properties should be included when the government asked for the lists of real estate. (Shincheonji and Coronavirus in South Korea: Sorting Fact from Fiction A White Paper https://www.eupoliticalreport.eu/covid-19-and-the-shincheonji-church-in-south-korea-a-white- paper-reveals-the-truth/) A large fire fueled by heat and strong winds ravaged more than 50 hectares of forest in Vietnam in a matter of three days this week. The conflagration was basically kept under control on Sunday morning, according to Nguyen Duc Trung, chairman of the Nghe An Province Peoples Committee. The firefighting forces are required not to become complacent because of the ongoing heatwave, Trung said. Civilians and armed forces helped keep the conflagration at bay, Ha Xuan Quang, deputy chairman of Dien Chau District, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday. The fire destroyed more than 50ha of forest, including pine and acacia trees, in three districts of the north-central province, namely Yen Thanh, Nghi Loc, and Dien Chau. It started in a pine forest in Yen Thanh on Friday. Police officers, soldiers, rangers, and local residents joined hands in the efforts to extinguish the flames, according to the Nghe An Province Peoples Committee. Temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and strong winds hindered the firefighting efforts. This is the biggest forest fire to have hit Dien Chau District so far, Quang said. Local authorities have created a firebreak to prevent the forest fire from spreading to nearby residential areas while preparing to evacuate 250 households. The firefighting forces are still on standby around the clock in case the fire starts raging again. A pine forest is engulfed in flames in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, June 2020. Photo: Huu Tan / Tuoi Tre Police officers and soldiers help put out a forest fire in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, June 2020. Photo: Doan Hoa / Tuoi Tre Soldiers create a firebreak to prevent a forest fire from spreading in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, June 2020. Photo: Huu Tan/ Tuoi Tre A fire destroys over 50ha of forest in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, June 2020. Photo: Doan Hoa / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Housing secretary Robert Jenrick defending himself in the Commons this week. (Getty) The mayor of Tower Hamlets has warned the government that the Westferry scandal is 'anything but' over as he hit out at Robert Jenrick over his response. John Biggs said the Tory MP said Jenricks behaviour had blown apart confidence in our planning system. Jenrick is accused of overruling officials to approve a controversial property development in London financed by billionaire Richard Desmond, after being spotted watching a video about the project on Desmonds phone at a Tory fundraiser. Desmond, the former owner of the Daily Express, then gave a donation of 12,000 to the Conservatives just weeks after the development was given the go-ahead. The 1 billion Westferry Printworks redevelopment scheme in east London was controversially approved in January by Jenrick. (Getty) Jenrick was reported to parliament's sleaze watchdog this week and was forced to make public a series of text messages of his contact with Desmond. But Biggs, whose council Jenrick overruled to approve the scheme, warned that the scandal was not yet over. Mr Jenricks performance in Parliament was less than impressive and he left many questions unanswered. He was however forced to finally release documents relating to his decision, Biggs wrote on Sunday in an article on Left Foot Forward. The documents are astonishing, damning and I would argue have blown apart confidence in our planning system under Mr Jenrick. The papers that have been released do indeed suggest he rushed through the decision to help save the developer money and short-change residents in Tower Hamlets. The prime minister may consider the Westferry scandal to be a closed matter, but I can assure him it is anything but. It comes as home secretary Priti Patel said the matter over the Westferry affair and Jenrick's handling of it was "closed" during an appearance on the BBCs Andrew Marr show on Sunday. "I haven't followed the details of every single decision on this but what I do know and what I can tell you is that the correspondence, the documentation is out in the public domain on this particular application - and rightly so, Patel said. Story continues "It is a significant decision, a significant application. "The papers have been published, the secretary of state has followed all issues around transparency. "It has been discussed in Parliament a number of times, questions have been answered on this and the matter is deemed to be closed." She added: "It is through that matter of transparency that the matter is now deemed to be closed." Patel was also asked whether attending a party fundraiser would boost the chances of a successful planning application, said: "No it will not, it will absolutely not. China urges US to withdraw decision to impose visa restrictions over Hong Kong Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/6/27 9:09:04 China on Saturday expressed strong opposition to the US' wrongful decision to impose visa restrictions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong-related issues, and vowed to continue taking strong measures to uphold national security. A spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US said in a statement on Saturday that China urges the US side to immediately correct its mistakes, withdraw the decision and stop interfering in China's domestic affairs. The Chinese side will continue to take strong measures to uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday visa restrictions on current and former Chinese officials who "were responsible for eviscerating Hong Kong's freedoms." His announcement came just a day after the US Senate passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which calls for mandatory sanctions against any individuals responsible for "undermining Hong Kong's autonomy." The embassy spokesperson said legislating on national security is a power and obligation of the central government, and also an international practice, and that Hong Kong affairs are China's domestic affairs and allow no external interference. The legal basis for the Chinese government to govern Hong Kong is China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), not the Sino-British Joint Declaration. No one has any legal grounds or right to make irresponsible comments on Hong Kong affairs citing the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the spokesperson said. In response to the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, the HKSAR government on Friday night expressed strong opposition to its passage. "We urge the US Congress to immediately stop interfering in HKSAR's internal matters. The Act and the so-called 'sanctions' are totally unacceptable and will only harm the relations and common interests between Hong Kong and the US," read the Hong Kong government's statement. The implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in the HKSAR falls entirely under the umbrella of the internal affairs of China. No other state or legislature has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, in those internal affairs. Many of the Congress' comments on HKSAR affairs in the Act are seriously misleading and absolutely unfounded, the Hong Kong government said. "Any 'sanctions' imposed under the Act will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law. We, however, urge the US side to act responsibly by refraining from taking measures that may potentially affect the normal operations of financial institutions and the vast number of customers they serve," the Hong Kong government said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Jill Karnicki, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Michael Moores attention to detail and practical focus on flood mitigation, infrastructure, traffic, an underfunded hospital district and other challenges in a growing region are why we recommend him for Precinct 3 Commissioner in the July 14 Democratic primary runoff. Moore found himself on the front lines during Houstons finest hour back in 2005, when the torrent of buses carrying storm-dazed New Orleanians began rolling up to the Astrodome. To ensure that students do not lose out on study time in the new academic year, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has decided to start regular classes in virtual mode from July 27. However, a group of students from the Mumbai campus has questioned the managements decision, and highlighted the problems of internet accessibility faced by them at their homes. TISS students, who hail from different parts of the state, went back to their homes after the lockdown was imposed. A spokesperson for the management said that the institute has constituted a committee, and is in the process of conducting a survey to find out issues pertaining to internet accessibility for students. Not more than one-third of the lectures will be live sessions. We are exploring the possibility of recorded sessions that can be downloaded by students at any time. Texts of the sessions will also be made available to students on email and WhatsApp, said PK Shajahan, Dean (academics), TISS, Mumbai. While the admission process for new batches is currently underway, the present batch of students have been informed about the start of the academic year. An official statement with details of this process is yet to be released by the institute, said students. We are not opposing the decision to start virtual classes. But we need clarity on certain loopholes that the institute needs to address. What about students without appropriate infrastructure for live online lectures? The institute also needs to clarify evaluation methodology in advance to prepare students, said a spokesperson for the Progressive Students Forum, a student body at TISS Mumbai. In several posts on social media, students have demanded that the institute also share the results of their student survey and reveal how many students have dependable access to internet in order to make virtual classes viable, said students. While details of the survey are still n progress, the institute said lectures for the present batches will commence on July 27 and for new batches from August 10 . We are still conducting online interviews for admissions to new batches across all four campuses, and these new batches will join only August onwards, added Shajahan. TISS has already completed over 4,000 online interviews for 1,457 masters course seats across the Hyderabad, Tuljapur and Guwahati campuses. For the Mumbai campus, online admission interviews will be conducted in mid-July, said Shajahan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Human Rights Watch: Turkmenistan Risking Country's Health By Denying Coronavirus Cases By RFE/RL June 27, 2020 Human Rights Watch is warning that Turkmenistan is putting the country's health in jeopardy by denying an apparent outbreak of the coronavirus in the Central Asian state. The rights watchdog on June 27 urged the Turkmen government to gather and publicize data about the infection in the country, make testing widely available, and stop silencing health workers. Turkmenistan is one of very few countries worldwide that claims it has no cases of COVID-19. "Every minute that Turkmenistan's government conceals the truth about COVID-19 in the country, it's putting lives and health in danger," said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The authorities should stop this reckless denial and urgently adopt appropriate public health measures." The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to send representatives to Turkmenistan in early July, after seeking since at least April to visit the country. Turkmenistan should allow the WHO to conduct its visit fully in line with the organization's terms of reference and should immediately start carrying out WHO recommendations and guidelines for COVID-19 prevention and data collection, Human Rights Watch said. In February and March, Turkmenistan introduced some measures against the spread of the virus, including limiting entry to the country and raising awareness about handwashing and other hygiene measures. But until April, state media and high-level government officials were mostly silent about the situation. The authorities have not promoted any social-distancing measures and instead have held mass public events. They have sought to silence medical workers and others from speaking out about the impact of the virus in the country. The Turkmen Foreign Ministry publicly repudiated a June 24 alert published on the U.S. embassy's website that acknowledged there were "no official reports of positive COVID-19 cases," but noted "reports of local citizens with symptoms consistent with COVID-19." The Foreign Ministry called the statement "distorted," "baseless," and "fake." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/hrw-warns -turkmenistan-risking-country-s-health-by-denying- coronavirus-cases/30693924.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 PHIs to keep away from polls duty By Nadia Fazlulhaq Talks with Health Minister break down over legitimising COVID-19 health guidelines View(s): View(s): Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) have decided to keep away from election duties, demanding that gazette notifications are issued empowering them to carry out their duties during the COVID19 pandemic. The decision was taken after a meeting between the Public Health Inspectors Union and Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi broke down on Wednesday without a decision on implementing their call for legal powers to act during elections. The Health Ministry has turned down a demand to immediately issue gazette notifications giving legal effect to Health Services Director Generals guidelines, including those on conducting elections. The Ministry held that more powers to PHIs could not be immediately given under the Quarantine and Diseases Prevention Ordinance as it was awaiting the Attorney Generals (AG)s recommendations. Once the Attorney Generals opinion is obtained, Cabinet approval is needed prior to forwarding the regulations to Parliament. Only then can the Health Ministry gazette health guidelines issued by the Health Services Director General and give powers to PHIs, a Health Ministry spokesman said. The PHIs have threatened to stay away from election duties on the grounds they do not have powers under the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance to take action against those violating health guidelines during election rallies or polling stations or the ability to order a 14-day quarantine for those who may pose a risk. During the past three months, PHIs worked tirelessly, but they were not protected by any law. Many people believed that we had legal powers to order them to be quarantined, and adhered to our advice, Public Health Inspectors Union Secretary M. Balasooriya told the Sunday Times. After the Human Rights Commission recommendations that there is a possibility of violation of rights such as freedom of movement, our officers will be taken to courts if a rights case is filed, he said. He said the minister was reluctant to make legal changes to the Quarantine Ordinance giving powers to the PHIs and did not give an assurance that the PHIs would be given powers to take action against those violating social distancing rules or ignoring safety precautions. This will be a difficult task during election rallies and campaigns. What is the use of us being deployed if we dont have powers? he questioned. He said if a person refused to be quarantined, the PHIs did not have any legal power to take action against him. More people will be coming from overseas with some COVID positive. We have to make sure they are further self-quarantined for two weeks after recovery. Similarly those exposed should also be quarantined. The area PHIs should make sure that such people do not go around visiting. But if the people refuse or file a case stating their freedom of movement is violated, our officers will be taken to courts, he said. The moves came as the Election Commission was preparing to deploy a team in every polling booth to ensure that necessary health precautions are taken during the election process. The active participation of PHIs was required for the process and their services were obtained to conduct mock elections. At present, there are about 2,650 PHIs in the country. Under the Health guidelines for conducting the Elections amidst the COVID 19 outbreak, PHIs are assigned to supervise all election booths prior to and on the election day. They will also carry out and organize disinfection activities and will be assigned with other election related duties by the Medical Officer of Health. During a recent interview with a group of six European newspapers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Europe needs to reassess its relationship with the United States if the U.S. is not willing to shoulder its responsibilities as a global power. Analysts see it as a sign of a reversal in the U.S.' relations with its traditional European allies such as Germany. "We grew up in the certain knowledge that the United States wanted to be a world power," the German chancellor said. "Should the U.S. now wish to withdraw from that role of its own free will, we would have to reflect on that very deeply." U.S. President Donald Trump has had testy relations with Merkel in the past. The U.S. president said on June 15 that he will halve the number of U.S. troops in Germany because Berlin is "delinquent" in contributions to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and treats the United States "badly" on trade. In the interview, Merkel said the U.S. military presence in central Europe was in the U.S.' own interest. "American troops in Germany help to protect not only Germany and the European part of NATO but also the interests of the United States of America," the chancellor said. Talking of Germany's military spending, Merkel said: "We in Germany know that we have to spend more on defense; we have achieved considerable increases in recent years, and we will continue on that path to enhance our military capabilities." Merkel has refused Trump's invitation for a proposed G7 summit in Washington, saying that her personal participation cannot be ensured because of the pandemic situation. Meanwhile, Merkel also mentioned relations with the UK, saying that it will have to "live with the consequences" of Boris Johnson ditching Theresa May's plan to maintain close economic ties with the EU after Brexit. "We need to let go of the idea that it is for us to define what Britain should want," Merkel said, adding that it is for Britain to define and the EU27 will respond appropriately. UK holiday-makers will soon be able to travel to some countries without quarantining upon return. Photo: S O C I A L . C U T/Unsplash Holiday companies have seen bookings explode as COVID-19 travel restrictions are set to be relaxed next week. According to data and comments collated by the BBC from lastminute.com, tour operator TUI (TUI.L), and the Eurotunnel, bookings have surged since the UK government announced that Brits will be allowed to travel to certain European countries without having to spend two weeks in quarantine upon their return, from 6 July. Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland told the BBC, "we've already seen bookings increase by 50% this week, versus last [week], with holidays to Spain and Greece looking the most popular this summer. Lastminute.com reported an 80% increase on holiday sales compared to last week, attributed to Spain lifting the quarantine for Brits. READ MORE: The top 10 countries Brits will visit once travel restrictions are lifted Spain-holiday.com, the third biggest holiday rental site in Spain, said it experienced record-breaking Saturday sales. Peter Jarvis of Spain-holiday.com, told the Mail Online: Were already seeing a huge increase in online interest in our holiday homes from the UK market, with pool properties being the most popular up 104%. Vigilance is absolutely still needed but with sensible precautions on either end we are confident we will see a safe summer in the sun for Brits again this year. Meanwhile, the Eurotunnel website crashed on Friday as too many customers [were] trying to make a booking, the company said. John Keefe, director of public affairs at Eurotunnel, said phones had been "ringing off the hook." READ MORE: Travel bubbles, air bridges and bilateral discussions international travel in the COVID era However, he added that Eurotunnel saw an increase of bookings weeks ago, suggesting many Brits had already started to "discount the quarantine measures." The full list of travel corridors agreements between countries to let tourists travel without restrictions is set to be announced next week. Story continues Trips to Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Turkey, Germany and Norway are expected to be allowed but not Portugal or Sweden. Travel companies reported their biggest sales ever as holiday-makers rushed to book before the traffic light system letting Brits travel to the safest destinations is announced on 1 July and put into effect on 6 July. The systems will rank how badly countries have been hit by coronavirus, with travel corridors or air bridges opening to green and amber nations. READ MORE: Shocking pictures world slams holiday-goers in Britain's Bournemouth beach Only those travelling to red nations will still have to follow the 14-day quarantine upon return rule, which is enforceable with a 1,000 ($1,233) fine. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel told Sky News: As we see rates of the virus drop with other countries in the world, and also as we see domestic transmission fall, it is right we look at how we facilitate travel and the air corridors, or the travel corridors, that I and my colleagues have spoken about. And a government spokesman told the BBC its measures would give people "the opportunity for a summer holiday abroad" while also boosting the UK economy, but stressed that it "wouldn't hesitate to put on the brakes," if the situation changes. With growing pressure to keep China's Huawei out of 5G network development, it could be time for firms like Japan's NEC and South Korea's Samsung to shine. Washington has pushed allies to bar Huawei, a Chinese telecom giant, from building next-generation 5G mobile networks, claiming its equipment can be used to spy for Beijing. Huawei denies the charges, but US pressure has prompted an about-turn in Britain. The government had already pledged to cut the firm out of the most sensitive "core" elements of 5G that access personal data, and is now reportedly pushing for plans to end Huawei's involvement in Britain's 5G infrastructure by 2023. But excluding Huawei is not without challenges, because there are currently only two alternatives in Europe for 5G equipment such as antennas and relay masts: Finland's Nokia and Sweden's Ericsson. Britain has encouraged Washington to form a club of 10 democratic nations that could develop its own 5G technology, but there has been little movement so far. "The vast majority of the commercial networks sold in the world come from the big three," said Sylvain Chevallier, in charge of telecoms at BearingPoint consultancy, referring to Huawei, Nokia and Ericsson. "But a world of three is not good for operators, and if it goes down to two it will be worse still," he told AFP. - Teaming up - That leaves a tempting potential opening for telecoms firms like Samsung and NEC. But building a successful 5G network is no simple task. That is a lesson Samsung has already learned. Despite being a major player in 3G, it found itself unable to compete with the big three on 4G and struggled to win commercial contracts. "This has been a challenge for Samsung," said Daryl Schoolar, a mobile technology specialist at consulting group Omdia. In building its 5G network, Samsung has so far focused on North America and parts of the Asia-Pacific region. "So while operators may feel uncertain about Samsung Networks, they are much further along in the process of being a global presence than NEC," Schoolar added. NEC does have some advantages, including a partnership in Japan with mobile operator Rakuten. The firms have already cooperated on a 4G network and are now jointly developing a 5G system. The Japanese firm is also a leader on undersea cables, fibre optic networks and -- thanks to its affiliate Netcracker -- logistics management software. "Netcracker has a strong presence with operators in Europe, which could be a real entry point for NEC," said Stephane Teral, chief telecoms analyst at LightCounting, a market research firm. - 'A major challenge' - NEC is tightlipped about its contracts for mobile networks, saying only that it is holding feasibility demonstrations for "a number of customers and we are engaged in commercial discussions with others". Britain's government has reportedly asked both NEC and Samsung to take part in demonstrations as it looks to diversify its 5G options. And on Thursday, NEC announced a tie-up with Japanese operator NTT intended in part to speed up the development of a 5G network. Samsung and NEC joined forces two years ago and have launched a joint marketing team to offer 5G products to European and Asian markets. Still, the path ahead will be tough, said Schoolar. "I think it's a major challenge for NEC. It requires more than radios, it requires investing in people who can do system integration, sales, customer support, network design and engineering," he said. "Plus NEC will need to build operator trust that they will be there to support them in five to 10 years as those 5G networks evolve." Washington has backed the use of non-proprietary technology like Open RAN in 5G development, hoping it will provide an entry point for US firms. Such a move would open up opportunities for NEC, allowing them to "create an economic model that would shake up traditional equipment manufacturers," said Chevallier. 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Digital Editor Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Educating the public on the importance of fresh, healthy food is one facet of the overall mission of the Santa Fe Farmers Market. With a successful market on Tuesdays and Saturdays at the Santa Fe Railyard, the market is, once again, moving to Southside Santa Fe. From 3-6 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, Santa Fe Farmers Market Del Sur Market will take place at the main parking at Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center, 4801 Beckner Road. The Del Sur Market will run on Tuesdays through Sept. 29. We partnered last year with Presbyterian for this market, said Debbie Burns, Santa Fe Farmers Market CEO. Its been held in different places over the years. Prior to our partnership with Presbyterian it was held on Jaguar Drive. The Del Sur Market is an important market because it gives access to those Santa Fe residents living on the Southside who cant make it into the Railyard area. The farmers associated with the market are working hard to provide the community with the freshest food available. Burns believes the farmers market is safer than shopping in a conventional grocery store and it provides the freshest, most nutrient rich foods available. Its very important that people have access to fresh, healthy food, Burns said. I lived in Italy for 10 years before I came to Santa Fe. Over there, I learned about organic and fresh food. I couldnt believe the difference in the taste, as well as the nutrients in fresh fruit and vegetables are higher. New this year, Presbyterian Wellness Center will provide virtual cooking classes during the market, featuring recipes that source seasonal produce from market vendors. This opens up the opportunity to view cooking classes online with items sold at the Del Sur Market, Burns said. Its another way to make healthy cooking a viable option for many. Of course, Burns said the market will be following all public health guidelines. Social distancing and the wearing of masks will be in effect. Our vendors will wear masks and also wear gloves, she said. Weve set up the vendors to be six feet apart. Were also in an open parking lot so visitors will have a lot of room. In addition to the Del Sur Market, the Santa Fe Farmers Market runs two other markets from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday and Saturday at the Santa Fe Railyard. It is also starting a mini market from 4-7 p.m. beginning Wednesday, July 1. According to Burns, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) are accepted at all four market days by qualifying vendors. Thousands of dollars are doubled every year at the Del Sur Market, helping to provide local families with the freshest, most nutrient dense produce available, Burns said. English-language daily newspaper Bangkok Post of Thailand ran an article saying that this year marks the half-way point of the grouping's 10-year journey toward the realisation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, which envisaged deeper integration after the agreement to establish the ASEAN Community back in 2015. It is the ideal time for the bloc to assess their work in achieving those aspirations, it underlined. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses the opening ceremony of the 36th ASEAN Summit (Photo: VNA) The COVID-19 pandemic as well as the economic slump may force ASEAN leaders to look inwards, focusing on their own crisis, over the grouping's mission. But at the same time, some optimists believe the pandemic gives ASEAN an opportunity to work as a group to escalate cooperation under the human security framework, noted the article. Meanwhile, the PBS broadcasting centre highlighted that Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha proposed three paths for actions to advance ASEAN in the post-COVID-19 era at the summit on June 26. The full speech of Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the opening ceremony of the 36th ASEAN Summit and other related articles were published at the website of the Thai Governments Public Relations Department. In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Dr Balaz Szanto of the International and Strategic Studies Faculty at the Webster University of Thailand underlined that Vietnam is an important member of ASEAN. The countrys leadership as Chair of ASEAN will influence major issues, including the settlement of territorial disputes at sea and others in the ASEAN agenda, he noted./. I have a few, um, empty spaces, understates Jasper Mall manager Mike McClelland, during a scene in a new documentary film. Subtitled, A year in the life of a dying shopping mall, the doc Jasper Mall, is now streaming on video on demand platforms. Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb are the films co-directors. They shot Jasper Mall throughout 2018. The doc's trailer is a poetic two-minute watch just by itself. Easy listening music echoes through empty mall corridors. Seniors get their morning walks in. Outside at daybreak, a post-apocalyptic barren parking lot. Inside under harsh incandescent lighting, McClelland handles maintenance and other mall matters in solitude, as if he's marooned alone on another world, like in that 2009 Sam Rockwell astronaut movie, "Moon." For "Jasper Mall," Thomason and Whitcomb were a film crew of two, although a couple others were brought on to help during a few busier sequences, including a carnival scene and one involving a bored Santa Claus. In addition to sharing director and producer tasks, Bradford was the film's editor and Whitcomb cinematographer. Visually, at times "Jasper Mall" resembles an indie feature or Netflix limited series. The filmmakers' primary tools included a Sony FS7 camera and Fujinon MK18-55mm lens and Adobe Premiere editing software. With an 84-minute running time, Jasper Films is being released via Window Pictures. Rock music fans might have seen Windows fun 2019 release Lost Weekend, a documentary short about two Pennsylvania teens who won an MTV contest and got to party with Van Halen for 48 hours. "Jasper Mall" pivots on McClelland, a former zookeeper. As he puts it during one moment in the doc, "I left a zoo, now I'm in a jungle." In addition to McClelland, "Jasper Mall" viewers get to meet shop owners and mall patrons. "Mike is probably the most compelling character," Thomason says, "because he's what holds the mall together. He's our guide and he only gets more interesting as he reveals how he came to work at the mall." Jasper Mall opened in August 1981. The 350,000-square foot mall was designed to hold about 35 or so stores. Although the filmmakers can't say for sure how many patrons visited Jasper Mall during its, prime, Whitcomb says, "There's a photo of the mall parking lot on opening day and it's completely full. We got the impression the mall was very busy through the '80s and '90s." It's well documented consumers have gravitated to online shopping in recent years and shopping malls are looking extinction in the eye. According to Jasper Mall's website, the facility still houses around 20 business ranging from chains like Belk department stores to local ventures such as Robin's Next florist. "Mike is doing a great job of keeping it alive," Thomason says. "He truly cares and takes pride in the work he does there." Below are more edited excerpts from my recent interview with the "Jasper Mall" filmmakers. What inspired you to make a documentary about the Jasper Mall? Bradford Thomason: All of our films are inspired by something nostalgic from our childhood, and usually we try to take a look behind the curtain of that nostalgia, so to speak, to see how these things have impacted individuals or continue to impact individuals in the present day. Malls and "Jasper Mall" with its untouched '80s aesthetic fit the bill perfectly. Brett Whitcomb: I think the way the mall looked inspired us the most. It had an aesthetic that we both loved and it reminded us of the malls of our youth. Then when we spent time in the mall and met the people inside, we felt pretty confident that this would be our next project. Did malls serve a social role for you growing up? I remember being a tween and young teen and malls were a place to meet up with friends, girls, etc. Thomason: Of course. Once we got old enough to go by ourselves, we'd get dropped off at the mall and spend the entire day there hanging with friends. Brett and I both went to Almeda and Baybrook malls in Houston, Texas. For us it was all about the arcades, Tilt and Aladdin's Castle. My parents always visited the department stores, so I spent a lot of time in JC Penney, Palais Royal and Sears. And of course, the food courts. Piccadilly Cafeteria in Alameda Mall was a big one for me. Whitcomb: I grew up in the 90s going to Baybrook Mall in Clear Lake City, Texas. I would always get my mom to drop me off there for hours and I would watch a movie, eat pizza or if I had enough money eat at Lubys, play video games at Aladdins Castle, shop for CDs at Sam Goodie, walk around Radio Shack. And stare at the Reebok Pumps I desperately wanted before school started again. What's your connection to Alabama? Thomason: We're both Houston natives and I moved to Birmingham when I met my wife at (Birmingham's) Sidewalk Film Festival. Whitcomb: I followed Brad here. If malls eventually go extinct what do you think we'll be missing? Bradford: We'll lose that feeling of community that comes from shopping in an indoor space. Maybe we've already lost it as malls become more and more scarce and online shopping takes over. How is the ongoing pandemic affecting indie films and documentaries, as far as getting them out there, distribution, building buzz, etc.? Thomason: Its definitely presented some challenges. One of our favorite things for us when we make films is having the chance to watch them in a packed theater. Were just not sure when thatll happen again. Jasper Mall had its world premiere at Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Shortly after our premiere COVID-19 happened, and we decided that the best plan of action would be to release the film digitally as we were already talking to distributors who were eager to release it. A few of your favorite all-time documentaries? Whitcomb: This is a hard and fun question. I could make a very long list, but some that have really stuck with me lately are: "Paris is Burning," "Harlan County, U.S.A.," "Gates of Heaven," "Last Train Home" and Les Blank's "Always for Pleasure" box set. Thomason: Some of the same ones Brett listed, plus "Marjoe," "American Movie," "F for Fake," "Crumb" and "Hands on a Hardbody." What impact do you hope your documentary has on people who watch it? Whitcomb: Documentaries have the ability to stay with you for a very long time. I remember watching Vernon, Florida for the first time and not being able to shake it for a while. We just hope people feel something after watching and remember the people in Jasper Mall. What's your background in film? Whitcomb: Films can change your life and we wanted to be a part of that. We didnt go to film school or anything, we just rented lots of DVDs from Netflix and watched obsessively. And nothing much has changed except we dont get DVDs in the mail anymore. MORE ON CULTURE 20 music stars who got their start as sidemen/sidewomen How Muscle Shoals music Meccas are surviving and reopening How local libraries turned the page during a pandemic Black is Beautiful for these Huntsville breweries Alabama rappers timely Black Lives Matter music video The BJP has targeted the Congress and the Gandhi family by alleging that the RGF had accepted donations from the Chinese embassy Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Saturday came to the defence of the Congress over the issue of charges about Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) accepting donations from the Chinese embassy. Not just Congress, but many political parties and leaders in the country are the beneficiaries of the foreign countries. There is nothing new in it, said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. The BJP speaking about this is like throwing stones in the mud and getting spoilt by it. Hamam me sab nange hain (All are the same from inside). The BJP can fight with the Congress any time later. But now is the time to fight against China. It should speak on that, said the Sena in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana. The BJP has targeted the Congress and the Gandhi family by alleging that the RGF had accepted donations from the Chinese embassy. However, the Congress has hit back saying that the RGF issue raised by the BJP government was a manufactured charge to divert attention from the border crisis with China. Commenting on the issue, the Sena alleged that those who are raising questions about Chinas intrusion are being labelled as Chinese agents by the BJP. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi asked queries to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue. Instead of responding to them, the BJP leaders accused the Congress of receiving funds from China, said the party. What do you mean by Congress gets money from China? Will BJPs revelations about the donations stop the Chinese activities along the border? The BJP should tell what connection do these donations have with the Chinese incursion and the martyrdom of 20 soldiers, it added. There is nothing new in Chinas policy to engage India in talks at one end and keep war-like situation at the border on the other end. In such circumstances, the entire country stands firmly with PM Modi. This crisis is not for the BJP or the Congress, but for the entire country, whose prestige is at stake, said the Sena The Dutch came bearing the Kandyan Royal throne! Ismeth Raheem delves into Sri Lankas colonial past to unearth the mystery behind a national treasure that now takes pride of place at the museum in Colombo View(s): View(s): An intriguing record substantiated by the Archivist Edmund Reimers at the behest of the Director of the National Museum Joseph Pearson in 1929 was unearthed among the old documents in the National Archives. It is irrefutable proof that the throne of the King of Kandy which occupies pride of place and historical status in our national heritage was none other than a gift from the Dutch Administration in Colombo. In the Dutch Council Proceedings of October 1692, reference is made to articles collected as gifts for the King of Kandy on the orders of Thomas van Rhee, Governor of the Dutch territories from 1692-1697: The question of sending the gifts lying in the warehouse here for the King of Kandy having been resumed it was resolved to select such of them as may make up a regalia for His Majesty, as those noted below. Throne with accessories, all the gilt leather (in the warehouse), 2 Chamber screens, 3 Carpets, 1 Clock, 8 pieces of lace for cravats, 45 pieces of white lace, one piece of old lace, four pieces of Surat cloth, four pieces of Dutch material with gold and silver flowers and stripe, 1000 assorted bells. Although shrouded in mystery and lacking valid information, Joseph Pearson, was the first historian to enquire into the origins of the Kandyan Throne. He argued that this royal furniture was a hybrid design an amalgamation of Sri Lankan, Indian and European design motifs. The origin of the Kandyan Throne appears to be unknown. I suggest it was made by the Dutch or French prisoners in Kandy and was decorated by the Kandyans or that it was made by the Dutch in the Low country and decorated by Low country Sinhalese and presented to the King of Kandy. The elaborate carving in which the acanthus ornament is abundantly used is Sinhalese. The Throne is an interesting adaptation of a European design to conform to the Eastern conceptions basic style is undoubtedly Louis XIV but the decorative motif is Eastern. The French influence is not surprising as the Dutch furniture craft at the end of the seventeenth century becomes profoundly influenced by French designs and ideas. In 1692 when the throne arrived at the Kandyan Court, the ruling monarch was King Wimala Dharma Surya who reigned for 22 years. Every Dutch Embassy (there were 90 of them) carried with them exotic gifts elaborately packed. Enormous sums were set aside from the Dutch Governors budget -as much as 20,000 guilders for this task. However fragile these gifts were, they were securely packed and transported from Colombo as much as 85 miles to Kandy along rough terrain, winding paths, infested with animals, mostly through hostile territory. The list makes fascinating reading. Porcelain from China, jars with nutmeg, sugar candy, rose water from Persia, sandalwood from Timor; wigs specially requested by the King imported from Holland, tigers from Bengal, Indian falcons, sparrow hawks and other exotic birds, horses, and camels from Arabia, African lions, English greyhounds, guns, saddlery, and a whole lot more. Even a small boat for sailing on rivers. One such gift which was much delayed- an African lion that was to be presented to the King took ill and died and its keeper was imprisoned, living out his last years in the Kings territory. Regardless -whether Dutch or British, ambassadors risked their life and limb getting there. In the 17th century it was customary that Dutch ambassadors would often deposit their final wills, anticipating death, injury or being detained forever on the Kings orders. One in every ten envoys was taken hostage never to return to Colombo and often lived out their years in isolation in remote villages in the Kandyan highlands. Within five miles of the Kings territory, all visitors would have to dismount from their palanquins and walk the rest of the way. At Gannoruwa, not far from the Kings Palace the retinue would await permission to enter the city. All activities related to the Audience Hall were conducted at midnight or in the early hours of the morning. At the Audience Hall, the rituals became even more elaborate. The envoy and his entourage would be subject to strict etiquette governed by age-old rituals. To reach the throne room there were nine successive rooms, each space separated with heavy curtains which were drawn one at a time. After a three to four-hour slow progress the visitors would arrive at last in the Audience Hall. Their relief was momentary while in the presence of Royalty, all visitors would remain kneeling. All letters, dispatches from the Governors Council in Colombo were placed on a heavy silver tray held above the head and the envoy would propel himself forward on his knees towards the Kings throne. Although the Dutch Council, in Colombo remonstrated about such degrading procedures, the Court ignored such pleas. Almost half a century later in 1736, Wolfgang Heydt, clerk and draughtsman to Ambassador Agreen recorded the audience with King Narendrasinghe: both as a text as well as an engraving, This now was the place where the king sat on his throne which is found in the palace as it appears within. From 1692, when the throne first arrived up till February 1815 when the British looted the throne and regalia (almost a century and quarter), Kandy was ruled by six sovereigns. British records It is only in the latter half of the 18th century observations of the Kandyan throne are available from records based on four British envoys from the Madras Administration. By the mid-18th century, when the Dutch influence in the Court had declined the British took advantage of the situation seeking concessions in trade for spices, elephants, arecanuts and other articles. With Ceylon emerging as a staging post to control the Indian Ocean sailing routes, they felt the need to annex the island. Between 1762 and 1800, the British had dispatched five embassies to Kandy ignoring Dutch threats, crossing the extensive Maritime territories held by the Hollanders who well aware of such dealings behind their backs were quite confident that nothing would come of such efforts. The delegations sailing from Madras (Chennai) would make landfall in or near Trincomalee, make their way to Mutur, Dambulla, Gannoruwa and then into Kandy Town. In 1762, John Pybus from the British East India Company set off from Trincomalee on May 5, arriving in Kandy by the 18th. He gives interesting details regarding the state of the island, an exhaustive account of court etiquette and the throne Seated on a throne, which was a large chair handsomely carved and gilt raised about three feet from the floor. Twenty years later in 1782, Hugh Boyd, Private Secretary to Governor McCartney offered an audience with King Rajadhi Rajasinghe, and noted a very high throne. In September 29, 1795, Robert Andrews of the Madras Civil Service, who was received by Rajadhi Rajasinghe on two occasions described it thus; seated on a throne of solid gold richly studded with precious stones of various colours. Rajadhi Rajasinghe wanted the Dutch ousted, and so entertained many British Ambassadors. On August 11, 1796, Lieutenant Dennis Mahoney recorded that the English Ambassador was received by the King seated on his throne in all the pomp, magnificence, lustre that is possible to conceive. King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghes last audience was to Major General Hay Macdowall. The events of this expedition on April 9, 1800 are given in the diary maintained by Captain William Macpherson. The throne is described as a large chair placed on a platform three or four steps high, it seemed to be plated with gold set with precious stones, and to be like his attire very rich and magnificent On February 15, 1815, the Kandyan Throne was discovered while the palace was being sacked on Governor Robert Brownriggs orders. The first reference to the Throne after the British subdued the whole country in 1815 -was by John Davy (1819): The royal throne was of plated gold, ornamented, was either dressed in the most magnificent robes, loaded with a profusion of jewelry in a complete armour of gold ornamented with rubies, emeralds and diamonds. It was in 1849 that Charles Pridham, the English historian and writer gave the most detailed description; The ancient throne of the Kandyan sovereigns or the last century and a half, resembled an old armchair, such as is not frequently in England. It was about five feet high in the back, three in breadth and two in depth, the frame was of wood, entirely covered with thin gold sheeting (studded with precious stones), the exquisite taste and workmanship of which does not constitute the least of the beauties, and vied with modern best of modern specimens of the works of the goldsmith. The most prominent features in this curious relic were tooled lion sphinxes, forming the arms of the throne or chair, of very uncouth appearance, but beautifully wrought, the heads of animals being turned outwards in a peculiar graceful manner. The eyes were formed of entire amethysts, each rather bigger than a musket ball. Inside the back, near the top, was a large golden sun, from which the founder of the Kandyan monarchy was supposed to have derived his origin. Beneath about the centre of the chair, in the midst of some sun-flowers , was an immense amethyst, about the size of a walnut; on either side there was a figure of a female deity, supposed to be the wife of Vishnu or Buddha, in a sitting posture, of admirable design and workmanship; the whole encompassed by a moulding formed of bunches of cut crystal, set in gold; there was a space round the back (without the moulding) studded with three large amethysts on each side, and six more at the top. The seat inside the arms and half way up the back, was lined with red velvet. The foot stool was very handsome, being ten inches in height, a foot broad and two feet and half long; the top was crimson silk, worked with gold; a moulding of cut crystal ran about the side of it, beneath which in front were flowers studded with fine amethyst and crystals. The throne behind was covered with fine wrought silver; at the top was a large embossed half-moon of silver, surmounting the stars, and below all was a bed of silver sun flowers. The sceptre was a rod of iron, with a gold head, an extraordinary but a just emblem of his government. Ananda Coomaraswamy (1881-1946) when he examined the throne made the following observation in his magnum opus Medieval Sinhalese Art (1908). The Throne now referred to is now at Windsor Palace, where by the kindness of Mr. Fortescue, I have had the opportunity of examining it. It is a large arm chair, covered with repousse Gold plate set with gems, amongst which are few turquoises, the only one I have seen in Kandyan work. The other gems are mainly amethysts and crystal. The arms end in characteristic lions. The back has a sun face in the centre, flanked by divas on lotus thrones. The detail of the work is very beautifully executed. The remainder of the gold plate is chased in somewhat florid style with designs of pine apple, sun flowers and acanthus foliage type, suggestive of European influence. On the top of the back are three crystal balls. During the years when the throne was stored in Windsor Castle, it was lent to various members of European Royalty for their investiture ceremonies used by Victor Emanuel of Italy in 1861, by King Haakon VII of Norway in 1906, and King Manuel of Portugal in 1908. In 1934, with the accord of King George V, the throne and crown were returned to Ceylon during a royal tour by the Duke of Gloucester and it then figured prominently in the islands independence ceremonies in 1948. With the throne, the crown, the sceptre, sword and other items of the last King of Kandys regalia were also returned to Ceylon with much ceremony. P.S: Thieves who broke into the Colombo Museum in the 1980s, vandalized the throne and other regalia, removing several rare precious stones including a number of large amethysts. It took Dr. Roland Silva, the then acting Archaeological Commissioner a great effort to restore the damaged parts of the throne which now remains as a symbol of the countrys royalty. People walk near the Job Centre in Westminster. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images Britains opposition party Labour has warned that joblessness in the UK could be as bad as it was in the 1980s unless the government does more to assist businesses that have been battling the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. There are already 2.8 million people unemployed in the UK and this figure could go up by another million unless the government steps in, according to analysis by the House of Commons Library reported by The Guardian. In 1984, unemployment in the UK peaked at 3.3 million. Prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to use a speech next week to announce the creation of a taskforce charged with fast-tracking the building of schools, hospitals, roads, and even prisons. However, Labour has said priority must be businesses that still dont know when they will open, such as casinos, indoor gyms, bowling alleys, and nail bars. READ MORE: UK unemployment rose just as COVID-19 hit Jonathan Reynolds, Labours shadow work and pensions secretary, told Sky News: We need a jobs budget the focus should be jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs again. The government should guarantee jobs to those out of work for a significant period of time, emulating the Future Jobs Fund which was created after the 2008 global crash, said Reynolds. He also said Labour is calling for the Chancellor to be more flexible with the furlough scheme and continue to provide financial support to certain sectors. Under current plans, employers will be required from August to make contributions to the furlough scheme but Labour wants sectors that cannot open to be exempt from this until they are fully up and running. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband told the Observer: The scale of the economic emergency facing us is enormous. But the government is pulling the rug from under businesses employing one million people by demanding they start bearing the cost of the furlough when they dont even know when they can reopen. READ MORE: UK employers have slashed 600,000 staff since March Story continues The governments approach will put jobs, businesses and livelihoods at risk, which will impose costs on us all. Failing to act to protect jobs now will only add to the burdens we face in higher benefit payments, lost tax revenues and a smaller economy. The Treasury has said it is already funding more than 8 million workers, at an estimated cost of a 14bn ($17.2bn) a month. Recently, left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said that more than one million people will be plunged into poverty by the coronavirus crisis by the end of the year as cuts to jobs, pay and hours deepen. New analysis suggests the number of people struggling below the breadline will be 7% higher by 2021 than if the pandemic had not hit the UK. London (AFP) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce massive spending plans Monday to boost Britain's coronavirus-hit economy, as pressure grows on the government over its handling of the crisis. Johnson's new package of measures is intended to meet the unprecedented challenge the pandemic has posed to the economy, and restore the government's standing. But with unemployment at almost three million and expected to rise, and the economy having contracted by 20 percent in April as the country went into lockdown, he has a mountain to climb. Johnson was to announce a 1 billion school-rebuilding plan Monday (1.1 bn euros, $1.2 bn), the first plank of a major infrastructure spending programme. In a statement, Johnson said the schools funding would finance the first 50 projects of a 10-year school rebuilding strategy. "All children deserve the best possible start in life -- regardless of their background or where they live," said Johnson, who was educated at the elite Eton school. Then on Tuesday he is expected to make a speech further outlining fresh infrastructure spending in a policy move already dubbed "Project Speed". In an interview published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper Johnson pledged to build new roads, schools and hospitals to kick-start a British recovery. - No return to austerity - Britain would "absolutely not" return to the controversial austerity policies practised by his Conservative Party over the past decade, he told the newspaper. "This has been a huge, huge shock to the country but we're going to bounce back very well," said the Prime Minister, referring to the effects of the coronavirus crisis. "We want to build our way back to health." Interior minister Priti Patel took a similar line, telling Sky News on Sunday that the government's economic recovery policy was "a roadmap focusing on infrastructure". Already Sunday, the government announced plans to build four new prisons over the next six years. Story continues And next month, finance minister Rishi Sunak is expected to make an economic statement next month on spending plans. The main opposition Labour Party has been increasing the pressure on the government, calling for more help for businesses. The Observer newspaper reported Sunday that Labour has warned that the jobless figures could eventually exceed those seen under former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s -- when they peaked at 3.3 million. - Falling support - Johnson's administration is under huge pressure following criticism of its handling of the coronavirus crisis in the UK -- and how it plans to help economic recovery. Britain has been one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic, recording some 43,500 deaths, the worst toll in Europe. Johnson himself was hospitalised with the virus. The country is also in the process of negotiating its Brexit deal with the European Union before the end of the year, amid fears that the UK may finally separate from Brussels with no deal. But support for Johnson has collapsed in recent weeks. In a poll in The Observer, the new Labour leader Keir Starmer overtook Johnson as the preferred prime minister. Starmer received 37 percent backing, and Johnson 35 percent, despite him securing a comprehensive election victory just six months ago. The next major economic step for the British economy takes place on July 4 when England will reopen pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, museums and cinemas, all of which have been closed since the end of March. 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. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. Advertisement Hong Kong police arrested at least 53 people on Sunday after scuffles erupted during a relatively peaceful protest against planned national security legislation to be implemented by the mainland Chinese government. Armed riot police were present as a crowd of several hundred moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, staging what was intended as a 'silent protest' against the planned law. However, chanting and slogans were shouted towards police and later scuffles broke out in Mong Kok, prompting police to use pepper spray to subdue parts of the crowd. Hong Kong Police said on Facebook that 53 people had been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, adding that earlier some protesters tried to blockade roads in the area. The proposed national security law has raised concerns among Hong Kong democracy activists and some foreign governments that Beijing is further eroding the extensive autonomy promised when Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997. A man gestures at a police officer during a silent march against the national security law in Hong Kong on Sunday. The proposed national security law has raised concerns among Hong Kong democracy activists and some foreign governments that Beijing is further eroding the extensive autonomy promised when Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997. A man is detained by police during a silent march against the national security law in Hong Kong, China. China's top legislative body is set to pass a legislation for Hong Kong aiming to prevent, stop and punish acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security. Pro-democracy protesters raise their hands up as a symbol of the 'Five demands, not one less' during a march against the looming national security legislation in Hong Kong 'The governments wants to shut us up and to kick us out,' one protester, Roy Chan, 44, said. 'We must stand up and strike down all those people who deprive Hong Kong people's freedom.' Sunday's event came a day after Hong Kong police refused permission for an annual march usually held on July 1 to mark the 1997 handover, citing a ban on large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic. China has said the new security law will target only a small group of troublemakers as it tackles separatism, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong. A pro-democracy protester is detained by the police during a silent march against the national security law in Hong Kong, China, 28 June 2020. China's top legislative body is set to pass a legislation for Hong Kong aiming to prevent, stop and punish acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security. Policemen walk past a pro-democracy protester during a silent march against the national security law in Hong Kong, China, 28 June 2020. China's top legislative body is set to pass a legislation for Hong Kong aiming to prevent, stop and punish acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security. Armed riot police were present as a crowd of several hundred moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, staging what was intended as a 'silent protest' against the planned law. However, chanting and slogans were shouted towards police and later scuffles broke out in Mong Kok, prompting police to use pepper spray to subdue parts of the crowd. Sunday's event came a day after Hong Kong police refused permission for an annual march usually held on July 1 to mark the 1997 handover, citing a ban on large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic. China has said the new security law will target only a small group of troublemakers as it tackles separatism, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong. Riot police stand guard to avoid mass gathering during a protest against the looming national security legislation in Hong Kong, China China's National People's Congress Standing Committee reviewed a draft of the bill on Sunday. Chinese state media reported that lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the draft. The Chinese government has 'unshakable determination to push ahead with enactment of the security bill and safeguard national sovereignty and interest,' state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a government spokesperson. Police officers stand guard as people gather during a pro-democracy rally supporting human rights and to protest against Beijing's national security law in Hong Kong People are seen inside a police bus after they were detained during a protest against the looming national security legislation in Hong Kong, China The Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA) in Sharjah has announced that the necessary preparations have been completed and all Covid-19 precautionary measures are in place to facilitate the return of 50 per cent of its employees to the offices. This comes as part of HFZA's plans to provide a safe and healthy workplace amid COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the directives of the Sharjah Executive Council, HFZA has taken all the preventive and precautionary measures such as physical distancing among employees, identifying the number of visitors to ensure the safety of everyone, as well as conducting medical examinations for the returning employees. HFZA Director Saud Salim Al Mazrouei said: "We have adopted a lot of precautionary and preventive measures to create a healthy work environment. This includes the sterilization of the head office and its facilities and other preparations in accordance with the directives of the competent governmental authorities, for Covid-19." Weve also applied all the precautionary measures related to the physical distancing, distributing face masks and gloves to all units and departments, installing thermal cameras and devices to measure the temperature of employees and visitors, and dedicating special rooms to isolate suspected cases, he added. In the same vein, Al Mazrouei underlined HFZAs commitment to the decisions of the Directorate of Human Resources in terms of excluding pregnant women, employees with disabilities, and those with chronic and immunodeficiency diseases from returning to work, according to approved medical reports. Instead, the said categories will continue to work remotely, in addition to the employees aged 60 years and above, he added.-TradeArabia News Service With coronavirus cases again rising rapidly in Texas and no expansion of mail-in voting, its go time for local elections officials. They have spent the past few months training poll workers and making preparations to minimize the risk of spreading the virus during voting. Statewide runoffs include choosing the Democrat who will face U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the November election and the Democratic candidate for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission. Southeast Texas Republicans will choose the next chief justice of the Texas 9th District Court of Appeals. Jefferson County voters who live in the district for Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 1, will choose the next individual to fill the seat as no Republican ran for that office. The race for the open position is between Naomi Doyle and George Milhouse. Precinct 1 Newton County voters will choose between Danny Bentsen or Jim Walker to be their next county commissioner. Related: Hardin County Precinct 3 Republican Primary Voters who live in Hardin Countys Precinct 3 will be asked to choose between Republicans Russell Rusty Trest and Amanda Young. The winner will face Donald Owens, the only Democrat to run for a county office this year, in a November county commissioner race. Its unclear how many people ultimately will turn out for this election as messaging coming from the state government regarding coronavirus has changed wildly over the past few weeks. However, the Jefferson County Elections Office saw a notable increase in the number of people who applied for a mail-in ballot before this election. Early voting starts Monday and will last two weeks, with two days off to observe the Fourth of July holiday. The early voting period was extended by the Texas Secretary of States office in an attempt to spread out crowds. More Information What's on the ballot: All Southeast Texas Democrats: U.S. Senator - Royce West or Mary "MJ" Hegar Railroad Commissioner - Chrysta Castaneda or Roberto "Beto" Alonzo All Southeast Texas Republicans: Texas Ninth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice - Jay Wright or Scott Golemon Jefferson County Democrats*: Precinct 1, Place 1 Justice of the Peace - George Milhouse or Naomi Showers Doyle Hardin County Republicans*: Precinct 3 County Commissioner - Russell "Rusty" Trest or Amanda Young Newton County Republicans*: Precinct 1 County Commissioner - Danny Bentsen or Jim Walker *This office will not appear on every ballot. Early voting times and locations: Jefferson County 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday Noon to 5 p.m., July 5 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 6 - 10 Jefferson County Courthouse, 1085 Pearl St., Beaumont Rogers Park Recreation Center, 6540 Gladys, Beaumont Port Arthur Library, 4615 Ninth Ave., Port Arthur Theodore Johns Library, 4255 Fannett Rd., Beaumont Marion & Ed Hughes Public Library, 2712 Nederland Ave., Nederland Hardin County 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday and June 6-10 Hardin County Courthouse courtroom, 300 W. Monroe St., Kountze Orange County 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday, July 6-10 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and July 7 Orange County Public Library, 220 N. Fifth St., Orange Orange County Expo Center, 11475-B FM 1442, Orange Orange County Airport, 2640, S. Hwy 87, Orange Raymound Gould Community Center, 385 Claiborne, Vidor Jasper County 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday and July 6-10 Jasper County Courthouse Annex, 271 E. Lamar St., Jasper Newton County 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday and July 6-10 Newton County Clerk's Office, 115 Court St., Newton See More Collapse While the Secretary of States Office extended the timeline and gave local governments money for sanitizing and other supplies needed to address coronavirus risk, it has made clear that state law does not give authority to require voters to wear face coverings when turning out. Related: Jefferson Co. expands capacity for mail-in voting this year However, Jefferson County elections officials have joined in strongly encouraging it. County Deputy Clerk Theresa Goodness outlined other precautions being taken by poll workers and precautions voters should take themselves. We can require the poll workers to wear a mask, so we will do that, Goodness said. We also have hand sanitizer there and we are still asking voters to wear a mask. She said security officers enforcing requirements that individuals who enter the Jefferson County Courthouse wear a mask have been made aware that voters are exempt from that provision. They will be allowed to go directly to the voting area and then will exit through a side door as to not enter the lobby again. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Voters who choose to wear a face covering or mask could be asked to lower it when checking in at the polling place to confirm their identity. After that, the voter can wear their mask for the rest of the process. Poll workers will be expected to sanitize voting machines and tablets used to check in residents after every voter. Voting machines, as well as markings on the floor to indicate where to wait to vote, will be separated by at least 6 feet to observe proper social distancing guidelines. With two weeks of early voting for this election, the Secretary of States Office recommends individuals self-screen for symptoms of coronavirus, such as cough, shortness of breath and chills before going to a polling place. Those who contract COVID-19 or any other sickness that prevents them from appearing at the polling place on election day should contact their county election officer for more details about an emergency early voting ballot. Election Day is July 14. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain Residents of the village of Villanueva de Algaidas in Malaga province have shown their support to the LGBT community by flying the rainbow flag from their balconies and in the streets. The initiative was launched after the local authority was asked to remove a flag it had put on the town hall to mark World Pride Day on 28 June. On Tuesday the villages Guardia Civil received informal complaints from three residents; meanwhile opposition councillor David Granados had threatened to take the local government to court, arguing that it is forbidden in Spain to fly an unofficial flag outside a public building. However, by Friday afternoon, residents had hit back at the complaints by hanging up around 300 rainbow flags on their balconies and in the villages streets. Residents who were interviewed by Spanish TV said that they were proud show their support to the LGBT community and that they wanted to show that Villanueva de Algaidas was an open and democratic place. People have a toast at a party. Sabeco is among giants hit hard by the pandemic - PHOTO: THANH HOA Foreseeing profit reductions The Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) recently released documents relating to the annual 2020 shareholders meeting, targeting a lower after-tax revenue and a profit of VND23,800 billion and VND3,252 billion, respectively (down 37% and 39%). Since it was bought by a Thai billionaire, Sabeco has undergone many changes in terms of cost reductions, resulting in a profit increase of 22% to VND5,370 billion. However, the alcoholic drinks market was greatly affected by Decree 100 on drunk driving and later by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, stricter regulations on the marketing and advertising of beer only added to the company's woes. These revenue and profit targets of Sabeco are the lowest to be recorded in the past five years. Sabeco is not the only one hit hard by the pandemic. Mobile World Investment Corporation has also lowered its profit target by 10% despite a revenue increase of 8%. Mobile Worlds growth in revenue can most likely be attributed to the firm's plans to open Bach Hoa Xanh grocery stores in 24 provinces toward the end of 2021. Given the positive business results in quarter one, Mobile World chairman Nguyen Duc Tai said the negative impacts of Covid-19 on his firm will be limited. Jewelry firm PNJ has also cut its revenue and after-tax targets by 15% and 30%, respectively. Such reductions are based on the results of the last eight months of the fiscal year dropping by 20% and 20% year-on-year, as estimated by the SSI Securities Corporation. PNJ believes its retail revenue will drop from July but the firm is still targeting 31 new stores this year. The new stores will be opened in parallel with the shutting down of several other stores. The company's investment budget for this year has fallen by 33% to VND150 billion, mainly used for opening the new stores. Precautionary steps Amid the fluctuating oil prices during the Covid-19 period, many businesses adopted a more cautious approach. At PV Gas, its revenue and after-tax targets have been cut by 13% and 45% against 2019 to VND66,163 billion and VND6,636 billion, respectively. According to SSI, PV Gas achieved 46% and 45% of its revenue and pre-tax targets, respectively, equivalent to VND27,600 billion and VND4,500 billion. SSI estimated that the revenue and after-tax results would drop by 13% and 33% this year, with material prices and output volumes remaining unchanged compared to the same period last year. Vingroup is also facing many challenges, and while the revenue is expected to pick up 11.5%, the after-tax profit is set to fall by 35.2%. According to SSI, Vingroups cautious profit plan can be attributed to the declining profits of retail space rentals and losses incurred by hotel services due to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. Besides, the business areas the firm is investing in are expensive including VinFast and industrial production. A report of Fiingroup showed that as of May 27, some 426 of 1,644 non-financial firms put forward their business plans for this year, accounting for 71% of total capitalization on the three trading bourses. Revenue growth is expected to slow down to 2.5%, whereas pre-tax profits could drop considerably by 17.8%. This could be the lowest revenue growth posted in the past five years and the first time such low pre-tax profits have been recorded in the past nine years, the report stated.SGT The digital migration of Australian performing arts has been haphazard, so it is inspiring to see one highlight the reimagined Victorian Seniors Festival spearheaded by those who have most to fear from coronavirus. Activist, actor and author Uncle Jack Charles enjoys being dusted off and put in front of a microphone. Artists and audiences seeking a morale boost need look no further than In the Groove, a project that has ventured, for nine weeks so far, into the homes of elders from across the arts. The result is a beautifully produced living documentary with embedded, intimate performances. Youd better have a tissue handy when Kutcha Edwards sings his song Friends unaccompanied. Some of the most moving contributions come from Indigenous elders. There is the gentleness, the generosity of Kutcha Edwards inviting the camera into his house to explain the meaning of Welcome to Country; and youd better have a tissue handy when he sings his song Friends unaccompanied. Another member of the Stolen Generations, actor Uncle Jack Charles, enjoys being dusted off and put in front of a microphone, regaling us with his experience of life in prison and onstage. Iran plans second round of cash handouts to 23 mln households Iran Press TV Saturday, 27 June 2020 5:34 PM The Iranian government is planning a second cash handout of 10 million rials (nearly $50) for around 23 million households amid efforts to ease the economic impacts of the new coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to the semi-official Fars news agency on Saturday, a source confirmed the government decision to provide a second round of cash handouts more than two months after a first round was offered to over 21 million households. The handouts will reach Iranians who are on a government payroll for monthly benefits of just more than $2, said the source, adding that a small portion of the monthly benefits would be used to reimburse the interest-free loan in two years. Heads of households were notified of the fresh handouts earlier on Saturday when a text message was sent to their mobile phones urging them to confirm their request for the aid. A first round of the handouts had cost the government more than 21 trillion rials (nearly $1.6 billion at the then exchange rate of the rial against the US dollar). However, there was no official confirmation by the administrative government of President Hassan Rouhani over the plan for fresh cash handouts. Rouhani's government has provided billions of dollars in rescue for businesses, workers and ordinary people affected by the spread of the COVID-19, the disease caused by the pandemic, in Iran. Businesses who have avoided layoffs of workers during the pandemic have been offered with around $5 billion cheap loans. Workers most affected by the pandemic-related closures, including those in leisure and tourism sector, have received 20 million rials in loans and around 10 million rials in direct cash support. To fund the rescue measures which also cover jobless claims for hundreds of thousands of workers, the Iranian government has been forced to tap into the country's sovereign wealth fund. That is in addition to billions disbursed to Iran's health sector and insurers to help them cope with the spread of the pandemic. Iranian health ministry said on Saturday that the total number of people affected by COVID-19 in the country had reached 220,180 of whom 10,364 people had died. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tehran Blast Took Place at Missile Production Facility, News Agency Claims, Citing Satellite Images Sputnik News Tim Korso. Sputnik International 19:09 GMT 27.06.2020 A large explosion woke up the residents of the Iranian capital with a huge dawn-like blaze seen to the east of the city. The blast, officially attributed to an explosion of a leaky gas tank, shattered windows in some buildings, but ultimately resulted in no casualties. Satellite images of the purported site of the overnight blast in Tehran's suburbs suggest that it took place on the territory of the complex tasked with building missiles, AP reported, citing the information from the images. According to the AP, an area located 20 kilometres east of Tehran charred from the explosion could be seen in photos. The site hosts Iran's Khojir missile facility of the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, which manufactures solid-propellant rockets, according to Fabian Hinz, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, cited by the AP. Experts from the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, cited by the news agency, in turn, said that Khojir purportedly has "numerous tunnels, some suspected of use for arms assembly". The International Atomic Energy Agency has previously said Iran might have conducted tests of explosives for nuclear weapons on the site where the overnight blast purportedly took place, but they didn't have solid evidence to prove Tehran indeed performed such tests. Iran strongly denies allegations that it is pursuing the development of nuclear weapons. Iranian Defence Minister Davoud Abdi announced on 26 June that the explosion was caused by a leak in one of the gas tanks. The AP says, citing satellite images, that the Khojir facility indeed hosts gas storage. At the same time, Iranian officials stated that the blast took place in a "public area" that was uninhabited and thus led to no casualties. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address One of Britain's top hedge fund managers has made at least 75million from the demise of the owner of the Trafford Centre shopping mall. Crispin Odey, a prominent Brexit backer, had held a short position in Intu since at least 2012. Intu collapsed into administration on Friday after it was unable to persuade its lenders to grant a debt repayment holiday. Hungry: Short-sellers such as Crispin Odey make money when shares fall, so the collapse gave him a huge windfall Short-sellers such as Odey make money when shares fall, so the collapse gave him a huge windfall. Odey made his name as one of Britain's top hedge fund managers when he bet against banks ahead of the financial crisis in 2008. His multi-million-pound profit on Intu comes as short-sellers, such as Sir Chris Hohn's The Children's Investment Fund, reap huge gains from the collapse of a variety of businesses, such as German online payment group Wirecard. Short-sellers make money by borrowing shares and selling them in the hope of buying them back at a discounted price. They then return the shares to the original owner, pocketing the difference. Toscafund, which is run by Martin Hughes, is also likely to have made a significant amount from the implosion of Intu after taking a bet against the company in January. Intu directly employs almost 3,000 people in the UK and runs 17 shopping malls, including Lakeside in Essex. The total number employed at its centres exceeds 100,000. It owed around 4.5billion to its lenders. Its administrators KPMG said Intu's shopping centres were owned individually by special purpose vehicles which were outside of the insolvency process and thus able to trade as normal under the control of their directors. Intu directly employs almost 3,000 people in the UK and runs 17 shopping malls, including Lakeside in Essex The company's creditors have agreed to stump up 12million to keep the centres open as the administration process takes place. It is likely the creditors will keep the businesses trading until buyers can be found for individual centres, probably for significant losses to their former valuations. Its tenants, many of whom failed to pay rent for the past two quarters amid the Covid-19 crisis, include the likes of Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Next and H&M. Intu received only 29 per cent of payments due on the March 25 quarterly rent day. UK retailers are estimated to have paid just 14 per cent of the 2.5billion quarterly rent due last week as they try to conserve cash and negotiate new deals. Intu has been under pressure for several years as the value of its centres and those of rival operators such as Hammerson declined because its retailers, including Debenhams, Topshop and House of Fraser, closed stores and demanded rent cuts so they could stay afloat. Intu was once a constituent of the FTSE100. Its shares plunged on Friday by 55 per cent to close at 1.8p. A year ago it was trading at 75p. The shares have now been suspended. David Pike, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: 'With all centres remaining open, we look forward to working with staff, suppliers and other key stakeholders to preserve value and jobs in these important retail destinations.' Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), has launched today its first Sustainability Report. The report reinforces guiding principles on Sustainable Finance and encourages growth of sustainable investments opportunities in the UAE. The report is aligned with ADX's growth strategy, which aims to increase the adoption of sustainable financing in the Emirate and drive capital towards investments that have positive environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts. The report illustrates ADX's commitment to help align the UAE's financial system with global best practice and advance the implementation locally of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). H.E. Khalifa Salem Al Mansouri, ADX Chief Executive, said: "With the launch of our ESG report, we are making a significant contribution towards realizing our leadership's vision in boosting the UAE's financial exchanges' competitiveness, attracting more sustainable investments to Abu Dhabi and helping to diversify the economy as per the objectives of Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030." ADX's Sustainability Report establishes a dedicated financial framework to facilitate sustainable investments. It consists of four main sections: 1) Market Education enabling ESG/Sustainability reporting and sustainable investment practices. 2) Technology and Education through e-service portals designed to provide investors with the information and tools they need. 3) Responsive Marketplace with the intent to align ADX's business with its customer-centric strategy. 4) Resilience Infrastructure to ensure orderly trading and reliability of the Exchange's infrastructure. The report comes a few months after ADX issued a set of ESG disclosure guidelines to encourage its listed companies to incorporate ESG considerations into their business activities, decision-making and reporting. These companies are encouraged to adhere to ADX's index indicators, which are aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), including 31 KPIs that form the ESG Disclosure Guidance rules. These rules comply with recommendations issued by the Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative (SSE) and the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), of which ADX is a member. ADX is one of the signatories of the "Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Declaration", and a member of the UAE Working Group on Sustainable Finance and the United Nations Partnership Programme's Sustainable Stock Exchange (SSE) Initiative. *Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200628005022/en/ Contacts: Abdulrahman Saleh ALKhateeb Manager of Corporate Communication Digital Marketing Marketing Corporate Communication Department Tel: 0097126128774 Mobile: 00971506689733 ALKhateebA@adx.ae Habib Bacha Newgate Communication, 0097124420423 Mobile: 00971501113799 habib.bacha@newgatecomms.com Venezuelas economic collapse has left most homes without reliable running water, so Caracas resident Iraima Moscoso saw water pooling at an abandoned construction site as the end of suffering for thousands of her poor neighbours. Workers had long ago stopped building a nearby highway tunnel through the mountain above them. Yet, spring water continued to collect inside the viaduct and then stream past their homes, wasted. The construction firm had also left behind coils of tube. Moscoso, 59, rallied her neighbours to salvage the materials and build their own system, tapping into the tunnels vast lagoon and running the waterline to their homes. Today, they are free of the citys crumbling service and enjoy what many in Venezuela consider a luxury. Everybody here has water, said Moscoso, seated on the stairs of her hillside neighbourhood of cinder block homes. We all benefit. Venezuelas water crisis is not new, but it has started driving residents to extraordinary measures banding together to rig their own water systems and even hand dig shallow wells at home. Water today is even more important as a way to protect against the coronavirus pandemic. Maria Eugenia Gil, of the Caracas-based nonprofit Clear Water Foundation, said residents have no other choice than to hunt for water, breaking a nationwide quarantine that was imposed to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. They are exposing themselves to illness or possibly spreading the virus to others, she said. They dont have an alternative, Gil said. You cant stay at home locked inside if you dont have water. President Nicolas Maduros government has accused political foes of sabotaging pump stations, and recently celebrated the purchase of a fleet of 1,000 super tanker trucks from China to deliver water to residents. An estimated 86 percent of Venezuelans reported unreliable water service, including 11 percent who have none at all, according to an April survey of 4,500 residents by the nonprofit Venezuelan Observatory of Public Services. Moscoso, who proudly organised her neighbours to build their own system, estimates that 5,000 people in her neighbourhood now have water. It started flowing in May, said Moscoso, who works at the mayors office. Their above-ground waterline starts at the abandoned tunnels mouth and runs 1,000 metres (3,200 feet) under a highway, strung from power poles over a city street and down to their homes. Four other neighbourhoods have run similar lines from the tunnel. Moscoso said the water is perfectly safe, drinking down a glass as proof. She declined to say how much it cost them after salvaging the abandoned pipes, claiming she had no time to add up the expenses. For me, its priceless, Moscoso said. People One source says of the couple: "She knows what Donald wants from her, but the rest of her life is dictated by her own interests. Each has come to respect what the other wants and needs" 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 The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has estimated that flooding in Mumbai between 2005 and 2015 losses caused losses worth Rs 14,000 crore. It is that time of the year again when it rains, rather pours, in Mumbai (the region has the second highest rainfall in the country after Cherrapunji). And then the blame game begins to divert attention from the flooding of the city, loss of lives and livelihoods, and health issues. Brihanmumai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal claims that the city is all set to meet the rains with its over 2,900-km storm water drain network: all desilted and cleaned up, despite the COVID crisis and large-scale labour migration. Chahal claimed that the BMC has already surpassed its target of desilting drains. But Opposition leader Ravi Raja says only 40 percent of drains have been desilted. Desilting is an annual money-spinning exercise, says Debi Goenka, environmentalist and activist. Given the fact that the natural drainage system of the city has been destroyed, desilting is no solution to prevent flooding, yet there is convenient silence on this subject given the large sums of money involved. Instead of protecting the natural drainage systems and water bodies, money is being spent on pumping rain water into the sea. Every year, about Rs 700 crore is spent in just two months, April and May, on desilting; shouldnt the drains be kept clean round the year? Why is this done only just before the monsoons? said Gopal Jhaveri, co-founder, Rivers March, a citizens initiative to save the rivers of Mumbai. Recommendations ignored The 2006 report of the Madhav Chitale committee, set up after the unprecedented flooding on 26 July, 2005, which claimed 546 lives, noted that while budgetary allocations to the Storm Water Drain (SWD) department (the SWD got Rs 912.10 crore as capital expenditure, which is six percent of allocations in BMCs 2020-21 budget) were largely ignored and there seemed no issues with allocating funds for desilting work. The BMC issued a lengthy press note assuring citizens it had taken corrective action in 169 of the citys 336 flood-prone spots with work on at 43 locations, while 70 remedial works would be tackled post-monsoon. About 334 pumps have been installed to pump out flood waters from low-lying areas by spending Rs 32.33 crore as per the BMC budget. Also, this year, Mumbai has installed I-FLOWS, an integrated flood warning system, that can forecast flooding six hours to three days in advance, thus giving the BMC enough time to deal with the situation. With the availability of advance information, it will be possible to mobilise machinery ahead of flooding anywhere in the city, Chahal told the media. Rain-related incidents have been claiming many lives almost every year. In 2019, a wall collapse due to rains claimed 24 lives and injured 78. The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) estimated that flooding in Mumbai between 2005 and 2015 losses caused losses worth Rs 14,000 crore. Vanishing rivers and streams The Chitale committee report blamed encroachments on riverbeds and basins, including by government agencies, concrete waste dumping and filling up of ponds and natural catchment areas for the floods. Key findings of the Chitale Committee Report The citys four rivers, Mithi, Oshiwara, Dahisar, and Poisar had become creeks, with some creeks becoming dirty nallas as they made their way to the Arabian Sea. Streams like Mahul (which the report said should be termed a river) completely disappeared from the citys development planning maps. Rivers like Mithi had been diverted to make way for various projects, without giving much thought to the adverse consequences for the city. The report wryly observed that it was repeating what earlier committees on flood mitigation, the Natu Committee report (1975) and Brimstowad report (1993), had recommended: to de-clog natural streams from encroachments and ensure uninterrupted flow of runoff water into the Arabian Sea. The committee strongly recommended a hydrological study, integrated planning of developmental infrastructure in Mumbais urban spaces apart from in depth attention to environmental management of catchment areas and river basins. It observed that the earlier reports had largely been ignored and hoped that its report wouldnt meet the same fate. Which in fact it did, occupying some bureaucratic shelf since it was submitted in 2006. Today, with the city facing climate change leading to change in rainfall patterns and rising sea levels, a sustained hydrology-based city planning system, including flood management, is the need of the hour. If the BMC doesnt listen to its experts, reiterating the same advice time and again will provide no relief to the maximum city this year either. Instead, the BMC has sought technical assistance from Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) for setting up a flood mitigation system based on underground reservoirs, shafts, tunnels and piping system as launched in Tokyo and Yokohama and has earmarked Rs 5 crore in its current budget to assess its feasibility. Of the total eight Storm Water Pumping Stations (SWPS) planned, six have been set up at Haji Ali, Worli (Lovegrove and Cleveland), Juhu (Irla), Parel (Britannia) and Andheri (Gazdarbandh) as part of the flood mitigation measures. The Mithi river To give just one example of the administrations indifference to the basic recommendations of various committee reports, the Mithi river was found to have been diverted by 90 degree angles at four points to make way for the Santacruz airport runway extension between 1976 to 2005. The July 2005 deluge saw the gush of water breaching the airport walls and flooding the runway. The Chitale committee report found that two water bodies (ponds) on the runway seemed to have been reclaimed, thus probably aggravating the flooding. You cant fool around with rivers like that, said Goenka, executive trustee of the Conservation Action Trust. In fact, the mouth of Mithi river has also been restricted at Mahim Bay due to the Bandra Worli Sea Link. Some of these developments are irreversible. Not just private builders, the government too is guilty of reclaiming land in catchment areas at Gorai, Charkop and Versova to build bus depots, public housing projects and had allowed private colleges and even a theatre (IMAX), all of which have encroached on wetlands, creeks, coasts and mudflats aggravating the risk of flooding. The Chitale committee has now sought a time-bound program for restoration and rejuvenation of urban ecosystem creeks, ponds, rivers, lakes and coastal zones apart from restoring mangroves and environment upgradation of hill slopes. Mumbai was originally seven islands connected through reclaimed spaces and flattened hills. Almost half the city, and four-fifths of suburban areas in Mumbai, is reclaimed land, with 45 of the total 186 outfalls discharging water situated below sea level, according to the Chitale committee report. The main cause of flooding in low-lying areas is heavy rains coinciding with high tides pushing sea water into the citys drainage system. Hence, BMC says eliminating tidal effect on the citys drainage network is crucial to reduce flooding. In 2018, Amrita Bhattacharjee of the Aarey Conservation Group approached the Supreme Court with the plea that the area allocated for Metro Car shed in Aarey was rich in biodiversity and the catchment area of Mithi river and the Aarey forest needed to be protected. Concretisation of wetlands, mangroves, open spaces and waterbodies were drastically reducing water percolation capacity on ground, adding to excess flow of water to the storm water drainage system leading to floods, she said, referring to her argument in the plea, Nature is the best architect and it creates its own checks and balances to protect a place from frequent natural calamities, she said. Holistic approach needed Vikram Pawan, conservation architect of Water Environs, which has initiated a RIVERs Consortium, observes: City governance seems more about controlling the rivers than about understanding them and allowing its natural dynamic flow. There is no systematic thorough study done, no designed city master plan that seeks engagement with rivers; rivers are viewed more as a flood problem. The issue of concretisation of river edge embankments and their ecological restoration has not been addressed at all. Natural systems demand holistic understanding; rivers should be viewed as watershed areas rather than subjected to piecemeal solution-oriented action, like pre-monsoon river dredging. Pawar suggests that efforts should be made to restore the rivers, allow public access to them and develop stakes in them, because natural resources thrive as long as the culture of the land is connected to it. Officially, the BMC has called for tenders to rejuvenate the four rivers with Rs 130 crore earmarked only for Mithi river. The main task identified is to prevent sewage water from entering these rivers by building sewage lines and sewage treatment plants. While a four-phase plan has been chalked out for Mithi, the other rivers are being considered for widening, improving quality of water, curbing pollutants and ensuring desilting access apart from beautification of river banks, the BMC announced in its budget. The word nalla is derived from a Urdu word nal meaning umblical chord connecting mother and child, said Jhaveri. A nalla is nothing but a river tributary. Mumbai had many natural nallas or drains, which absorb rainwater and prevented flooding, but most of these are now either encroached or blocked by slums. The city also had many natural tanks such as CP Tank, Gowalia Tank, Do Tanki and the Dhobi Ghat, most of which have been destroyed with concretisation. The city doesnt need beautification of the kind seen on the Sabarmati riverfront, but needs rejuvenation. Each stream of every river should get its life back. A Jerusalem court early on Sunday ordered the release of a former Air Force general and leading activist opposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rule whose arrest prompted hundreds to protest outside the Israeli leader's residence. Retired Brig. Gen. Amir Haskel has been a leader of the protest movement against Netanyahu, demanding that the long-time leader step down while facing charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. Haskel and several others were detained on Friday in what police said was an ``illegal'' demonstration because the protesters blocked roads. Haskel, a former top Israeli Air Force general, has become a symbol of the protest movement that opposes Netanyahu's continued rule. Demonstrations have been held regularly around the country, with protesters waving signs reading ``crime minister`` and calling for Netanyahu to resign. ``No one will prevent us from protesting anywhere,'' Haskel said upon his release, adding a barb toward Netanyahu about his own brief experience in jail. ``We were in Hadarim prison for 15 hours. It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't terrible.'' The arrests drew angry denunciations from prominent Israelis and sent hundreds out to protest outside Netanyahu's residence on Saturday, with many slamming the police for making what they viewed as politically-motivated arrests. Police said they offered to release Haskel and others if they agreed to refrain from returning to the scene of the protests. Haskel and two others refused the conditions and remained in detention. Gabi Lasky, the lawyer representing Haskel, told Israeli Army Radio that the court eventually released him without conditions, saying protesting was the foundation of democracy. The country's acting police chief said the force would learn a lesson from the incident. ``The role of the police is to allow freedom of expression and demonstration to every person and to keep the public peace and security, this regardless of the protest's subject, the identity of the protesters or their opinions,`` acting commissioner Motti Cohen said. Netanyahu is on trial for a series of scandals in which he allegedly received lavish gifts from billionaire friends and traded regulatory favors with media moguls for more palatable coverage of himself and his family. The trial is set to resume next month. Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing, calling the charges a witch-hunt against him by a hostile media and a biased law enforcement system. The scandals, and Netanyahu's indictment, featured prominently in three Israeli election campaigns over the course of a year. The political stalemate finally ended last month when Netanyahu reached a power-sharing agreement with his chief challenger, retired military chief Benny Gantz. But tensions were still evident at Sunday's weekly Cabinet meeting when Gantz, the defense minister and alternate prime minister, noted Haskel's arrest and said the right to protest was a ``sacred right.'' Netanyahu, seated alongside him, retorted that the right to protest was never in question and that Israel allowed it even amid the most restrictive of times during the recent coronavirus outbreak. ``The argument that are looking to limit it is absurd and has no place,'' he said. `` At the same time, the laws and regulations of the state of Israel must be maintained. It is not the prerogative of one side to say they support the rule of law and then to trample it.`` Search Keywords: Short link: EU Slams Turkey's Actions Along Greek Border, Drilling in East Mediterranean By Anthee Carassava June 27, 2020 The European Union's top diplomat has voiced concern about deteriorating relations between Greece and Turkey. Rallying to the defense of Greece, an EU member state, though, Josep Borrell warned Turkey that any attempt to undermine Greece's borders and rights would be considered an equal affront to the EU. The EU official, however, fell short of spelling out any potential reprisals against Turkey. Greece has long complained to the EU about its troubled relations with neighboring Turkey. Waging what critics call gunboat diplomacy, Turkey has threatened to use force against Greece if it moves to block it from drilling for oil and gas in the Eastern Mediterranean in waters Greece considers its own. In recent weeks, it has also threatened to send a flood of refugees to the West. The EU and its foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, are now rallying to the defend Greece as never before. "You have been informing us about Turkey's drilling activities, overflights, maritime claims that have led to a significant deterioration in relations between Greece and Turkey," said Borrell. I wanted to come here and see for myself the situation on the border. The northeast border region of Evros has become a key flashpoint in escalating tensions between the two countries, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted border controls earlier this year, allowing more than 100,000 migrants and refugees to enter Europe, leaving Greece to defend EU borders. Accompanying Borrell on his border tour, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece is willing to settle differences with its longtime foe, but not under what he called its bullying terms and behavior. "We are always open to dialogue but will not do so under duress. Nor will we help legitimize Turkey's persistent violation of legality," said Dendias. "It is violating almost daily national airspace, territorial waters, including overflights over inhabited areas here in Evros, and the Aegean Sea by armed warplanes. Brussels' support for Greece is important as the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will attend a key EU summit in coming weeks to address Turkey's actions as well as growing fears of an armed conflict following remarks by leading Turkish officials that Ankara would use force to drill in contested waters in the eastern Mediterranean. Analysts such as conservative lawmaker Tassos Hadjivassiliou are concerned that aggravated relations may deteriorate further ahead of U.S. elections. U.S. President Donald Trump, he says, has long shown a great deal of tolerance toward Turkey. That gives Erdogan, Hadjivassiliou says, a free hand to act between September and November, when the U.S. presidential election will be held. Even so, the leading conservative deputy accused the EU of what he called "dithering," prodding Brussels to match its criticism of Turkey with stiff sanctions. If the EU does not decide to impose sanctions on Turkey, especially financial reprisals, then all this talk and pressure will have little bearing on its behavior, he says. Turkish officials are livid about Borrell's remarks, complaining the EU official failed to address alleged human rights violations by Greece, which has been accused of using blast bombs, rubber bullets and live ammunition to keep refugees from entering the West earlier this year. In a statement, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy slammed the EU for trying to whitewash Greek human rights violations. Aksoy is not alone in his claim. Dozens of human rights groups have documented hundreds of cases of asylum seekers being robbed, abused, and stripped of their clothes and personal belongings by Greek forces in recent months who sent them back to Turkey where nearly 4 million refugees remain stranded. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Huawei Boris Johnson's plans to allow Huawei into the UK's 5G network could be dealt a crippling blow on Monday under a plan to ban firms from investing in broadband if they have poor human rights records. Tory rebels in the House of Lords are backing a cross-party amendment to the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill, which regulates the installation of broadband in leasehold flats. The measure is backed by the Liberal Democrats, while Labour peers are understood to be preparing to support it if the Government does not go part of the way towards accepting it. If the amendment is passed, it would create a human rights threshold for companies that want to supply equipment for use in the UK's broadband infrastructure. Chinese telecommunications company Huawei has been accused of facilitating Beijing's persecution of Uighur Muslims, with a million estimated to be interned and millions more under heavy surveillance. The amendment's supporters argue that the interconnected nature of global digital supply chains means allowing Huawei technology to be installed could implicate Britain in human rights abuses against Uighurs. One source said that, if the amendment is passed, the Government would be unlikely to overturn it in the Commons after dozens of Tory MPs voted against it in March, potentially inflicting a knockout blow to Huawei's plans to help build the UK's 5G network. The Lords amendment is backed by crossbencher Lord Alton, former Labour Cabinet minister Lord Adonis and former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth. Liberal Democrat peers will support it, while Labour peers Lord Hain and Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws are expected to speak in favour of it. Lord Blencathra, who as David Maclean was a chief whip in the Commons, is also expected to speak in favour. Lord Alton told The Telegraph: "Along with all the national security and defence implications of a company like Huawei entering our communications infrastructure, we also have got to have some regard for the human rights threshold. Story continues "It is inconceivable that in the 1970s and 1980s we would have given such easy access to the Soviet Union, knowing all that we did about its outrageous abuse of human rights in Siberia and yet this is surely directly comparable." Supporters of the amendment are "hopeful" of Labour frontbench backing. One source pointed out that Labour MPs backed a similar amendment in the Commons earlier this year, saying that it would give the party a chance to "champion human rights in foreign policy". David Davis said the amendment would be 'crippling' for Huawei if it is passed - Paul Grover The Tory MP David Davis said the amendment would be "crippling" for Huawei if it is passed, adding: "It ought to be the end of Huawei and 5G [in the UK]." The former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith added that the Government will be "sunk" if Labour backs the amendment. Ministers are hoping that Labour will not back it because it risks delaying broadband roll-out in flats. They are gambling that Labour would prefer to keep their powder dry for the fight over Huawei in the Telecommunications Bill, due to be debated in the Commons in coming weeks. A Government source played down a rebellion, saying Lord Alton's amendment was "a bit of nonsense" and adding: "It is very unlikely there will be a Government defeat on Monday. The idea that you would have a separate human rights standard for telecoms in blocks of flats is plainly not what anyone wants." A Huawei spokesman said: "We supply world-leading telecoms equipment to mobile and broadband network operators in 170 countries. The telecoms operators own and operate these networks. We comply with all laws and regulations in countries where we work." Fancy Aussie bees flew in from Asia Ancestors of a distinctive pollinating bee found across Australia probably originated in tropical Asian countries, islands in the south-west Pacific or greater Oceania region, ecology researchers claim. Describing the likely dispersal corridor for the ancestral lineage of the bee genus Homalictus will help understand the social evolution of the vibrant halictine bees, South Australian, Czech and PNG researchers say in a new paper. It follows earlier research* connecting the origin of other Australian bees to the polar south or Antarctica routes millions of years ago - helping to explain the diversity and complexity of natural ecosystems and their resilience or susceptibility during periods of climate change. Ecologists are hopeful that the diverse origins of native bees are giving them an edge in withstanding and adapting further to climate change. "Homalictus bees are a leading generalist plant pollinator across Australia and as far north as southern China," says Flinders University PhD candidate, photographer and native bee expert James Dorey. "Our study highlights the importance of the habitat and ecology of tropical regions, including Papua New Guinea and the Fijian islands, for our endemic species and shows us how these bees might have expanded across the Pacific and possibly higher latitudes of Southeast Asia." SA Museum senior researcher Associate Professor Mark Stevens says the ongoing research aims to better understand the origin and radiation of insects and other animals, help environmental management during changing climates and mitigate the effects of further human expansion and habitat destruction. "Many species historically evolved under difference climatic conditions and those different histories may determine how they will cope with new climates," he says. "As climates change, species that have narrow thermal tolerances that are unable to adapt either track their preferred climate by moving, or become extinct. We see this in our studies on tropical bees and also in the studies of Antarctic biodiversity." "What has not been fully appreciated is the movement of bees in the southern hemisphere that included Antarctica as a likely dispersal corridor before it became the glacial continent that it is today." Antarctica was the crossroads between South America, Africa and Australia as the supercontinent of Gondwana was breaking up. The last landmass connections between Australia and Antarctica finished about 35 million years ago while the interchange with Asia began about 20 million years ago. In contrast to the colourful tropical varieties, SA researchers have previously explored the origins of the cooler adapted and less colourful Exoneurine allodapine bees, believed to have originated in Africa but dispersed to Australia about 42-34 million years ago from Antarctica when there was still a land bridge connection to Tasmania. Co-author on the online Homalictus paper, Associate Professor Mike Schwarz says Australia has the most unusual bee fauna in the world, resulting from three major events - the gradual breakup of Gondwana, then a period when the bees evolved in "splendid isolation", long before humans arrived. "Thirdly, there was a northern influx of species from tropical Asia as the Australian continent collided with Asia. "Australia's complex systems diversity if a key ingredient for survival of our species," Flinders Associate Professor Schwarz says. "Hopefully, the diversity of our native bees will make them more resilient to future climate scenarios, which will be critical for agriculture in a changing world. ### The new paper, Origin and dispersal of Homalictus (Apoidea: Halictidae) across Australia, Papua New Guinea and Pacific (2020) by S Ibalim, SVC Groom , JB Dorey, A Velasco-Castrillon, MP Schwarz and MI Stevens has been published in Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, DOI: 10.1080/03721426.2020.1740957 This work was supported by the Australia and Pacific Science Foundation *Biogeographical origins and diversification of the exoneurine allodapine bees of Australia (Hymenoptera, Apidae) (2011) by L Chenoweth and M Schwarz was published in the Journal of Biogeography DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02488.x This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Edwards empire: Multimillionaire couple remanded on huge money laundering charges By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): Rienzie Mahesh Kumara Edwards and his wife, Punya Priyanji Menike Edwards, two suspects in an international money laundering case, were remanded this week by Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne. The couple are accused of transferring foreign currency to Sri Lanka in a suspicious manner and illegally buying land belonging to a private hospital in Colombo and a slew of other properties around the country. In January this year, the Edwards immovable assets were frozen by order of the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit (FCIU) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). This prevented them from making financial gain from their properties, which include a large number of houses and hotels. Their most well-known purchase is the land belonging to Asiri Central Hospital at 37, Horton Place, Colombo 7. It was bought for Rs 2.7bn. Mr. Edwards, a self-styled Sri Lankan investment banker and property owner, was taken to magistrates court by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID)the forerunner to the FCIUin 2015 for allegedly smuggling in more than US$ 40mn. In 2017, they were also indicted by the US Attorneys Office along with five others for allegedly defrauding victims of more than US$ 50 million. Please turn to Page 2 The indictment alleges that an unspecified percentage of this money was sent to bank accounts in Sri Lanka. A domestic inquiry was started on a complaint filed with FCID regarding the Asiri Central Hospital property which was bought by Mr. Edwards. Bank documents related to the purchase were examined to determine how the transaction took place. Mr Edwards received various sums amounting to millions of dollars from abroad. An examination of the accounts (including those belonging to an intermediary) revealed millions of dollars or billions of rupees in inward remittances from names such as Chang Yau Hung Alexander, Golding Associates, Big Shoe World LLC, John De Here, Jerry M Bond, Yingjun Liang, Ng Chi Man, John Dudley Hare, Mong Wing Nin, Decagon Company Ltd, Ho Mei Mehi Trindy, C T Andy, Irani Mozaad and Carbogen Mining. Foreign funds thus received amounted to US$ 55,084,865.50 and GBP 255,101.22. That is more than Rs 7.24bn. Of this, more than Rs 5.82bn was used to buy property. Mr and Mrs Edwardsand, at times, Punyas sister Jayakody Arachchilage Deepika Hasanjiwere found to be directors of multiple companies. The majority of them are registered to 57/2B, Railway Avenue, Nugegoda. They include Edwards Plantation Management (Pvt) Ltd (formed in 2007), Greenfield Consultancy Services Pvt Lwtd (2012), and The Mansion Kandy (Pvt) Ltd (2012). In Punya Edwardss name, purchases were made of four properties in Colombo 7, one in Kandy, three in Harispattuwa, three in Trincomalee, three in Galle, one in Anuradhapura and three in Nuwara Eliya. Other companies are Asha Mansion (Pvt) Ltd (2016), High Rise Property Management (Pvt) Ltd (2015), Tradition Lanka (Pvt) Ltd (2014), Colombo Property Development (Pvt) Ltd (2015), Bond Street Management Services (Pvt) Ltd (2016), Tramwel Consultancy Services (Pvt) Ltd (2016), Edwards Estates Plantation (Pvt) Ltd (2007), Edwards Investment (Pvt) Ltd (2008). Independent investigations by the Sunday Times show that the trio were also directors of companies registered abroad either singly or doubly. They include AAA Project Finance Solutions Pte Ltd (Singapore); AAA Turnkey Solutions, LLC (USA); Al Jazeera Al Hamra (Singapore); Fashion Platform Ltd (UK); GPH Equity Pte Ltd (Singapore); Green Asia Renewables Ltd (Dubai); Innovative Global Finance (Pvt) Ltd (Hong Kong); PGM Gems and Minerals (Dubai); Saving Traditions, Ltd (UK); Sirius San-Xing Financial Services (China); Steeplechase Middle East Fze (Dubai); and Supreme Global Holdings Ltd (Dubai). It is also known that Mr. Edwards used multiple banks in many jurisdictions such as Barbados, the Netherlands, Britain, New York and Dubai. The couple are remanded till July 7. GREENWICH As more than 100 demonstrators stopped in the middle of Greenwich Avenue Saturday, organizers said they wouldnt visit police headquarters, as past marches in Greenwich and many other places have. Their problem, protesters said, isnt just with the police. Our issue is with the residents of Greenwich, who consistently are racist, whether its going into these retail stores and making Black women feel like they are not allowed to shop in peace, or for (people of color) who are going about our (expletive) day and someones calling us the n-slur, said Nicole Rincon, an organizer. Thats our problem, she continued. It has to do with the restaurant managers, who refuse to hire minorities with a darker complexion, because their white patrons are uncomfortable. Well, were about to make them real (expletive) uncomfortable. She gestured toward afternoon diners eating at tables restaurants had set out on sidewalks or in portions of the Avenue temporarily closed to cars during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. So, look at all these people who are sipping their mimosas with a pretty little smirk on their face, and let them know that were not going to let them be racist anymore in this town, she said. This is our town. The march on Saturday afternoon was led by six young local professionals who are part of the group Justice for Brunch, an organization that purposefully holds protests at locations and times where people are likely to be gathered for brunch. Rincon said, the purpose is to disrupt privilege, force people to consider problems in the country and demand justice for the many Black lives lost in America. I think its great, said Rita Roure, a Greenwich mother who sat with her two young children, clapping as protesters marched by the table they were at. We kind of understood that specifically Black men were having issues with police and police brutality but I think that video (of George Floyd) really woke up people, who dont think about it day to day, she said. Roure said she showed the video of Floydd death to her children, aged 9 and 12, so that they would understand the current conversation about race and gain empathy for the plight of people of color. But Im not the usual Greenwich mom, she said. Im Puerto Rican. As the large group descended down Greenwich Avenue, toward their destination at the Island Beach Ferry parking lot, some patrons eating brunch smiled and clapped in solidarity with the protesters, while others filmed the action. A few groups sitting at nearby tables stopped their conversations and simply watched the demonstrators. We set this up with the intentions to disrupt the privileged people, because they need to hear this message the most, said Fitzgerald Francois, a Black man, who lives in Stamford but grew up in Greenwich. I feel like they dont believe the stuff that theyre hearing from us and that theyre really just blind and oblivious to the fact of all the trials and tribulations that we go through, the racial profiling that we go through, he said. Francois, who lived in Greenwich for 15 years, said hes experienced multiple instances of racism while living in town. On many occasions, while walking down the street, he said, he has watched as white people have crossed to the other side of the road to avoid encountering him, only to cross back once they had distance between them. Were here to disrupt, not destruct, he said. The mood at Island Beach Ferry parking lot was peaceful, although many protesters shared what they defined as their own traumatizing stories of experiencing racism locally. Kiera Williams, 17, a Norwalk resident, said shes experienced racism in Greenwich. One day, while walking in town with her father, a white woman spat on her dad and called him a (n-word) after they bumped into each other, Williams said. The only difference between me and anybody else is the melanin in my skin and the kinks in my hair but underneath all that, you and I bleed the same, you and I breathe the same, she said. To all the white supremacists ... you think youre so above us, because of the history, in which you have. Yall praise your history, but your ancestors kidnapped, raped, beat and murdered mine, she said. And you praise them for it? Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo, who did not attend the protest, said it would be almost impossible to respond to all individual allegations. But as a person who grew up in Greenwich with Black and white friends alike, he said, he has not witnessed instances of anti-Black racism such as those described by the protesters. But do I doubt thereve been incidents? No, not at all, he said. Ive been, in my life, called names derogatory names. He said he gives local police credit for standing by peacefully during protests while some demonstrators have hurled expletives and accusations at them. He said he understands why protesters continue to demonstrate, and that he thinks their voices should be heard, but he expressed disappointment that, in some cases, protests have become more than verbal including cases in which monuments have been torn down. He vowed to take seriously any complaints or allegations from white and Black Greenwich residents alike, Camillo said. Dre Lamont, 25, of Greenwich, said its not the responsibility of Black people to undo racism against them. Its critical that white people also join the fight and call out acts of racism when they see and hear it, he said. Being constantly asked to speak on how we feel as a marginalized group is traumatizing, he said, referencing the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man shot while jogging in Georgia. Having to re-explain our struggles, our experiences, especially when its happening right in front of our eyes, on video a man was shot for jogging and (people are) going to defend that? he said. It hurts having to re-explain why were fighting for humanity. When white people see a person of color pulled over by a police officer, they should also pull over, film the incident and wait in solidarity, Lamont said. Yes, I understand its uncomfortable to correct your significant others, your friends, and families and its even uncomfortable to confront the police, but we have to change and it starts in the home, he said. Staying silent to the matter, to what is happening right in front of your eyes, is the problem and it hurts just as much as being openly racist. tatiana.flowers@thehour.com @TATIANADFLOWERS Cornwall, Ont., Mayor Bernadette Clement remembers when her sister was called "Aunt Jemima" in high school. The insult was a reference to the stereotypical Black servant or nanny figure that had been the mascot for a PepsiCo brand of pancake mixes and syrup for more than a century. When the company announced last week they were retiring the character, Clement who is believed to be the first Black woman to serve as mayor of an Ontario municipality contacted her sister and broke into tears. "It was fresh, like [the incident] had happened yesterday," she told CBC Radio's All In A Day. Clement said the tears shocked both her and her sister. "Here we are, successful women who have done well and have benefited from all kinds of different things in life [and yet] we would still be able to recall that with such a specificity," she said. "And recall the pain." As Canada reckons with systemic racism following the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd at the hands of police, Clement has been reflecting on her own role, both as an elected leader and as a Black woman in a predominantly white community. Cornwall had its own anti-Black racism protest earlier this month, and Clement passed out masks to people in the crowd and walked side-by-side with the city's police chief. She recalled telling those who gathered about how her father, who immigrated to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago, faced racism as a newcomer. At the same time, he also had allies who took "concrete action" to help him establish a new life, Clement told All In A Day. As others shared more recent stories of racism in the city of about 50,000, Clement said it felt as if she'd been flung back 40 years. "[I was] thinking, 'How is it possible that these young women are hearing and experiencing the same things I did? Have we not moved?'" She also felt the crowd was listening to the stories. "They were shocked by some of the stuff they were saying, but they wanted to connect," Clement said. "It feels like allies really want to help us shoulder that burden. It feels different this time." Story continues 'I feel incredible pressure' Clement, who previously served as a city councillor in Cornwall and ran twice locally as a Liberal in the 2011 and 2015 federal elections, said she entered politics because she felt representation was and remains important. She said she wanted to be able to show young women that being a leader is "part of what women can and should be doing." Since being elected Cornwall's mayor in 2018, Clement said she's felt a responsibility to help create change for Black people, especially Black women. CBC "I feel incredible pressure," Clement said. "I feel pressure to be the perfect mayor, which I know, that's not possible." She also hopes other Black leaders are elected in their communities. "I don't want to be the only one. I don't want to be one of very few," she said. "I want to be among groups of people that represent our community." 404 Page not found It looks like you found a glitch in the page... Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday responded to Union home minister Amit Shahs interview and said that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal believed the fight against coronavirus in Delhi was very big and no individual agency or person could deal with it alone. Earlier today, Amit Shah had spoken about Centres assistance in arresting a state of panic in Delhi over fears surrounding a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the capital following Dy CM Manish Sisodias public declaration of a possibility of coronavirus cases reaching 5.5 lakh mark by the end of July, based on one of the assessments made by experts. Shah said that following Sisodias remark, he was directed by the Prime Minister to take initiative and help the Delhi government. He added that Delhi will be in good condition by July 31st because of the stress on preventive steps including more tests and contact tracing taken after Centre and state joined efforts. Also Read: Delhi wont have 5.5 lakh Covid-19 cases by July end, Manish Sisodias comments created fear: Amit Shah Sisodia highlighted Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwals role in bringing everyone together in efforts to contain the spread of disease. CM Arvind Kejriwal believes that the battle against #COVID19 is very big and no individual person or agency can deal with it alone. In this spirit, CM has brought everyone together and his efforts seem to be paying off, a statement released by Sisodia on his Aam Aadmi Partys twitter handle said. He added that the situation in Delhi had improved from the first week of June when domain experts had predicted a scenario of Coved 19 positive cases reaching 5.5 lakh mark by July end. We are hopeful that the situation will improve in the coming weeks and will certainly not be as bleak as it looked in the first week of June when domain experts predicted 5.5 lakh cases in Delhi by 31st July, Manish Sisodia said. For Coronavirus Live Updates He added that the Delhi government got tremendous support from the Central government and every other agency. Our chief minister Arvind Kejriwal sought the help and support of every agency to battle Corona in Delhi. We got tremendous support from the Central government, religious organisations like Radha Swami Satsang, Akshardham Temple trust, Terapanthi, various hotels, banquets halls, private hospitals and NGOs like Doctors for U etc. his statement said. Amit Shah in his interview earlier today had said that there was coordination between the Centre and the Delhi government and Delhi CM was kept in the loop and decisions are taken by involving him also. He had also spoken about some shortcomings in Delhis planning, noticed in a coordination meeting called by the Centre, following which a decision to hold house to house survey in capitals containment zones and ramping up overall testing and treatment facilities were taken up. Sisodia concurred that things were looking up in the last week or so. Last week saw things stabilising-recovery rate has increased to 62%, today more patients are recovering in Delhi than those who are falling ill, number of deaths are coming down, positivity rate is decreasing rapidly, he said. Published on 2020/06/28 | Source Hyundai chairman Chung Eui-sun (left) and LG chairman Koo Gwang-mo shake hands at LG's factory in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province on Monday. Advertisement Hyundai chairman Chung Eui-sun met with LG chairman Koo Gwang-mo on Monday to strengthen their alliance in the field of electric vehicles. Chung visited LG Chem's battery factory in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province. The two tycoons discussed how to bolster cooperation. LG Chem is already a key partner of Hyundai and will be supplying batteries for Hyundai's EV prototype for its electric-global modular platform dubbed "E-GMP" slated for 2022. The partnership comes amid a decline in Korea's auto exports due to the coronavirus epidemic. From June 1 to June 20, car exports plummeted over 36 percent compared to the year before. The auto industry is rapidly changing to electric cars, hydrogen cars or mobility services. Hyundai is also working with other local battery producers. Last month, Chung met with Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong while he was visiting Samsung SDI's battery production line in Cheonan. Sources say the Hyundai chief is also going to meet SK chairman Chey Tae-won soon. SK Innovation is already one of the major battery producers for Hyundai affiliate Kia. Hyundai and Kia are among the global leaders in the EV market, selling more than 24,000 of them in the first quarter of this year. After the second season of hit Showtime drama series The Chi, actress Tiffany Boone, who portrayed Jerrika, chose to leave the show after accusing her on-screen boyfriend, Jason Mitchell, of harassment. What has Boone been up to since departing from the series? Tiffany Boone attends SCAD 2020 | Vivien Killilea Tiffany Boone before The Chi Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, the actress graduated from the California Institute of Arts in 2009 before pursuing her acting career. She made her film debut in a local independent drama, Hamilton (2006), as Briana and then appeared in Icelandic slasher comedy Detention (2011) alongside veteran actors Josh Hutcherson and Dane Cook. A year later, the actress turned her focus to television shows and made small appearances in series UNmatchable, Southland, Suburgatory, Greys Anatomy (2013), and Perception (2013). Boone also portrayed Savannah Snow alongside a star-studded cast, including Viola Davis and Emmy Rossum in romantic gothic fantasy, Beautiful Creatures (2013). Play with us, friends: Do you remember whose house Mandy was at? #thefollowing pic.twitter.com/620gFRAWXP The Following (@TheFollowingFOX) June 11, 2014 RELATED: The Chi: Lena Waithe Responds to Claims That She Knew About Jason Mitchells Misconduct After her performance in the short film, Full, the actress landed her first recurring television role as Mandy Lang in the second season of FOX drama series, The Following (2014) opposite Kevin Bacon. She then made a couple of more guest appearances in Major Crimes (2014) and Once Upon a Time (2015) before securing her first leading role as Jerrika in Showtime drama series, The Chi (2018). Tiffany Boone as Jerrika on The Chi Created by screenwriter, writer, and actress Lena Waithe, the drama series revolves around life in a neighborhood located on the South Side of Chicago. Boone portrayed Jerrika, the live-in girlfriend of main character Brandon (Jason Mitchell), who aspired to be a cook. Although the two seemed very much in love and planned on opening a restaurant together, they came from different backgrounds and had difficulty understanding each other. In the second season, Brandon proposed to Jerrika, who wholeheartedly accepted. However, she found out about his affiliation with successful businessman yet known hustler, Otis Douda Perry (Curtiss Cook), something she was vehemently against. RELATED: Former The Chi Star Jason Mitchell Denied Misconduct Allegations and Explained Why He Got Fired Therefore, Jerrika ended the engagement and moved out of their apartment. The character did not return for the following season as Boone chose to leave the series in November 2018 following ignored harassment accusations she made against her on-screen boyfriend. Mitchell was fired from the show as a result of the allegations brought against him by his co-star as well as showrunner Ayanna Floyd Davis. He also lost an upcoming role in a Netflix movie. However, Boone continues to thrive. Tiffany Boone after The Chi A few months after the 32-year-old left The Chi, she landed a leading role in Jordan Peele executive produced-Amazon drama The Hunters (2020) as a member of the Hunters who specializes in counterfeiting and forgery, Roxy Jones. After the first season aired, she joined the cast of Hulu miniseries, Little Fires Everywhere, and portrayed the college-version of main character Mia Warren (Kerry Washington) in an episode. Roxy is my favorite part of #Hunters literally an ICON pic.twitter.com/sWgdyVSZMN Black Supremacist Leader (@Faggatronics) February 29, 2020 RELATED: Little Fires Everywhere: Who Is The Better Mother Elena or Mia? Most recently, the actress landed a leading role in an upcoming science fiction movie, The Midnight Sky, alongside George Clooney, who portrays lonely scientist Augustine and Felicity Jones, who stars as astronaut Sully. Although the filming wrapped in February 2020, its unclear when the movie will be released. The Chi airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on Showtime. Akufo-Addo from New Patriotic Party will contest against former President John Mahama for the third consecutive time. Ghanas governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has picked incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo as its presidential candidate in this years election, setting up a third consecutive head-to-head battle against former President John Dramani Mahama. Akufo-Addo, 76, unseated Mahama in 2016 with 53.8 percent of the vote, cementing the West African nations reputation as a leading democracy in a region that has earned notoriety for political instability. Akufo-Addo will contest the December 7 poll with Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate, the NPP said in a statement on Saturday. Mahama, 61, who has been chosen by the National Democratic Congress as its candidate, defeated Akufo-Addo in the 2012 presidential race. Ghanas elections have been historically close, with Mahama narrowly winning against Akufo-Addo in 2012 with 50.7 percent. Akufo-Addo unsuccessfully challenged Mahamas victory in the courts. Ghana is the worlds second-largest producer of cocoa after Ivory Coast and Africas second-biggest gold producer after South Africa. The 23-year-old driver, Andres Hernandez of Northlake, was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. His passenger, also 23 and a Harvey resident, was being treated at an area hospital for injuries considered life-threatening, officials said. Details about the extent and type of his injuries were not immediately available. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar defended Donald Trump's decision to not wear a face covering in public during an interview on Sunday, saying the president, the vice president and the people around them are tested for the coronavirus on a daily basis. During an appearance on CNN, Azar was asked why Trump has refused to set an example by wearing a protective mask in public, even when standing next to mask-wearing health advisors. In response, Azar said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are tested daily and are 'in unique positions' as leaders of the free world. Azar said the White House message has 'been consistent,' adding that the surgeon general said in March that people should 'always assess your individual circumstances. Are you at risk or are people in your family or your home at risk?' The health secretary said that families should also 'assess what's going on in your community' because circumstances are different on a state-by-state basis. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (right) defended Donald Trump's decision to not wear a face covering in public during an interview on Sunday in which he claimed the president is tested regularly so wearing a mask isn't necessary Trump has continued to face mounting bipartisan pressure to set an example for the American people by wearing a face mask. New coronavirus cases have been surging in more than half of US states, reaching record new highs after months of mitigation efforts applied unevenly across the country and sometimes contradictory messaging from the government. Hardest hit have been southern and western states that pushed for early economic reopenings. But the latest upsurge, pushing the nation's total of declared cases over 2.5 million and its death toll past 125,000, has prompted a growing chorus of calls for much tougher rules and enforcement. 'This is a very, very serious situation and the window is closing for us to take action and get this under control,' Azar said on CNN. Many Republicans who are normally reluctant to criticize the president have been calling more insistently for mask use, with some urging a clearer example from the nation's leader. 'If wearing masks is important, and all the health experts tell us that it is... it would help if from time to time the president would wear one to help us get rid of this political debate that says if you're for Trump, you don't wear a mask, if you're against Trump, you do,' Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said Sunday on CNN. In some areas, mask-wearing has taken on a political edge rather than being seen as a straightforward health choice. Trump (pictured on June 26 during a meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board) has continued to face mounting bipartisan pressure to set an example for the American people by wearing a face mask Pence told CBS on Sunday that 'we believe that every state has a unique situation' and that 'we want to defer to governors' to decide on rules for their own states. Pence is seen speaking at a Friday briefing while Dr Anthony Fauci wears a mask behind him The latest upsurge has pushed the nation's total of declared cases over 2.5 million and its death toll past 125,000 Among Republicans calling strongly for mask-wearing are Senator Marco Rubio of Florida - which has set daily records of new COVID-19 cases; Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; and Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, another state that has seen a major uptick in cases after moving aggressively to reopen its economy. In Phoenix, Governor Doug Ducey wore a mask on Thursday when he warned fellow Arizonans that 'we are getting hit hard right now'. The best defense against COVID-19, he told local media, is to wear protective masks. Liz Cheney, a member of the House leadership, tweeted a picture of her father, the former US vice president, wearing a mask under the words: 'Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK #realmenwearmasks.' Pence has sometimes worn masks in public but stopped short of advocating mask-wearing when he chaired the first briefing in two months of the White House coronavirus task force on Friday. Pence traveled Sunday to Texas for a briefing with Governor Abbott on the pandemic response, but has cancelled upcoming events in Arizona and Florida 'out of an abundance of caution'. Asked why the administration hasn't pushed harder for masks, Pence told CBS on Sunday that 'we believe that every state has a unique situation' and that 'we want to defer to governors' to decide on rules for their own states. Some Democrats want Trump not only to set an example but to mandate mask-wearing nationwide - including Trump's White House rival Joe Biden who says he would seek to make masks compulsory in public spaces. When asked on ABC if she would support such a move, House speaker Nancy Pelosi called it 'definitely long overdue. 'We have the worst record of any country in the world. And the president says we're making progress.' She added: 'The president should be an example. Real men wear masks. Be an example to the country and wear the mask.' Police has cordoned a second property on Orkney Drive in Ballymena, County Antrim, just a dozen or so houses from the main property on interest, as a murder investigation is under way following the death of a man at a house. (Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX) An 18-year-old male has been charged with the murder of Ballymena man Jason Lee Martin. Mr Martin died at house in the Orkney Drive area in the early hours of Saturday morning after being stabbed. The teenager was arrested on Saturday and has now been charged by detectives from the PSNI's Major Investigations Team. He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court via videolink on Monday. As is usual procedure the charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Wisconsins Forward statue lies in the street on Capitol Square in June in Madison, Wis. Crowds outside the Wisconsin State Capitol tore down two statues and attacked a state senator amid protests after the arrest of a Black man who shouted at restaurant customers through a megaphone while carrying a baseball bat. Nine Black Montreal police officers have signed a letter calling on their union president to acknowledge systemic racism exists in the force, after he downplayed the issue in several interviews earlier this month. In the letter addressed to Montreal Police Brotherhood President Yves Francoeur, the officers say they were "surprised" to hear Francoeur does not believe there is systemic racism in the force. The officers described a "culture of silence" within the SPVM that prevents their colleagues from speaking out against racism. "We cannot blame you for not knowing our reality, if the culture of silence is for us the most common of the options in several situations," the officers said in the letter. Francoeur gave a series of interviews in early June, following protests in the United States and Canada over the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by Minneapolis police. The protests, including those in Montreal, have criticized police treatment of Black, Indigenous and people of colour. They are seeking widespread reforms to address racial profiling and other forms of systemic discrimination. Charles Contant/CBC Francoeur told French-language television station TVA, "I don't think there is racism at the police-force level." He told 98.5 FM radio host Paul Arcand that, "I don't know any officers who stop someone just because they are Black." Different reality In their letter, the officers of colour said the interviews made them "realize that our union does not have the same understanding of reality as its so-called racialized members." The letter also points to a recent report by the city's office of public consultations which recommended that the culture within the SPVM needed to change in order to deal with racial profiling. A separate report, published last year, found Black and Indigenous people were four to five times more likely to be stopped by Montreal police. Earlier this month, Montreal police Chief Sylvain Caron said he was committed to eliminating racial profiling by his officers and acknowledged systemic racism was a problem. Story continues In their letter, the officers call on their union to do the same. "Recognizing a problem is the first step toward a solution; we'd like the Brotherhood to also look at the problem," they wrote. A spokesperson for the union declined CBC Montreal's request for an interview with Francoeur. Advocacy group calls for action In a news conference Sunday, anti-racism advocacy group CRARR said systemic racism has been a problem in the SPVM for decades. Alain Babineau, CRARR spokesperson and a former RCMP officer himself, said the problem dates from the SPVM's first Black police officer, Edouard Anglade a Haitian immigrant who joined the force in 1974. Valeria Cori-Manocchio/CBC Anglade faced discrimination while working as an officer and won a workplace racial harassment case against the SPVM in 1988. "I believe the stress that he endured led to his untimely death," Babineau told reporters Sunday. Anglade was 63 when he died. Babineau said the Brotherhood is supposed to represent all officers. He called on the union to start listening to the needs of its members of colour. "With policing, there's this code of silence. There's this fraternity, and people of colour are expected to be quiet about issues of racism," said Babineau. CRARR circulated the open letter to media outlets on the condition the officers not be named. WATCH | Toronto mayor promises major police reform: Babineau said he met with the officers who penned the letter last week, to discuss some of those needs. He said the officers would like to see the SPVM develop better screening protocols for cadets, in order to assess their level of implicit bias. The group called for the police force to have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination; repeat offenders should be dismissed. "Not all SPVM officers are racist. That would be a silly statement to make," said Babineau. "But when you have a deficient system, this allows for the bad apples not only to flourish but also infect others and even get promoted through the system." The group would also like to see more SPVM officers living on the Island of Montreal. Babineau said currently around 75 per cent of Montreal police officers live off-island. That adds to systemic racism, he said, because most officers don't have the chance to get to know the communities where they work. Union president defends position Francoeur wrote a reply to the officers, defending his refusal to acknowledge systemic racism within the force. "The meaning given to the term 'systemic racism' is different from the one we naturally understand by reading the definition of the words of which it is composed," Francoeur wrote. "This is probably why there is no consensus or uniform understanding of this expression." He also said the term "systemic racism" suggests everyone is deliberately implicated in a racist system. He added: "In addition to being false, [this] is outrageous for Montreal police officers. We therefore abandoned semantics to avoid dividing ourselves on an expression." Francoeur said the union is against all forms of discrimination and that it is important to fight racism within the ranks of the force. Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 A thriller road movie; A man who runs away with a corpse of murdered wife Chinthana Dharmadasas Avilenasului- First film release after COVID-19 closure View(s): View(s): Avilenasului (Inflammable), young filmmaker and writer Chinthana Dharmadasas second film-after How I wonder what you are his debut, a co-direction with Udhaya Dharmawardhana- started rescreening from June 27. Three screenings daily at 10.30 am, 1.30 pm and 4.30 pm will be at CEL circuit cinemas including Regal Colombo and Regal Gampaha and Liberty Lite, Amity Lite and other Lite cinemas. The film was premiered on March 13 and the following day it had to be stopped with the imposing of curfew and lockdown of the country due to COVID-19 crisis. The first film that was released after COVID-19 closure was Avilenasului. Somebody has to take the risk and the challenge to open the cinemas. So I took the challenge, Chinthana said speaking about the release of his film. He said that theatres have taken all protective measures during screening including arranging seating following social distancing guidelines and providing hand sanitizing and other facilities. Anyway according to the medical guidelines you can only fill half of the theatres, he said. Written by Chinthana himself, the road-movie starring talented Shyam Fernando and Samanalee Fonseka the two main roles, revolves around a psychopath who runs away with the body of his murdered wife. On his way he accidentally comes across with another woman, who is running away from a man who could be her lover or paramour. The two makes their own journey. During this journey the woman threatens the man with the same knife he murdered his wife, saying that shes aware of the body in the boot and forces him to keep driving. How would this journey come to an end? What will prosecution do over Samsung heir? The prosecution is in a dilemma over whether to bring criminal charges against Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong after an independent panel recommended against his indictment Friday. This has put the law enforcement agency under pressure to prove Lee's alleged involvement in a controversial merger of two Samsung affiliates and in accounting fraud at Samsung Biologics. Lee's lawyers welcomed the recommendation from the 14-member committee of outside experts that the prosecution drop the investigation and not indict him. More than half the members argued that it was difficult to substantiate Lee's alleged violation of the capital market law during the 2015 merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries. The panel accepted Lee's claims that he was not involved in any illegalities in gaining greater control of Samsung Group, Korea's largest conglomerate, through the merger or the alleged accounting fraud at the group's pharmaceutical affiliate Samsung Biologics. At the center of the allegations against Lee is a succession plan to take over managerial rights from his father Lee Kun-hee, who has been incapacitated since a heart attack in 2014. The prosecution failed to convince committee members that Lee had been deeply involved in illegalities to push for his succession. In this regard, the recommendation has dealt a setback to the prosecution's efforts against Lee. The prosecution already suffered a setback on June 9, when a Seoul district court rejected its request for an arrest warrant for him. The prosecution is now expected to decide its course of action according to the investigation results and the committee's advice. Whatever decision it makes, the agency cannot avoid criticism. If it drops the charges against Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee, the prosecution will be lambasted for overlooking his alleged wrongdoings and undermining the rule of law. If it indicts him, it could be blamed for abusing its investigative power despite deteriorating economic conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The prosecution, along with the judiciary, has long been too lenient toward family-run chaebol in what have been rampant illegal practices such as tax evasion, creating slush funds, accounting fraud and the illicit transfer of managerial control from parents to their children. Lee is still standing trial for his alleged involvement in a massive corruption case surrounding former President Park Geun-hye. The Supreme Court sent his case back to the Seoul High Court for a rehearing after reversing the appeals court's ruling that sentenced Lee to 30 months in prison suspended for four years. Lee may face heavier punishment because the top court recognized additional bribes provided by Samsung to Park's confidant Choi Soon-sil. Apart from the bribery case, Lee and Samsung are desperate to avoid any indictment related to the merger and alleged accounting fraud. That is why he turned to the independent committee to try to get a favorable decision. Yet, the prosecution has no obligation to follow the non-binding recommendation, although it has accepted all decisions the panel made in eight previous cases since its inception in 2018. It remains to be seen whether the prosecution will honor or reject the advice on the Lee case. The agency should make a fair and wise decision based on facts and evidence. Construction of the much-needed temple complex begins as part of governments outreach to the minority Hindu community. Construction of the first Hindu temple in the Pakistani capital Islamabad began on Tuesday, a long-standing demand by the minority community put in action under the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The site of the Shri Krishna Mandir (temple) complex, will include a crematorium, accommodation for visitors, a community hall and a parking space spread across an area of 4 kanals (2,023sq metres). The plan was approved in 2017 under former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs government, but construction had been delayed until this year by administrative hurdles. This is very big step for the Hindu community and Pakistan, Pritam Das, an Islamabad resident and real-estate professional, told Al Jazeera. The plot for the temple was approved in 2017, but construction was delayed due to various administrative issues [Courtesy of Lal Chand Malhi] Das said Pakistani Hindus across the country, and especially in Islamabad, were grateful to Prime Minister Khan and his government for facilitating the construction of the temple and other related facilities, which he said was much needed considering the steady growth of the capitals Hindu population. This will send the soft image of the government of Pakistan to all over the world, Das added. Pakistan is home to about eight million Hindus, according to estimates from the countrys Hindu Council. The last official figures were released in 1998, when the population of the minority community was put at three million. Most Hindus are based in the southern province of Sindh, which borders India. The latest numbers on religious minorities in the 2017 census are yet to be published. Islamabad is home to an estimated 3,000 Hindus. For the Hindu population in Islamabad, there is no place to gather there was no temple, there was no community hall which caused many issues for the community, Lal Chand Mahli, parliamentary secretary on human rights and a member of the governing party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), told Al Jazeera. The capital also lacks a crematorium, which is needed for Hindu funeral services, Mahli noted. This meant people were forced to take their deceased loved ones to their hometowns for burial, sometimes travelling hundreds of kilometres. Furthermore, the new temple complex will work as a cultural centre for many Hindu visitors from far-flung places such as Sindh province. Das, who has been living in the capital since 1973, said Islamabad was one of the most expensive cities in the country of 200 million. For most Hindus travelling to Islamabad, accommodation was unaffordable as many of them came from lower-income backgrounds, Das added. Government funding Khans government has decided to provide 100 million rupees ($0.6m) in funding for the temple and associated facilities, local media outlet Dawn reported. During a meeting, that included Mahli, with parliamentarians from religious minority groups on Thursday the prime minister directed the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri to release the funds. Responding to a question in a news briefing held shortly after, the group of parliamentarians said Khan also directed Qadri to formulate a bill in two months addressing the contentious issue of forced conversions of which the Hindu community, especially women, have been a target. Qadri was not available immediately for comment. According to a report by the Movement for Solidarity and Peace in Pakistan, some 1,000 cases of Hindu and Christian girls being forced to convert to marry Muslim men are recorded every year. Since coming to power in August 2018, Khans government has often promised to improve conditions for minorities in the country, including the restoration of several religious shrines. The government announced last year it was hoping to restore some 400 Hindu temples across the country as part of its plan to showcase the heritage of minorities, particularly Hindus and Sikhs. Last November, the Pakistani government inaugurated the Kartarpur corridor, leading to one of the holiest sites in Sikh religion, where Sikhisms founder Guru Nanak spent his last days. The corridor allows visa-free travel for approximately 5,000 Sikh pilgrims a day to the temple, crossing the border with India. The move was one of the very few acts of cooperation between the Khan-led government and India, which has seen relations worsen in recent years. Omar Waraich, head of South Asia at Amnesty International, told Al Jazeera that while the building of the temple was a very welcome gesture Pakistans Hindu community needed a lot more than mere gestures. They need protection protection of their temples from attacks by vandals, protection of Hindu women and girls from forced conversions, and the protection of the whole community from discriminatory laws and practices that have long subjected them to persecution, he added. In its 2019 report on Pakistan, Amnesty said religious minorities in Pakistan continued to be persecuted, including under the countrys controversial blasphemy laws and attacks from hardliners. Hindu properties and places of worship have faced attacks, with the most recent incident being reported from Thar, Sindh, where at least four people were charged for vandalising a temple. Last September, a Hindu school principal was detained by the police in the Ghotki, Sindh, for alleged blasphemy, leading to riots by far-right protesters. THE TRUE HORRIBLE This is to the person who wrote about The Horribles. How dare you insinuate that I am horrible because I am a Trump supporter off. This is America. We have a right to vote. And to listen to the people that we think are doing the right thing. I believe in Donald Trump as president. I think hes done more for this country than anybody else and is trying very hard against all opposition since the beginning of his term to still keep going strong and trying his best. You dont even know me. So, how can you call me horrible? Im a good person, 87 years old, and Ive been involved in Delaware County for all my life. I totally think its terrible that you insinuate that everybody just cares about President Trump is horrible. You better look in the mirror. STATE OF GRACE How could Delaware County Council show Mrs. Grace the door? She was a very viable candidate, Mr. Madden said. Why couldnt she continue? Wouldnt the council want someone who is experienced in county government, no matter what party? Oh right, they want someone who they can train. County residents, watch out. BILL OF GOODS This is for Trump-hater extraordinaire Bill from Broomall. Oh, so youre driving around the township with your new clown car. Im surprised they let you drive, considering your deranged condition. May I suggest an increase of your meds. By the way, that tinfoil hat with the powers? Thats a nice touch. JOHNNY FROM BOOTHWYN A CASE OF TREASON How can all you Trumpers support a president who was told in March by his Intelligence Committee that Russia had put a bounty on the heads of our soldiers in Afghanistan? You heard me, right? A bounty on the heads of American soldiers in Afghanistan! The committee gave him a list of options to punish Russia. What did he do? Nothing! What did he tell the American people? Nothing! What did he tell the loved ones of those 20 soldiers lost in Afghanistan since March? Nothing! However, when Putin just called him in June to seek his help again to get Russia back into G7, hes going to work on it! He should be tried for treason! Again, let me ask you how can you support him? GERRIE FROM WALLINGFORD SCOTT FREE Burned Up sounds off that Sen. Tim Scott put forth a very commendable police reform bill. Tens of thousands demonstrate in the streets due to killings of unarmed citizens by police using chokeholds, yet there is no unconditional ban on chokeholds in Scotts bill. Many atrocities by rogue police would go undetected if not for cell phone videos and police body cameras. The Democrats bill mandates police body cams but Scotts bill doesnt. Republicans are against measures to prosecute bad cops for misconduct and wont allow citizens to recover damages if constitutional rights are violated. The Democrats bill bans law enforcement from racial and religious profiling but Scotts bill doesnt. For someone to say that Scotts bill is commendable, their mind must be devoid of facts. JAY FROM UPPER PROVIDENCE THE RIGHT TO BE STUPID An article in the Times stated that health authorities have reported fielding complaints about business businesses where masks arent being worm. Pennsylvania is just like all the rest of the states the country is full of morons who apparently believe that going to green means you dont have to wear masks. Thats a constitution guarantees the right to be selfish and stupid at the same time. WHAT A WORLD STATE OF CONFUSION What is happening now in Washington, D.C.: The know-nothing Democrats want to make a state there? Guess they have no other problems to solve. This is a joke, you know that Democrats arent capable of solving problems. They dont have a clue how to do anything except create more problems and they have a presidential candidate who doesnt even know his name. Can we trust him with important decisions if he was president? Absolutely not. 404 Page not found It looks like you found a glitch in the page... Keeping clean a beach full of memories By Ruqyyaha Deane Residents who have been living next to Mount beach for most of their lives, come together to rid their favourite beach of garbage View(s): View(s): When Sri Lankans think of the Mount Lavinia Beach, we envision clear blue waves rolling gently towards long stretches of golden sand abundant with seashells, sand crabs and people milling about having fun yet the reality today at Mount Lavinia beach, is that all there is to see is garbage littering the ocean and beach. From discarded wrappers of ice lollies and washing powder packets, plastic bottles, soda cans to gunney bags and more, it is a horrible sight especially for those who have been living next to Mount beach for most of their lives. A problem that would have gone unnoticed was brought to public attention by a group of young womenRaabiah Latiff, Ruwanjala Jayawardena, sisters Rachel Amaya and Anneka Maria Dias Bandaranayke and the collective effort of their neighbourhood. Their families having lived right by the Mount Lavinia Beach for over three generations, they tell us that the beach means everything to them as some of their best memories were made together there. We werent aware of the situation until a few of the adults in our neighbourhood went down to the beach for a walk. Then we got a call asking us to come to help clean the garbage so we went immediately. The garbage situation was terrible, they tell us. Although there were a few Abans workers (contracted by Clean Tech) and police including the Environmental Police already doing their part, the girls knew that social media was a powerful tool in spreading the message of what was happening there. We decided to come together to form a team and take to our social media platforms to create awareness and encourage our friends to come join us in restoring our beach, they share. They are quick to point out that the Abans workers and the Environmental Police deserve credit and recognition for all that they have done. In the beginning, the neighbourhood folk would spend at least two hours every day picking up trash while spreading word of the issue. We were motivated and inspired by the amount of people that turned up each day, to help us out and some just to encourage us. It was very humbling to be able to work with the Abans workers and Environmental Police supporting them in the little way we could, they say adding that the Abans workers seemed more motivated with their help. The challenge didnt seem as impossible as it did on the very first day. Social media played a major role in spreading awareness and organizing beach clean-ups for this team as they had been able to speak to many marine life experts and organisations, social media influencers who helped spread awareness and enlist people to come and help. They express their gratitude towards everyone who supported them. Asked about what they have taken away from this experience they say that they have realised that everyone needs to play their part in being the change they want to see in the world. The Earth is our home and its all we have so its important to keep it safe and pollution free, is their message. With their page on Facebook and Instagram (@itsmountbeach), they were able to update and inform people of the progress made in cleaning up the beach. Follow them to find out more on how you can join the cause. For the first time since mid-March, New York had only a handful of COVID-19-related deaths - even as spiking case numbers in the southern and western United States raise questions about the state's long-term recovery. The five deaths are the lowest number since March 15, according to the Cuomo administration, which was a week before a statewide stay-at-home order took effect. The number of hospitalizations also dipped to only 869 on Saturday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced. Of the 61,906 tests conducted in the state Saturday, about 1% percent (616) were positive. In the Capital Region, the positive tests returned were lower; .7% of total tests given returned positive for COVID-19. Cuomo announced the numbers as he appeared for an interview on "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning. Cuomo also discussed the record number of new COVID cases being reported in the southern United States, which reopened their economies more quickly than New York. He said the deteriorating situation in those states could eventually endanger residents here. This is a virus, Cuomo said. It doesnt respond to politics. We cant tweet at it, you have to treat it Confirmed cases in the United States have now passed 2.5 million, with Florida, Texas and Arizona now the states reporting record numbers of infections. In Texas, more than 5,500 patients are being treated, while in Arizona, there were nearly 2,600 hospitalizations. On Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, called for a federal mandate requiring the wearing of masks across the country. Cuomo said that his team was proactively giving advice to states like Texas and Florida, as well as offering equipment such as ventilators. He said New York had a parochial interest in stopping the spread of the disease nationally. Cuomo said the national spread could endanger restarting schools and universities in New York in the fall, but its too early to make a decision either way. Cuomo said hed wait to see how the data unfolds. Its two months away, Cuomo said. Anything can happen in two months. Asked by "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd whether elderly New Yorkers are safe in nursing homes, Cuomo said that entire population has risks. But Cuomo noted that staff at nursing homes had required COVID testing once a week, while those serving the elderly in their homes did not have such testing requirements. Cuomo did not specifically mention a controversial guidance issued by his administration, which has since been walked back, that did not allow nursing homes to deny patients from hospitals solely on the basis that they tested positive for COVID-19. Cuomo, whos said he was following federal guidelines, argued on Sunday that New Yorks nursing home residents had fared comparatively well, despite more than 6,000 confirmed or presumed deaths related to the disease. He said New York was 46th in the nation in nursing home deaths as a percentage of total deaths, and cited what he said emerging evidence that most infections in New York had come from nursing home staff. There are facts and theres politics, Cuomo said. But New Yorks more than 30,000 in confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19 are by far the highest figure in the country. That contributes heavily to the lower percentage of deaths occurring in nursing homes in New York, as compared to other states. Union leaders are 'delusional' if they believe British Airways does not need to make deep cuts to survive, City analysts have said. The criticism follows a highly unusual call held by union Unite with 37 City analysts. It wanted to explain why it believes BA is being too drastic in cutting up to 12,000 staff and slashing the pay of many other workers. Opinion: The views of City analysts are important to firms such as BA because they hold huge sway over share prices The views of City analysts are important to firms such as BA because they hold huge sway over share prices. But several analysts on the Unite call criticised the union's approach, which has included calling for the Government to strip BA of its lucrative Heathrow landing slots. One analyst told The Mail on Sunday: 'There was an element of delusion by Unite. If this campaign is successful, the unions will destroy British Airways. 'The unions have taken the nuclear option... this strategy will blow back in their face. Everyone is playing a very dangerous game here.' Another claimed some of Unite's arguments 'contradicted what they are trying to achieve', and that they 'failed to take into account the view of investors'. 'There was no long-term proposal for making BA a sustainable business,' the source added. Unite hit back last night, saying the briefing was 'factually accurate and indemnified'. It said its report to City analysts on BA's finances was compiled by Adam Leaver, a professor of accounting at Sheffield University. Sharon Graham, Unite's executive officer, said: 'Unite is fully aware of BA's financial position. BA is facing a short-term liquidity crisis. There is no need for such extreme permanent cuts to be made.' She said there must be 'consequences to BA's behaviour'. Earlier this month, the airline was called a 'national disgrace' by MPs on the Commons transport select committee. 'Maybe they [BA] should listen more carefully,' Graham added. The move by Unite to brief analysts comes amid mounting speculation that BA's parent company IAG will need to tap investors for up to 1.5billion of extra funding. IAG is burning through roughly 1billion of cash a month, meaning it has ten months until it exhausts its 10billion cash reserves. Mark Manduca, an aviation analyst at investment banking giant Citi, said: 'If this crisis goes on longer than expected, with a second [Covid-19] wave in the autumn, it is almost inevitable IAG will have to raise fresh funds.' One analyst on the Unite call warned that investors would not be willing to stump up money without major restructuring at BA. 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 DJ Steve Aoki and The Walking Deads Eleanor Matsuura are calling out Costco for selling caged eggs in Asia. The company ended the practice of buying eggs from caged hens in western countries in 2015, yet it has not stopped selling the eggs in Asia. In a recent letter, Aoki and Matsuura urged Costco to stop this practice and honor their own stance on animal cruelty. Celebrities unite against Costco In 2015, several high-profile celebrities spoke out against Costcos practice of selling eggs produced by caged hens. Brad Pitt and Bill Maher penned separate letters asking Costco president Craig Jelinek to stop buying eggs from farms that cage their hens. As you know, these birds producing eggs for your shelves are crammed five or more into cages that are not large enough for even one hen to spread her wings, Pitt noted. Maher later sent a statement to The New York Times slamming the practice of caging hens. Maher stated that if companies did the same to dogs or cats then it would immediately result in cruelty charges. But in the case of the egg industry, it is business as usual. Costco did not issue a direct response to Pitt and Mahers letters. The company did, however, release a statement condemning those who mistreat animals and assured its customers that they are committed to the ethical treatment of animals. The company later agreed to stop selling eggs from caged hens in the United States, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Mexico, Spain, and France. Although this was a step in the right direction, Costco still supports farms that raise caged hens throughout Asia. A look at cage-free eggs There are important differences between hens that are raised in cages and those that have the freedom to roam. Although farmers can better protect and monitor caged hens, putting these birds in tight quarters prevents them from engaging in natural behavior. This includes things like dust bathing, foraging, and walking. The cages also prohibit hens from roosting and nesting, and they normally will not show signs of comfort, like stretching, wagging their tails, shaking, or flapping their wings. In some cages around the world, hens get trapped in the wires and the close quarters result in foot issues and overgrown claws. Cage-free hens, however, are given considerably more space to roam and display all the natural behaviors that caged hens do not. These hens are raised in a different environment, however, then free-range hens, which are given access to an outside area. Although Costco has stopped buying eggs produced by caged hens in western countries, the company has yet to ban the practice in all of its stores around the world something that Matsuura and Aoki addressed in their recent letter. Eleanor Matsuura and Steve Aoki ask Costco to stop selling caged-eggs The letter addressed to Jelinek starts by praising Costcos efforts in eliminating the sales of caged-eggs in stores throughout several western countries. But Matsuura and Aoki took issue with the fact that the company still sells caged-eggs in a handful of countries in Asia. The acclaimed DJ and The Walking Dead star noted that eggs from caged farms are still sold at Costco stores in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. They believe that this contradicts the companys own animal welfare policy, which states that all animals should be allowed the freedom to exhibit natural behavior. It is also a double standard that puts Asian customers at increased risk, the letter continued. As you know, studies from a dozen different research teams including the European Food Safety Authority have found caged egg farms have dramatically higher rates of salmonella contamination than cage-free farms. Matsuura and Aoki went on to say that they believe Asian customers should have the right to buy eggs that are of the same quality as people have access to in the west. They also slammed the companys decision to continue this practice in Asia as unacceptable. The two pointed out that most retailers in Asia have already corrected this issue and that Costco is already behind the curve. Costco has yet to respond to Matsuura and Aokis letter regarding their practice of selling caged-eggs in Asia. Washington: Stating that the Government of Pakistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, the US downgraded the south Asian country to the Tier 2 Watch List on the country trafficking scale. The crucial US State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for the year 2020 was published by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday. "The Government of Pakistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so," the report said. " The government significantly decreased investigations and prosecutions of sex traffickers, and Punjab province, where over half of the population resides, continued to disproportionately report nearly all antitrafficking law enforcement efforts, including 98 percent of convictions. As in previous years, only two of Pakistans six provinces convicted any traffickers. Law enforcement efforts against labor trafficking remained inadequate compared to the scale of the problem," said the report. " Unlike the previous reporting period, the government did not take action against credible reports of official complicity in trafficking, and organizations reported official complicity and corruption led to several high-profile trafficking cases being dropped during the year. The government continued to lack overall adequate resources for victim care, and only referred four percent of all victims identified to care," it said. Justifying its decision, the report said: "Therefore Pakistan was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List." Highlighting the condition of women, children and minorities in the country, the report said: " Reports estimate more than 70 percent of bonded laborers in Pakistan are children. Traffickers also target lower-caste Hindus, Christians, and Muslims specifically for forced and bonded labor." " Pakistan is a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced laborparticularly from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Chinese men working in construction may be vulnerable to forced labor in Pakistan. Traffickers exploit women and girlsand, to a lesser extent, boysfrom Afghanistan, Iran, and other Asian countries in sex trafficking in Pakistan," it said. She took a break from posting on Instagram on Saturday after going wild on a huge shopping haul and tiring herself out. And Stacey Solomon made an adorable return to social media on Sunday morning as she blew raspberries in bed with her one-year-old son Rex. The TV star, 30, looked well-rested as she relaxed in a cream top and pretty chain necklace as she snuggled her adorable little boy. She's back! Stacey Solomon, 30, made an adorable return to social media on Sunday after she took a day off to rest following a huge shopping haul which left her feeling 'lethargic' As his mother smiled for the camera, Rex blew raspberries and encouraged Stacey to join in. The brunette beauty penned: 'Missed you all yesterday. But had a lovely lazy day with Hoe and Rex. Ate all the tune pasta we could make and watched TV. 'How are you this morning? Hope youre all ok we are just in bed blowing raspberries.' On Saturday the social media sensation, who often shares snaps of the bargains she has bought or home organisation, announced she would be taking a day off. What a haul: The TV star shared her shopping finds with her fans, including two new swimsuits (left) and a selection of homewear (right) items from Primark Shopping partner: Little Rex also got a treat out of the haul and was full of smiles as he sat next to all of his mum's bags She explained how she was enjoying a 'lazy morning' with her youngest son and wouldn't be sharing any content. Stacey wrote: 'I feel a bit lethargic today, I'm going to have a phone in the draw day and eat everything in the house. Whatever you're doing today I hope you have a lovely day.' The announcement came after the mother-of-three posted pictures of the items she had bought in high street favourites such as Primark and Flying Tiger. Day off: Stacey told her fans that she would be taking Saturday to relax with her family and 'eat everything in the house' These included ice cube moulds, a dust pan and brush and little blue pots and a selection of pretty jewellery - including ankle bracelets - from Primark. Stacey appeared to be chuffed with her bargains and even joked about her new swimsuits possibly causing a 'few pubic hair issues'. It comes after the star and her actor boyfriend Joe Swash left fans in stitches with their bickering on Friday night's episode of Gogglebox. During the show the former Eastenders star, 38, was left grumbling after Stacey's beloved pooch Theo darted for a piece of pepperoni dropped from Joe's pizza. Bargain hunter: The mum-of-three also raided Tiger for some more pretty things (left) and got a fresh pair of white rimmed sunglasses (right) as well as a selection of jewellery Tasty: Stacey wasted no time in putting her new buys to work, using the ice cube moulds to make some fruity breakfast treats on Sunday As the duo settled down to watch clips from this week's TV, they treated themselves to a takeaway and tucked into a pizza, But as Joe enjoyed his Italian treat, a piece of meat fell from his pizza, causing little Theo to jump out of Stacey's lap and in between poor Joe's legs. The I'm A Celebrity star was not impressed at the intrusion and snapped at his girlfriend, telling her to 'get her off me!' He yelled: 'Ouch! It just bit me on the f***ing gooch - get her away from me please!' However, Stacey was clearly unsympathetic to Joe's woes as she replied: 'She wasn't going for your 'gooch', trust me, no-one would want that. You dropped a peperami.' As Joe complained that the pooch had a 'good old bite of it', an unfazed Stacey continued to munch on her own pizza. Ouch! Joe Swash was left cheesed off on the latest installment of Gogglebox on Friday as his girlfriend Stacey's dog bit him 'on the bum' Barking at his former X Factor star girlfriend, Joe fumed: 'You say things like it's my fault! I drop something, your dog bites me. Course it's my fault your dog just bit me on the bum!' But the Loose Women favourite simply retorted: 'She went for the meat, it is your fault.' Joe and Stacey's light-hearted on-screen arguments often leaves fans tickled and the latest installment of the Channel 4 show was no different. Taking to Twitter, fans shared their joy at watching the couple on screen, with one writing: 'I love Stacey and Joe. how funny are they.' Two in five Indian-Americans are worried about their long-term financial stability due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but almost all are changing their lifestyle, according to a first-of-its-kind survey about the contagions impact on the community. Similarly, 30 per cent of the Indian-Americans have had financial impact on their job and internship, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) said in a report on Saturday. According to the report which is based on a recent Covid-19 survey, one in six tested positive or know a family member of the Indian community member who tested positive. However, only a few Indian-Americans faced immigration impacts from this pandemic. FIIDS conducted the survey of Indo-Americans to find out the impact of the Covid-19 on them and the communitys response, said Khanderao Kand, director of FIIDS. This is the first of its kind survey about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic among the Indian-Americans. We found various organisations and individuals from the resilient community went beyond to help the mainstream population with mask, food, medical help and staying arrangement, he said. While five in six Indian-Americans have no change or a positive change to family relationships, one in four feel stressed or hopelessness, according to the survey. Almost all (Indian-Americans) are changing their lifestyle, FIIDS said. According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the contagion has infected over 9.9 million people and killed more than 498,000 across the world. The US is the worst affected country with over 2.5 million cases and more than 1,25,000 deaths. The Covid-19, which originated in Chinas Wuhan city in December last year, has also battered the world economy with the International Monetary Fund saying that the global economy is bound to suffer a severe recession. Scientists are racing against time to find a vaccine or medicine for its treatment. Carrington recommends a tight cap on dollar amounts. If you get a call that so-and-so cant make rent this month, and you have $35,000 in emergency funds and the rent is $2,000, you could draw a red line where you say, I cant get below $25,000 in emergency funds, so I can afford to help you another four months if you need it, but thats as far as I can go, he said. If you have that kind of conversation, youre not in the position where you get a call one day and you have to abruptly say, I cant help anymore. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Americans spend about a third of their adult lives at work. Thats about 90,000 hours spent at your workplace. During the coronavirus pandemic these nearly four months, your workplace has often been your home. But even in the most trying circumstances, Northeast Ohios Top Workplaces are aiming to keep their employees happy. Happy employees are loyal and successful, creative and productive. They feel supported by their managers and optimistic about the future. And that makes those 90,000 hours much more pleasant. For the 11th straight year, cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer are celebrating Northeast Ohios Top Workplaces through a partnership with Energage, a culture technology firm that specializes in employee engagement and workplace improvement research. These workplaces clearly value their employees, with perks, flexibility and ownership. Were featuring a record 175 companies in 2020. The list is made up of nonprofits, firms, schools and other organizations, from the Digital Print Solutions in Richfield with 40 employees to the Cleveland Clinic, with more than 40,000 employees in dozens of locations. This year has been challenging for both employers and their employees. About 1.3 million of Ohios 11.75 million residents have filed for unemployment since the coronavirus crisis led Gov. Mike DeWine to shut down non-essential businesses and issue a stay-at-home" order in March. Thats more than the total number of jobless claims filed in the state during the previous three years. But the stories weve compiled from workplaces throughout Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit and Wayne counties will make you smile. Before the pandemic, Anderson-DeBose Co. threw a prom-like banquet at a country club for employees and their guests -- and even covered overnight hotel stays. Marcus Thomas offers flexible work schedules and whatever vacation time employees want to take. And the Garland Co. gives employees stock options, plus lunch with the company president each year. Quicken Loans, Anderson-DeBose Co. and Tendon Manufacturing took our top spots this year for large, mid-size and small workplaces. But the list of Top Workplaces 2020 is vast, covering construction businesses, law firms, schools, hospitals, banks, consultants, social service agencies, manufacturers, Fortune 500 companies and more. We have secrets of success from companies that have made the list all 11 years, plus quotes from employees on why they love their jobs. And we have wisdom from companies on how theyve adapted to the changing, challenging world of the coronavirus pandemic. All of these workplaces value their employees. Replacing Sir Mark Sedwill as national security adviser with Boris Johnson's chief negotiator in Europe effectively sets a hard deadline on Brexit trade talks, Downing Street said last night. David Frost, a career diplomat, will move to his new role by the beginning of September. This means that talks with Brussels over a free trade deal will have to be completed by the end of August at the latest. If no agreement is reached by then, the UK will leave without a deal when the transition period ends on December 31. The Government hopes the deadline will increase pressure on EU leaders to make concessions which would make it easier to seal a free trade deal. The Prime Minister's decision to appoint two successors to Sir Mark a new national security adviser and a new Cabinet Secretary is designed to ensure Britain can play a major part on the world stage. Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost (pictured) will take over as National Security Advisor from September, Boris Johnson confirmed today In another break from tradition, Mr Frost's is a political appointment rather than a civil service one meaning he is more akin to a special adviser. Regarded as a close associate of Dominic Cummings, the 55-year-old has no previous national security experience. However, he will now be the principal adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on national security strategy, policy and planning for emergencies. It is unclear who will step into the Cabinet Secretary position from September, but Simon Case is hotly tipped to be gearing up for a promotion. Mr Case was appointed permanent secretary in No10 amid the coronavirus crisis. Mr Frost is currently the Prime Minister's Europe Adviser and the UK's Chief Negotiator, having previously served as Special Adviser to Mr Johnson when he was Foreign Secretary. Speaking after news of his appointment today, Mr Frost said he will 'of course remain Chief Negotiator for the EU talks and these will remain my top single priority until those negotiations have concluded, one way or another.' Born in Derby, Mr Frost won a scholarship to Nottingham High School before going on to study French and history at St John's College, Oxford. He joined the Foreign Office in 1987, with his first posting taking him to the British High Commission in Cyprus. Sir Mark Sedwill (pictured), who currently acts as NSA and Cabinet Secretary, announced he will step down from both roles later this year after more than 30 years in Government service The Prime Minister's decision to appoint two successors to Sir Mark a new national security adviser and a new Cabinet Secretary is designed to ensure Britain can play a major part on the world stage In 1993 he experienced his first taste of working with the EU when he was posted to Brussels as first secretary for economic and financial affairs. He was then sent to the United Nations. Between 2006 and 2008 he was Britain's ambassador to Denmark before becoming the UK's most senior trade policy official in the business department. He left the diplomatic service in 2013 to head the Scotch Whisky Association but when Mr Johnson became foreign secretary he returned to government as his special adviser. He also served as a member of the advisory council of Open Europe, a Eurosceptic think-tank. When Mr Johnson became Prime Minister, Mr Frost came back on board and duly negotiated the deal which enabled Britain to leave the EU at the end of January. Speaking of his appointment, he said: 'I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed the next National Security Adviser. I look forward to helping deliver the Prime Minister's vision for a global Britain, with real influence around the world. Mr Frost is currently the Prime Minister's Europe Adviser and the UK's Chief Negotiator, having previously served as Special Adviser to Mr Johnson when he was Foreign Secretary Both Sir Mark (pictured with Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Matt Hancock and Therese Coffey) and Mr Frost are to be awarded life peerages, elevating them to the House of Lords 'My aim is to support the Prime Minister in setting a new strategic vision for Britain's place in the world as an independent country after the end of the EU transition period, and in championing that vision as we strengthen our international relationships. 'To do this effectively we need to strengthen and refocus our international policy apparatus, to ensure that we keep pace with others in the world. The creation of the new Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office is one important step in this. 'Implementing the Integrated Review of our international capability, and making sure we use the National Security Council to drive its results, are also essential and I look forward to leading both. 'I will of course remain Chief Negotiator for the EU talks and these will remain my top single priority until those negotiations have concluded, one way or another.' Announcing the appointment on Sunday, Mr Johnson praised Mr Frost as 'an experienced diplomat, policy thinker and proven negotiator.' 'He negotiated the deal that finally enabled us to leave the EU in January and in his new role I am confident he will make an equal difference to this country's ability to project influence for the better,' he said. Pictured: Sir Mark with Prime Minister Boris Johnson inside 10 Downing Street in July last year 'I have asked David to help me deliver this Government's vision for Britain's place in the world and to support me in reinvigorating our national security architecture and ensuring that we deliver for the British people on the international stage.' Both Sir Mark and Mr Frost are to be awarded life peerages, Downing Street confirmed, elevating them to the House of Lords. News of his new job follows Angela Merkel's warning that Britain will have to 'live with the consequences' of Mr Johnson's plan to ditch close economic ties with the EU. Amid deadlock over whether Britain must comply with the bloc's state aid rules and environmental, social and labour standards in return for a free trade deal, the German Chancellor said: 'We need to let go of the idea that it is for us to define what Britain should want. That is for Britain to define and we, the EU27, will respond appropriately.' Mr Frost will take over the NSA role from Sir Mark, who was appointed by Theresa May in 2017 and made Cabinet Secretary a year later. He was permitted to keep both jobs despite criticism. The Thunder Bay Museum will be hosting a travelling quilt exhibit starting Jan. 31. The exhibit, titled Threads of Hope, explores hope, longing and desire for the future of the world. Fibre Art Network artists express world issues through their work in the exhibit. Each artwork is connected Television host Tracy Grimshaw revealed why she hasn't been on air for two weeks. Television host Tracy Grimshaw has revealed the painful reason she hasn't been on air for two weeks. The Channel 9 interviewer and A Current Affair host posted a photo of her leg in a moon boot to Instagram. Ms Grimshaw, 60, jokingly asked 'does my foot look big in this?' before revealing that the pain in her 'limpy left ankle' was actually caused by a fracture. 'Took last week off to have a birthday and ended up seeing a physio about limpy left ankle that wasn't getting better after weeks,' she wrote. 'Found out today fractured so that explains why so ouchy.' In an article for 9 Now, the award-winning journalist revealed she unknowingly walked around with the fracture for three weeks while recovering from knee surgery. Ms Grimshaw, 60, jokingly asked 'does my foot look big in this?' before revealing that the pain in her 'limpy left ankle' was actually caused by a fracture Ms Grimshaw explained she tore the cartilage in her knee four months ago. While she underwent an operation to repair the damage, the presenter didn't follow up with physiotherapy. 'The knee didn't get much better (duh) and one day it gave out as I stepped up an embankment at home and I fell and broke my foot,' she wrote. 'Except I didn't want the foot to be broken and I reasoned it couldn't be broken because I could still walk on it. So I dopily limped around - for three weeks - before finally getting an X-ray.' Ms Grimshaw said that her attempts to move around on crutches are hampered by a 30-year-old injury in her other knee. She vowed to attend physiotherapy and thanked Today host Karl Stefanovic for taking her shifts on the current affairs program (pictured: Ms Grimshaw hosting A Current Affair) 'My other knee doesn't accommodate the crutch-hop very well, so the only way for me to really get off this foot is to - well - get off my feet.' She vowed to attend physiotherapy and thanked Today host Karl Stefanovic for taking her shifts on the current affairs program. The veteran host lives on acreage around the outskirts of Sydney. Fans flocked to the comments section of the Instagram post to wish her a speedy recovery. 'Gracious, take care Tracy, see you back at 7pm soon,' one user wrote. 'Gotta love the moonboot, fond memories, not,' another joked. 'Enjoy your time off as best you can.' Eskom has condemned a hostage incident in Zonkizizwe, Ekhurhuleni where its employees were forced by customers to unlawfully restore supply. Eskom is currently implementing load reduction in many high-density areas in Gauteng that are prone to illegal connections, meter bypasses and vandalism of electricity infrastructure. The power utility explained the illegal connections cause extreme network overloading, power failures, and damage to its infrastructure. On Sunday the power utility implemented load reduction in Cosmo City, Diepsloot, Ivory Park, Orange Farm, Sebokeng, and Soweto. These communities are now fighting back against the clampdown by attacking Eskom technicians who are trying to address the problem. Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha told ENCA apart from the hostage situation, their technicians were also attacked in Diepsloot and Bronkhorstspruit recently. The company said it is committed to protect its employees and assets and will not allow communities to put undue pressure on Eskom or its employees in any way. Illegal connections and tampered meters will first be removed, and audits conducted before supply is restored, Eskom said. Nothing new The adversarial relationship between Eskom and communities where illegal connections are commonplace is not new. Earlier this year Eskom started to disconnect various areas in Soweto because of non-payment and illegal connections. Residents struck back through widespread protests and by reconnecting themselves to the grid again. These illegal connections include wiring directly from streetlights and running wires directly from their homes to the distribution boxes. To ensure their illegal connections stay up, groups of residents guarded electrical boxes to prevent Eskom employees from disconnecting them again. Eskom Twitter posts 2/2 Eskom is committed to protect its employees and assets and will not allow communities to put undue pressure on Eskom or its employees in any way. Illegal connections and tampered meters will first be removed and audits conducted before supply is restored. Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) June 28, 2020 Sikonathi Mantshantsha interview A second round of fiscal stimulus in the latter part of the financial year may help arrest the strong contractionary momentum in the Indian economy, and a borrowing-based full implementation of 111 lakh crore is needed to restore growth and generate tangible employment, consultancy firm EY India said in its latest edition of Economy Watch report. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman made the announcement of the first stimulus on March 26 to immediately provide relief to the poor through direct cash assistance, free food grains, and cooking gas to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. It was followed by monetary measures announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to infuse liquidity in the system. Sitharaman announced a five-part stimulus package between May 13 and May 17, providing credit guarantee to the industry along with far-reaching policy reforms. The government said the total value of all announcements since March 26, including RBIs monetary measures, was 20.97 lakh crore. The report said Indias growth projections by global institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and Asian Development Bank (ADB) had been downwardly revised despite a series of measures to stimulate the economy between March end to mid-May. It added it shows that the package had only a limited impact in reversing the contractionary momentum, which mainly relates to the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of Covid-19. The World Bank on June 8 projected Indias FY21 growth to contract by 3.2%, a downward revision from its earlier forecast of 2.2% on April 12. IMFs World Economic Outlook Update on June 24 also sharply revised down its earlier growth projection of 1.9% for India to (-)4.5% in FY21. ADB revised its projection even more sharply from its earlier 4.0% to (-)4.0% on June 10. DK Srivastava, the chief policy advisor at EY India, said the downward revisions in growth forecasts by international agencies came after factoring in the stimulus packages announced by RBI and the finance ministry by mid-May. Clearly, these stimulus packages were not considered to be enough to reverse the contractionary momentum of the Indian economy, he said. Citing global rating agency Fitchs report this month Coronavirus Macro Policy Responses Unprecedented: Tracking Policy Easing in the Fitch-20 Countries he said, In the case of new fiscal measures, India was placed last but one after Mexico. Indias fiscal measures amounted to only 1.1% of GDP [gross domestic product]... whereas the largest fiscal injection was given by Brazil at 13.5%, followed by the US at 11.5%. In the category relating to monetary easing, India was placed well below a number of countries such as Turkey, South Africa, Brazil, the US, Canada, Mexico, and Poland. Indias rate reduction amounted to 115 basis points as compared to 300 basis points for Turkey and 250 basis points for South Africa. He said policymakers are constrained in terms of offering larger stimuli because of a number of India-specific challenges particularly since the growth had slowed even before the Covid-19 crisis and there was a contraction in gross tax revenues. The report foresees a need to have another stimulus measure with more focus on capital expenditure. A second round of fiscal stimulus in the latter part of the fiscal year may help arrest the strong contractionary momentum in the Indian economy. There is also scope to further reduce the repo rate, Srivastava said. It is not only the size of the fiscal stimulus but also its composition in terms of low multiplier expenditures [revenue expenditures] viz-a-viz high multiplier expenditures [capital expenditures], which matter. The report acknowledges that lower revenue collection would constrain the Centres fiscal capacity to announce a larger stimulus. In order to break out from the vicious circle of low tax revenue-low fiscal stimulus-low real and nominal GDP growth in addition to coping with COVID-19, the Centre has to develop a strategy which requires a borrowing-based full implementation of NIP [National Infrastructure Pipeline], it said. Sitharaman in December unveiled the 102 lakh crore NIP for economic and social infrastructure in line with the aim to make India a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25. CA Vijay Kumar Gupta, former Central Council Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), said, It is too early to assess the impact of economic stimuli announced so far. However, more fiscal and monetary interventions will be required to bring the economy back on track. Dozens of filmmakers and critics have offered condolences over the loss of the popular writer Renowned Egyptian film critic and journalist Neamat Allah Hussein died early Sunday. Dozens of filmmakers and critics offered their condolences on social media over the loss of the popular figure. "We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return," reads a statement on the Facebook account of the critic announcing her death, adding, The funeral ceremony with take place at the family's cemetery in El-Katameya." The veteran critic wrote a number of cinema criticism books and took part in many domestic and international film festivals, in addition to her writing and holding leading positions in a number of Egyptian newspapers, including Akher Saa. Amir Abaza, head of the Alexandria International Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries, issued a statement mourning the loss of the critic who was honoured during the festival's 2018 edition with a book issued about her impact on criticism, introduced by Syrian writer Lama Tayara. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: STAMFORD The three men accused in the robbery that took the life of Stamford jewelry story owner Mark Vuono are scheduled to be arraigned this week. The session is to take place via a Zoom conference call originating from the Bridgeport Federal Courthouse on Thursday. Federal authorities earlier this month announced that a grand jury in New Haven charged Robert Rallo, 56, of Brooklyn, New York, aided and abetted by Thomas Liberatore, 62, of White Plains, New York, with using a firearm to kill Vuono, 69. The charges could end in life prison sentences or the death penalty for the pair, authorities have said. The indictment also charged Rallo, Liberatore, who is a native of Stamford, and Paul Prosano, of Brooklyn, with interference with commerce by robbery, an offense that carries a maximum prison term of 20 years, and interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum term of 10 years. Vuono was shot and killed on Saturday, March 28. A customer who entered his store, Marco Jewelers, found Vuono lying on the floor in front of an opened safe, according to a statement by police. The attorneys representing the three New York men declined comment on the allegations against them. Bruce Koffsky of Westport is representing Liberatore, Michael Sheehan of New Haven is representing Rallo and Margaret Levy is representing Prosano. Vuonos sister Sandra Bondhus, said his family is watching the case progress. I just talked with my nephew and we agreed that we are happy to learn the case is moving along and going in the right direction, said Bondhus, of Farmington. She also conveyed the familys thanks to the police officers who worked on the case. Id like to give my appreciation and thanks to the Stamford Police Department for their work in getting the investigation to this point, she said adding, Our thanks goes out to them. I feel so badly right now about the police in general. they are really taking it on the chin. They need to be encouraged, praised and appreciated for all they do, really. Bondus said the Sixth Street store where her brother was killed has recently been renovated and reopened by Mark Vuonos son Andrew. Vuonos family said he was just about to retire and turn the business over to his son before he was killed. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Vuono was killed by a gunshot to the head. Police and federal authorities have said video evidence reveals that Prosano drove Rallo and Liberatore in a black Jaguar to Marco Jewelers on the day in question. Rallo and Liberatore then entered the store, police said. Rallo, armed with a handgun, engaged in a physical altercation with Vuono while Liberatore stole items from the display cases, police said. Vuono, who also possessed a firearm, and Rallo struggled next to a large open safe, authorities said. During the struggle, Rallo reached into the safe and pulled out a third firearm, a .357 Magnum revolver. Rallo allegedly shot and killed Vuono with the .357 revolver, according to authorities. The black Jaguar was soon found in Staten Island and was watched by authorities. Two days after the robbery, a black BMW driven by Prosano pulled up beside the Jaguar. Rallo got out of a rear door and got into the Jaguar and drove away, authorities said. Police gave chase, and after he crashed the Jaguar, apprehended Rallo on foot, authorities said. Authorities said they apprehended Prosano after he, too, crashed and tried to flee. A search of the BMW located 63 rings, eight bracelets, two tie pins, an earring and a cuff link, according to authorities. A search of Prosanos Brooklyn residence turned up 23 pairs of earrings and three rings, they said. It is alleged that those items were robbed from Vuono, law enforcement authorities said. Liberatore also was arrested on March 30. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com During the protest at Behala in the southwestern part of the city on Saturday, some agitators claimed they have quit their jobs as Zomato has a sizeable Chinese investment and urged people to stop ordering food via the company. Kolkata: A group of Zomato food delivery platform employees in Kolkata tore and burnt their official T-shirts to protest Chinese investment in the firm. The agitation comes in the backdrop of the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in a clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley on 15 June. During the protest at Behala in the southwestern part of the city on Saturday, some agitators claimed they have quit their jobs as Zomato has a sizeable Chinese investment and urged people to stop ordering food via the company. In 2018, Ant Financial, a part of Chinese major Alibaba, had invested USD 210 million in Zomato for a 14.7 per cent stake. The food delivery major recently raised an additional USD 150 million from Ant Financial. Chinese companies are making profits from here and attacking the Army of our country. They are trying to grab our land. This cannot be allowed, one of the protesters said. Another protester said they were ready to starve but would not work for companies that have investment from China. In May, Zomato laid off 520 employees or 13 per cent of its workforce in a huge retrenchment exercise due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. There was no immediate reaction from Zomato and whether the protesters were among those who were retrenched was not known. Center Bolsters Efforts for COVID Management in Delhi India PIB Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Diagnostic material for 4.7 lakh RT-PCR tests, and 50,000 Rapid Antigen Test Kits supplied Free of Cost to Delhi Govt by ICMR "Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre" at Chhattarpur, a 2000-bedded facility, to be operated by Medical and other Personnel of Central Armed Police Forces Posted On: 27 JUN 2020 11:01AM by PIB Delhi The Centre has been supporting States/UTs in their endeavours for combating the COVID-19 outbreak. The Central Government has extended substantial support to NCT of Delhi for containment and management of COVID-19. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has supplied diagnostic material for carrying out 4.7 lakh RT-PCR tests to the 12 functional labs in Delhi, till date. It has also provided 1.57 lakh RNA extraction kits essential for carrying out the test and 2.84 lakh VTMs (Viral Transport Medium) and swabs for collection of Covid-19 samples. Looking at the sudden surge of cases, ICMR has approved Antigen-based Rapid tests and supplied 50,000 such Antigen Rapid Test Kits to Delhi Government for supporting COVID-19 containment efforts. ICMR has provided all these test kits free of cost to Delhi. National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has supported the efforts of Delhi Government through technical guidance on all aspects of COVID-19 Surveillance and Response Strategy. The areas include identification and assessment of quarantine facilities and COVID Care Centres (CCC) in the beginning of epidemic; orientation trainings and technical support on surveillance, contact tracing and lab aspects including infection prevention and control; data analysis and timely feedback to the Delhi Government on the gaps identified and suggested solutions. NCDC has also provided laboratory diagnostic support for processing of samples by RT-PCR including trainings of lab professionals of Delhi Government. Technical support by NCDC included deployment of multiple Central Teams of experts for situational analysis and subsequent recommendations accordingly; deployment of public health experts to coordinate and provide technical inputs to district level teams in implementation of revised Delhi COVID Response Plan; and planning and execution of Sero-prevalence study on COVID 19 in Delhi. The Revised Delhi COVID Response Plan has been prepared with the active support of NCDC. NCDC will also conduct a Serological Survey across Delhi from 27th June 2020 to 10th July 2020. Blood samples from 20,000 persons will be tested to ascertain the presence of anti-bodies. As an effort to bolster the containment measures in NCT of Delhi, a 10,000-bedded "Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre" is being developed at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Chhatarpur, Delhi. The entire operation of this Centre, including ensuring availability of requisite numbers of medical personnel, has been entrusted to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) taking the lead in this process. Around 2,000 beds are being made operational. A 1000- bedded new green field hospital construced by DRDO and manned by doctors and paramedical staff from Army would start functioning next week from an area near Dhaula Kuan. This new field hospital would have a referral relationship with AIIMS, New Delhi. The hospital would be equipped with oxygen, ventilators as well as an ICU. The Government of India has centrally procured and distributed 11.11 lakh N95 masks, 6.81 lakh PPE kits, 44.80 lakhs HCQ tablets in Delhi. 425 ventilators were allocated to Delhi and all have been delivered to various hospitals of GNCT. Delhi has 34 Dedicated COVID Hospitals (DCH), 4 Dedicated COVID Health Centres (DCHC), 24 Dedicated COVID Centers (DCCC) to treat COVID-19 patients according to their severity. Thus, a total of 62 facilities in Delhi are engaged in treating COVID-19. The number of these facilities is being increased on a daily basis. Delhi Government has been advised to conduct assessment in respect of every dead individual (from COVID-19) as regards how many days before death the person was brought to hospital and from where. A special focus has to be given about whether the person was in home isolation and whether the person was brought to hospital at the right time or not. Every death has to be reported in a timely manner to Government of India. All hospitals have been given strict directions that there should be no delays in handing over the dead bodies to their next of kin and performing last rites of COVID-19 deceased patients. **** MV/SG (Release ID: 1634704) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Qualcomm Vietnam Company Limited has launched a new research and development (R&D) facility in Hanoi. The new office of Qualcomm (Photo tapchicongthuong.vn) It is also the company's first R&D facility in Southeast Asia. The new office will address requests from partner companies as well as government agencies. With a large area and number of engineers and developers, the new facility will help meet the growing demand for high-quality products and services in Vietnam. It will also provide high-end testing services to Qualcomm Technologies' domestic manufacturers including VinSmart, BKAV and Viettel, to develop and manufacture high-quality equipment quality meeting international standards. Thieu Phuong Nam, Country Director of Qualcomm Technologies in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, said the launch of the new office was the next step for cooperation between Qualcomm and the Vietnamese technology industry. With an enhanced technical team and an expanded facility, the firm will be able to take advantage of new opportunities, helping their original equipment manufacturers to patent, develop and commercialise 'Make in Viet Nam' devices to meet international standards, said Nam. The new facility consists of three laboratories. The radiofrequency lab supports various development activities including design evaluation and calibration. The second is for power consumption and performance metrics testing. The last one is an image service laboratory providing services on adjusting and testing cameras and gauging image quality. As a leader in wireless technology, Qualcomm has worked in the Vietnamese mobile ecosystem for years. The company established its first office in Hanoi in 2003 and then in HCM City in 2014./. Guo Xinshe, head of Henan Haoyun Musical Instruments Company, checks products in a workshop in Queshan County, Central China's Henan Province. [China Women's News] Guo Xinshe, a woman from Queshan County, Central China's Henan Province, expects that the two generations in her hometown will work together to make a better violin production base deserving of a high reputation. Guo, who was one member of the key managerial personnel in her former employer in Guangzhou, capital city of South China's Guangdong Province, is now general manager of Henan Haoyun Musical Instrument Company, a leading one in the local violin industrial park. After quitting her job in Guangzhou in 2015, Guo returned home and started a business jointly with a friend. "The outside world is wonderful, but revitalizing the homegrown industry and helping local villagers become rich has always been my concern," she said. Guo's hometown has benefited a lot from the violin industry. Currently, there are 102 violin companies in the local area, creating an annual output of about 400,000 instruments valued at about 600 million yuan (US $84.58 million). Thanks to the preferential policies and Guo's rich experience, her company achieved rapid development in the past five years. It perseveres in making high-quality products which require more than 40 traditional manual processes to be completed in 12 workshops, as machines can only make low-end products. At present, more than 80 percent of the company's violins are exported to 20 or so countries such as Italy, Germany, France and Spain. The company has furnished employment to nearly 200 villagers, helping more than 80 families in the county escape poverty. "Our generation produced instruments for a living. I hope that the younger generation can learn more about the musical culture for higher pursuits. They are expected to not only produce musical instrument, but also know how to play and tune them," said Guo. In this context, Guo has provided four local schools with violins and cellos free of charge for many years to popularize musical activities. Guo is proud of her diligent fellows. The only thing that concerns her now is education for local children. "If the youngsters are versed in playing and tuning the violin, we will not only have a say in pricing, but can also further expand our own brand." Local women make violins at a workshop in Queshan County, Central China's Henan Province. [China Women's News] Local children study violin at a music room. [China Women's News] (Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China) Its owner Quaker oats is planning to change the brand name since its origins are based on a racial stereotype. 2. Thanks to Covid-19, the demand for this product that was registered as a brand by a German company in the early 1930s is soaring. It was born out of an accident when a sample of a monomer was stored in a bottle placed by a window in this companys labs. A polymerisation reaction ... 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 Karl Stefanovic's wife Jasmine Yarbrough is enjoying a getaway in Queensland with her two-month-old daughter Harper May. The 36-year-old is believed to have driven to the state with her parents and her baby girl to visit family. On Saturday, the new mother was spotted unloading several suitcases from her car, shortly after arriving to her destination. Getaway! Karl Stefanovic's wife Jasmine Yarbrough kept warm in a jumper as she visited her family in Queensland with her two-month-old daughter Harper May on Saturday Visit: The 36-year-old is believed to have driven to the state with her parents and her baby girl to visit family Jasmine looked comfortable and kept warm in a black jumper, green tights and a pair of black sneakers. She tied her blonde hair in a bun and wore no makeup as she unloaded her suitcases from her white Range Rover. Jasmine held her daughter's portable sleeper in one hand and her Louis Vuitton bag, which retails for $2,180, in the other. Her husband Karl has remained in Sydney to continue working as a co-host on Nine's Today show. Busy at work: She was spotted unloading several suitcases from her car, shortly after arriving to her destination Comfortable: Jasmine tied her blonde hair in a low bun and wore no makeup as she unloaded her suitcases from her car Style: Jasmine looked comfortable and kept warm in a black jumper, green tights and a pair of black sneakers In April, the couple purchased a $3.6million beachside property in Noosa, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The Today host and his shoe designer wife are planning to spend more time relaxing at their holiday home with their daughter, The Courier Mail reported. It is less than 30 minutes from Sunshine Coast Airport for when Karl needs to jet back to Sydney to film Channel Nine's Today show. The Stefanovics have strong links to Queensland and celebrated New Year's Eve with their families in Noosa. Karl studied journalism in Queensland and started his career in Rockhampton, while, Jasmine's family still lives in Brisbane. Busy mum: Jasmine was spotted holding her daughter's portable sleeper in one hand and her Louis Vuitton bag, which retails for $2,180, in the other Jasmine and Today host Karl, 45, welcomed their daughter Harper on May 1. She was born at Sydney's North Shore Private Hospital. In a statement to the Today show at the time, Karl said: 'Harper and Jasmine are doing well and dad had a great night's sleep.' He added: 'I am in awe. Harper is absolutely perfect.' The happy news was also announced on Weekend Today on Saturday May 2, by Karl's colleague and close friend, Richard Wilkins. Time apart: Jasmine's husband Karl has remained in Sydney to continue working as a co-host on Nine's Today show Growing family: Jasmine and Today host Karl, 45, welcomed Harper on May 1. She was born at Sydney's North Shore Private Hospital Richard confirmed that Harper weighed 2.9kg at the time of her birth and was born the day prior, just after midday. Karl met Jasmine in late 2016, five months after his split from his wife of 21 years, Cassandra Thorburn. The new couple wed in a lavish ceremony at the One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, in December 2018. Karl is already a father to three children shared with Cassandra: son Jackson, 20, daughter Ava, 14, and son River, 12. Holiday home: In April, the couple purchased a $3.6million beachside property in Noosa, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast Holly Willoughby gushed she 'can't wait to snuggle' her friend Dermot O'Leary's new baby after the presenter announced the birth of his son on Saturday. Dermot, 47, was delighted to reveal the exciting news with his wife Dee Koppang as he shared the announcement on Instagram. Commenting on the post, Holly said: 'Congratulations Love you both Welcome to the world Koppang O'Leary, can't wait for snuggles.' Exciting news: Holly Willoughby has gushed she 'can't wait for snuggles' with Dermot O'Leary's new baby The pair are close friends and Dermot was even an usher at Holly's wedding in 2007 to Dan Baldwin. Dermot posted a photo of a babygro on Saturday to share his news, with 'Koppang O'Leary Productions Est. 2020' written across it. He wrote: 'We're delighted to announce that we've had a baby! A little boy born on Tuesday 23rd June 2020 (Sankthansaften / Midsummer for you Norwegians) at 8.19am, weighing in at 6lb 13oz. Baby news! The presenter took to Instagram to announce the news as he said he was 'enjoying the cuddles in a new born bubble' Close: The presenting pair, pictured in 2008, are good friends are Dermot was even at usher at Holly's wedding in 2007 'Enjoying the cuddles in the newborn bubble... cats yet to be 100% convinced. Lots of love, Dermot & Dee x.' Others stars to send their congratulations to Dermot and Dee included Scarlett Moffatt, Laura Whitmore, Daisy Lowe and Rochelle Humes. Just a day before their son was born, Dermot revealed that he and Dee were celebrating their impending arrival with a 'summer solstice' theme baby shower. Sharing the love: A number of famous faces including Laura Whitmore, Lisa Faulkner and Scarlett Moffatt shared their congratulations Oh baby! Dermot, 47, and his wife Dee Koppang, 41, have become parents for the first time after welcoming a baby boy on Tuesday Dermot and his wife Dee announced in February that they were expecting their first child together. Taking to Instagram, they shared a fun picture of a message board decorated with a floral wreath which said 'Koppang O'Leary productions' would be welcoming a 'new arrival coming soon'. In the post Dermot penned: 'We're pleased to announce that we're expecting a little Koppang O'Leary...' Lovely: Dermot and his wife Dee announced in February that they were expecting their first child together Dee debuted her baby bump for the first time at the British Academy Film Awards 2020 Nominees' Party in February. Since then, the private couple have shared rare glimpses of Dee's pregnancy during lockdown. In April, the Norwegian producer and director showcased her growing baby bump as she revealed she had to do Dermot's hair and make-up for the One World Together highlights show. Dee joked: 'No pressure... had to do @radioleary hair & make up for tonight's @bbcone @glblctzn live show... (7.15pm). 'Apologies in advance if he looks orange on the show There's only so much @sarahexley1 could teach me on a Zoom tutorial...' Big news: Dee debuted her baby bump for the first time at the British Academy Film Awards 2020 Nominees' Party in February (pictured) The presenter's news sparked a slew of congratulatory posts from stars including Holly, Tamzin Outhwaite and Ruth Langsford. Dermot tied the knot with Dee in 2012 after ten years together at St Mary's Church in Chiddingstone, Kent. It proved to be a star-studded occasion with guests including Holly Willoughby, James Corden and Bear Grylls. In 2015 Dermot hinted that he was ready to start a family with wife Dee, telling Fabulous Magazine: 'I definitely want kids, but I've got a very busy wife with a very busy life. Baby joy: Since then, the private couple have shared rare glimpses of Dee's pregnancy during lockdown (pictured at the BAFTAs in February) 'It's not fair for me to say, ''I want kids now''. I do want kids with my wife, but I want them when we both think it's the right thing to happen.' Late last year ahead of his seventh wedding anniversary, Dermot also spoke about the secret to his happy relationship, telling Fabulous: 'It's a work in progress, isn't it? 'The key for me is giving each other space, not giving each other a hard time and actually having fun together. And we do.' Dermot and Dee met in 2002 when they worked for the same TV production company, and got engaged in New York in December 2011. 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. Single-member electorates have been found to hand a clear advantage to big parties like Labor and the Liberals while discouraging independents, women and minority candidates from running in fiercely fought, winner-takes-all contests. Loading The Municipal Association of Victoria, local government womens advocates, rural and metropolitan councils and even members of the ministers own mayoral advisory panel were against the enforced changes, arguing councils should be free to choose the system that worked best for their residents. Labor pushed Mr Somyureks reforms through State Parliament this year with the support of the Liberal-National Coalition, despite the objections. When the coronavirus crisis struck, many of the same voices then pleaded for the council elections to be postponed, warning the disruption of the pandemic would hinder candidates without access to big-party resources, but Mr Somyurek refused, announcing in May that voting would go ahead on October 24. The former minister made his policy decisions as Victorian Labor worked behind the scenes on a statewide power play aimed at winning control of councils and re-establishing the party as a force at grassroots level. But in the wake of Mr Somyureks dramatic downfall, many in the sector are pushing Mr Leane to review the decisions of the disgraced factional boss, who was sacked from the ministry and out of the Labor Party after explosive revelations of branch stacking. Darebin mayor Susan Rennie Credit:Justin McManus The City of Darebin is one of eight local government areas which will elect new members in October under the single-member system enforced by Labor, with most of the rest of the states councils to follow in 2024. Mayor Susan Rennie says her inner-north municipality is set to be carved up into single-member wards similar to the electoral lines in force in 2004 when every councillor was from the Labor Party. Cr Rennie told The Age she believed the new system, which she and her colleagues opposed, looked designed to create winnable seats for Labor candidates. The balance will be toward people chosen by dubious preselection processes within the Labor Party, the mayor, who is not party-aligned, said. A lot of councillors will be chosen behind closed doors by faceless men. Cr Rennie said she had written to Mr Leane seeking a meeting to ask him to reconsider the single-member ward system. The mayor of Maroondah, another of the group of eight councils, said he too was against Mr Somyureks changes because the current multi-member wards in the outer eastern municipality had the backing of the council and residents. Loading The system we have works, the community is happy with the system, mayor Mike Simon said. Cr Simon said he too would be asking Mr Leane to reconsider the changes made by Mr Somyurek. We will be putting in a submission and asking him to listen to our case, he said. Municipal Association of Victoria president Coral Ross, said she and her colleagues had been concerned about the imposition of single-member wards on communities where they were not wanted. We will ask the new Minister of Local Government for no changes to single-member wards for the 2020 elections and with the current increase in COVID-19 numbers, for a reconsideration of holding elections this year, Ms Ross said. Greens local government spokesman Sam Hibbins said Premier Daniel Andrews had allowed Mr Somyurek to open local councils up to control by Labor factions. Its clear that Adem Somyurek wanted to corrupt our local democracy just as he corrupted the Labor Party, Mr Hibbins said. Councils should be places for local people to represent their local communities, not places for factional warlords to wield power. Australian Local Government Womens Association Victorian president Kylie Spears, who was also opposed to mandated single-member wards, said her group was now focused on trying to persuade Mr Leane to follow the example of NSW and put off the local elections until 2022. Loading Cr Spears, who is also planning to personally lobby Mr Leane to reverse Mr Somyureks call on the timing of the election, said Victoria was already lagging behind other states on women on local councils and holding elections during a pandemic would make matters worse. Were going to go backwards with elections this year, Cr Spears said. But a spokeswoman for the state government said it was committed to council elections on October 24 and the new ward system had been devised after talks with the sector. The new ward system is the result of a four-year review of the Local Government Act and was developed through rigorous consultation with councils, peak bodies and the community, the spokeswoman said. Fianna Fail Deputy Leader Dara Calleary will be an integral voice at cabinet, despite not being a senior minister, his colleagues have insisted. Mr Calleary was a shock omission from the ministerial ranks of Micheal Martin's government, though he will sit at cabinet as Chief Whip and junior minister at the Department of the Taoiseach. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who is seen to have gotten the nod ahead of Mr Calleary, said that the Mayo TD would play an important role in the Government. "Every minister is a national minister. The new chief whip Dara Colleary will have a significant role to play in this government. He is an incredibly competent representative who has a lot to offer. "His voice will be front and centre in the new cabinet and balanced regional development is a core value of Fianna Fail." Agriculture Minister Barry Cowen told Newstalk that Mr Calleary will "have other responsibilities" in his role. He said the exact responsibilities of many members of government had yet to be finalised. "The roles within this government are not yet complete. While the Cabinet was appointed yesterday, in relation to our own participation, there was only five seats available. I know Dara Calleary has played a huge role in working with the members and structures within the party to ensure that we were in a position to play a central role in the formation of government and we're indebted to the effort and commitment that he gave for that process. "On reflection when you think about the role of the Chief Whip, especially in a three-party government, it does take certain qualities and skills and I think Dara has those qualities is to ensure this government lasts and that can be effective." Mr Calleary received the backing of the cathaoirleach of his native Mayo, who said that the county had been "let down" by the Cabinet composition. Fianna Fail councillor for Westport Brendan Mulroy described the decision as "disgraceful". "Dara Callery has been a dedicated and loyal FF man through the years and when a lot of people went missing, Dara stepped up to the mark. He has been a team player for Fianna Fail and has helped rebuild the party. "He is a person who has humanity and dignity. Yesterday, Micheal Martin let Dara and us in Mayo down when he did not make Dara a full senior Minister. "I will call it as I see it. It was a disgraceful decision and a missed opportunity for Micheal Martin to ensure delivery to Mayo. Dara there will be another day and until then you can be assured of our support." The anger over Mr Calleary's omission had cast a shadow over Fianna Fail's return to power after nine years. Saturday saw Micheal Martin become the 15th Taoiseach and eighth Fianna Fail leader to also lead the country. Mr Martin described his election as Taoiseach as "the greatest honour that any Irish person could hope for." He said: "I am humbled by the responsibility and I pledge to work night and day with my partners in Government to realise the great potential of our nation." Mr Martin told the Dail that his would be a government focused on rapidly delivering jobs and paid tribute to his Cork upbringing. "There is no time for quietly settling-in. Every minister has a substantial role to play not just in delivering the commitments for the Departments but also in the Governments collective work. "Every day my parents showed us the importance of supporting each other, of tough but fair competition and of the spirit of community. "From my late father we learned not just of the great sporting achievements he saw, we learned of the characters and values of the heroes who were and remain immortal to us. "We learned the importance of persistence, of optimism and of always understanding that Cork will soon win another double." Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Julie Gonzales figures it is about to time to let her sister fly with the angels and be free. She believes the creation of the Womens Memorial Park in memory of the victims of the West Mesa murders gives her a chance to do just that. The park at 118th Street at Amole Mesa Avenue in Southwest Albuquerque was dedicated Saturday morning, 11 years after the bodies of 11 women and an unborn child were found in shallow graves at the site. Its worth the wait, said Gonzales, whose sister, Doreen Marquez, was one of the victims. It gives me a place to hang out. City Councilor Klarissa Pena described the effort to create the park a long haul for the families. Some family members had been missing for as long as 2003, Pena said. Theyve been waiting since 2003 for closure. Pena, along with late City Councilor Ken Sanchez, had been among the leaders of an effort that included other city officials and members of the Legislature. Pena said victims family members were also part of the effort. The family members are the ones who have come together, and they designed this park, she said. They did the markers. They picked their family members tree to represent their loved ones. Other trees are also planted in the park, to represent other women in peril. During his prayer and blessing of the park, Roman Catholic Deacon Juan Barajas said the site had gone from being a place of suffering, pain and death to a reminder of how precious life is. Mayor Tim Keller called the park a place to remember and celebrate the lives of the women who were murdered and said it is also a place for the daughters, sisters, mothers, husbands, neighbors and friends who were left behind. In some ways I think they (the victims) are now helping us, protecting us so that this kind of thing does not happen again, the mayor said. Destiny Marquez, Doreens daughter, said the support the families have received and the fact that people want to recognize the victims means a lot to us. But to Jane Padilla, mother of victim Veronica Romero, the ceremony was bittersweet. Im happy they finally finished it, she said, but Im sad my daughter is not here. Christine Ross and her dog, Ruca who found a bone that led to the discovery of the bodies made the trip from Flagstaff for the ceremony. Ross said she believed divine intervention led them to the bodies to help bring your loved ones home. She expressed hope that the families would finally find justice. Keller said the cases remained open and urged people with information about the murders to contact Crime Stoppers. In addition to Romero and Doreen Marquez, the other victims honored at the park are Jamie Barela, Monica Candelaria, Victoria Chavez, Virginia Cloven, Sylannia Edwards, Cinnamon Elks, Julie Nieto, Evelyn Salazar and Michelle Valdez and her unborn child. Editor : Wang Liyan Source : Xinhua Wurihan, a postgraduate student of the College of Geographical Sciences of Inner Mongolia Normal University, had imagined that her graduation would include talking all night with her classmates about their futures, sharing their stories of the past six months, taking group photos and turning the tassel. She also planned a graduation trip to Southwest China's Yunnan Province with good friends. But things go athwart; many of the plans didn't come true due to the Covid-19 epidemic. However, Wurihan still called on several returning students to put on their academic dresses for a graduation photo shoot. They made a campus tour to the places where they had lived and studied, including classrooms, laboratory, library, dormitory and canteen, bidding farewell to their beloved campus and acquiring unique graduation memories. "The school is the place that every student wants to get back to. We discussed that we would have a long talk all night after being reunited under the same roof. But many of them didn't make it," she said. As a class monitor, she returned to the school at the end of March to help deal with graduation affairs. When she was packing for her roommates, she found a hand-made photo album, which recorded the dribs and drabs of their dorm life and brought comfort to her as she sat alone in the empty room. Wurihan kept in close touch with teachers and classmates, becoming the "liaison and errand runner" of the class. She shuttled between the printing room and the school gate, helping students who could not return to school print papers, fetching delivered goods or handling various affairs. "Being needed and trusted is my greatest reward. Although we can't see each other, our friendship is always there," Wurihan noted, adding that her teachers and classmates thanked her for her hard work and told her to take good care of herself. "It won't be too far to see each other again, and we should struggle on our way and never forget this special summer," Wurihan said. (Source: Xinhua/Translated and edited by Women of China) This is an emergency. Election Day is little more than four months off, voters facing their most important choice since 1860: Donald Trump or America? Its a decision that will define the future. And millions of us wonder if well get to have our say. Such is the state of things seven years almost to the day since the Supreme Court disemboweled The Voting Rights Act of 1965, specifically the section requiring states and municipalities with histories of voting discrimination to obtain federal approval before changing their balloting procedures. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts justified the ruling by pointing out that the racial disparities in voter registration and turnout that existed in 1965 no longer did. In other words, the fact that the Act worked proved it was no longer needed. The ensuing years have made him look like a fool. With the Act out of the way, Republicans have unleashed an explosion of measures - purges, shutdown of early voting, attacks on absentee ballots, closure of polling places - all putatively to fight voter fraud. But in fixing a problem that doesnt exist, the GOP, not accidentally, created one that is very real, making voting an endurance test for people of color. African Americans now wait longer to vote, have fewer places to do so and face more obstacles along the way than they have in 55 years. And suddenly America is the nation that cant vote straight, every Election Day yielding fresh embarrassments. Georgias recent primary, for instance, was a nightmare of closed polling places, broken machines and long lines, prompting one observer to dub it a hot, flaming f---ing mess. Kentucky was never covered by the Act, but perhaps should have been based on its recent primary. The state closed almost all of its nearly 3,700 polling places, leaving voters with just 170, supposedly because of the coronavirus pandemic. Louisville, a city of 620,000 people, nearly one in four of them black, had just one polling place. Enough. This sort of thing is incompatible with representative democracy. It gives the lie to everything America claims to be. And it makes clear that restoring the Voting Rights Act will not be enough. Its time for a new Voting Rights Act, one that in addition to its previous protections, also enshrines the right of voting by mail, restores to ex-felons the right to register and vote, removes the power to draw district lines from politicians and places it with nonpartisan commissions, invalidates photo ID laws and requires that a reasonable number of polling stations and working polling machines be made available. In a democracy that took democracy seriously, none of this would be controversial. In this democracy, the seven years since the Voting Rights Act fell have been met mostly with congressional silence. The Democrats have said little, the Republicans less. The GOPs odds of victory rise as the participation of black voters declines, so their silence makes a certain sense. But Democrats have no excuse. If the party takes control of Congress in November, there will be an understandable push to prioritize issues like police reform or health care. And these things are critical. But nothing is more critical than passage of a new Voting Rights Act. Seven years ago, Rep. John Lewis, one of the heroes of the 1965 campaign, surveyed the damage the court had done and asked plaintively, Can history repeat itself? The answer is yes. The struggle of 55 years ago tells us thats a reason to despair. And paradoxically, also a reason to hope. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 on Saturday reported its highest-ever number of cases - 615, as rising number of infections were reported from Surat and other cities across the state. has been witnessing around 570 to 580 new cases of virus infection per day, since the last couple of days. Of the new cases, Ahmedabad accounted for over a third, at 211. However, the city which was reporting around 300 plus cases daily has seen the number come down to over 200. But Ahmedabad's improvement has been negated by the rising cases elsewhere. Surat, which had recorded its highest number of cases, 182, on Friday, on Saturday breached it to record 184. At the third number, Vadodara, which has a steady daily count of around 45 positive cases, saw 47 new cases added on Saturday. It was followed by Navsari with 21, Mehsana with 16, Bhavnagar with 14, Rajkot with 12, Anand and Kutch with 11 each, Gandhinagar with 9, Bharuch with 8, Jamnagar, Sabarkantha, Chhota Udepur and Surendranagar with seven each, Aravalli, Panchmahals and Valsad with five each, Kheda, Narmada, Amreli and Morbi with 3 each, Botad, Patan, Gir-Somnath and Dahod with 2 each and Banaskantha, Mahisagar, and Tapi one each. One patient was from outside the state. However, one positive development for the last couple of days is that the number of deaths, which had been over 30 for almost entire June so far, have now reduced to under 20. There were 18 deaths on Saturday - 12 in Ahmedabad, two in Surat and a patient each succumbing in Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Botad and Junagadh. With this, the total number of corona death in Ahmedabad has reached 1,413, 148 have died in Surat, 49 in Vadodara, 28 in Gandhinagar, 15 each in Aravalli, Panchmahals and Patan, 13 each in Bhavnagar and Anand and 11 have died in Mehsana. has one of the highest mortality rate for Corona in the country, at 5.81 per cent. With the new cases, the total count of corona infected persons has jumped to 30,773. Ahmedabad has the highest - 20,269, followed by Surat with 4,242, Vadodara with 2,126, Gandhinagar with 625, Mehsana with 251, Rajkot with 240, Bhavnagar with 239, Bharuch with 195, Anand with 193, Aravalli with 192, Jamnagar with 187, Banaskantha with 169, Panchmahals with 168, Sabarkantha with 166, Patan with 164, Kheda with 139, Kutch with 138, Mahisagar with 135 and Surendranagar with 119 cases. On Saturday, the health authorities carried out 5,969 RT-PCR tests, taking the total to 3,57,148. A total of 379 patients were discharged, taking the total to 22,417. The state has 6,566 active cases, out of which the condition of 6,497 is stable, whereas 69 critical patients are still on ventilator. Right now, there are 2,35,954 people quarantined - 2,32,524 at home and 3,430 in government facilities. --IANS amc/vd (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FILE PHOTO: Small bottles labeled with "Vaccine" stickers stand near a medical syringe in front of displayed "Coronavirus COVID-19" words in this illustration By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A pledging summit on Saturday raised 6.15 billion euros ($6.9 billion) to tackle COVID-19. The event was part of a joint initiative by the European Commission and the advocacy group Global Citizen and included a star-studded globally televised and streamed concert. Pledges by the following countries: Belgium - 11.5 million euros to the World Food Programme, 4 million euros to the WHO's COVID-19 solidarity response fund Canada - C$120 million for the ACT Accelerator, C$180 million for COVID-19 humanitarian and development aid Denmark - DKK16 million to the United Nations Population Fund Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - US$25 million towards West Africa's COVID-19 relief and development European Commission jointly with European Investment Bank - 4.9 billion euros to help countries recover from the pandemic Germany - 383 million euros to support the Global Fund's response mechanism and Global Citizen's crisis network Luxembourg - 800,000 euros to the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator Netherlands - 25 million euros for procurement of a vaccine for countries needing it the most Norway - $10 million to vaccine alliance GAVI Qatar - US$10 million to the WHO Serbia - 100,000 euros to vaccine alliance CEPI for vaccine research Spain - 10 million euros to the Coronavirus Global Response initiative Sweden - 46 million euros to the WHO Solidarity Response Fund Switzerland - 20 million euros to ensure equal access to a vaccine and testing United States - $545 million for COVID-19 relief ($1 = 0.8915 euros) (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Frances Kerry) Advertisement Another 36 people have died of coronavirus in hospitals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, taking the total death toll to 43,550. NHS England today confirmed another 18 fatalities in its hospitals, while two more people have died in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. Scotland has recorded no new deaths today, marking three days in a row and the eighth time this month. One expert - Professor Devi Sridhar at Edinburgh University - said Scotland looks on track to be 'Covid-free' by the end of the summer as cases there continue to dwindle. But one of the Government's top scientific advisers warned this morning that England is 'on a knife-edge' as it eases lockdown, with the virus still a serious threat there. Today's death toll is the joint lowest for a Sunday - which are notoriously low - since the day before lockdown started, March 22. It is on par with June 14, when there were also 36, and lower than the 43 recorded last Sunday, June 21. Another 901 people tested positive for the coronavirus yesterday, meaning Britain has now had 310,250 confirmed cases of the virus, although the true number is expected to be higher than five million. This comes as the global number of cases today surpassed the staggering milestone of 10million, as deaths come close to 500,000. The NHS in England today confirmed that 18 more people died between June 1 and yesterday, June 27, with eight of those deaths happening on Friday. The numbers of people dying in English hospitals continue to fall steadily: on Monday June 22, the last day for which data is reliable, 39 people died, compared to 52 a week earlier on the 15th, and 68 on the 8th a week before that. England's death toll is falling slower than other countries' in the UK - around 85 per cent of Britain's population of 66million people lives there. A total of 1,544 people have died in English hospitals so far in June, compared to a total of 120 in all settings in Scotland. Scotland, as a result, looks on course to eliminate the virus in the next couple of months, according to one scientist. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said getting as close as possible to not having the virus at all in Scotland was her priority. But the nation will have to cope with the coronavirus continuing to spread in England and Wales and the very real risk of travellers bringing it into the country. Professor Devi Sridhar, a public health expert at the University of Edinburgh, said the nation could be Covid-free by the end of summer. Only eight people were diagnosed with Covid-19 in Scotland yesterday and the Edinburgh expert said the country was on track to be 'Covid-free' within months. Professor Sridhar told the BBC: 'At that point the risk to people's daily lives becomes negligible. I think Scotland is on track to eliminate coronavirus by the end of the summer.' Professor Devi Sridhar (left) said she thinks Scotland is on course to be 'Covid-free' by the end of the summer, while Sir Jeremy Farrar (right) has warned England is in a 'very precarious' situation Professor Sridhar advises the Scottish Government and has backed its decision not to lift lockdown and reopen pubs and shops, as Boris Johnson is doing in England. LOCAL LOCKDOWN LOOMS IN LEICESTER Leicester could be the first British city to go into a local lockdown after a spike in coronavirus cases there in June, Home Secretary Priti Patel has confirmed as the Government is offering the council there special support. There have reportedly been a surge of more than 600 in cases in just two weeks this month in the East Midlands city, which is home to around 340,000 people. The city had 271 Covid-19 deaths up to June 12. Leicester could face stricter lockdown rules as soon as next week if the Covid-19 situation does not come under control, meaning it could miss out on the mass easing expected for next Saturday, when pubs are set to reopen. The Department of Health said it has sent extra testing units to Leicester to try and get on top of the virus and urged residents there to be strict about social distancing and washing their hands. Home Secretary Priti Patel said on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show this morning it was 'correct' that a local lockdown was on the cards, adding: 'With local flare-ups it is right we have a localised solution'. She added: 'We have seen flare-ups across the country in recent weeks, in just the last three or four weeks in particular.' The MP for Leicester East, Claudia Webbe, has actively called for her constituency to be locked down and for her constituents to stay home, saying schools and a supermarket have had to close because the virus is out of control there. The Labour slammed the Government's social distancing rules as 'at best confusing'. However the Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, said the council is not aware of any immediate plans for an isolated lockdown in the city and that suggestions it was set for next week were 'speculative'. A scientist in Nottingham said trying to lock down the city on its own would be fraught with difficulty because it sprawls into neighbouring villages and council boundaries can cut through the middle of a street. Professor Keith Neal said: ' If Leicester is locked down, how much of the surrounding area do you include? A quick view at the satellite picture demonstrates this problem... many [people] would not actually know where they are.' Advertisement She added: 'I don't think we'll ever get to zero cases... but I think the closest we get is to say we keep pushing for zero and you keep dealing with these flare-ups.' The presence of the virus in England, Wales and Northern Ireland means even if Scotland eliminates Covid-19 from its own population, other people will bring it back unless it closes its borders indefinitely. Coronavirus appears to be only just under control in England, with one of the Government's leading scientific advisers, Sir Jeremy Farrar, admitting the country is in a 'very precarious' situation. A surge in infections in Leicester has led the Government to consider imposing the first local lockdown on the city within days. Home Secretary Priti Patel this morning admitted it was 'correct' that officials were considering putting stricter rules into force in Leicester than elsewhere in England. She said on The Andrew Marr Show: 'We have seen flare-ups across the country in recent weeks, in just the last three or four weeks in particular. 'There will be support going into Leicester and in fact the Health Secretary was in touch with many of us over the weekend explaining some of the measures, the support on testing, resources that will go into the local authority as well. 'With local flare-ups it is right we have a localised solution in terms of infection control'. Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the London-based research charity the Wellcome Trust, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said he was 'worried' about the prospect of the virus returning. He said he expects the number of people getting diagnosed with the virus to rise in the next couple of weeks and into July. Next Saturday, July 4, is expected to see the biggest loosening of lockdown rules since March in England as pubs reopen and people are allowed to mix with other households. Sir Jeremy said the country faces a 'very precarious situation' and examples are already emerging of people flouting social distancing rules. Crowds were pictured packed onto Bournemouth beach last week, the police have broken up raves and parties in London and Liverpool FC fans celebrating the team's Premier League win have been partying in the streets against official advice. The Wellcome Trust chief said it will be even harder to control a second spike in the winter when people struggle to distinguish Covid-19 from a cold or flu. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that people would have to think more carefully about going into work when they were sick because of the risk it could be coronavirus. The Department of Health has diagnosed an average of 1,018 cases of Covid-19 per day over the last week, the lowest weekly average since the end of March. But there are still believed to be tens thousands of people infected with the virus - the Office for National Statistics estimates around 51,000 at any given time. The ONS this week warned that the decline in the number of people getting infected - which had been rapid since May - has now 'levelled off'. This means that the outbreak is not shrinking as fast as it was before and there's a risk it could start to rise again. This is likely because lockdown rules have loosened so significantly in the past six weeks, but it could be a sign of danger if numbers start to rise again. Sir Jeremy said: 'In truth, the restrictions started to to be lifted towards the end of May, the beginning of June, around that bank holiday. 'I would predict, I would guess, that we will start to see a few increases in cases towards the end of June or the first week of July. 'We're on a knife edge - it's very precarious, the situation - particularly in England at the moment, and I would anticipate we would see an increase in new cases over the coming weeks.' According to statisticians' estimates, between 1,900 and 3,200 people are catching the coronavirus every day in England but the speed at which the outbreak is shrinking has 'levelled off'. The estimates, published on Thursday, are lower than last week's, when two separate projections from King's College London experts and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) ranged from between 3,200 to 3,800. King's College's COVID Symptom Tracker app now predicts 1,978 people in England are getting struck down daily. The ONS, whose estimate is based on population swab testing, puts the figure at approximately 3,142. But statisticians cautioned the number of people infected with Covid-19 could have even gone up from 33,000 people a fortnight ago to 51,000 on June 21, around 0.09 per cent of the population (one in 1,100 people). The ONS explained that the extremely small sample size the number is based only on 14 positive tests, up from 10 last week is likely to have swayed the estimate. Experts stopped short of saying the outbreak had rebounded and started to rise again, instead saying there was no evidence it was either growing nor shrinking. It said Covid-19 now infects around one in every 1,100 people (0.09 per cent), which equates to a total 51,000 people at any given time. The estimate was based on 14 positive tests from a total of 24,256 done across the country. The estimate rose from 0.06 per cent last week, which was the lowest one so far. It remains lower, however, than every other week since the data began, leaving experts hesitant to say the virus was rebounding. In its report the semi-independent body said: 'Modelling of the trend over time suggests that the decline in the number of people in England testing positive has levelled off in recent weeks. 'These estimates suggest the percentage testing positive has clearly decreased over time since our first measurement on 26 April, and this downward trend has now flattened. 'The [possible ranges] overlap with the previous two time periods. This suggests that the actual number of individuals testing positive in the period 8 June to 21 June could be higher or lower than in the two previous periods. We therefore do not at this point have evidence that the current trend is anything other than flat.' Oman welcomed more than 3.5 million tourists in 2019, which reflected an 8.14 per cent increase as compared to the number of visits registered in 2018. The growth can be attributed to the continuing efforts made by the Ministry of Tourism to entice more regional and international visitors to the country and achieve the goals set forth in the 'Omani Tourism Strategy,' which also aims to position Muscat as a highly-preferred tourism destination and a city that is interlinked and integrated with other key destinations in the country by 2040. Official figures showed that the total number of visitors from the GCC countries reached 1.4 million last year, while 436,000 came from India, which was a 21.8 per cent increase as compared to 2018. During the same period, visitors from China reached 107,000. Statistics showed a 141 per cent growth in the number of Chinese tourists who visited Oman last year, encouraging further the Sultanate to push its plan of opening a tourism representative office in China next year. The positive tourist flows in 2019 impacted Omans gross domestic product (GDP) and further strengthened the countrys status as a unique regional and international tourist destination. Cruise ship tourism was a big contributor, with 283,000 passengers--a growth rate of 46.63 per cent as compared to 2018--arriving in the Sultanate in 2019. Consistent increase has been noted since the Ministrys efforts to make the local ports, including Sultan Qaboos Port, Khasab Port, and Salalah Port, an ideal and attractive option for cruise lines. Salem Adi Al Mamari, Director General of the Tourism Promotions Department, Oman Ministry of Tourism, said: "The excellent tourism figures we are seeing now can be attributed to the investments that the government has made in the local tourism sector; the promotion and adoption of global best practices in the hospitality industry and the development of more world class hotel establishments in the country. Through its charming and beautiful nature, hospitality, unique traditions, and rich cultural heritage, the country is able to promote both its natural resources and also sustainability. Over the years, intensified tourism campaigns have been launched to meet the governments target of over 11 million tourists by 2040." Al Mamari said: "Several campaigns, programs, projects, and clear strategies have been deployed to drive domestic tourism. Part of our efforts is to diversify our tourism products according to the needs of our visitors. Our aim is to provide them with an experience that cannot be found in other regional destinations. We have successfully established Omans reputation as one of the most secure and safest tourist destinations in the world. Furthermore, the Sultanate boasts of impressive natural resources, unique cultural heritage, and beautiful historical sites. The 2019 positive results have inspired us to embark on more ambitious projects to further highlight the uniqueness of our country. We will also participate in more prestigious international forums to raise the global communitys awareness on the Sultanates beauty and hospitality. The Ministry stated that a total of 66 new hotels are expected to open between 2020 and 2021. It also revealed that 30 new hotels will rise in Muscat governorate; seven in Dhofar governorate; nine in the Ad Dakhiliyah governorate, seven in Al Batinah North, five in Ad Dhahirah governorate; three in Al Buraymi governorate; two in Ash Sharqiyah North; two in Al Batinah South governorate; and one in Ash Sharqiyah South. This will also contribute to the addition of 6,202 hotel rooms in the Sultanate. In addition, several hotel apartments, camps, heritage inns, green houses and guest houses will be added--with 96 hotel establishments to be launched in 2020 to 2021. The total number of rooms expected to be opened during the same period is 6,942. The number of hotel rooms in Oman increased by 14.5 per cent from 22,182 in 2018 to 25,408 by 2019. - TradeArabia News Service The Delhi Polices chargesheet filed against the Tablighi Jamaat mentions that the Malaysian and Indonesian nationals who attended the gathering were carriers of the deadly virus and that led initial wave of coronavirus in India. The charge sheet talks about similar gatherings in Malaysia which ended up being a super-spreader event. It also talks about a canceled event in Indonesia where Covid-19 cases were reported before the outbreak in Delhi. Markaz Nizamuddin became the Covid hotspot and allegedly played a vital role in spreading it across the country. The chargesheet says, It is needless to point out that some of these foreigners have acted as carriers of the highly infectious coronavirus and had thus brought over the infection from their respective countries to India. In the chargesheet, police mentioned that six people who attended Markaz died in Delhi and Haryana and one of them was a foreigner. Chronology of events as per the charge sheet Police mentioned in the chargesheet that the gathering in Malaysia between 27th and 1st March resulted in 500 Covid-19 cases in that country. An event scheduled for 18th March in Indonesia was canceled because of the authorities concerns. By that time, 25 people were already dead, and 309 were infected in that country. The chargesheet said that people from Malaysia, Indonesia, and other countries came to India to participate in the Markaz gathering in Nizamuddin. As per the police, they acted as carriers of the virus. In the chargesheet, it was said that the CDMO/Southeast district contacted Markaz authorities on 19th March and asked to maintain social distancing and ensure home quarantine after an Indonesian man was tested positive in Telangana. He had a history of traveling to Delhi for Markaz gathering. Delhi Police contacted a Markaz official named Haji Yunus and asked him that there should not be more than 20 jamaaties in Nizamuddin at any given time. On 21st March, Delhi Police called Mufti Shahzad and asked him to immediately ensure foreign nationals leave for their respective states or countries. When the lockdown was announced on 24th March, Delhi Police issued prohibitory orders, but no official from Benglewali Masjid Markaz took any precautionary steps. On 25th March, a medical team was sent for the first time as there were reports no one was following social distancing orders and one jamaati from Bangladesh started to show symptoms for Covid-19. On inspection, the police found that there were 526 foreign nationals and 1,183 Indians at the Markaz. On 28th March, SHO of Hazrat Nizamuddin sent a written complaint to DCP Crime Branch and informed them about the alleged violation by the head of Markaz Maulana Saad and management. Lawyer for Tabhligi Jamaat, advocate Mujeed Rehman said, What good is an advisory by the administration at that time, asking to ensure social distancing? Tablighi members were self-isolated in Nizamuddin. Authorities should have shut down airports, screened passengers, and undertaken contact tracing. Once police started to track jamaatis across countries, they found clusters of Covid positive cases across the country who came in contact with these Markaz members. The information provided by Markaz was incomplete or unverified in many cases and it became hard for the administration to track jamaatis on time. They even tried to project that it is a conspiracy of the Indian government to defame jamaatis. The center has told the Supreme Court in a recent statement that Markaz management deliberately disregarded police instructions to send back its members. 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. The number of coronavirus cases is starting to rise again in several countries, especially in the south of Europe. Portugal, for example has recently reimposed lockdown measures in some neighbourhoods around Lisbon. Portugal The residents of 19 municipalities of Lisbon will no longer be able to leave their houses except for shopping, travelling to work or visiting a doctor, while gatherings will be limited to five people. "COVID has not disappeared, and will not disappear as long as there is no treatment or vaccine and until we are all vaccinated," declared Antonio Costa, the Portuguese prime minister. As to businesses, and especially cafes, they must shut at 8pm in the whole of the capital. "Those who respect the regulations are suffering from the bad behaviour of certain elements of our society, even if it causes us big problems," said Nuno Goncalves, a bar owner. Italy In Italy, the army was deployed to Mondragone, around sixty kilometres from Naples, around a social housing complex. Some 700 people, mostly Bulgarians employed in agriculture, have been confined since Monday, after 43 cases were contaminated. On Thursday, a group of men forced their way out of the lockdown for a protest, which was badly received by residents who thew stones. Spain In Spain, three hotspots were discovered including one in Aragon. As a measure of precaution, in Madrid 27 retirement homes have reimposed bans on visits. "It's a bit heavy, but these measures hvae been taken for own good, the good of all," said Rafael Salcedo, son of a resident. Prime Minister Scott Morrison's personal approval rating has hit a new high in the latest Newspoll ahead of Saturday's Eden-Monaro by-election. The latest Newspoll, conducted for The Australian and released on Sunday night, shows Mr Morrison's personal approval has risen two points to 68 per cent with his dissatisfaction rating falling by the same amount to 27 per cent. But the Coalition's primary vote is unchanged at 42 per cent, with the party maintaining an 51-49 lead in the two-party preferred vote. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Friday, June 26 The Eden-Monaro by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Labor MP Mike Kelly because of ill health. Despite a branch-stacking scandal engulfing Victorian Labor, the party's primary vote support at federal level has risen slightly, by one point to 35 per cent. Mr Morrison's net approval rating is the highest since he became leader in August 2018. He has increased his margin over Anthony Albanese as preferred prime minister, lifting two points to 58 per cent. Opposition leader Anthony Albanese speaks at The National Press Club in Canberra on June 24 Mr Albanese was unchanged 26 per cent, while sixteen per cent of voters didn't back either leader. Support for the Greens has dropped one point to 11 per cent, as did voter backing of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, which also fell a point to three per cent. The poll, which surveyed 1521 voters, was conducted from June 24-27. BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) - The Brazilian government announced on Saturday an agreement with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to produce a promising coronavirus vaccine that is undergoing tests. Brazilian Health Ministry authorities said at a news conference that the country will pay $127 million and receive material to produce 30.4 million doses in two batches in December and January, which would allow it to quickly start inoculation efforts if the vaccine is certified to be safe and effective. They said the total deal is for 100 million vaccines for a country of about 210 million residents. It will be produced by local vaccine maker Fiocruz. Vijay Rangarajan, the British ambassador, said on Twitter that "the 30 million doses will be available in Brazil" and Fiocruz will "prepare for local production," without making reference to the promised additional 70 million doses. The British Embassy said in a statement that "the 70 million will come in a second moment," without giving more details. Fiocruz said in statement that it still had to reach a deal with AstraZeneca for the transfer of technology of the vaccine if it works. "After the production (of the shots), it will still be necessary (to follow) phases of registry and validation before a possible distribution," it said. Fiocruz added it will be possibly responsible for producing the vaccine for the rest of Latin America. Volunteer Welington Goncalves, center, takes a break from sanitization duties to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus in an area occupied by squatters in a poor region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, June 26, 2020. For the 21-year-old volunteer, who lives in this occupation, the sanitization is a way to avoid the COVID-19 and if it was not for him and other volunteers working on it, "the situation would be worse". (AP Photo/Leo Correa) The Brazilian government said the first to get the Oxford shot would be high-risk groups such as the elderly, people with comorbidities and health and security professionals. Arnaldo Correia de Medeiros, secretary of health surveillance, said distribution will be fast because of Brazils public health care system. "This country has extensive experience in extremely fast vaccination", he said. British researchers started testing the experimental shot in May aiming to immunize more than 10,000 people, including older people and children. The vaccine is one of about a dozen in the early stages of human testing. Brazil, where coronavirus infections are still on the rise, counts more than 1 million confirmed cases and more than 55,900 fatalities. The British ambassador told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the vaccine maker has the capacity to produce 2 billion doses in its first batch, which is expected by the end of the year, but said that much of the global production was already purchased. On May 21, the United States announced a deal for at least 300 million doses of the Oxford shot and committed up to $1.2 billion to the effort. On June 13, AstraZeneca agreed to supply up to 400 million doses of the experimental vaccine to European Union nations. Other negotiations are ongoing with Russia and Japan, among other countries, the companys CEO said this month. Another experimental vaccine in development by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech will be tested in Brazil in July, according to the Sao Paulo state government. Sinovac has a deal with the states Instituto Butantan to produce it. Some 9,000 Brazilians are expected to participate. The World Health Organizations chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, said Friday that AstraZenecas experimental vaccine is probably the worlds leading candidate and most advanced in terms of development. ___ Associated Press writer Daniel Carvalho reported this story in Brasilia and AP writer Mauricio Savarese reported from Sao Paulo. Welington Goncalves, right, sits next to his colleague as they wait to refill their tanks during a disinfection to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus in an area occupied by squatters in a poor region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, June 26, 2020. For the 21-year-old volunteer, who lives in this occupation, the sanitization is a way to avoid the COVID-19 and if it was not for him and other volunteers working on it, "the situation would be worse". (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Children walk past carrying their chairs balanced on their heads, in an area occupied by squatters in a poor region amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, June 26, 2020. In this occupation, known in Portuguese as, "United We Will Win", about 200 families live in precarious conditions, with no proper sewage, where shacks are packed tightly together and the people have to share three communal bathrooms and a kitchen. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Simone Santos cooks lunch for her family in an area occupied by squatters in a poor region amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, June 26, 2020. Santos, who is 45-years-old and unemployed and lives with 9 others, says it is difficult not to get infected even maintaining a distance. "I am coughing and I feel tired, but there's no way to know. I just use the mask to protect myself and the other people," says Santos. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective mask walks past the headquarters of Bank of Japan amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tokyo By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) - Major central banks across Europe and Japan will reduce the frequency of their seven-day dollar liquidity-providing operations from July as the market tension caused by the coronavirus pandemic has eased, the Bank of Japan said on Friday. In view of improvements in U.S. dollar funding conditions and after consulting with the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank have jointly decided to reduce the frequency of their seven-day operations from daily to three times a week, the BOJ said in a statement. The change will take effect on July 1, it said. "These central banks stand ready to re-adjust the provision of U.S dollar liquidity as warranted by market conditions," the statement said. "The swap lines among these central banks are available standing facilities and serve as an important liquidity backstop to ease strains in global funding markets," it said. In a bid to address the market turbulence caused by the pandemic, the Fed in March increased the frequency of seven-day maturity operations from weekly to daily as part of its swap line arrangements with the major central banks. [nL1N2BD0SF] Dollars were in huge demand in March and supply was tight, but conditions have stabilised recently after a raft of measures taken by major central banks to ease market jitters over the fallout from the pandemic. (Reporting by Leika Kihara; editing by John Stonestreet and Hugh Lawson) DOJ is overseeing 500 investigations into riots, Antifa: AG Barr Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The U.S. Department of Justice is overseeing around 500 investigations into violent riots that have occurred nationwide in the last few weeks, Attorney General William Barr has said. Barr was a guest on an episode of the Verdict with Ted Cruz podcast, hosted by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and The Daily Wire's Michael Knowles, and posted on YouTube Thursday. When Knowles asked, How do we restore order? Barr explained that efforts were being launched at both the state and federal level, with the latter stepping up its efforts. The federal government is best positioned to address this kind of violence and lawlessness after it occurs because we dont have FBI agents walking the beat, said Barr. When the real violence started around May 25, 26, so forth, we started using our joint terrorist task forces around the country, and there are 35 of them around the country. It involves all state and local in those jurisdictions and all the federal agencies. And its the system we designed to follow terrorists. Barr said that federal authorities were now cranking out investigations and indictments against the people who are involved in this violence. Weve had scores of indictments already for such things as arson, destruction of federal property, things like that. And we have right now about 500 investigations underway, he continued. So its picking up pace and we are committed to holding accountable the people who are engaged in this. But we still have to try to stop it before it happens. And thats where the burden is right now on state and local. And in many places, theyre not stepping up to the plate. Cruz asked Barr about how much coordination there was in the protester violence, in which Barr noted that groups like Antifa were suspected of being involved. We are seeing strong evidence of coordination in many of these violent episodes. Fundamentally, what you have here is you have demonstrators, some of them go there with the intent of demonstrating. But you have a group of provocateurs and agitators, sometimes a significant group, that try to convert those into violent activity, Barr said. A number of them are associated with the movement called Antifa, but they go by various names, but frequently anarchistic. They want to tear down the country. They are different than many traditional groups. Barr assured Cruz and Knowles that we will go after people involved in destroying statues and other federal property, saying that such actions came from people who dont care about history at all. Because in some places, the local police are not doing an adequate job, were going to have to step up the federal effort, he added. We have to do a better job to stop these groups before they are able to do damage to these monuments and statues. Following the highly publicized police-involved killing of George Floyd, the U.S. has experienced large-scale protests and violent riots in several cities. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has estimated that the damage done to over 1,000 local businesses and new residential housing for low-income families to be at over $500 million. Some demonstrations have led to riots and acts of vandalism against businesses, churches, and statues representing historical figures. During his campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, President Donald Trump said that voting for Democratic opponent Joe Biden would be a vote for that type of violent activism. Do you want to bow before the left-wing mob, or do you want to stand up tall and proud as Americans? Trump asked his supporters. The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments, our beautiful monuments, tear down our statues and punish, cancel and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control. Christian families in India banned from burying their dead Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Villagers in the east-central state of Chhattisgarh are not allowing Christians to bury their dead until they pay fines for not taking part in Hindu festivals and rituals. Attacks on the minority community in India continue despite the COVID-19 lockdown. Christians faced stiff opposition to burying their dead in three separate incidents in the districts of Bastar and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh state last month, Alliance Defending Freedom India reported. The Christians were told to make restitution for not partaking in or giving donations for religious rituals in those villages for all the years gone by, and pay an additional fine before their dead would be allowed to be buried. It is a terrible and unimaginable thing to be denied an opportunity to grieve the loss of a loved one with dignity, ADF India said. Since 2019, the group has recorded at least 15 confirmed incidents of Christians being denied burial rights in Chhattisgarh state. After the groups legal team intervened, the Christians were provided police protection, and in some cases even provided land by the government, for the burials to take place. In April, when India was under a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, the worlds strictest, at least six incidents of targeted violence against Christians took place in Chhattisgarh, according to ADF India. In the majority of incidents, Christians were physically attacked by mobs of at least 50 people when they refused to take part in religious rituals that violated their faith. On April 17, villagers in Chhattisgarh states Mendoli area severely assaulted a Christian family, including tearing off the clothes of the victims wife, and forcefully performed a sanctification ritual on them, the U.K.-based Christian charity Barnabas Fund said, adding that the mob then demanded a fee of 5,000 Indian rupees ($66) and threatened to kill the family if they informed the police. While Indias Grand Old Party, the Indian National Congress, has been governing Chhattisgarh state since December 2018, Hindu right-wing groups are active in the state, which was earlier ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, for 10 years. In the western city of Mumbai, which is among the worst-hit by the coronavirus outbreak in India, Christian cemeteries didnt have a place for the burial of coronavirus victims until recently due to the absence of official notification, according to The Times of India, which reported that Christian victims of COVID-19 had no option but to cremate their dead. I wish to stress that coronavirus in a dead person doesnt infect living humans, a local activist Cyril Dara was quoted as saying. The virus becomes ineffective within hours of the victims death, he continued, adding that he would file police complaints against big cemeteries if they didnt allow burials. The civic authorities finally allotted space in four Christian cemeteries for the burial of coronavirus victims, the Times said. Attacks on Christians have been on the rise since the BJP won the 2014 general elections in India. 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, says the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. 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. 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, noted Open Doors World Watch List, which ranked India as the 10th worst country for Christians. 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, Open Doors added. At least one Christian was attacked every day last year, according to Open Doors. The child According to a report by Sunday PUNCH, the odds are stacked against her in finding shelter after she was reportedly abandoned in front of a shop on Tajudeen Bello Street, Giwa Oke-Aro Road, Ogun State, by her parents. Suffering from cerebral palsy, the little girl whose name has yet to be ascertained could neither talk nor walk. She was also rejected by orphanages she was taken to and currently lies helplessly in police custody at the Agbado division which rescued her from the street. Sunday PUNCH learnt that the girl, said to be about five years old, was abandoned on the street in the early hours of Wednesday, June 24. It was gathered that residents contacted the Iju Police Station, Lagos, which shares boundary with the community, and policemen came to pick the girl. They reportedly returned her to the shop on Friday. The shop owner, Gabriel Folorunsho, told our correspondent that he was shocked when he saw the girl lying in front of his shop on Friday morning. He said, I got to the shop on Wednesday at 8am and met the girl there. We didnt know who abandoned her there. She cannot walk or say anything. Someone contacted the police at Iju division and they came to pick her. When I got to the shop on Friday morning, I met the girl in front of my shop again. Folorunsho, a lotto agent, explained that policemen from Agbado Division, Ogun State, later came to pick the child after a distress call. The girl should be about five years. We didnt have any traces of who abandoned her but we suspect it would be her parents, he added. A police source disclosed to Sunday PUNCH that the girl was taken to orphanages at Ijoko and Lambe in Ogun State as well as another one in Ishaga, Lagos, but was rejected. The source said, A shop owner reported at the Agbado Police Station that on June 24, a girl with cerebral palsy was abandoned in front of his shop. We learnt that policemen from Lagos initially came to pick her because the location is a border community. When he got to the shop two days after, the girl had been returned to her shop. The case was reported and a team went to the area to recover her. She was taken to three different orphanages. Two of them are in Ogun while the other one is in Lagos. They all rejected her. They said they cannot accept her because she could not talk or walk. We contacted another orphanage and they promised to come on Monday. The girl is still at the Agbado Police Station. A resident, Faith Ademola, urged the government and civil society organisations to assist the little girl. The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the case, adding that the police were still expecting an orphanage that would accommodate the girl. He added, The girl is physically challenged. She is also living with cerebral palsy. We took her to orphanages but they rejected her. Students of Vile Parles Mithibai College have complained that the college has imposed a fee hike amid the Covid-19 outbreak. Despite repeated attempts, college principal Rajpal Hande and Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandals (SVKM) chief executive officer Asoke Basak did not respond to HT calls and messages. SVKM trust runs the college. On Thursday, the autonomous college began the in-house admission process of students pursuing their second and third-year Arts, Science, Commerce, Banking and Insurance, Management Studies, Mass Media, Finance Management, Accountancy and Finance, Computer Science, Biotechnology and Biochemistry courses. Students are supposed to pay their fee online by Tuesday. However, many students claimed that the fees have been increased substantially, despite the University of Mumbai (MU) as well as the University Grants Commission (UGC) directing institutes against a hike. For the BSc course, the fee was 30,000 last year, which is hiked to 40,000 this year, said a third-year student. Another student from the Arts faculty said that the fee had increased from 36,000 to 60,000. The college didnt even allow the instalment option. All our efforts to reach the administration have not yielded any result, said the student. In view of the lockdown , UGC the apex body governing all educational institutes in the country issued a letter on May 27 to all universities and colleges asking them to be considerate towards students while asking them to pay tuition and other fees. Subsequently, on Monday, MU also instructed all colleges to not hike fees for academic year 2020-21 and allow students to pay fees in instalments. Vinod Patil, officiating registrar of MU, said , All colleges, including autonomous ones, have to follow the guidelines set by the university as well as the UGC. Texas reported its highest single-day increase in confirmed novel coronavirus cases and Houston-area hospitalizations continued to climb Saturday, though deaths attributed to the virus remained steady as the state grapples with a rapid outbreak. Texas added another 6,263 confirmed cases Saturday, an increase of 4.4 percent that brought the statewide total to 147,374, according to data collected by the Houston Chronicle. Confirmed cases have spiked in the past two weeks, far topping the 1,000 to 2,000 cases typically reported each day before mid-June. The eight-county Greater Houston area tallied 1,290 more cases Saturday, an increase of 3.3 percent, bringing the regions total to 40,361. Harris County accounted for 908 of the newly confirmed cases. About 700 patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, occupied intensive care unit hospital beds Saturday in the 25-county region surrounding Houston, according to the SouthEast Texas Regional Advisory Council. The number of regional ICU patients has increased for eight consecutive days, rising by nearly 50 percent. The 25-county region reported 2,042 beds occupied by all ICU patients, the highest total since the pandemic arrived in Houston in March. The number of occupied ICU beds typically has hovered between about 1,700 and 1,950 during that time. The regions base capacity of ICU beds is 2,202, with a surge capacity of 2,644. Texas reported another 40 deaths Saturday, for a total of 2,388 deaths statewide, according to data compiled by the Chronicle. The daily tally represents a slight increase from averages before the spike in cases, but still well below rates seen during an earlier outbreak in the northeastern United States. Health experts have warned that increases in deaths typically lag several days behind spikes in hospitalizations. At the same time, more younger people who are at far lower risk of death are testing positive for the virus and entering hospitals. Ten of the 40 deaths reported Saturday occurred in Harris County, which now totals 524 deaths attributed to COVID-19. The rapid increase in confirmed cases and hospitalizations prompted Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday to order the shutdown of all bars in the state and reduce maximum occupancy rates in restaurants to 50 percent, among other changes. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo moved the county to its highest threat level and called for returning to stay-at-home conditions Friday. jacob.carpenter@chron.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 16:44:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUJUMBURA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Burundi on Saturday said the central African nation "cannot be a sanctuary" for armed elements that disturb the security of neighboring countries, in response to Rwanda's statement saying gunmen from Burundi attacked Rwanda's military position early Saturday. Burundian soldiers work constantly to ensure that security is well guaranteed on its borders with neighboring countries, the Burundian National Defense Force said in a statement. The Rwandan military said earlier Saturday that its military position at Ruheru sector in southern Rwanda was attacked at about 12:20 a.m. (2220 GMT Friday) by unidentified gunmen who "originated in and retreated back to Burundi through the Burundi Defense Force position at Gihisi in Bukinanyana commune, Cibitoke Province." In another updated statement, the Rwandan military said the assailants were about 100 gunmen heavily armed with machine guns, rocket launchers and grenades, and the dry rations they left behind are marked with the name of the Burundian armed forces. Four attackers were killed and three were captured, while three Rwandan soldiers sustained minor injuries, according to the Rwandan military. Enditem And then you spend a little time, as a medical student in the operating room, terrified that youre going to contaminate that sterile field; that in a room full of highly expert people (scrub nurses, circulating nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists), all of whom have come to understand what is sterile and what is not, you are the trainee who will screw things up and then you learn the rules, and you internalize them, and you come to feel a little more at home, a little more sure that you can help keep everyone safe especially the vulnerable patient, who is the reason you are all there in the first place. 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. People One source says of the couple: "She knows what Donald wants from her, but the rest of her life is dictated by her own interests. Each has come to respect what the other wants and needs" Karuna under fire for alleged war crimes View(s): International organisations are expressing concern over the recent controversial remarks by Karuna (his nom de guerre) the LTTEs onetime Eastern Commander who now goes by the name Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan. He is contesting the Digamadulla district as a candidate of the Akhila Ilankai Maha Sabha and is at the eye of a political storm after remarks that the Tiger guerrillas massacred about 3,000 troops in Elephant Pass and Kilinochchi. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) tweeted, We note that #Karuna, former LTTE commander & Government minister, is being questioned for alleged past crimes. He should also be investigated for wholesale recruitment of child soldiers, a crime under intl law. Accountability should apply to everyone in Sri Lanka. The tweet carried the official Twitter handle of UN Human Rights @UNHumanRights. A United States backed resolution which Sri Lanka co-sponsored and later backed out, is before the UN Human Rights Council. This is the first time a guerrilla leader had confessed to massacring troops a matter which the resolution calls for a probe together with alleged war crimes committed by troops. Mr Muralitharan made a seven-hour long statement to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday. According to CID sources he has admitted to making the remarks but had declared he was unaware of the seriousness. Based on disclosures made by him, detectives are to record statements from others in the east, these sources said. Thereafter, a report is to be sent to the Attorney Generals Department, they added. The New York based Human Rights Watch called upon the Government to investigate and appropriately prosecute Karuna for war crimes and other grave human rights abuses. Mystery calls to unemployed graduates in Jaffna Unemployed graduates and those who registered with local Divisional Secretariats in Jaffna seeking employment received a strange call from the office of a national political party assuring them state jobs in exchange for a vote for the main candidate of that party. The candidates who received such calls said the caller who identified himself as speaking from the party office instructed them to attend a meeting in the party office to ensure a state job once the candidate is elected. They are clueless on how their personal information registered at the Divisional Secretariats has landed in the party office. The caller reportedly said: If you need the job, you have to send . to Parliament, while urging unemployed youths to take part in the election propaganda work of this local politico. Mayors to be evicted The Election Commission is to ask the Police to move in to evict three Mayors who have reportedly failed to quit their official residences and are conducting election campaigns from there. According to EC regulations, Mayors are required to vacate their official residences once they submit nomination papers. Two other Mayors including that of the Jaffna Municipal Council reportedly vacated their official residences. As per the law, if a Mayor fails to get elected, he can return to his or her Mayoral post. No more videos from Presidents media unit A video of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa admonishing top officials of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), released by his media unit, went viral on social media, and drew critical reactions from sections of the Opposition. Since then, several other meetings have been chaired by President Rajapaksa. However, only news releases and not a video account are now being released by the unit. Muslim scholars want laws to regulate madrasas With the advent of terrorism by extremist Muslim groups, madrasas or centres of education for Muslims, have remained a controversy. The matter came into sharper focus in Sri Lanka after last years tragic Easter Sunday massacres that left 268 men, women and children dead. Now, a group of Muslim scholars and professionals have just concluded a study on these institutions. In their report, they are asking the Government to introduce legislation to bring madrasas under an official accreditation board. Here are highlights of the executive summary of the report: Madrasa education has a long history in Sri Lanka. It had been in the country traditionally for several centuries in some form or the other. The Madrasa system, for the first time, had been established in an organised manner in 1870. By the time Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, there were approximately 10-15 madrasas. This number had gradually grown; during the period of 2000-2009, this number had grown to an exceptional level. At present, there are 317 madrasas registered with the Department of Muslim Cultural Affairs and few more are still unregistered. Madrasas are started and managed by individuals and groups in different localities in Sri Lanka. Most of them are very small units with an average of 50 students. Few units among them have more than 100 students. The course duration of these madrasas is seven years of teaching Quran, Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, and related sciences, which has about seven batches with least numbers of students in each of them. This situation leads to poor productivity and inefficiency of madrasas. To facilitate changes, it is recommended to enact legislation. All madrasas should be brought under the Madrasa Accreditation Board (MAB), consisting of eminent scholars and reputed professionals. Considering the size and numbers of madrasas, it is recommended to introduce a rationalisation plan to establish larger size madrasas and managed by a properly constituted board of management, under the purview of the MAB. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:11:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the first plenary meeting of the 20th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, started its 20th session Sunday to review multiple bills, including a draft law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the first plenary meeting of the session. Lawmakers heard a report on the deliberation of the draft law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, delivered by Shen Chunyao, vice chairman of the NPC Constitution and Law Committee. A draft amendment to the Patent Law was submitted to the session for a second reading. The draft amendment has further expanded its scope of patent protection, according to a briefing by Jiang Bixin, vice chairman of the NPC Constitution and Law Committee. A draft revision to the Law on the Protection of Minors was presented to lawmakers by Zhou Guangquan, vice chairman of the NPC Constitution and Law Committee. The draft, also under its second reading, has proposed new provisions to reduce students' schoolwork burden, ensure campus safety and address the issue of campus bullying. Lawmakers were also briefed by Hu Keming, vice chairman of the NPC Constitution and Law Committee, on a draft export control law that has further clarified the responsibilities and jurisdictions of customs, among other improvements. The draft Amendment XI to the Criminal Law was also submitted to the session for deliberation. According to an explanation by Li Ning, deputy head of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, the new draft amendment, with 30 revised or newly added provisions, has stepped up the prevention of and penalties for workplace safety crimes, improved stipulations for penalizing food and drug safety crimes and stipulations for financial crimes, and strengthened legal protection of corporate property rights and legal safeguards for public health. A draft revision to the Administrative Penalty Law was presented by Xu Anbiao, deputy head of the Legislative Affairs Commission. The draft, under its first reading, has revised and improved provisions on the definition and types of administrative penalties, organs imposing the penalties and the procedures of the penalties. A draft data security law, explained at the session by Liu Junchen, deputy head of the Legislative Affairs Commission, is expected to safeguard data security, facilitate data development and utilization and protect the legal rights and interests of citizens and organizations. The legislative session will run through Tuesday. Enditem The last standing showmance of Big Brother 21, Holly Allen and Jackson Michie, have decided to part ways after nearly a year of dating. Currently, the former pageant beauty is staying with a friend in Denver, Colorado, while Michie, alongside BB20 star Brett Robinson, is still living in their Los Angeles-based apartment. In an interview with Nicole Anthony, the 32-year-old explained shes waiting until Robinson leaves her place to go back and figure stuff out. Holly Allen, houseguest on Big Brother | Sonja Flemming Holly Allen and Jackson Michie met on Big Brother 21 Last summer, 31-year-old Los Angeles based wine safari guide and then 24-year-old server from Nashville met on Big Brother 21 as they joined the same majority alliance. The two were sitting pretty until Jack Matthews exposed the former pageant beautys pre-existing relationship with houseguest Kathryn Dunn. The information placed a significant target on Allens back, but she avoided getting targeted due to larger threats in the house. RELATED: Big Brother 21 Winner Jackson Michie Brought Holly Allen Home To Meet His Family Isolated from the house, the two aligned with outsiders Cliff Hogg III and Nicole Anthony, and they went on a competition-winning streak. The showmance made it to the Final Two seats where they argued their game in front of the jury. Although many female jurors felt disrespected by him, they agreed he played the better game, much in part to his record-setting competition wins, and awarded him the $500,000 grand prize in a 6-3 vote. Holly Allen and Jackson Michie broke up After leaving the show, the two hung out with a few of their co-stars before going back to California. They visited each other often before moving in together a few months later in January 2020. Additionally, both brought each other to their respective hometowns to meet their family and friends, who seemingly approved of the union. During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the two did not leave the house much as Allen is considered high risk due to her asthma. RELATED: Big Brother: Jackson Michie and Holly Allen Break up After Nearly a Year Therefore, they adopted a rescue dog, Sahara. Nearly a month later, the former pageant beauty returned to Wyoming to help her mother after a knee replacement surgery, and Michie visited his parents in Nashville. A week later, the two announced they had parted ways because they didnt feel like they were headed down the same paths. In an interview with BB21 finalist, Nicole Anthony, the 32-year-old opened up a little more about her breakup. Holly Allen staying with a friend until Brett Robinson leaves The former pageant beauty revealed they broke up shortly before she headed to Wyoming and still had the majority of her things in the LA apartment she shared with her ex. Shes currently staying with a friend in Denver, Colorado, as she waits for BB20 star Brett Robinson to leave their apartment. The 32-year-old explained she needed to get home and figure stuff out, but its awkward because Robinson has been staying there, hanging out with Michie. RELATED: Big Brother: Holly Allen Explains Why She Wants to Return for All-Stars 2 Allen stated she doesnt know when or if hes leaving, but has asked him to leave so she can stay in her house while she figures out her next steps. Additionally, Allen noted she spent a ton of money furnishing the apartment and likely wants the furniture back. The former pageant beauty also revealed she and Michie planned on starting a business together but doesnt know whats going to happen as she and the BB21 winner have parted ways. Regardless, she plans on starting her own business that will help the homeless. Chinese firms donate medical supplies to Zimbabwe to fight COVID-19 Global Times Source:Xinhua Published: 2020/6/27 10:24:58 State-owned Chinese companies operating in Zimbabwe on Friday made a donation of medical goods worth 55,000 U.S. dollars to help the country in its ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating under the banner of the Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in Zimbabwe, the companies donated medicines to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and surgical masks to various provinces, the Immigration Department and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority. The country's largest referral hospital, Parirenyatwa, received medicines worth 5,000 U.S. dollars, the Immigration Department got 40,000 surgical masks, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority 20,000 masks while Matabeleland South and Midlands Provinces each received 20,000 surgical masks. The provinces are not only vulnerable to imported cases, but are among the most affected by COVID-19, along with the capital Harare and the second largest city of Bulawayo. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa received the medical goods at the State House. He thanked the Chinese companies for the donation, saying the supplies will augment the country's efforts in mitigating the pandemic. He said the support from China, among other donors, had helped to boost the country's capacity to respond to the pandemic. He acknowledged that the country was ill-equipped to handle the disease when it first broke in March, but due to the early lockdown and support from China, it was now reasonably prepared. "The first 21 days and second 14 days (of total lockdown) gave us reasonable time to prepare ourselves as a country to a reasonable level. "When we felt we were reasonably prepared we then lowered the lockdown to Level 2 but most importantly we became reasonably prepared because of the support we received from our people, friends, organizations internally and externally and the People's Republic of China was among the first countries who sent in equipment to support our endeavor to fight the pandemic," he said. China was also the first country to sent in a team to assist in capacitating the country's first isolation and treatment hospital in Harare to a reasonable standard, he said. "We also had the fortune of a team of medical experts that was sent by the Chinese government to come and share their experiences with our own local medical teams here so our teams could benefit from those who had undergone the baptism of the pandemic in China. We are very grateful," Mnangagwa said. He said the country was pleased that the influx of imported cases was coming at a time when the country was now reasonably prepared to handle such huge number of infections. Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Guo Shaochun praised the Chinese companies for the donation, which he said showed their adherence to corporate social responsibility. "Today's event is of great significance, demonstrating that China not only fully supports Zimbabwe from the government level, but our business sector is also dedicated to assisting our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters," he said. He said the donation was well targeted as all the recipients whom were at the frontline of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that staff at the country's 30 border posts were taking great risks to protect the safety of Zimbabweans from COVID-19. China is among the countries that continue to complement Zimbabwe's efforts in fighting the pandemic through various donations since the first case was recorded in the country in March. Guo commended Zimbabwe's efforts in combating the pandemic, and added that China will always stand by the southern African country in its fight against the respiratory disease. Although Zimbabwe has recorded a spike in imported COVID-19 cases over the past weeks, local transmission have remained relatively low. Out of the 551 cases that had been recorded by Thursday, 77 are local transmissions. Deaths remain at six while recoveries are 128. Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in Zimbabwe vice chairperson and publicity secretary Shanel Liu said her organization was delighted to make a modest contribution towards Zimbabwe's fight against the pandemic. "We have learnt with great joy that local companies are currently increasing their production of quality face masks. And our donation is a supplement to ease the current urgent need. We hope it will go a long way in ensuring the safety of those in the frontline and the various communities that will benefit from this donation," she said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Michael Gove last night raised the banner for a radical post-Brexit revamp to bring government closer to people outside London who voted Leave in 2016. The Cabinet Office Minister signalled the need to make Whitehall 'less southern, less middle class'. Mr Gove spoke of how 'distant' government was from many people and indicated that civil servants should move out of the capital into the regions. In a speech to the Ditchley Foundation, he asked: 'How can we be less anywhere and more somewhere closer to the 52 per cent who voted to Leave, and more understanding of why? 'Almost every arm of Government, and those with powerful voices within it, seemed estranged from the majority in 2016.' Cabinet minister Michael Gove (pictured) signalled the need to make Whitehall 'less southern, less middle class' after Brexit Referring to the great 1930s US President Franklin D Roosevelt (FDR), he warned that the views of that majority were 'rarely heard within Government'. 'FDR asked his Government to remember the Forgotten Man. In the 2016 referendum those who had been too often forgotten asked to be remembered,' he said. Mr Gove, one of the architects of the Leave victory, said: 'I am conscious just how distant, in so many senses, Government is from the people. It is not just that all major Government departments are based in London, with the impact that concentration of senior jobs has on our economy. It is also the case that Westminster and Whitehall can become a looking-glass world.' He warned that Government departments 'recruit in their own image, are influenced by the think-tanks and lobbyists who breathe the same London air and are socially rooted in assumptions which are inescapably metropolitan'. Mr Gove went on to ask: 'Why shouldn't some of the policymakers intimately involved in reshaping our approach to energy and the decarbonisation of our economy be in Teesside, Humberside and Aberdeen? 'Shouldn't those thinking about this sector be part of the communities whose jobs depend on getting these decisions right? And why are so many of those charged with developing our tax and welfare policies still based in London? 'Wouldn't it be better for those deciding how taxpayers' money is spent to be living and working alongside those citizens across the country, from Mansfield to Middlesbrough to Merthyr Tydfil, for whom every pound in tax is a significant inroad into their income?' Mr Gove also set out his 'driving mission in politics' as making 'opportunity more equal'. In case you missed it, 106 people were shot in Chicago last weekend. Thats not a typo 106. If mainstream news organizations still covered the news, instead of only the news that serves or refutes an agenda, we might have heard more. Of the 106 people shot, 14 including a 3-year-old boy were killed. When asked about the catalysts for such violence, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown boiled it down gangs, guns and drugs. And then, amid the national cacophony of calls to defund and/or abolish local police departments, overhaul the criminal justice system, release criminals from prison, and the establishment of police-free zones by anarchists in big cities, the superintendent said something really interesting. There are too many violent offenders not in jail, or on electronic monitoring, which no one is really monitoring, Brown said, according to the Chicago Tribune. We need violent felons to stay in jail longer and we need improvements to the home monitoring system. It sounds as if the last thing law enforcement in Chicago needs is fewer resources. And despite efforts by a sympathetic media and others to explain away what defund the police really means, Chicagos mayor seems to understand. When you talk about defunding, youre talking about getting rid of officers, Lori Lightfoot, Chicagos first black female mayor, told the New York Times. In September, Lightfoot, a Democrat, told Edward McClelland, of Chicago Magazine, that weve got to stop treating black and brown folks like theyre expendable. A militarized response to the violence isnt what people want, and more to the point, its not effective. Earlier this month, as McClelland wrote, Lightfoot called in the National Guard to deal with rioting and looting following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Its easy to speak out against a militarized response, until your city is on fire. In the same interview with the Times, Lightfoot said there is a cultural dysfunction within the Chicago police department. But even she realizes taking officers off the street will do nothing to curb the citys epidemic of violent crime. When it comes to law enforcement, trying to do more with less is never a sound strategy. Reform is necessary. Bad cops need to be weeded out and not shielded by unions. Better engagement is needed between local police departments and minority communities. Cops are not social workers, nor should we expect them to be. But policing will never be an exact science. Police officers are not robots. Theyre doing a job most of us would never dream of doing. Mistakes will be made. And Im not in any way suggesting that what happened to George Floyd was a mistake. The video speaks for itself. But its very easy to ask, after the fact, Why did you have to shoot him? Couldnt you have just shot him in the leg? Real life isnt an episode of Starsky and Hutch. In real life, the decision to use force is made in fractions of seconds. Sometimes, suspects are armed, sometimes theyre not. Often, you dont know. On May 28, at 12:15 p.m., Officer Nate Lyday, of the Ogden, Utah, police department, responded to a domestic violence call. A woman told a 911 dispatcher her husband was trying to kill her. When Lyday and a probation officer reached the house, the suspect, a 53-year-old man, was sitting on the front porch. The suspect was uncooperative, according to investigators, and after a brief discussion, went back into the house, slamming the door behind him. The police chief said Lyday didnt see a weapon in the suspects hand when he went inside. As Lyday moved toward the front door, the suspect began firing through the door, hitting Lyday. The 24-year-old officer, with just 15 months on the job, died a short time later. He was getting ready to celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary. This story is important because its not particularly unusual. Its the sort of thing police officers face every day, in Ogden, Chicago, Washington D.C. and New York, which wants to reduce its police budget by $1 billion even though murders increased 79% in May. Theres a conspicuous and baffling absence of outrage over what happened last weekend in Chicago. And outside of Ogden, very few know the story of Nate Lyday. We would do well to remember both, before we proceed headlong into reforms that result in de-policing. Only civilization itself is riding on the outcome. Rich Manieri is a Philadelphia-born journalist and author, and is currently a professor of journalism at Asbury University in Kentucky. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-27 23:48:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Micheal Martin leaves the Convention Centre Dublin after he is elected as new prime minister of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland, June 27, 2020. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has been elected as new prime minister of Ireland in a vote held here on Saturday at a special meeting of the lower house of the Irish parliament. (Photo by Liu Xiaoming/Xinhua) All 84 parliamentarians of the three parties, namely Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Green Party, which will form a coalition government led by Micheal Martin, have voted for his nomination as the new prime minister while nine independents also supported his nomination in the vote, reported Irish national radio and television broadcaster RTE. DUBLIN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has been elected as new prime minister of Ireland in a vote held here on Saturday at a special meeting of the lower house of the Irish parliament. Announcing the voting results, Sean O Fearghail, speaker of the lower house of the Irish parliament, declared that Micheal Martin has won the election by receiving 93 votes in favor, 63 votes against and 3 votes in abstention. There are altogether 160 seats in the current lower house of the Irish parliament with one seat going to the speaker of the house who was not involved in the vote. Sean O Fearghail is a member of Fianna Fail. All 84 parliamentarians of the three parties, namely Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Green Party, which will form a coalition government led by Micheal Martin, have voted for his nomination as the new prime minister while nine independents also supported his nomination in the vote, reported Irish national radio and television broadcaster RTE. Following the announcement of his win in the vote, Martin delivered a short speech before he headed for the official residence of the Irish president where he will receive the seal of office of prime minister from President Michael D. Higgins. After that, he will go to Government Buildings where he is expected to announce the formation of a new cabinet, said local media. An AirX Airbus A340-300 private jet. AirX UK charter broker Caledonia Jets is selling seats onboard a massive Airbus A340 private jet flying between London and Barbados this summer. The flights are operated by AirX, a European charter operator, on its largest jet that's aptly nicknamed BIG. Round-trip tickets cost nearly $10,000 and passengers are required to submit to a COVID-19 test before boarding the luxurious plane. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. British airlines have largely stopped international long-haul flying due to the pandemic but that isn't stopping the wealthy from escaping to the Caribbean this summer. One airline is bucking the flying trend by offering flights between London and Barbados on a VIP-configured Airbus A340 private jet complete with all-first class-style seating. Caledonia Jets is the broker behind the operation, with the aircraft itself coming from AirX, one of Europe's leading private jet charter operators. Related: Flight attendants explain how COVID-19 affected their jobs Before passengers can board their luxury jet, however, they must submit to a COVID-19 and self-isolate in a hotel overnight prior to the flight, at their expense. According to the Caledonia Jets website, the test ensures that travelers don't have to worry about their flight mates potentially having the virus and help protects the local Barbados population, which has largely been spared from the pandemic. Barbados is one of the most popular Caribbean destinations for British holidaymakers. Before the pandemic soured international travel, three airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and TUI Airways served Barbados via its capital city, Bridgetown, from cities across the UK. Take a look onboard the ultra-luxurious aircraft, known as BIG. An AirX Airbus A340-300 private jet. AirX Airbus A340 BIG An AirX Airbus A340-300 private jet. AirX Airbus A340 BIG An AirX Airbus A340-300 private jet. 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AirX Airbus A340 BIG Read the original article on Business Insider Calls for humanitarian flights as coronavirus pandemic leaves migrants without work and in limbo across Africa. The global pandemic has left tens of thousands of migrants in limbo across Africa. In Kenya, many people have been stranded without work, waiting for coronavirus restrictions to be lifted. The International Organization for Migration is calling on governments to organise humanitarian flights to get them home. Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow reports from Nairobi in the second part of our series on people stranded by COVID-19. Imperial Valley News Center Vice President Pences Meeting with Airline Executives Washington, DC - Friday, Vice President Mike Pence met with airline executives and led a discussion on aviation matters as they relate to recovery from COVID-19. The airline industry has faced significant health and economic challenges over the course of this pandemic, and the discussion was focused around how airlines can bring back business safely as America continues to responsibly reopen. Airline executives discussed their overall business outlook and how we can best put the health and safety of the American people first as Americans begin to travel again. The Vice President discussed the vital role that the airline industry plays in our economic recovery as jobs continue to be added, the unemployment rate continues to fall and consumer spending and confidence continues to rise in the weeks and months ahead. Other participants in the meeting talked about travel restrictions, the importance of contact tracing, temperature checks and face coverings for travelers across the country. They discussed the best path forward for allowing Americans to safely travel internationally again. Over the course of this pandemic, airlines have been stepping up in order to ensure that Americans are confident in their health and safety when they travel. United Airlines partnered with Clorox and the Cleveland Clinic to improve safety procedures. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines donated hundreds of thousands of pounds of food to food banks and other charities. JetBlue gave out more than 100,000 free flights to our healthcare heroes who have been fighting on the front lines. The Vice President ended the meeting by thanking the airline executives for their commitment to maintaining the health of the American people. Participants in the meeting include: Jeff Holmes is eager to begin as Chippewa Falls school superintendent Wednesday. Holmes, 56, brings 12 years of experience as a superintendent, serving five years in Montello then the past seven years in Germantown. While Holmes is nearing eligibility to retire, he said, I just couldnt pass up the opportunity. I was quite fortunate to see this position come open. Youve got some great things going on, he said. The Chippewa Falls School Board announced Thursday it has selected Holmes to be the next superintendent. He will replace Heidi Taylor-Eliopoulos, who announced in April she was leaving after five years as administrator to become the leader of the Altoona School District. Holmes said the Chippewa Falls district is poised for the future. Its the work thats been done since 2014, Holmes said Friday afternoon. A lot of strategic work has been done. It aligns with what Ive done as an administrator. What struck me is how cohesive the team is there, and I cant wait to get started. Holmes grew up in a small town in northern Louisiana he had just 12 students in his graduating class. He went to Louisiana Tech, where he earned his undergraduate and masters degree in history. He also played football in college; he had hopes of being drafted into the NFL, but those dreams ended with a broken lower leg in his senior year. It made him refocus on what he wanted to do with his life. Once I made the decision to become a teacher, it worked out very well, he said. Holmes applied for a teaching position in Wisconsin, and opted to move to the state in 1993 because new teachers earned a higher wage than in his native state. After nine years in Montello four years as a principal and five years as district administrator he headed to Germantown in 2013, a district that has just under 4,000 students. He helped get an $84 million referendum approved in that district. In comparison, Chippewa Falls School District has about 5,200 students. Its two more elementaries, and an alternative high school, he said. Its a large district, but it has a small-town feel to it. While saying the heavy lifting has been done and his job is to stay the course of what the district has accomplished in recent years, he acknowledges he will have a lot of work immediately. July 1, Ill be hitting the ground running, because the first month or so is making sure were prepared to open schools in the fall, Holmes said. Holmes said his goal is to make it to every school building on the first day of classes. While acknowledging he could retire soon, he is hopeful to stay here for the next five or so years. I feel like Ill be given a good chance to help the district move forward, he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Iran said Sunday it will make mask-wearing mandatory in certain areas and has allowed virus-hit provinces to reimpose restrictions, as novel coronavirus deaths mounted in the Middle Easts worst-hit country. The new steps were announced as Iran counted 144 new fatalities from the COVID-19 disease, its highest death toll for a single day in almost three months. The Islamic republic has refrained from enforcing full lockdowns to stop the pandemics spread, and the use of masks and protective equipment has been optional in most areas. President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would have to live with the virus for the long haul, as he announced the latest measures to combat it. Mask-wearing would be obligatory in covered spaces where there are gatherings, he said during a televised meeting of the countrys anti-virus taskforce. According to him, the measure would come into force as of next week, continue until July 22 and would be extended if necessary. Rouhani said the health ministry had devised a clear list of the types of spaces and gatherings deemed high-risk, but he did not elaborate. He also did not say what the penalty would be for those who fail to observe the measure. According to deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi, services would not be provided to those without masks in areas such as government organisations and shopping malls. But implementing the measure may be difficult, as according to Tehrans mayor, many do not wear masks in places like the capitals public transport network, where it is already mandatory. Fifty percent of metro passengers wear masks and even fewer in buses, Mayor Pirouz Hanachi was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency. We cant forcefully confront people without masks, he added. Red counties Iran reported its first COVID-19 cases on February 19 and it has since struggled to contain the outbreak. The health ministry on Sunday announced 144 virus deaths in the past 24 hours, its highest for a single day since April 5, raising the total to 10,508. Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari also raised total confirmed infections to 222,669, with 2,489 new cases during the same period. Official figures have shown an upward trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections. Considering the rising numbers, I plead with you to definitely use masks outside and in covered places, Lari said. Iran closed schools, cancelled public events and banned movement between its 31 provinces in March, but the government progressively lifted restrictions from April to try to reopen its sanctions-hit economy. The economy is starting to suffer under the pressures of the health crisis. The countrys currency, the rial, has hit new lows against the US dollar in recent days, mostly over border closures and a halt in non-oil exports, according to analysts. The increasing virus caseload has seen some previously unscathed provinces classified as red the highest level on Irans colour-coded risk scale with authorities allowing them to reimpose restrictive measures if required. According to Rouhani, the measure would also be extended to provinces with red counties. Any county that is red, its provincial (virus) committee can propose reimposing limitations for a week, which could be extended if needed, he said. The government launched an #I wear a mask campaign on Saturday and pleaded with Iranians to observe guidelines aimed at curbing infections. One Iranian is infected with COVID-19 every 33 seconds and one dies from the disease every 13 minutes, Harirchi said on Saturday. Zanjan county in northwestern Iran has already reimposed restrictive measures for two weeks, its governor said in a televised interview. It followed a certain indifference from Zanjan residents and as the number of our (virus) deaths picked up again in recent weeks, said Alireza Asgari. The limitations include closing wedding halls and a ban on funeral events held at mosques, as they can lead to large gatherings, he added. SOURCE: AFP Malawi's newly elected President Lazarus Chakwera vowed Sunday to maintain unity in the southern African country after quashing the incumbent's bid for a second term in the re-run of a hotly contested election. It was a dramatic twist of fortune for outgoing president Peter Mutharika, whose victory in a May 2019 ballot was overturned by the Constitutional Court over fraud allegations. Chakwera, a former evangelist preacher, was declared the winner of the election replay with almost 59 percent of the vote, according to results announced late Saturday. Malawi is only the second sub-Saharan African country to have presidential poll results overturned in court, after Kenya in 2017. It is also the first time in the region that a vote re-run has led to the defeat of an incumbent leader. The election was hailed by leaders across the continent as a peaceful transition of power. "It is an honour forged in the furnace of your desire and your demand for change," Chakwera said after taking his oath of office. Addressing thousands of supporters in Lilongwe's Freedom Square, the 65-year-old vowed to restore "faith in the possibility of having a government that serves" and "fights for you". He appealed to those who did not vote for him, saying: "Malawi is home to you too... so long as I am its president, you too will prosper." - 'Impossible feat' - Chakwera leads Malawi's oldest party, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), which previously ruled from 1964 to 1994 under Hastings Banda's one-party rule. Some 6.8 million Malawians returned to the polls on Tuesday after the country's top court found the first election had been marred by "grave" and "widespread irregularities" -- including the use of correction fluid to tamper with result sheets. Chakwera was pronounced the winner with 2.6 million votes against 1.75 million for Mutharika. Turnout was just under 65 percent. In power since 2014, Mutharika won 38 percent of the discredited vote last year, ahead of Chakwera's 35 percent. "Today is unbelievable because this feat seemed impossible just a month ago," said Christina Nkosi, a supporter of the opposition United Transformation Movement whose leader Saulos Chilima was sworn in as vice president. "We have waited too long for this dawn," echoed 70-year-old Mary Kaponda, a retired nurse sporting MCP garb. IT expert Daud Suleman, a key witness in the election court case, told AFP: "We have made history and demonstrated how much we can achieve as a people. "Now the challenge will be to challenge this energy into moving the country forward." Around half of landlocked Malawi's 18 million people live below the poverty line. Many rely on subsistence farming. The country is also grappling with a coronavirus outbreak that has infected over 1,000 people and killed at least 13 -- although numbers are widely thought to be underestimated due to lack of testing. - All complaints 'resolved' - Mutharika, 79, has not yet commented on his defeat. On Saturday, he had argued the re-run was flawed -- citing violence and intimidation against monitors allegedly "beaten, hacked and abducted", and describing the vote as the "worst in Malawi's history". The Malawi Electoral Commission dismissed the accusations and said all complaints had been "resolved". But Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party has reiterated calls for the commission to annul the results of the second vote and declare a third poll, something political analysts doubt will happen. Mutharika supporter Tay Grin was accepting of the outcome. "Our political choices might be different but we remain united knowing that friendship means much more." - 'Very clear' lesson - Several African leaders and politicians congratulated Chakwera. "The mandate our Malawi brothers and sisters have given you... is a confirmation of their desire for progressive leadership," Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta said. Kenya's former prime minister Raila Odinga -- who lost to the incumbent in the 2017 re-run -- commended Mutharika for facilitating a "peaceful and orderly transfer of power". "The election was followed keenly beyond Malawi and is a symbol of hope for those who support democracy in Africa and around the world," he tweeted. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, also African Union chairman, "congratulated the people of Malawi for conducting peaceful elections which have served to deepen democracy," according to a presidency statement. Tanzania's opposition Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT Wazalendo) said Malawi had given a "very clear" lesson ahead of the east African country's own elections in October. "Authoritarian and repressive governments can be beaten when the opposition unites," its leader Zitto Kabwe said. "President-elect Chakwera's election victory is an important moment for democracy in the African continent." str-burs-sch/txw Donald Tusk today donned a facemask to vote in Poland's presidential election which pits the far-right incumbent against a pro-EU liberal challenger. President Andrzej Duda is set for a tight run-off against Warsaw's mayor Rafal Trzaskowski next month after the inconclusive first-round vote. Former European Council President Tusk, once the leader of Trzaskowski's Civic Platform party, was seen voting with his wife and daughter in Sopot earlier today. Duda, of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, is expected to come out on top in the first-round vote with 41.8 percent, according to an exit poll by Ipsos. Tusk said the president's campaign had 'brought shame on Poland from around the world.' Trzaskowski, who has promised to heal rifts with the EU, is set to come second with 30.4 percent, but could receive endorsements from other opposition candidates ahead of the July 12 second round of voting. Former European Council President Donald Tusk (R) casts his ballot next to his wife Malgorzata Tusk during Poland's Presidental election in Sopot, Poland, on Sunday Polish President and candidate for Poland's president of main ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) Andrzej Duda attending a meeting on Sunday in Strzelce Tusk, the former President of the European Council and the current president of the European People's Party with his wife Malgorzata Tusk and their daughter Katarzyna Tusk-Cudny Donald Tusk, the former President of the European Council and the current president of the European People's Party with his wife Malgorzata Tusk and their daughter Katarzyna Tusk-Cudny cast their ballots at a polling place Donald Tusk and his family cast their ballots at a polling place, Sopot, Poland 'I will be the candidate of change!' Trzaskowski said at an election night party in a redeveloped former power station in Warsaw. Trzaskowski, who is also 48 and is from the Civic Platform (PO) party, appealed to voters 'who want an open Poland, not a Poland always looking for enemies'. The election was scheduled to be held in May but had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Voters came out in large numbers despite contagion fears, waiting in socially distanced queues outside polling stations and casting ballots in their masks and visors. Turnout was high compared to previous votes at 62.9 percent, the exit poll said. Duda is seen as a key ally by Donald Trump and received the US president's blessing when he visited the White House earlier this week, the first foreign leader to do so since the pandemic began. Rafal Traskowski, mayor of Warsaw and presidential candidate for the center-right main opposition party, Civic Platform (PO) celebrates with supporters following initial election results in the Polish presidential election on Sunday night Polish President and member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party Andrzej Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, pose for a selfie with supporters following initial results in the Polish presidential election during the coronavirus pandemic But he has raised hackles in Brussels by endorsing a controversial reform of the judiciary that critics say is eroding democracy - three decades on from the end of communist rule in Poland. Experts were divided on who could win the election next month. Kazimierz Kik, professor of political science at the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce in south central Poland, said he believed Duda had 'greater potential' than Trzaskowski to mobilise voters who stayed at home on Sunday. But Stanislaw Mocek, head of the Collegium Civitas University in Warsaw, said Trzaskowski had a 'good chance' of winning in the second round. Mocek also warned of the risk of a 'brutal campaign' if Duda attempts to appeal to far-right voters, whose candidate is also expected to have scored well in Sunday's vote. 'This is a decisive time. A lot will really depend on this decision,' anti-communist icon Lech Walesa said as he cast his vote in the northern port of Gdansk wearing a transparent plastic visor over his face. Walesa, who was elected Poland's first democratic president in 1990, has been a trenchant critic of the current government. The campaign was dominated by concerns over an erosion of democratic rights and bread and butter economic issues. Poland faces its first recession since the end of communism because of the pandemic fallout. Election officials wear face masks and plastic face shields as they empty out a ballot box before counting the votes following the first round of the presidential election in Krakow Election officials wear face masks and plastic face shields as they prepare to count ballots following the first round of the presidential election in Krakow, Poland 'I voted for Trzaskowski of course! Why? For democracy, the judiciary and respect for minorities,' said Joanna Ugniewska, 66, after casting her ballot at a polling station in a school in Warsaw city centre. But in Tarnow in southern Poland, a PiS stronghold, Andrzej Guzik said he would be voting for Duda because of his consistent leadership. 'Personally I only see Duda as president,' said Guzik, 52, an employee at the PGNIG state gas company. Poland's government has implemented popular social welfare payments in recent years, which Trzaskowski has promised to retain if he wins. Victory for Duda would cement the party's hold on power - at least until the next scheduled parliamentary elections in 2023. But defeat could see its influence unravel and trigger early elections. A supporter of Polish President and member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, Andrzej Duda celebrates before Duda spoke following initial results in the Polish presidential election during the coronavirus pandemic on June 28 During the campaign, Duda stoked controversy by echoing PiS attacks on gay rights and Western values. He likened 'LGBT ideology' to a new form of communism. Trzaskowski, however, supports gay rights and says he is open to the idea of same-sex civil partnerships. Campaigning with the slogan 'Enough is Enough', Trzaskowski has promised a different Poland. But critics say his party is weak and ineffectual and that his record as mayor is mixed. MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine government has dropped a plan to import up to 300,000 tonnes of rice from various governments as its traditional main supplier, Vietnam, has resumed selling grains, the agriculture department said late on Saturday. The Philippines, the world's biggest rice buyer, had planned to import under a government-to-government scheme to ensure sufficient supply during its lean harvest season in the third quarter. State agency Philippine International Trading Corp (PITC) had issued a tender to import 25% broken, well-milled long grain white rice, with bids from India, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar opened on June 8. Based on the ranking of qualified bids, Myanmar was on top with an offer of $489.25 a tonne for a volume of 33,000 tonnes and $494.25 a tonne for a separate volume of 42,000 tonnes. Vietnam's Vinafood 1 would have also won a supply contract for 30,000 tonnes at $497.30 a tonne. Other bids were rejected, including those from India and Thailand. In a statement, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the rice import plan had been dropped as it was "no longer necessary under the current situation". Vietnam resumed its rice exports from May after a brief suspension to assess its local supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippines imports around 7% to 14% of its rice requirements, with 90% coming from its Southeast Asia neighbour. Potential tightness in domestic supply "has been properly addressed with the lifting of the rice export ban by Vietnam and the rice import arrivals of around 1.3 million metric tonnes as of the third week of June," Dar said. He expressed optimism that the country's remaining import requirement can be secured within the remaining six months of the year by the private sector. (Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by William Mallard) The US welcomes Asean leaders insistence that South China Sea (SCS) disputes be resolved in line with international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea), and China cannot be allowed to treat the SCS as its maritime empire, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet on Sunday. We will have more to say on this topic soon, he said. The US and European nations have awakened to the reality of Chinas role as a rising authoritarian regime, and the implications for our free society, he said, adding that ... 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. 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Digital Editor Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 11:26:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's major technology news from the past week: WORLD INTELLIGENCE CONGRESS Without real exhibition halls, the fourth World Intelligence Congress, a major artificial intelligence event held in north China's Tianjin Municipality, rode the technology wave to draw 392 million online views in its annual session. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, organizers adopted China's advanced cloud-based virtual solutions for online viewers to take part in or watch a series of business activities and competitions, such as the world intelligence driving challenge, which drew 145 teams from countries including the United States, Japan and Germany. NEXT-GENERATION BATTERY LAB Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited, China's largest lithium-ion battery maker, broke ground on a new laboratory to develop next-generation batteries. It is being constructed at its headquarters in the city of Ningde, east China's Fujian Province. The "21C Lab," covering an area of 18 hectares, will focus on the development of next-generation electrochemical energy storage systems, and new energy conversion systems. RAILWAY SOUND-ABSORBING TUNNEL An 847-meter-long, sound-absorbing tunnel on the high-speed railway linking Beijing and the Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province, has been completed. This will help avoid the noise emanating from trains and tracks, engineers with China Railway Group Limited said. With increasing additions of transportation hubs and railway lines across the country, train noise mitigation is of concern to people, and the newly-built tunnel seems one of the best solutions. According to its developers, the tunnel is equivalent to a sound barrier, and can minimize the noise generated by bullet trains traveling at a speed of 350 kph. 3D BIOPRINTING A team of international researchers have developed a noninvasive 3D bioprinting system that can print an ear inside the body of a mouse. In the new study, researchers from Sichuan University in China, Ghent University in Belgium and the University of California San Diego in the U.S. used near-infrared light to polymerize bio-ink inside the body without invasive incisions The researchers said that the latest noninvasive 3D bioprinting system holds the potential to be used in organ reconstruction or tissue repair, such as microtia in which the cartilage of the outer ear is underdeveloped or absent. Enditem Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Sunday the ongoing lockdown will not be lifted after its fifth phase ends on June 30 but indicated there will be more relaxations under the state governments Mission Begin Again. Thackeray, who completed seven months in his office on Sunday, said the risk of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and the battle against the pandemic are not over yet, but the government is relaxing the curbs in a phased manner. The Shiv Sena chief said that the continuation of the lockdown curbs and their stricter implementations depends on citizens. CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackerays address to the State today; pic.twitter.com/jtickPoo7R CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) June 28, 2020 I have been getting requests from a few civic authorities for the permission for imposing stricter lockdown owing to the rising numbers. There are cases of violations of the curbs in some cities like Mumbai, Pune and even in rural areas, Thackeray said while addressing the state through Facebook. I am sure the citizens will continue to abide by the stricter norms of the lockdown but in case of violations of the curbs, we will have no options but to go for the stricter imposition of the lockdown again in the areas with a rise in the cases, he added. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state by the coronavirus pandemic with a tally of to 159,133 out of which more than 74,000 cases are in Mumbai. Ten major cities, including Mumbai, continue to be classified as red zones with strict restrictions including no public transport. More than 7,200 people, including 4,284 in Mumbai, have succumbed to the respiratory disease in the state so far. Thackeray said that there will be a spike in infections in the next few weeks. As we have been opening up the activities to ensure the revival of the economy, we have been witnessing the rise in the cases. Even in the near future, there will be a rise in the cases as we open up more activities, he said. But the state government is ready to take on the surge. We have increased the testing facilities. Instead of waiting for the virus to attack us, we have been chasing it. After it has proven to be successful in Mumbai, the chase the virus drive is being implemented elsewhere in the state. It will help us in containing the spread, he added. Thackeray said the state government is at par with the health infrastructure at the national and international level. He said his government has received permission from the Centre for the use of remdesivir and favipiravin, the antiviral drugs, and they will be made available to people free of cost once the adequate stock has been procured. We are inaugurating plasma therapy testing centres in Maharashtra on Monday and it will, perhaps, help us in becoming the top state to provide the facility with the highest number of tests for the therapy, he said. We appeal to the people who recovered from the infection to come forward for the test of therapy so that other positive patients can be benefited from them, he said. The chief minister also appealed to doctors from the private sector to come forward and guide their colleagues from the healthcare sector to treat Covid-19 patients effectively. Thackeray reiterated his appeal to the people to keep religious celebrations a low key affair in the wake of the pandemic. He also announced the resumption of the ongoing loan waiver scheme, which was stalled due to the economic crisis. 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. Iran's IRGC to receive 'surprise systems' soon: Top general Iran Press TV Saturday, 27 June 2020 10:30 AM The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says the force is to receive "surprise systems" in the near future, stressing that a US bid to extend an arms embargo on Iran would have no effect on the country's defense capabilities. Major General Hossein Salami made the remarks in a news conference following his visit to an exhibition of the IRGC's achievements in Tehran on Saturday. "There is a global arms embargo on Iran... on the other hand, the United States and its allies are among threats to Iran," he said. The arms embargo, he said, provided "an opportunity for our scientists to fulfill defense needs using our domestic capability." Underlining the use of superior equipment that prepares Iran's Armed Forces for a sophisticated war, Salami said work has been done both in terms of destruction and in terms of increasing accuracy, downsizing and unmanning weapons. "Today, we are not dependent on foreigners for any of the weapons systems....and we have reached the stage of self-sufficiency and independence," the commander pointed out. "The ground forces have put technological surprise on the agenda and we will see the arrival of surprise systems in the near future." Washington has stepped up calls for the extension of a UN arms embargo on Iran, which will expire in October under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened that it may seek to trigger a snapback of all sanctions on Iran if its attempts to extend the arms embargo fail. The landmark nuclear deal was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the US, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany -- in 2015. However, in May 2018, US President Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the JCPOA and re-imposed the sanctions that had been lifted against Tehran and began unleashing the "toughest ever" fresh sanctions. While the US is no longer a party to the JCPOA, it has launched a campaign to renew the Iran arms ban in place since 2006/2007 -- through a resolution at the Security Council, but Russia and China are most likely to veto it. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Nowshera: With increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan after Indias surgical strikes targeting terror camps, Army on Monday said that its guard is up along the Line of Control to reply to any eventuality, including BAT attacks. The guard is up. We are on alert. We are ensuring that our LoC should be safe, said a senior Army officer, manning the area of operation in Nowshera sector which falls opposite to Bhimber- one of the sites across the LoC targeted during the anti-terror operation on September 28 night. Army on Monday took a team of media persons along the Line of Control to brief them on the situation, especially after the heavy firing by Pakistani troops post the cross-LoC surgical strike. Defences at LoC are well prepared. Jawans are well motivated and morale is high. Our troops are prepared for 24X7 for any eventuality along the LoC, the officer told reporters. There is a foolproof security mechanism in place and anti-infiltration measures have also been activated to foil infiltration of militants or any kind of BAT attack, the officier said India had blamed Border Action Team (BAT), which is a mix of Pakistani special forces personnel and terrorists, for the brutal killing of its two soldiers in January 2013, one of whom was beheaded, and many other deadly attacks on troops along the LoC. Our jawans are keeping a close eye and high degree of vigilance on the movement across the border to foil any design, the officer said. There have been over 26 ceasefire violations from Pakistan on LoC in which four soldiers and five civilians suffered injuries and 11 shops were gutted. The heavy shelling and firing that followed the surgical strikes have resulted in displacement of thousands of border dwellers in Nowshera sector in Rajouri district. Despite the terrorising explosions from mortar bombs and the rattle of guns, people are reluctant to leave their houses and say they will help the Army. We are not leaving our homes despite firing and shelling. We hope that it will also boost the morale of the Army, S Singh, a Sarpanch (headman) of Gandrote, said. Most of the hamlets located along LoC in Nowshera are home to hundreds of ex-servicemen. In case of any shelling and firing, we will put the villagers in safe houses to ensure their safety and security, an army officer said. We are prepared to give a befitting reply in the language that Pakistan understands, said a jawan, deployed at the forward post on a hill top. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. HONG KONG, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government expressed on Friday strong opposition to the passage of the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" by the U.S. Senate. A government spokesman urged the U.S. Congress to immediately stop interfering in HKSAR's internal matters and said the act and the so-called "sanctions" are totally unacceptable and will only harm the relations and common interests between Hong Kong and the United States. The implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in the HKSAR is entirely the internal affairs of China, and no other state or legislature has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, in those internal affairs, the spokesman said. Since the return to the motherland, Hong Kong has been exercising "the people of Hong Kong administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the Basic Law, the spokesman said, stressing that the "one country, two systems" principle has been fully and successfully implemented. The HKSAR government will continue to implement the "one country, two systems" principle resolutely in accordance with the Basic Law, the spokesman said. The spokesman stressed that many of the comments on HKSAR affairs in the act are seriously misleading and absolutely unfounded. Regarding prosecution of people engaged in illegal protests, the spokesman reiterated that Hong Kong has a well-established and fair criminal judicial system. Article 63 of the Basic Law provides that the Department of Justice of the HKSAR government controls criminal prosecutions, free from any interference, and the prosecutors have always been discharging this constitutional duty independently and professionally, without fear or favor, the spokesman said. Prosecutorial decisions are based on an objective assessment of admissible and reliable evidence and applicable laws, made strictly in accordance with the Prosecution Code which is available to the public, the spokesman said, noting that cases will not be handled any differently owing to the political beliefs, demands or backgrounds of the persons involved. "The people of Hong Kong enjoy extensive rights and freedoms which are enshrined in the Basic Law. Article 4 of the Basic Law provides that the HKSAR shall safeguard the rights and freedoms of the residents of the HKSAR and of other persons in the region in accordance with law. In addition, human rights and freedoms in Hong Kong are fully protected by the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance and other legislation," the spokesman said. As for the roles of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the spokesman said they represent the central government to which the HKSAR comes directly under pertaining to Article 12 of the Basic Law. These offices have the power and responsibility over the proper and full implementation of the Basic Law and "one country, two systems," the spokesman said, stressing that there is no intervention in the affairs that the HKSAR administers on its own in accordance with the Basic Law. Any "sanctions" imposed under the act will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law, the spokesman said, urging the U.S. side to act responsibly by refraining from taking measures that may potentially affect the normal operations of financial institutions and the vast number of customers they serve. But the mayor was critical of the police chiefs failure to let city officials know that the officers who resigned were initially cleared to return to work and kept working for months after Ingram-Lopezs death on April 21. Chief Magnus owes the mayor and council and the public an explanation on this and many other aspects of this case and how it was handled internally by TPD, she said. Magnus said he took action against the officers because it was warranted. The chief said hes limited in what he can say publicly because the city may be sued and the Pima County attorney is reviewing the case. Magnus also has asked the FBI to examine the case. CRITICAL FAILURES AT THE SCENE In an email interview Friday, Magnus acknowledged that the officers who resigned were allowed to stay on the job and said it was because the original internal investigators did a faulty job. The individuals initially assigned to the investigation failed to properly put the executive leadership team of the police department on notice about the critical failures at the scene by some of the involved officers, Magnus said. The Business Registration & Licensing (BRL) sector in Dubai Economy has issued 41,252 electronic Memorandum of Association (MOA) and e-MOA addendums from January 2019 to end-May 2020. This is in line with the Federal Decree-Law No. 7 of 2018 by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan amending articles within Federal Law No. 02 of 2015 on Commercial Companies, reported Emirates news agency Wam. The report showed that 85 percent of e-MOAs were issued by Dubai Economy, while 42 percent were related to e-MOA addendums of the total licences that require MOA. The electronic MOAs issued during the period varied with 90 percent being professional, followed by tourism, commercial and industry. Business owners in Dubai can get the e-MOAs and all its addendums through Dubai Economy service centres or by approval to the text message from 6969 without the need to visit Dubai Economy. The report also showed that during the first five months of 2020, Dubai Economy issued 9,282 electronic Memorandum of Association and e-MOA addendums; 89 percent of e-MOAs were issued by Dubai Economy, while 58 percent were related to e-MOA addendums of the total licences that require MOAs. The BRL sector has added new procedures for e-MOAs that include selling a share contract for a Limited Liability Company and a One-Person Limited Liability Company, and issuing a Civil Company contract if the parties are UAE or GCC nationals. Approval of a service agent contract ratification for a Sole Proprietorship and a Civil Company have also been added. E-signatures for MOAs are available whereas the representative of the company (a Legal Person) can electronically sign on behalf of the company provided that a valid legal agency is available by the company or by a decision from the board of directors or through the powers of the manager mentioned in the articles of MOAs. The new procedures included adding administrative powers that give the manager rights such as establish, manage and cancel subsidiaries of the main company; register value-added tax and submit returns with the Federal Tax Authority; transfer salaries of workers and employees to banks in the UAE; mortgage the movable or immovable property of the company; represent the company before all courts and quasi-judicial bodies in the UAE, and finally appoint an arbitrator in case of any disputes. The BRL sector focuses on making the process of registering new companies and issuing commercial licences easy and fast, which reflects positively on Dubai's global competitiveness. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 16:36:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close File photo shows Chinese President Xi Jinping holding a welcome ceremony for Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau before their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) In the combat against the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said, China and Kiribati have sticked together and supported each other, which again demonstrates the friendship between the two peoples. BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory message to Taneti Maamau on his re-election as Kiribati's president. In his congratulatory message dated Friday, Xi pointed out that since the resumption of China-Kiribati diplomatic ties in September 2019, relations between the two countries have grown rapidly and their exchange and cooperation in various areas have yielded fruitful results. Xi recalled that he has held a fruitful meeting with Maamau during the latter's successful visit to China in January this year. In the combat against the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said, China and Kiribati have sticked together and supported each other, which again demonstrates the friendship between the two peoples. Noting that he highly values the development of China-Kiribati relations, Xi said he stands ready to work together with Maamau to promote bilateral relations to new levels and bring more benefits to both countries and peoples. Nev. church fighting state limits on worship gatherings not imposed on casinos, gyms Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A congregation in Nevada has filed a request for relief from state-imposed restrictions on in-person gatherings that only apply to faith communities and not secular entities. Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley, a church based in Lyon County, filed an injunction request with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday. At issue are restrictions imposed by Gov. Steve Sisolak that limit gatherings at houses of worship to 50 people while allowing secular entities like casinos and gyms to operate at 50% capacity. The church hopes to also be allowed to hold worship services at 50% capacity, which would be around 90 people per in-person indoor gathering. The risk of COVID-19 exposure is greater at a restaurant than it is at a house of worship like Calvary Chapel that practices social distancing, eliminates coffee and snacks, and passes nothing person-to-person, the lawsuit states. Courts agree that assemblies at restaurants and houses of worship are comparable. Yet the governors directive limits all religious gatherings to 50 people regardless of seating capacity, social distancing, or any other pertinent factor. The appeal also argues that Sisolak has been inconsistent in his enforcement of the restrictions, noting that the governor openly supported recent large-scale protests. When hundreds of protestors gathered in packed throngs in blatant violation of the directives ban on gatherings over 50 ( 10), the Governor and Attorney General tweeted their support, the suit adds. They took no action to impose the directive or enforce social-distancing rules. Calvary Chapel supports protestors right to free speech; it just wants to live by the same rules. Calvary Chapel is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative law firm that frequently handles religious liberty litigation. ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker said in a statement released Monday that he believed the Nevada government should not show favoritism to secular entities over churches. The government can certainly prioritize public health and safety, but it shouldnt be able to play favorites by moving businesses and non-religious activities to the front of the line for reopening and push churches to the back, Tucker said. Earlier this month, District Court Judge Richard Boulware II ruled against the church, arguing, in part, that the church failed to prove that it was being discriminated against. Boulware noted that the 50-person cap has not been strictly enforced by Lyon County officials and entities like casinos have put in new restrictive measures of their own to curb the spread of the virus. It is difficult to establish a pattern of selective enforcement directed toward places of worship when new, more restrictive measures have been imposed against secular activities and no similar restrictions were imposed on religious activities, he wrote. Plaintiffs requested relief would require the court to engage in potentially daily or weekly decisions about public health measures that have traditionally been left to state officials and state agencies with expertise in this area. According to The Associated Press, 96% of the approximately 14,000 cases in Nevada are concentrated around Las Vegas and Reno, with Lyon County having only 24 active cases. Since its March 5 deal with Russia on Syrias rebel-held province of Idlib, Turkey has remarkably increased its military presence in the region, while its plans to force radical groups to toe the line have given rise to some intriguing developments in jihadi ranks. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group dominating Idlib, has adopted a conciliatory attitude toward Turkey after initial resistance to the reopening of the M4 highway, while a diehard radical camp sticks to its menacing posture. In its latest show of pragmatist rapport with Turkey, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham allowed the Turkish lira to circulate in Idlib as an alternative to the embattled Syrian pound. The move was not without controversy, sparking criticism of indirect banking links with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which Turkey lists as a terrorist organization. Even more remarkably, however, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has made moves to rein in or undermine the intransigent radicals in Idlib. While the Astana, Sochi and Moscow deals on Idlib have all called for the elimination of all terrorist groups in the region, Turkey has treated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham differently in practice. Pro-government media and think tanks have even sought to portray the group as a moderate and reasonable interlocutor. In a sense, Ankara is inclined to treat any militia as reasonable, regardless of its ideology and links, as long as it doesn't mess with the Russian-Turkish deal or Turkish moves on the ground. Ankara's primary motive here is to avoid attracting jihadi wrath on Turkey. Accordingly, getting jihadis to force other jihadis to toe the line has been part of Turkey's strategy. And things on the ground have progressed favorably thus far. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham pragmatist wing has prevailed in the in-house rift that followed the Turkish-Russian deal, hammered out in Moscow in March, but those who remain bent on fighting have turned to alternative alliances. In mid-June, the al-Qaeda-inspired Hurras al-Din, Ansar al-Din, Tansiqiyat al-Jihad, Ansar al-Islam and Muqatileen al-Ansar formed a joint operations center, dubbed Fathbutou (Be Steadfast). Since then, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has moved to undermine the new alliance, which not only challenges Hayat Tahrir al-Sham's authority by fanning divisions, but also provides a justification for Russia to resume military operations. On June 22, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham arrested Abu Malek al-Tali, a senior member of the group until recently, accusing him of fomenting division, insurrection and disarray by defecting to Muqatileen al-Ansar despite earlier warnings. Tali was a member of the Shura Council, the highest Hayat Tahrir al-Sham body, when he first quit in April in protest of the groups changing course. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani then persuaded Tali to return several days later. Bassam Sohyoni, the head of the Shura Council, also left the group at the time. Talis arrest followed that of Abu Salah al-Uzbeki, a prominent fighter who recently defected to Ansar al-Din. Fathbutou slammed the arrests and said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham appeared to be complying with the Astana agreement. It received backing from al-Qaeda, which said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was not the sovereign ruler of Idlib and urged militants to disobey orders to fight Fathbutou. In response, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham blamed Fathbutou for the tensions. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham also stressed it was an independent group without cross-border ties. The group banned members from quitting without permission and banned former members from creating new groups or joining existing ones without permission. To press for the release of those arrested, the Fathbutou factions erected checkpoints on several roads. The tensions erupted into deadly clashes June 23. Mediators secured a deal June 25, providing for an end to the fighting and the removal of the checkpoints. Still, clashes flared up anew at Arab Said in western Idlib. Meanwhile, two Hurras al-Din leaders perished in drone attacks, which the group blamed on the United States. The first strike on June 14, which according to The New York Times was carried out with an especially lethal Hellfire missile, killed Khaled al-Aruri, a Ramallah-born Jordanian who had helped Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in organizing al-Qaeda in Iraq before moving to Syria. A similar strike on June 24 killed Abu Adnan al-Homsi, who was in charge of logistics in Hurras al-Din. Aruri and other influential figures had quit Hayat Tahrir al-Sham after the group, known previously as Jabhat al-Nusra, rebranded itself and said it had split from al-Qaeda in 2017. In comments earlier this year, Washington's envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, seemed to advocate flexibility toward Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, highlighting the groups claim of being patriotic opposition fighters and saying that it had not posed international terrorism threats, focusing on keeping its positions in Idlib. In light of those remarks, the targeted killings of Hurras al-Din leaders could be read as a US contribution that reinforces Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and alleviates Turkeys burden. In 2018, another rift over what radicals see as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham pliancy had prompted Hurras al-Din and three other factions to form the Rouse the Believers operations room under the leadership of a former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander. The coalition rejected the Moscow deal, calling it a venomous snake that keeps biting the hands of the Syrian people. Now those groups have been joined by Tansiqiyat al-Jihad and Muqatileen al-Ansar, created in recent months by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham defectors. The radicals hold sway mainly in the areas of the Zawiya Mount and the Ghab Plain between Idlib and Hama as well as Jisr al-Shughur and Latakias northeastern countryside. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is said to be under growing pressure from Turkey to prevent attempts to block the M4 road, slated as a route for Turkish-Russian patrols, and rein in radical factions. Its rivals have come to accuse Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of taking orders from foreign powers, chiefly Turkey. Jihadi groups have always sparred with each other, but their rows are now attributed to steps taken under the Russian-Turkish deal. Hence, moves to redesign Idlib cannot be seen independently from the intentions and initiatives of Turkey, which has markedly increased its military and intelligence presence on the ground. Yet Hayat Tahrir al-Shams conciliatory attitude is turning the radical camp into a new center of attraction. And the resolve of radical factions is increasing the potential for confrontation. The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia June 28, 2020 In 2014, young Ali Sylla had a golden opportunity to etch his name in Liberias political history. The Unity Party (UP) chose Sylla as its Senatorial Hopeful to contest in Liberias populous County, Montserrado. Young Sylla cheerfully chose to eat his lunch before the recess period. This was a missed opportunity. Even though Sylla was never the most qualified or the most competent candidate to contest on UPs ticket in 2014 Senatorial Election, but he was preferred, through a democratic process, because the Unity Party thought that Sylla was a symbol of their partys youthful future. The platform that UP gave Sylla was far bigger than his political stature and political capital. Sylla had two (2) possible chances or options to his advantage: To maximize this unique opportunity in order to build his political profile and strategically brand himself by demonstrating loyalty, honesty, integrity, humility, hard work, discipline, and patriotism; To position himself as a "formidable political force" to reckon with in Montserrado County and across Liberia. Sylla had every opportunity to be like Senator Abraham Darius Dillon of the Liberty Party. Pathetically, Sylla willfully chose to betray thousands of Liberians including diehard partisans of the Unity Party. Young Sylla chose cash over character. He chose self over sacrifice. The Unity Party (UP) was not only shocked by Sylla's abrupt action but embarrassed when he finally sold out to the richest candidate (Robert Sirleaf) even though Sylla could win more votes than Robert as a candidate on UPs ticket. Syllas only excuse for hurriedly withdrawing his candidature was based on medical reason and that "medical reason" remains unknown to date. Young Sylla finally backed off from the race at the ninth hour as the Unity Party was left to wonder and ponder over such an unpredictable shift. Young Sylla had no idea that he was selling or auctioning his political future for 30 pieces of silver. He abused an opportunity that would have made him a political icon in Liberias history. This tragedy has rendered Amb. Sylla a political wanderer for about 6 years now. This egregious dent or disloyal past of his may hunt him for decades. Some political pundits have openly averred that Ali Sylla is hustling or he is a "hustler". But I think that Sylla is involved with what is often described as Political Prostitution. And Political Prostitution is usually provoked by desperation and egotism. This syndrome Political Prostitution leads to Political Polarization. Every time a popular election is nearing, this is when Ali Sylla becomes politically active. Most likely, he is looking for his next prey to predate on. Like Unity Party became a victim of his chicanery in 2014, ALCOP or CDC could be next. Sylla is not willing to remain in a political party to build it or to struggle with it. He shifts and swings between parties. Zero Loyalty Zero Consistency Zero Commitment Zero Integrity. For Sylla, politics is more of business (profit above service). Sylla seems to be a premier dealer in commercial politicking. This mode points in the direction of political opportunism and carpetbegging. Is Sylla a political optimist or a political opportunist? The latter would suffice in my opinion. How will the next generation even trust our generation when most youngsters are not willing to sacrifice and struggle for an all-inclusive CHANGE? When did Sylla even become a "revolutionary"? Four months to 2020 polls or 3 years to 2023 polls? Two (2) things have grabbed my attention of late about Sylla's showboating: Syllas closeness or proximity to President George M. Weah and CDC; And his expeditious shift from UP to ALCOP ahead of 2020 and 2023 polls. Sylla has a motive for doing this. I studied Political Science as my minor at the University of Liberia. I studied Hannah Arendt's Concept of Political Action and the Theory of Consequentialism. All of these concepts deal with motives and/or behaviors in times of political action. Where is Sylla? Is he still with UP or with ALCOP or with CDC? Sylla currently has a "Triangular Identity" or a "Tripartite Phenotype". Such three-facedness is collusive and corrosive to our body politics. Like I called out Madam Mary T. Broh a few months ago, Amb. Ali Sylla must also be called out too for his three-facedness. Ahead of 2020 and 2023 polls, Sylla wants to position himself as a Support Base or a "Canvass Caravan" for President George Weah and CDC. Sylla intends to use ALCOP as a vehicle and subsequently use the Mandingo Community or "Muslim Community" as his political base or comparative political advantage. I pose no objection to Syllas choice or right of joining any political party. It is his right. But using Tribal Sentimentalism or Ethnicity or "Religious Bigotry" as a Trump Card to gain political capital is dangerous, obsolete, and anti-democratic. Liberia has passed this level. The new debate or national conversation should abhor these sentiments. Political contestations should now be based on the clash of ideas/philosophies and not seeking solace in tribal bigotry, religious sentiment, and egocentrism. Sylla now calls himself Leader of ALCOP even though there has been no convention or congress held to propel his ambition to such height. Is Sylla fit to become a political leader of any party as he deceivingly attempts to hijack or arrogate unto himself such laurel/title? This style of leadership is undemocratic and has no place in the stock market of competitive political ideas. Sylla has even appointed one of his kinsmen as Co-chair of ALCOP. Another kinsman is the Chairman of ALCOP. On whose power are they operating? The PEOPLE or a few? In case I want to join ALCOP, how will I think or feel about such an arrangement? This precedent should be discouraged in all political parties everywhere in Liberia. ALCOP, like every political party, should be open to all Liberians regardless of tribe, religion, economic status, or culture Geopolitical balance through tribal/religious tolerance at every level of our society, including in every political party, is crucial to building a strong democratic architecture and a peaceful climate in Liberia. What is Sylla actually up to? In fact, where is Sylla? Is he with UP, CDC, or ALCOP? The inconsistency of Sylla has rendered him Three-faced. Is Sylla a political optimist or a political opportunist? In the latest Facebook post, Sylla is blasting at a group of oppressed Liberians who recently burned a few tires in Monrovia as a way of protesting against the increment of charges on internet data/call. Paradoxically and painfully, Sylla could not blast when our L$16 billion got missing and US$25m unaccounted for. I have not seen Ali Sylla blasting against the 4G acquisition of mammoth private estates and mansions being constructed by Pres. Weah and his cronies. I am seeing Sylla standing and smiling with Pres. Weah at his newly-built complex on RIA Highway. Who is Sylla then? Sylla is yet to even blast at the government for not doing enough to prevent RAPE and to reduce youth unemployment. I have not seen or heard Sylla blasting about the continuous cut and delay in the salaries of civil servants. When Pres. George Weah visibly conspired to illegally impeach Associate Justice Kabineh J'aneh, I didn't hear or see Ali Sylla blasting like he's doing now. I along with Emmanuel Gonquoi and Carlos Edison had to organize a mass protest on the grounds of the National Legislature to resist this conspiracy against Justice J'aneh. Where was this so-called "revolutionary" in Ali Sylla when we risked our lives? Probably he couldnt see or hear then. Huh Must we allow an opportunist like Sylla to pollute Liberias political corridors with such parochial agenda once more? No..No..No. We must be bold and honest about how we do politics or business in Liberia. The action of Sylla can only fit in the triangle of opportunism, egocentrism, and sectarianism. Since Pres. Weah along with his government has become so unpopular, Weah intends to rig 2020 and 2023 polls. To do this, he needs to re-solidify his political base against popular opposition political parties (e.g. CPP). So, Weah is building relationships/solidarity with smaller parties. Sylla is an emissary/conduit of this game plan. Weah intends to use this strategy as a pretext to steal votes. But it's going to be an impossible and a tough pursuit that is eventually going to produce a dead end. Additionally, Amb. Sylla should not even be actively participating in politics as a political appointee who currently has an assignment in Qatar, Asia. The action of Sylla is a violation of The 2014 Code of Conduct Law. But who is seeing and talking about this? We must be bold with the truth. Our political system in Liberia is very polarized due to disloyalty, inconsistency, bigotry, et al. Henceforth, our society must begin to deal with these unethical precedents. People cannot continue to abuse the doctrine of "free association" or "freedom to associate" to continue being disloyal, dishonest, and inconsistent. Politics should be based on honesty and not disloyalty. It should be based on philosophical principles and ideologies that are primarily intended to deliver the people from poverty and misery. It should not be based on rhetoric and bigotry. Like I would do to anyone especially any public official, I am calling Sylla out. I hope he accepts this bold critique in good faith. In Photo: Ali Sylla with ALCOP, CDC, and UP About The Author: Martin K. N. Kollie is an exiled Liberian activist and columnist. He is a former student leader in Liberia and an emerging economist. He can be reached via: martin kerkula1989@yahoo.com The Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church A.K.A Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has described the coronavirus pandemic as ... The Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church A.K.A Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has described the coronavirus pandemic as an anti-church virus. Oyedepo said COVID-19 is strategy of the devil and his human agents to stop the growth of the church all over the world. In his words; Coronavirus is nothing but anti-church virus. Now, freedom of worship is no longer a constitutional right. It is now determined by certain individuals. This is no longer coronavirus, at least in two states- Lagos and Ogun, this is anti-church virus. Caution must be exercised He continued saying; Can anybody silence the church? Never. I have never heard of anybody that got healed in the market but God heals people in the church day and night. We have recorded 114 coronavirus healing testimonies, we got 10 this week. And that is the place that is vulnerable and not the market. This is anti-church virus we are fighting. It is the grand design of the devil globally to see how he can silence the church. Everybody is in the market running over one another everyday of the week and there is no outbreak from the market but there is outbreak from the church, perceived outbreak. 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 Charlotte Chime, Annie Jones Annie Jones is returning to Neighbours as Jane Harris. First appearing in 1986, alongside Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Jason Donovan, her character became known as Plain Jane Super Brain, staying until 1989. Jane returned for reprisals in 2005 and 2018, and most recently for the shows 35th anniversary in March, finally acting on her feelings for Des Clarke (Paul Keane). Jones recently appeared on Secret Bridesmaids Business. Jane now returns to Erinsborough with her daughter, Nicolette Stone, played by new cast member, Charlotte Chimes (Schapelle, Catching Milat). Tune in to Neighbours on Wednesday, 15 July for Charlottes debut. Annie Jones said: Im so thrilled to be back playing Jane Harris! Im grateful to again be working with the dedicated cast, crew and team at Neighbours. Jane is returning to her old neighbourhood and bringing with her an insight into what her life away from Ramsay Street has been like for the past 30 years. Audiences will learn more about her family life, as fans are introduced to her daughter Nicolette for the first time. Charlotte Chimes said: Im not going to lie, I have Margot Robbie on my vision board three times. Little did I know I that Id also end up on Australias most iconic series following in her footsteps. Getting to work so closely with Annie Jones day in and day out is a gift. Her work is always truthful and nuanced. She sets the bar high, which gives me a lot to work with and bounce off. Annie Jones appears from Wednesday, 8 July at 6.30pm on 10 Peach and Charlotte Chimes on July 15. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 06:25:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The incumbent mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo (C) celebrates after winning the second round of the French Municipal elections in Paris, France, June 28, 2020. Previously scheduled for March 22, the voting took place after the government started a gradual exit in mid-May from months-long restrictions in response to the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua) PARIS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- With a record low turnout, French voters on Sunday credited the country's environmentalists to manage their local affairs in the final round of municipal elections, while President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party The Republic on the Move (LERM) failed to gain a strong foothold at local level. Exit polls showed that the European Ecologists and the Greens (EELV) recorded a strong performance. They claimed victory in cities including Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Poitiers, Besancon, Annecy, Bastia and Tours. Traditionally, one of bastions of the Republicans party, Marseille, France's second largest city, switched to the left wing. The environmentalist Michele Rubirola, who headed a left-wing coalition, was seen winning the vote with nearly 40 percent, 10 percentage points ahead of her conservative rival Martine Vassal, according to Ipsos/Sopra Steria. "What has won tonight is the desire for a concrete ecology, an ecology in action. It is a turning point in the political life of the country. It is the moment of ecology," Yannick Jadot, leader of the French greens told France 2 television. Marine Le Pen's far-right party seized the control of Perpignan in the south, its first takeover of a city of over 100,000 inhabitants since 1995. The anti-immigrant and protectionist party's candidate Louis Aliot, was seen collecting 52.7 percent of the vote versus 47.3 percent for the sitting conservative mayor. "The first message this evening is that this so-called Republican front fell in Perpignan, and tomorrow it could fall elsewhere. (The victory) is a great message for the future," Alliot told supporters. Exit polls suggested that Macron's party, founded by him ahead of his 2017 election, could emerge from the local contest without winning a major city, a severe blow to the president's plan to build a local power base ahead of 2022 presidential election. Incumbent socialist Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo topped the vote with 49.3 percent, sending the president's candidate Agnes Buzyn, former health minister, into a distant third place. It wasn't all bad for the head of state. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe won the race in northern port city of Le Havre with 58.83 percent of the vote. Holding two executive posts is allowed under French law. But the prime minister's mayoral victory raised questions over a possible government reshuffle, reported French media. Citing a source close to the Elysee, France info radio reported that Macron has congratulated Philippe for the "beautiful victory" and the two men would meet on Monday morning. The president also "expresses concern about the low turnout in municipal elections," which he said "is not very good news for the country's democracy." The turnout of Sunday's round slumped to a record low level of 34.67 percent at 17:00 local time (1500 GMT), according to the Ministry of Interior. In 2014 local polls, 52.36 percent of eligible voters had voted. Previously scheduled for March 22, the voting took place after the government started a gradual exit in mid-May from months-long restrictions in response to the spread of COVID-19. On March 15 when the first round was held, 44.66 percent of some 47.7 million voters shunned the voting. China mulls new amendment to criminal law - Xinhua | English.news.cn China mulls new amendment to criminal law - Xinhua | English.news.cn Chinese lawmakers Sunday started deliberating a new draft amendment to the country's Criminal Law. The draft Amendment XI to the Criminal Law, which involves six major areas of updates, was submitted to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. The updates include some 30 revised or newly added provisions, mainly focusing on stepping up the prevention of and penalties for workplace safety crimes, improving stipulations for penalizing food and drug safety crimes and stipulations for financial crimes, strengthening legal protection of corporate property rights and strengthening legal safeguards for public health, according to the draft. Hamas has warned that Israeli annexation in the occupied West Bank would be a "declaration of war", but the Islamist group must weigh the cost of a new fight, analysts said. In recent weeks, there have been almost daily protests in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip against US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan. The proposals envisage Israeli annexation of its West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 and located around 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the enclave of Gaza. The Israeli government is expected to decide from July 1 on the implementation of the Trump plan and as the clock ticks Hamas, which has fought three wars against Israel since 2007, is seeking to define its strategy in the face of the latest challenge. "There is no doubt that Hamas' options are complex because any response to the annexation will have consequences for the Gaza Strip," said Palestinian analyst Adnan Abu Amer. Despite a 2018 truce, Hamas and Israel still trade fire from time to time, with rockets or incendiary balloons launched from Gaza and reprisal strikes by Israel. "Tensions at the border fence may resume, with the launch of incendiary and explosive devices," said Mukhaimar Abu Saada, professor of political science at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. But he ruled out "the option of military activities" against Israel by Hamas, which rules over a territory already impoverished and under a crippling Israeli blockade. The movement "does not want Gaza to pay the price, and wants to wait to see what is going on, organise popular protests and not have to engage in confrontation with Israel," he added. On Friday Israeli air force jets struck Hamas positions in Gaza after rockets were fired from the territory towards Israel for the first time since early May. The previous day, Hamas's military wing had warned that annexation would prompt a war. "The resistance considers the decision to annex the West Bank and the Jordan Valley to be a declaration of war on our people," said spokesman Abu Ubaida. And an Islamist official told AFP that Hamas was in talks with other factions in the coastal enclave to "coordinate the resistance and resume the 'return marches'". 'More pragmatic' attitude? In March 2018, the Palestinians launched weekly protests along Gaza's border with Israel calling for "the right of return" of Palestinians chased from their lands or who fled when Israel was created in 1948. They also demanded the lifting of the strict Israeli blockade imposed by Israel over a decade ago on Gaza to purportedly contain Hamas. Attendance at the rallies waned late last year, then restrictions related to the new coronavirus pandemic added further complications. If Israel goes ahead with its annexation plan, Hamas may take a "more pragmatic" attitude and perhaps allow other factions to fire rockets at Israel or engage in clashes along the border, said analyst Abu Amer. But it would do everything to prevent a major response from Israel, he added. Abu Amer said that Hamas wants armed attacks against Israel in the West Bank instead, in order to spare the Gaza Strip. But for that, there would need to be a dialogue between Hamas and the rival Fatah party of West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmud Abbas. The two parties have been at loggerheads since the Islamist movement wrested control of the Gaza Strip from the PA in 2007 after a near-civil war, a year after winning parliamentary elections. Since then, all efforts at inter-Palestinian reconciliation have failed. In mid-June, a senior Hamas official, Salah al-Bardawil, called for Palestinian political unity. "We call on our people to turn this ordeal into an opportunity to get the Palestinian project back on track," he said. Abu Amer, however, said an agreement between the PA and Hamas is very slim, even "impossible because of the lack of confidence" on both sides. "The Palestinian Authority continues to hunt down and arrest Hamas activists in the West Bank on a daily basis," fearing Hamas will resume operations in the West Bank and oust it, as it did in Gaza, he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Azra Nazir receives her U.S. citizenship at Federal Plaza in New York after waiting 20 years. Nazir, an emergency room nurse, had to sue to get her application approved. Then COVID-19 canceled her original ceremony. (Carey Wagner / For The Times) Azra Nazir had a dress picked out, gray and blue. She had the subway directions. And in a rarity over two decades as an emergency room nurse, the 59-year-old had a few days off her first in months of battling the coronavirus at its epicenter in Brooklyn. After 20 years in the United States, where she secured asylum after leaving her native Pakistan, she would attend the ceremony at the end of March, raise her right hand, and become an American citizen at last. God made everything perfect for me, Nazir said she thought. Then, a few days before the scheduled day, she received a notice: Her oath ceremony had been canceled. Corona was at the peak, so I was just trying to think: 'OK, God ... at least I am alive,' she said. That was the compensation at that time, because it was really very depressing in those days. Three months later, on Tuesday, when New York held its primary election, she couldnt vote. On Friday, she finally was able to take the oath. "I'm relieved," she said with a smile. When her citizenship ceremony was postponed in March, Nazir became one of more than 110,000 green card holders whose applications for citizenship had been approved but who could not take the oath because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that administers the legal immigration system, had canceled in-person ceremonies amid the coronavirus outbreak. Since then, as states have started to ease restrictions, the agency has restarted ceremonies, keeping them short and small and cutting the backlog to fewer than 65,000, said USCIS spokesman Joe Sowers. Now, rather than a jumbo screen and 10,000 would-be citizens packed into the Los Angeles Convention Center, some Angelenos are becoming Americans in drive-through ceremonies . But with a backlog of more than 675,000 citizenship applications, the agency and the immigrants it serves now face another huge problem: A $1.2-billion budget shortfall threatens to force furloughs, or a total shutdown, just months shy of most states voter registration deadlines for the November election. Story continues USCIS is a fee-based agency by law, nearly all its funds come from the programs it administers. With the Trump administration having targeted legal immigration, not just illegal border crossings, and the coronavirus having further reduced fee-generating services, the agency is out of money. The administration has threatened to furlough some 13,400 USCIS personnel about 70% of its total employees and began issuing furlough notices last week, warning it will effectively shut down the agency if it doesnt get emergency funds from Congress. USCIS will not have sufficient funding to maintain operations through the end of the fiscal year, Russell T. Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote to Congress this month. Outside critics and some current and former officials say thats just how the White House wants it. The current crisis, they say, was not just inevitable, but intentional. I would not be surprised if a very large number of people end up not getting naturalized in time for the election, said Doug Rand, co-founder of Boundless Immigration, a company that assists with immigration applications, and a former Obama administration official. Immigrants take the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony in New Jersey in 2017. Ceremonies are smaller-scale now. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) By one count, the Trump administration has changed USCIS policy 182 times in less than four years . Because the changes have curbed legal immigration and therefore USCIS fees they have led to more than $500 million in revenue lost annually, according to America's Voice, an immigration advocacy group. From President Trumps first year in office through 2019, applications to USCIS by U.S. citizens seeking to bring immediate relatives to the U.S. fell by almost 30%. The administration has also implemented new wealth test policies to keep out poor migrants , rejecting those who might use, or whose U.S. citizen children might use, public benefits. On Monday, the White House moved to block many nonimmigrant employment-based visas through the end of the year. And the latest restriction, issued Friday, effectively doubles the amount of time asylum seekers must wait for work authorization or denies it altogether in some cases, such as when they move to a new address. Joseph Edlow, USCIS deputy director for policy, said in an agencywide memo Tuesday obtained by The Times that offices would start sending furlough notices within the week. Due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we have needed to make some hard decisions, Edlow said. Rest assured, we continue to work with members of Congress, in conjunction with [Department of Homeland Security] leadership, in our efforts to secure the assistance needed to continue agency operations. The White House has not yet formally submitted a request to the House Appropriations Committee for the money, Evan Hollander, a committee spokesperson, said. "Not even my dystopian mind envisioned this," said one USCIS employee who received a furlough notice Friday, requesting anonymity to protect against retaliation. "I had in my mind of America that if you work you can come live a good life, and you can live independent, you can live freely," Azra Nazir said. (Carey Wagner / For The Times) Azra Nazir's story illustrates the hurdles that many immigrants have to surmount to become U.S. citizens. In many ways, Trump has made it even harder. She arrived in New York for a nursing training program in 2000. She had worked as a nurse in Pakistan for decades and had survived years of violent abuse by a superior in the Pakistani military. She sought asylum in the U.S. I had in my mind of America that if you work you can come live a good life, and you can live independent, you can live freely, she said. I live by myself; I have no fear for anybody. A colleague sent her asylum case to Ava Benach, an immigration attorney based in Washington,who argued that the gender-based discrimination and violence Nazir had faced qualified her for asylum. They won. Benach doesnt think theyd win if the case were considered now, with gender-based persecution squarely in the crosshairs of administration hard-liners such as Stephen Miller, Trump's main White House advisor on immigration policy. For years, she and Nazir fell out of touch except for a dozen candy apples that Nazir, who is Muslim, would send Benach every Christmas. Then, in late 2019, Nazir reached out again. I applied for citizenship three years ago," she told Benach. Nazir explained shed applied just before the 2016 election and was interviewed roughly a year later then heard nothing. By law, according to Benach, a decision is required in four months. They sued USCIS. There was no legal basis to deny her citizenship, Benach said. She is on the frontest of front lines, Benach said of her longtime client. When Trump says he wants to shut out immigrants, this is who he means. Azra Nazir rides the subway home after receiving her U.S. citizenship June 26 in New York. (Carey Wagner / For The Times) For the decade before Trump took office, USCIS had weathered the ups and downs in its application numbers with cash reserves, keeping the part of its budget covered by Congress at 5% at the most, according to a recent report by Doris Meissner, former commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst, both at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group. In fiscal 2018, USCIS received more than 1 million fewer applications than the year before, leading to a $152-million drop in revenues from fees. Last year, the agency lost an additional $13 million. Even before the coronavirus crisis, the administration was projecting a $1.2-billion shortfall for this year. Last year, the agency adjudicated only a little over half of its applications. Processing time for a citizenship application has doubled under Trump compared with under President Obama. The total backlog of all applications the agency receives has grown to 5.7 million cases at the end of March , the agencys latest statistics show. At the same time, the money the agency dedicated to rooting out fraud more than doubled under Trump, to $379 million, and for vetting, nearly tripled, to $149 million. Its because of these new policies theyve not only bled the budget, but ... its like the agency is being set up to not do its own job anymore, and just be another arm of the fear machine, said a USCIS official, speaking anonymously out of concern about retaliation. Sowers, the USCIS spokesman, said the agency will clear the citizenship backlog from COVID-19 by the end of July. But with the agency typically averaging 3,000 naturalizations a day before the pandemic, and now out of funds, the fate of tens of thousands of potential voters is far from guaranteed. In a close election, these stalled citizens could be enough to swing a battleground state. But in some parts of the country, backlogs are so large that green card holders would have to have filed their applications two years ago in order to be able to vote in November, according to a report Boundless Immigration did in May. Lawmakers from both parties including the children of naturalized citizens have called on the administration to take all necessary measures, including virtual ceremonies, to ensure naturalizations go forward. Nazir counts herself lucky she got in under the wire. But many more probably will not. Being able to vote, she said, I will be more free. Still, she wonders why it had to take so long. Did I something wrong? You feel like you are being discriminated against. For a brief moment Friday in New York, the scene looked familiar: A USCIS officer asked Nazir and 11 others, at a distance to raise their right hands. With no family here, she said, "I do not have anybody here to share my good news with." But when she goes into the emergency room tomorrow, she said, she will bring cake and surprise her colleagues, who don't know her citizenship status. She'll tell them: Her long wait is over. Shes an American now. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 16:53:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BISHKEK, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan on Sunday reported 235 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 4,748. Of the new cases, five are imported, while the remaining 230 are contacts of existing confirmed cases, according to a statement from Kyrgyzstan's Republican Headquarters for the Prevention of the Spread of COVID-19. Among the new cases, 27 are medical workers, bringing the total number of infected medical workers to 739, including 420 recoveries. The total number of recoveries has risen to 2,242, with 30 newly recovered cases reported over the past 24 hours, while the death toll of COVID-19 in the country stands at 47, after one new death was reported in the period, according to the statement. Currently, 685 people remain hospitalized, with 20 patients in intensive care units. In addition, 1,774 asymptomatic patients are in home quarantine. In total, 4,017 laboratory tests have been conducted in the country in the last 24 hours. Enditem Russian Diplomat Says Reports on Moscow's Role in Killings of US Troops in Afghanistan 'Fake News' Sputnik News 09:49 GMT 27.06.2020(updated 09:51 GMT 27.06.2020) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Media reports citing US intelligence assessments alleging that Russian intelligence has solicited killings of US troops by the Taliban in Afghanistan are yet another fake news pursing to disrupt the Afghan peace process, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. "We have paid attention to yet another fake news, released into media space by the US intelligence about Russian military intelligence's alleged involvement in contracted killings of US troops in Afghanistan. This blunt story vividly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of US intelligence's propaganda staff, who instead of making up something more elaborate has come up with such nonsense", the Russian Foreign Ministry representative told journalists, adding that "on the other hand, what else one can expect from the intelligence that has miserably failed to succeed in the 20-year war in Afghanistan." According to the diplomat, it has become a commonly known fact that the US intelligence community has established a whole network of alternative income sources while on service in Afghanistan, including drug trafficking, charging militants for passage of vehicle caravans, and kickbacks on military contracts payed for by the US taxpayers' money. "Maybe the US spies are not happy about the fact that our [Russian] and their [US] diplomats together promote peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban? Their feelings are understandable they just do not want to loose the mentioned illegal sources of income", the Foreign Ministry representative said. On Friday, The New York Times published an article where it cited unnamed government sources as saying that US President Donald Trump was presented with an intelligence report that claimed that Moscow could have payed bounty to armed Islamic insurgents in Afghanistan to assassinate US soldiers. The outlet said Trump had so far failed to act on the report. In February, the US and the Taliban signed a peace deal that concluded rounds upon rounds of talks pursuing to launch the reconciliation process in Afghanistan after almost two decades of armed conflict and insurgency. Last week, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said that intra-Afghan talks were closer than ever after Kabul and the Taliban carried out a significant exchange of prisoners. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian diplomat, shows a map as he addresses journalists Jan. 20 in the West Bank city of Jericho about Israel's plans for more Jewish settlements. (Ahmad Gharabli / AFP/Getty Images) In this sunbaked biblical oasis, Palestinians are bracing for what they fear will be Israel's boldest territorial claim ever outside of war. We will stay here whatever they do we are not leaving our land, said Ahmad Yagi, a teacher in his 50s in Aqabat Jaber, a nearby Palestinian refugee camp. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that as soon as Wednesday, Israel may move to annex up to 30% of the West Bank, home to sites sacred to the major monotheistic religions and the heartland of what many Palestinians and much of the rest of the world have long hoped will someday be a Palestinian state. In the more than half a century since seizing the territory in the 1967 Middle East War, Israel has maintained a military occupation and built an archipelago of Jewish settlements, some hilltop hamlets, others the size of cities. Now Palestinians are counting on the weight of world opinion, the constraints of Israeli politics and the lack of a clear mandate from the United States to stop Netanyahu from delivering the death blow to aspirations for Palestinian statehood. International support for their cause was on display last week in Jericho at an anti-annexation rally attended by thousands of Palestinians and many senior Western diplomats though none from the United States. The United Nations special Mideast envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, told the crowd that annexation could kill the very idea that peace and statehood for the Palestinian people can be achieved through negotiations. Saeb Erekat, a veteran Palestinian peace negotiator, said that despite the risk of COVID-19 as a 65-year-old lung transplant recipient, he is especially vulnerable he took part in the rally to defend my survival. The international community came to us and told us we are not alone, Erekat said. They told Netanyahu and Trump: You are on one side, and facing you is international law. And Arab states that have engaged in quiet efforts to build ties with Israel warn that annexation would halt tentative steps toward normalization. Story continues Annexation would amount to unilateral and illegal seizure of Palestinian land, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to Washington, Yousef Otaiba, wrote last week in Israels Yediot Aharonot newspaper. Netanyahu has yet to tell Israelis, Palestinians or the world exactly what he plans to do. On Friday, just as Israel was shutting down for the Sabbath, his political rival and partner in governance, Benny Gantz, issued a sharply worded warning against going ahead with annexation. Amid the coronavirus outbreak and a surge in unemployment, annexation appears to be far down the list of concerns of most Israelis. In a poll published June 8, just over a third of Israelis said they supported the annexation plan, which includes the provisions for a Palestinian state, albeit a geographically fragmented one. Senior Israeli security officials, meanwhile, have conspicuously failed to sign onto the idea of annexation. Israeli army officers, briefing the Cabinet, have warned that it would probably provoke a wave of violence directed at Israelis. They have also complained that they have yet to see any maps of the proposed plan. Netanyahu, who failed in a series of national elections over the last year to secure a parliamentary majority and form a government led by his conservative Likud Party, is constrained by a coalition agreement that prevents him from presenting the government with any annexation plan that does not have explicit American approval. I am not even certain the Americans have figured out what their final position is, Zeev Elkin, a close Cabinet ally of Netanyahu, said in a radio interview last week. The Trump administration has sent mixed signals. Though Netanyahu and his allies cite a peace plan written by President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a green light to move ahead with annexation, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said last week that extending Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank would be a decision for Israelis to make. The peace plan, which has been widely condemned by European and Arab governments, enshrines numerous Israeli land claims while offering the Palestinians aid and economic benefits. In talks in Washington last week, Kushners team and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman debated ways to frame the strategy and avert violent fallout. The talks ended Thursday with no agreement on the next steps, a National Security Council official said. Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway dismissed predictions that there would be violent reaction to annexation as a scare tactic in light of what she called thousands and thousands of years of turmoil there. If the White House appears muddled, the U.S. Congress does not. In the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, at least 189 of 233 Democrats signed a letter to Netanyahu last week, urging that he shelve annexation plans and instead negotiate the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. I believe two states for two peoples is essential to securing a Jewish, democratic Israel living in peace with an independent and viable Palestinian state, said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), one of the letters authors. Some observers say the prospect of annexation may paradoxically breathe new life into Palestinian statehood hopes. The attempts by Israel to annex the West Bank has given Palestinians a renewed voice to say, Look, its now or never, and we want a state as much as we ever have, said Louis Fishman, a professor of Middle East history at Brooklyn College. You could argue that they are weaker today than they have been, perhaps since 1948, the year Israel was established, Fishman said. But the Palestinians also could benefit from a growing Western perception that they are being cheated out of something they deserve. Here in Jericho, 15 miles east of Jerusalem and within walking distance of the magical Dead Sea, resignation competes with hope. I love my country, said Valentina Ofeid, a teacher in her 30s who traveled three hours to attend last week's rally. She lives in the city of Salfit, where Palestinians and Israeli settlers have repeatedly clashed. The West Bank belongs to Palestine, she said, and annexation would put the lives of her children in danger. Ahmad Wallaje, a laborer from Jericho, lamented that the whole world has failed to convince Israel and the United States to give us a state. The whole world recognizes our right to a country, he said. ... But the international community may not be pressuring them enough. It cannot be that only two countries decide this question. Special correspondent Tarnopolsky reported from Jericho and Times staff writer King from Washington. Staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report. US Spending Report Sheds Light on China's Global Propaganda Campaign By Mo Yu June 27, 2020 This month China reported to the U.S. Department of Justice that one of its English language publications has paid $19 million to U.S. media since November 2016, including $12 million in payments to major U.S. newspapers like The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. The ad purchases by the official China Daily news outlet are a small measure of Beijing's global influence campaign. The China Daily ads, called "China Watch," often appeared as clearly identified inserts in the newspapers. Though similar to multipage newspaper ads from advertisers such as real estate developers or supermarkets, "China Watch" looks more like real news reports whose stories usually put a positive spin on life in China and its policies to boost the image of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On its website, China Daily described "China Watch" as a monthly publication with a global circulation of 4 million. The Daily Caller first reported the multimillion-dollar expenditures on June 8, based on an 86-page Justice Department filing dated June 1. This was not the first time the official China Daily had filed figures with the Department of Justice. It was designated as a foreign agent in 1983 and has been required to report its financial transactions under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) since then. Payments to US newspapers The June filing was unusual for the details it provided. In the past the CCP-controlled newspaper provided a total amount of expenditures without itemized figures. But earlier this year, a group of 35 U.S. Republican lawmakers, led by Representative Jim Banks of Indiana and Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, accused China Daily of violating FARA requirements by failing to report its U.S. operations in detail. The details revealed China Daily paid The Wall Street Journal a total of almost $6 million, The Washington Post nearly $4.6 million, The New York Times $50,000, as well as Twitter more than $260,000, from November 2016 to April 2020. The filing comes during a tense period in Washington-Beijing relations amid worries about foreign meddling in the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign. And it comes after China Daily's advertising drew attention during the hotly contested 2018 midterm elections when China Daily purchased a four-page "China Watch" insert in The Des Moines Register, the leading newspaper in Iowa. The latest FARA filing document shows the Chinese publication paid $34,600 to The Des Moines Register for this one-time advertising in September 2018. In it, China Daily criticized President Donald Trump's tariff measures and emphasized the benefits of free trade for Iowa farmers, prompting a strong response from Trump, attacking China for meddling in the election. At the time, an Iowa State University study suggested the state's agricultural sector could take a $2.2 billion hit because of the trade war. The New York Times in an email statement to VOA Mandarin said it stopped accepting branded content ads from state-run media at the beginning of 2020 and stressed that at no time had the advertising influenced its coverage of China. The statement noted that its 2012 report on the hidden wealth of the family of China's prime minister led to all of its platforms being blocked in China from then on. Twitter said it changed its advertising policy in August 2019 and no longer accepts state media buys. "We also recently disclosed information operations attributed to China to the only public archive of this activity in the industry," Twitter told VOA Mandarin, adding it had suspended 23,750 core accounts and about 150,000 "amplifier" accounts that were "tweeting predominantly in Chinese languages and spreading geopolitical narratives favorable to the Chinese Communist Party, while continuing to push deceptive narratives about the political dynamics in Hong Kong." China Daily's June 1 FARA filing shows that its ad payments to The Washington Post, The New York Times and Twitter have stopped since late 2019. The Wall Street Journal and the online publication Foreign Policy are the only two shown in the documents that continued to accept the Chinese money as of the April 2020 end of the filing period. These two outlets have not returned VOA Mandarin's request for comments. Misreading the media Jonathan Hassid, a political science professor at Iowa State University, said that the CCP got the U.S. media wrong. "The Chinese Communist Party doesn't really fundamentally understand how Western societies and Western media works," he told VOA Mandarin recently in a video call. "They think that Western media just looks like the Chinese media. And so [they] try to influence them in the same way. This, of course, is a fundamental misreading of the situation. And fundamentally, I mean, their credibility is poor around the world and growing worse. The COVID situation, obviously, helped not at all." A poll conducted March 3-29, as the COVID-19 pandemic was reaching the U.S., found that roughly two-thirds of Americans have a negative view of China. This is the highest level since the Pew Research Center started conducting the annual survey in 2005. Only about a quarter in the U.S. report a favorable attitude toward Beijing. The most recent survey shows that 90 percent of Americans see China's influence and power as a threat. A 2019 Pew Research poll showed this continued a negative slide in U.S. public opinion, when 60 percent of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of China, up from 47 percent in 2018. Between February and this week, State Department has designated nine Chinese state media as foreign missions, including the China Daily Distribution Corp. The entities with such designation must adhere to certain requirements that are applied to foreign embassies and consulates in the U.S., like providing detailed employee and real estate information. Sarah Cook, a senior research analyst for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan with Freedom House, pointed out that although China's propaganda campaign in the U.S. has had little effect in terms of moving public opinion into a positive light, it has had a deep impact in other areas, especially in Chinese-speaking communities outside China. According to a May 19 Brookings Institution blog post, "Chinese agents are creating fake social media accounts akin to Russia-backed trolls to push out false messages that are designed to create chaos in the United States." One Chinese message from mid-March when rumors and fear surrounded the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. said Trump was going to lock down the entire country, according to The New York Times. "They will announce this as soon as they have troops in place to help prevent looters and rioters," said one message citing a source in the Department of Homeland Security. The White House's National Security Council tweeted the lockdown messages were fake. Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report, which originated in VOA Mandarin. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access El viceministro Jaime Pomareda participo hoy en una reunion del foro Alianza por el Multilateralismo, organizado por Francia y Alemania, en el que resalto la importancia del fortalecimiento de la arquitectura de salud multilateral. pic.twitter.com/kysmGJYADt At least one illegal migrant was killed and 41 others were injured when a minibus carrying illegal migrants crashed Sunday in the eastern province of Van in the latest tragedy to befall migrants flocking to Turkey in an attempt to cross into Europe, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. The injured migrants were taken to nearby hospitals in the province as rescue crews and ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene. According to a governorate statement, two people believed to be the organizers were taken into custody. Authorities said the bus was carrying 22 Afghan and 20 Pakistani migrants. In 2019, more than 454,500 illegal migrants were intercepted in Turkey, according to the Interior Ministry. Unemployment in Britain could soar to 1980s levels with 3.8million on the dole due to the wreckage caused by the coronavirus lockdown. Labour has warned that ministers need to do more to support struggling businesses as both main parties try to come up with ways to rescue the economy. Statistics from the House of Commons library show that up to one million people could be added to the current jobless total of 2.8 million. Unemployment in the UK peaked at 3.3 million in 1984. Boris Johnson today pledges to spend tens of billions of pounds to save the British economy from disaster in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. Unemployment in Britain could soar to 1980s levels with 3.8million on the dole due to the wreckage caused by the coronavirus lockdown In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister promises a building blitz of hospitals, schools, housing developments and 'shovel-ready' road and rail infrastructure projects, while an 'opportunity guarantee' will aim to save the jobs of workers who have lost out in the employment market. Signalling a clear break with the policy of austerity imposed by David Cameron in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Mr Johnson says that he will be 'doubling down' on his pledge to 'level up' the distribution of wealth across the country. The Prime Minister will announce details of his plan which he describes as 'a very big moment' in a set-piece speech on Tuesday, which will be followed-up by an economic statement from Chancellor Rishi Sunak next month. Johnson will use his speech on Tuesday to announce a taskforce dubbed 'Project Speed', and led by Mr Sunak to cut down the time it takes to deliver 'high quality infrastructure'. Boris Johnson today pledges to spend tens of billions of pounds to save the British economy from disaster in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic However, Labour says the most urgent need is to protect existing jobs in sectors which still have no date for reopening - including gyms, beauty salons and nightclubs. In August employers will have to contribute to the furlough scheme which currently covers 80 per cent of wages. This is even if they have not been allowed to reopen. The scheme will fully come to an end in November which could potentially put many businesses in a very difficult position. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband told the Observer: 'The scale of the economic emergency facing us is enormous. But the government is pulling the rug from under businesses employing one million people by demanding they start bearing the cost of the furlough when they don't even know when they can reopen. 'The government's approach will put jobs, businesses and livelihoods at risk, which will impose costs on us all. Failing to act to protect jobs now will only add to the burdens we face in higher benefit payments, lost tax revenues and a smaller economy,' said Miliband. Gordon Brown has also criticised the government's economic response, accusing it of 'dither and delay'. The furlough scheme is funding more than 8 million workers, at an estimated cost of a 14bn a month. It comes as Britain today announced 100 more coronavirus deaths, in a record-low Saturday total that will cool fears about the latest lockdown-loosening measures. Today's figure is down by almost a quarter from last Saturday's 130 deaths, and marks the lowest Saturday total since March 21, two days before lockdown, when 56 people were killed. It means the UK's official Covid-19 death toll now stands at 43,514 but more grim estimates by the Office for National Statistics put the tally in the region of 55,000 when suspected virus deaths are included. A total of 890 more people were diagnosed with the viral disease in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infected to 310,250. But millions of cases have went missed because of a lack of widespread testing, and the ONS predicts around 3,000 people are still catching Covid every day in England alone. Meanwhile, holidaymakers will be able to travel abroad for summer holidays next month under a 'traffic light' system that ranks countries based on their coronavirus risk, it emerged today. Britons visiting nations that are 'green' or 'amber' - which includes most tourist hotspots in Europe, including Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and France - will not have to self-isolate when they return. Only those flying to 'red' countries - such as the US, Brazil and India, where the virus is still rife - will have to quarantine indoors for 14 days after flying back. We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Royal Bank of Canada (TSE:RY). What Is Insider Buying? Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise. View our latest analysis for Royal Bank of Canada The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Royal Bank of Canada While no particular insider transaction stood out, we can still look at the overall trading. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! TSX:RY Insider Trading Volume June 28th 2020 Royal Bank of Canada is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Does Royal Bank of Canada Boast High Insider Ownership? Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Our data indicates that Royal Bank of Canada insiders own about CA$13m worth of shares (which is 0.01% of the company). Overall, this level of ownership isn't that impressive, but it's certainly better than nothing! So What Does This Data Suggest About Royal Bank of Canada Insiders? Story continues It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Royal Bank of Canada shares in the last quarter. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders own shares in Royal Bank of Canada and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Royal Bank of Canada. Of course Royal Bank of Canada may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. 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. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Mike Pence said Sunday morning that he refused to push a 'radical left agenda' by using the phrase Black Lives Matter and instead asserted 'all lives matter.' 'As a pro-life American, I also believe that all life matters, born and unborn,' Mike Pence, an avid evangelical christian, told CBS News' John Dickerson. 'But what I see in the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement is a political agenda of the radical left that would defund the police, that would tear down the monuments, that would press a radical left agenda that, and support calls for the kind of violence that has beset the very communities that they say that they're advocating for,' he continued. Dickerson, whose interview with the vice president aired on CBS News' Face the Nation Sunday morning, pushed Pence: 'So you won't say Black lives matter?' 'John, I really believe that all lives matter. And that's where the heart of the American people lies,' Pence said. Vice President Make Pence says he doesn't use the phrase 'Black Lives Matter' because it has been used to push a 'radical left agenda' 'John, I really believe that all lives matter,' Pence told CBS News' John Dickerson The Black Lives Matter movement started in 2013 to protest police brutality against black Americans Dickerson asserted that protesters want to hear leaders use the phrase turned civil rights movement. The Trump administration has not used the phrase 'Black Lives Matter' in the wake of George Floyd's death, which has led to nationwide unrest and more than a month of protests and riots in cities across the country. Black Lives Matter was established in 2013 as a movement aimed at protesting police brutality against African-Americans and the most recent wave has participants calling for defunding of police and the removal of Confederate statues and monuments. Civil Rights activists and groups claim the phrase 'all lives matter' is counterproductive to the movement. A Pew Research poll published earlier this month shows that nearly seven in 10 Americans support the Black Live Matter Movement but the phrase remains politically sensitive for many Republicans. Killer Joanna Dennehy is dating a fellow female murderer in prison, the pair are serving life at the same jail and have murdered four men between them. Dennehy, 37, who was jailed in 2014 after killing three men during a 10-day spree, has now coupled up with Emma Aitken, 25, jailed alongside her father and boyfriend for killing one man, reports The Sun. The pair, who are both serving life, are believed to have met at Low Newton Prison in County Durham, the highest security prison for women in Britain, when Dennehy was transferred there in 2018. Mother-of-two Dennehy is one of only two women in Britain serving a whole-life prison term, the other is Rose West. Dennehy, 37, was jailed in 2014 after killing three men during a 10-day spree and dumping their bodies in ditches outside Peterborough, where she lived She stabbed three men to death; Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, John Chapman, 56, and Kevin Lee, 48, whose bodies she dumped in ditches outside Peterborough, where she lived before knifing two more men in Hereford. Aitken, is serving a term of a minimum term of 12 years after being jailed aged 19 in 2014 for the murder of traveller Barry Smith, who's burnt body was found outside a social club in Kilburn, Derbyshire. Aitken and Dennehy are said to pass the time in jail making trifles and cheesecake while other prisoners stay in their cells. The murderers have even gifted each other embroidered cushions with each others' names on, reports The Sun. A source told The Sun: 'The jail has been on virtually permanent lockdown but Joanna has been going out to do her laundry and going to the kitchen with Emma. Emma Aitken, 25, is serving a term of a minimum term of 12 years after being jailed aged 19 in 2014 for the murder of Barry Smith, who's burnt body was found at a social club in Derbyshire Adding: 'Other inmates are scared of Joanna because of her crime and her attitude. She is not someone to be messed with.' Dennehy's first victim was a Polish man, Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, who had come to believe Dennehy was his girlfriend. She lured him to a property with suggestive texts, then stabbed him through the heart. Dennehy then used a pocket knife to kill her housemate John Chapman, 56, stabbing him once in the neck. The third victim was her landlord, Kevin Lee, 48, who she lured with the promise of sexual favours. Excited by the police manhunt for her, she then stabbed Robin Bereza from behind in Hereford on April 2 2013. Nine minutes later, she knifed John Rogers. Both men survived. Low Newton prison near Durham where the pair are believed to have met in 2018 after Dennehy was transferred there She was caught after two days on the run. Dennehy, who was brought up in a stable family home in the Home Counties, carried out the attacks to gratify her 'sadistic love for blood'. The Old Bailey was told the killer had a 'sexual and sadistic motivation'. Later she told a psychiatrist: 'I killed to see how I would feel, to see if I was as cold as I thought I was. Then it got more -ish.' Experts said Dennehy craved notoriety and wanted to humiliate her victims through sick sex games. Before the killings she had boasted she had already killed four times. When the three bodies were found, police launched a high-profile murder investigation. Meanwhile Dennehy travelled to Hereford and started scouring the streets with accomplice Gary Stretch for more men to kill. She told him: 'I want to have my fun.' The pair randomly selected two dog walkers, retired fireman Robin Bereza, 64, and John Rogers, 56. Dennehy stabbed them in frenzied knife attacks. Both survived the horrific attacks only because of swift medical intervention. During her search for further victims, Dennehy posed for photos with a huge serrated knife and bragged that she and Stretch were 'like Bonnie and Clyde', whose gang killed nine policemen in 1930s America. PATNA The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the multi-crore Srijan scam, filed three separate charge-sheets on Saturday before the special court in Patna against 60 accused, including former Bhagalpur district magistrate and JD (U) leader K P Ramaiah. Ramaiah, a 1986-batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, has also served as principal secretary of scheduled castes/tribe welfare department and secretary of Mahadalit Commission, before joining the JD (U) in 2014, when he unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha election from Sasaram constituency. He is the second formed DM of Bhagalpur to be charge-sheeted in the case. Earlier, 2004-batch IAS officer Birendra Prasad Yadav, currently posted as special secretary (backward class and extremely backward classes) at the states social welfare department, was charge-sheeted. The Srijan scam involves fraudulent transfer of more than Rs 2,000 crore from governments bank accounts in Bhagalpur to Srijan Mahila Vikash Sahyog Samiti (SMVSS), an NGO which claimed to be working for the uplift of women in different districts. The cases first came to light in August 2017 and the CBI took over the case the same month. Others already charge-sheeted in the case include Manorma Devi (late), founder secretary of the SMVSS, manager Sarita Jha, director Subha Laxmi Jha, secretary Rajni Priya and her husband Amit Kumar, besides the then chief managers, then branch managers and other officials of Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank. Manorama Devi, who reportedly flaunted her connections with politicians and bureaucrats and helped Srijan spread its tentacles. About Ramaiah, the CBI has found that he, as DM of Bhagalpur in 2011, allowed opening of bank accounts in SMVSS with the help of then deputy collector (nazarat) Vijay Kumar and depositing Rs 3.5 crore in two separate accounts. During investigation, the premier agency found that there were illegal transfers and misuse of funds from government accounts in Bhagalpur district to accounts of the SMVSS through a conspiracy hatched between government officials, including DMs and office bearers of the NGO, between 2003 and 2014. In another case, Ramaiah has also been accused of embezzlement of funds meant for the uplift of scheduled caste/tribe students through imparting training in computer courses. Bihars vigilance department had found he was wrongly disbursing Rs 2.24 crore only two days before his voluntary retirement. Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Sunday accused CM Nitish Kumar of having patronised the tainted former bureaucrat. The chief minister should explain why an accused in the Srijan scam is being patronised by the JD(U). After all, what is so special about Ramaiah that the JD(U) had given him ticket during parliamentary polls and later appointed him as member of the land tribunal when he lost the election, said Tejashwi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Quite a year, were having. Pandemic, recession, police brutality, civil unrest, and a presidential election that is likely to be the most contentious, in both the campaign and outcome, as any election in the last century. In the midst of great uncertainty, churches should remember that our job is to preach the Gospel, and tell people that, more than anything, Jesus matters. Paul resolved to preach Christ regardless of the demands of his audience (1 Cor. 1:22-25) and exhorted his protege Timothy to preach the Word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). Gods job description for the church is laid out in 2 Timothy 3:15: We are a pillar and foundation of the truth. If someone comes to a church, or watches a sermon online, or sees a pastor on television and does not hear Christ proclaimed, then we have failed to do our job. The Great Commission remains our marching orders; to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Christ commanded (Matthew 28:19). These orders are based on the absolute and total authority of Jesus over everyone and everything (Matthew 28:18) Jesus matters. The greatest need of our culture, and any culture, is to recognize and joyfully submit to Jesus. Such recognition and submission brings personal transformation, and personal transformation en masse alters the trajectory of a nation. In the contemporary Broadway musical Hadestown, the only thing that will turn winter into spring is a song sung by the poet Orpheus. In reality, only Christ can turn death to life, hate to love, and despair to hope. Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump have the answers that our culture needs most. The church alone, holding forth the Word of Life, can accurately diagnose the problem (personal sin) and prescribe the cure (repentance and faith in Christ). Jesus tells us that He is the truth (John 14:6) and He alone can set us free (John 8:32). If churches become distracted in the moment, then we will have wasted the moment. Now more than ever, our message must be contrarian. Jesus matters, and the reality of his death and resurrection give meaning to life and hope for justice. Apart from him, there is no hope, no unity, no peace, and no justice. Paul says in Acts 17:28 in Christ we live and move and have our being. Jesus matters because apart from him it is meaningless to talk about things like equality, justice, hope, and peace. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:15). John Newton famously said at the end of his life that he was sure of two things, I am a great sinner but Christ is a great Savior. Christians must be loud and clear about these two truths and communicate them faithfully in local churches and in the public square. Now is not the time for chasing windmills and indulging conspiracies either on the right or the left. America in 2020 is a Kafkaesque moment. The absurdity of such moments is illustrated by a story told by Albert Camus in which a man is fishing in a bathtub. A man comes along and asks are they biting? to which the man fishing replies of course not you fool, this is a bathtub. Our culture is fishing in an empty bathtub. Racism, secularism, naturalism, progressivism, and socialism are empty bathtubs in a world of empty bathtubs that will never produce peace, freedom, equality, or justice. They will only kill, steal, and destroy. Jesus matters, and the church must be single-mindedly focused on preaching Christ and calling people to repentance and faith. The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) has partnered with Albilad Capital to provide pricing data for the companys recently launched Shariah compliant, gold-backed Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). The ETF, listed on Tadawul, uses data from the DGCXs Shariah Compliant Spot Gold Contract (DGSG) for its benchmark pricing, and is the regions first physically-backed gold ETF that complies with Shariah requirements in line with Islamic rules and principles. Since its launch at the beginning of the month, Albilad Capital has invested in780 kilograms of gold valued at $42.67 million. A minimum of 95% of the ETFs assets will be invested in physical gold, purchased from the DGCX market via its Shariah Compliant Spot Gold Contract, and stored in a secured vault in Dubai. The product is primarily aimed at retail investors. Les Male, CEO of DGCX, said: This cross-collaboration between the UAE and Saudi Arabia is a significant milestone in the development of both gold and Islamic finance markets across the region. Historically, there has always been tremendous investor appetite for gold, particularly during times of heightened volatility, but it has not always been accessible to Islamic investment portfolios. But with Albilad Capitals innovative, Shariah compliant instrument that uses reliable and real-time pricing data from the DGCXs Shariah Compliant Spot Gold Contract, investors can more easily own and trade the yellow metal in compliance with Islamic religious law and investment principles. These types of products are increasing in popularity, reflecting the growing potential of the Islamic finance sector. Over the coming months and years, we look forward to fostering more fruitful partnerships that will further build and shape the landscape across the region. Zaid Bin Muhammad Almufarih, CEO of Albilad Capital, said: Through this partnership with DGCX, we successfully listed the first Commodity physically-backed gold ETF in the Saudi Capital Market. The listing of Albilad Gold ETF added another dimension to the development of the Saudi Capital Market, and further flavoured the regional markets with diverse asset classes in compliance with Shariah guidelines. This unconventional and innovative product will help all types of investors to have an exposure to gold price movement, and act as an enabler for effective asset allocation in a most efficient manner. The DGCXs Shariah Compliant Spot Gold contract, which provides pricing data to Al Bilads gold-backed ETF, was launched in 2018 and is the GCCs first and the worlds only Shariah Compliant Spot Gold Contract. The contract has been certified by renowned Shariah scholars in compliance with the Shariah principles for the ownership of gold. TradeArabia News Service Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo reminded Malacanang on Sunday to be more open to receiving constructive criticisms, following accusations that she has been engaging in another "finger-pointing" and "nitpicking" about the government's COVID-19 response. "Kapag masyado tayong sensitive sa puna, kawawa naman yung taong bayan. Ang panahon ngayon, hindi pwedeng patuloy na nagkakamali," Robredo said in her weekly radio show Biserbisyong Leni. [Translation: If we are too sensitive about criticisms, it is the people who will suffer. Nowadays, we can't afford to commit lapses.] She added: "Sana makinig naman. Sana wag masyadong maging balat-sibuyas. Yung datos 'di galing sa akin, yung datos galing sa grupo, galing sa eksperto na mag-analisa ng datos." [Translation: Please listen. Please don't be onion-skinned. The data did not come from me, the data came from groups, experts who analyze information.] The Vice President responded to the remark of Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Saturday, who noted that she was only "looking at the glass half-empty, and focusing on the shortcomings just to score political brownie points at the expense of the administration." Robredo acknowledged that she was "really looking at a glass half-empty" but pointed out that the Office of the Vice President has been "trying to fill it up, because at a time of crisis, we cannot afford not to fill up the glass." Robredo earlier told CNN Philippines' The Source that the administration was in a "state of denial" when it comes to lapses in the way it has been addressing the COVID-19 crisis in the country. READ: 'State of denial:' Robredo tells gov't to stop praising itself, address missed targets in pandemic response Roque said that Robredo's accusation was "baseless" and insisted that the administration has been transparent in its gains and lapses in performance. He also called on Robredo to instead "request" whatever information she needs from the concerned offices of the Executive department. The presidential spokesperson earlier claimed that the Philippines was among the first in the region to lockdown the local epicenter of the outbreak. However, Robredo noted that the government was last to shut down international travel which could have prevented the entry of coronavirus carriers to Metro Manila, and eventually to the rest of the country. The government has also been implementing its Hatid Probinsya and Balik Probinsya programs, which some local officials blame for the sudden increase in infections in provinces that were previously COVID-free. The University of the Philippines OCTA Research Team earlier projected that the Philippines will have 40,000 cases by June 30, citing the need to further improve the country's testing capacity and contact tracing capabilities. At least 34,803 total cases were recorded by the Department of Health to date, with 1,236 deaths and 9,430 recoveries. CNN Philippines' Melissa Lopez contributed to this report. Photo credit: JONAS EKSTROMER - Getty Images From Harper's BAZAAR In the month since George Floyds death at the hands of the police, the world has witnessed some of the most engaged, passionate and determined anti-racism protests and calls to action in recent memory. From Minnesota and New York to Amsterdam and London, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets and social media to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and demand governments actively put an end to police brutality and institutional racism. Celebrities have donated millions of pounds to the movements affiliated organisations, CEOs have resigned to make way for Black leaders, brands have been called out for their lack of diversity and racist behaviour, and statues of colonialists and slave traders have been toppled. There have also been less visible changes around the globe that are harder to measure. Since Floyds passing, people have taken the chance to reflect on their own privilege and racial ignorance. Others have had uncomfortable but crucial conversations about performative allyship and social inequality in order to find out how to make a lasting change and hold themselves accountable for racial bias. Photo credit: Win McNamee - Getty Images In a similar vain to the Berlin Wall protests in 1989, Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech in 1963 and the Womens March in 2017, 2020s Black Lives Matter protests are historic and will hopefully continue to inspire change. At Floyd's funeral on 9 June, his brother Rodney told mourners: "Everybody is going to remember him around the world. He is going to change the world." Undoubtedly, the 47-year-old's death has marked the beginning of a global call for action. Here are just some of the changes that have happened across the world in the last two weeks that demonstrate the power of protesting. What has happened in the US? A day after Floyds death on 25 May, protests began in Minneapolis, resulting in US police forces using riot-control equipment, such as tear gas and rubber bullets, to deter the crowds from gathering. Story continues Hours later, protests spread to cities across the US including in Memphis, Los Angeles and Louisville, with anti-racists also protesting the recent deaths of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. On 9 June, US Democrats in Congress proposed legislation to reform American police, which would facilitate the prosecution of police for misconduct, ban chokeholds, and addresses racism. Photo credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY - Getty Images From a cultural perspective, Gone with the Wind was temporarily taken off HBO Max following calls for it to be removed from the US streaming service for its depiction of slavery, as was the US reality show Cops. Gone with the Wind later returned to HBO Max, with an introduction providing historical context surrounding the film. "You are about to see one of the most enduringly popular films of all time," film professor Jacqueline Stewart now says in the new introduction. She goes onto explain that the film was not universally praised, adding that it can be an uncomfortable, even painful watch. In the two weeks since Floyds death, various cities across the country have also enacted powerful measures to combat racism on a local level. Minneapolis: On 5 June, the City Council agreed to ban the use of chokeholds by police and required officers to report and intervene when they see unauthorised use of force by a colleague. The former US police officer charged with Floyds murder in the city, Derek Chauvin, appeared in court for the first time on 9 June. He is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The other three officers Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on 4 June. Louisville: The Louisville Metro Police Department has fired one of the three officers, Brett Hankison, involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. In a termination letter posted to the departments Twitter account, Chief Robert Schroeder accused the former officer of violating its policy on the use of deadly force. He said that Hankison "wantonly and blindly" fired 10 shots into the victims apartment on 13 March. Buffalo, NY: Two police officers were suspended without pay and later charged with felony assault after a video showed them shoving a 75-year-old protester, who was hospitalised with a head injury. Dallas: On 4 June, Dallas Chief of Police Renee Hall implemented a new order instructing officers "to either stop, or attempt to stop, another employee when force is being inappropriately applied or is no longer required". Photo credit: CHANDAN KHANNA - Getty Images New Jersey: A state official cited George Floyd's death as he announced the state will update guidelines to police governing the use of force for the first time in two decades. Maryland: Days after Floyds death, Maryland lawmakers said that they were forming a workgroup to address police reform and accountability. Los Angeles: The City Council introduced a motion to reduce the LAPDs $1.8 billion (1.4 billion) operating budget for the coming year. New York City: Members of the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control board have refused to transport arrested protesters from demonstrations. On 21 June, the New York Police Department suspended a police officer who was involved in the arrest of a black man in Queens, after a video emerged showing the officer appearing to use an illegal chokehold. What has happened in the UK? Thousands of protesters demonstrated in cities including Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and London following Floyds death. MPs and anti-racists have also urged the government to suspend the sale of British tear gas, rubber pellets and riot shields to the US and for ministers to clarify whether any UK-manufactured equipment is currently being used in America during the protests. On 9 June, London mayor Sadiq Khan launched a diversity commission to investigate which statues should be retained, which ones with slavery ties should be removed, and new status to be erected (more on this below). Photo credit: NurPhoto - Getty Images In addition, Little Britain has been removed from BBC iPlayer, Netflix and BritBox amid resurfaced criticism from viewers over the depiction of certain characters. Heres what else has happened so far in the UK: Bristol: A statue of the slave trader Edward Colston was torn down during an anti-racism protest and thrown into the harbour on 7 June. The artist known as Banksy has since shared a proposal for what should replace the statue. London: On 8 June a statue of slave trader Robert Milligan was covered and then removed from outside the Museum of London Docklands. Glasgow: A statue of Sir Robert Peel was vandalised by protesters as campaigners call on all UK cities to remove all historical figures associated with slavery and racism. Denbigh: Councillors have voted to consult the public on removing a statue honouring Victorian adventurer, Henry Morton Stanley, who opponents claim had links to slavery. Europe Protests have taken place across Europe since Floyds death, with demonstrators taking to the streets in Athens, Madrid, Brussels, Copenhagen and Berlin. Amsterdam: A week after a Black Lives Matter protest in Dam Square involving as many as 14,000 people, a second has moved locations given an increase in supporters. Germany: Following protests, graffiti artists Eme Freethinker has painted Floyds portrait on one of the last remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. Photo credit: NurPhoto - Getty Images Republic of Ireland: Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the US ambassadors residence to show solidarity with the US protests. Protests took place across Ireland in the likes of Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Italy: On 7 June, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Rome to oppose racism in the United States and Italy. The crowds cried: "No to racism! George Floyd is here!" Poland: Hundreds have placed flowers, candles and signs in front of the US embassy in Warsaw. What has happened around the world? Canada: Demonstrators have been protesting against police brutality and the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old black woman who recently died in Toronto after falling from her balcony during a police investigation. New Zealand: Senior ministers denounced Donald Trump as racist over his response on Twitter to protests after the death of Floyd. Photo credit: APU GOMES - Getty Images Mexico: On 4 June, Mexico held a candlelight vigil for Floyd and portraits of him have been hung outside the US embassy with roses and candles. Syria: Syrian painter Aziz Asmar and his two friends created an eight-food-high mural on a bombed Idlib building to show solidarity with anti-racists in the US. It features the words: "I cant breathe." Photo credit: Anadolu Agency - Getty Images Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for more from Harper's Bazaar, straight to your inbox. SIGN UP You Might Also Like Rhett and Scarlett are back at HBO Max, this time with context. Two weeks after the streaming site pulled Gone With the Wind down, the 1933 Southern war epic is back with an almost five-minute disclaimer ahead of the opening credits. Watching Gone With the Wind can be uncomfortable, even painful, Turner Classic Movies host and film scholar Jacqueline Stewart says. Still, it is important that classic Hollywood films are available to us in their original form for viewing and discussion. It is not only a document of Hollywoods racist practices of the past, but also an enduring work of popular culture that speaks directly to the racial inequalities that persist in media and society today. Amid anti-racism protests, Gone With the Winds arrival on HBO Max was met with criticism about romanticizing the era. It doesnt just fall short with regard to representation, 12 Years a Slave director John Ridley wrote for the Los Angeles Times. It is a film that glorifies the antebellum south. It is a film that, when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color. At the top of the movie, Stewart acknowledges that Gone With the Wiind shows the Antebellum South as a world of grace and beauty without acknowledging the brutalities of the system of chattel slavery upon which this world is based. The films treatment of this world through a lens of nostalgia denies the horrors of slavery, as well as its legacies of racial inequality, she says. Stewart also acknowledges the mistreatment of Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for supporting actress as Mammy, a servant at the Tara plantation. McDaniel, the first black person, was forced to sit in the back of the room at the Academy Awards and was not allowed to attend the movies premiere in Georgia due to Jim Crow laws. 2020 New York Daily News Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Here's a look at futures prices on commodities that impact Southern Illinois and the rest of the Midwest. Hog prices wallow Pig prices are grinding to new lows, with August lean hog futures dropping under 48 cents per pound on Friday. Back in early May, when the COVID outlook was optimistic, August hogs gained over 30% to reach 67 cents per pound, a sign that markets were expecting stronger demand by the end of the summer. Now, as the U.S. case count is climbing, markets fear that slaughterhouses could stay hard-hit by coronavirus outbreaks, sapping demand for hogs yet again. On Thursday, concerns about an oversupplied hog market were confirmed, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its Quarterly Hogs & Pigs Report. The government data showed that hog herds were 5% larger this year, exceeding expectations. Worse yet, the hog population rose most sharply for heavy-weight pigs, a sign that there is an overabundance of slaughter-ready animals that cant be sold. If pork processing remains a bottleneck, there could be an excess of animals and a shortage of meat, which will keep pork prices high for anyone that cant dress a hog themselves. Gold at 8-year high Gold neared $1,800 an ounce this week for the first time since 2012 as markets grow jittery over record-breaking U.S. COVID-19 cases. In times of economic turmoil, investors often flock to precious metals, bonds or cash as they await a clearer outlook. Right now, stocks are seeing only moderate selloffs, and the U.S. dollar and bonds are relatively flat, a sign that gold is outpacing other assets. So far, gold has stopped short of the round number $1,800 level, trading Friday for $1,783, leaving that psychological barrier as the next target for market bulls. Market swimming in corn Americas top crop fell to new lows this week, with futures prices for this falls harvest dropping under $3.25 per bushel. This years crop is growing well, with 72% of U.S. corn rated good or excellent right now. Weather for the next two weeks looks favorable across much of the Corn Belt, with much of the Midwest slated to receive rains in the coming days. A healthy crop will lead to a large harvest, adding to the already-heavy corn supply. As renewed COVID outbreaks threaten to slow economic activity, driving demand could falter, reducing corn-based ethanol demand, as well. The next big market mover will be the USDAs report on Tuesday, which will estimate the total planted acres of corn as well as the amount of the old crop current still in storage across America. Walt and Alex Breitinger are commodity futures brokers in Valparaiso, Indiana, and the opinions here are solely the writers'. They can be reached at 800-411-3888 or www.indianafutures.com. This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell any market. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. Towbin receives National Institutes of Health research project grant Jeffrey A. Towbin, MD, of Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center was awarded a Research Project Grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with co-principal investigators Enkhsaikha Purevjav, MD, PhD and Lu Lu, MD, MS. He is lead principal investigator on the project "Discovery of Modifier Genes in Cardiomyopathy." The objective of this study is to identify the modifier genes that alter the expression of myopalladin (MYPN), the gene that affects the type and severity of cardiomyopathy - an inherited disease of the heart muscle that ultimately results in heart failure, transplant or sudden cardiac death in many patients. The project will examine how different genetic backgrounds effect the mutation of the MYPN gene which determines how cardiomyopathy is expressed in children. The study will use system genetics - an approach to understanding complex diseases by focusing on how genes work together rather than individually. "Despite decades of research, it's still difficult to predict how cardiomyopathy will present in a clinical setting," said Towbin. "We believe that the likely reason for this is that the interaction of multiple genes - not just a single one - determines the course of the disease." Previous research has screened adult and pediatric patients with various types of cardiomyopathy and identified MYPN as a strong causal gene associated a wide variety of severity of cardiomyopathy. Patients had diagnoses ranging from asymptomatic left ventricular hypertrophy to dilation with progressive heart failure to sudden cardiac death or transplant. "Cardiomyopathy symptoms can be highly varied even within the same family who have identical genetic mutations," said Towbin. Identifying modifier genes is now a crucial goal of research in cardiomyopathies. Results of this study would change cardiomyopathy care in terms of diagnosis, treatment and genetic counseling. Towbin is conducting this research in conjunction with co-investigator Robert Williams, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics at UTHSC. ### About Le Bonheur Children's: Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., treats children through community programs, regional clinics and a 255-bed state-of-the-art hospital. Le Bonheur serves as a primary teaching affiliate for the University Tennessee Health Science Center and trains more than 350 pediatricians and specialists each year. Nationally recognized, Le Bonheur is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Children's Hospital. For more information, please call (901) 287-6030 or visit lebonheur.org. Connect with us at facebook.com/lebonheurchildrens, twitter.com/lebonheurchild or on Instagram at lebonheurchildrens. About University of Tennessee Health Science Center: As Tennessee's only public, statewide, academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health through education, research, clinical care, and public service, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region. The main campus in Memphis includes six colleges: Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC also educates and trains medicine, pharmacy, and/or health professions students, as well as medical residents and fellows, at major sites in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville. For more information, visit http://www. uthsc. edu . Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/uthsc, on Twitter: twitter.com/uthsc and on Instagram: instagram.com/uthsc. This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A group of concreters have helped themselves to toilet paper from a woman who stashed thousands of rolls behind her suburban home. The trio filmed themselves picking up 48-packs of toilet paper from a mountain of the product piled high outside the home in Macquarie Fields in Sydney's south west. Both the homeowner and the tradesmen could be heard threatening to call the police on each other as the group mocked her and carried the packs to their ute parked on a road nearby. When asked by a passer-by why the woman was stockpiling in such a large quantity, one member of the group accuses her of sending the rolls to China. The bizarre scene comes as Coles and Woolworths re-institute purchase limits on toilet paper amid a second wave of COVID-19 infections in Victoria. 'We're going to call the police on you - too much f***ing toilet paper,' one of the tradesmen says when the woman threatens to notify authorities. 'Boys bring your truck and dogs - this stupid b***h is taking everything off the shelves and hiding it in her garage.' Daily Mail Australia understands the owner of the stockpile runs a shop on a street in the area. The group appear to try and sell the goods to passers-by for $5, before the concreter filming the bizarre scene launched into an angry tirade against the woman's stockpiling behaviour. 'Do you know what you've done to Australia?' he asks the woman. 'You guys have no work to do?' she responds, before the voice behind the camera says 'we've got plenty of work to do looking at you'. A group of concreters have stolen toilet paper from a woman after discovering she had stashed thousands of rolls outside her home 'F**k me dead - what a f**king joke - hey boys take one home,' the man said. 'Jason get your truck, it's higher than f**king me. It's higher than the fence.' When a passer-by asks if the woman had a shop nearby, the man responds 'no - to send to China'. A New South Wales Police spokeswoman said the force had not received any complaints relating to the video, which was shared online via Facebook Live two weeks ago. Social media users had split opinions on the dispute, with some taking sides with the homeowner. The trio filmed themselves picking up 48-packs from the mountain of toilet paper piled high outside the home in Macquarie Fields in Sydney's south west 'There is no context to this this video. She could be a shop owner and they are stealing from her,' one person wrote on Facebook. 'And if she did hoard them then she did so months ago and you can now get toilet paper like normal at the shops again.' 'Stealing doesn't make it right.' Social media users reacting to the video shared online had split opinions on the dispute Others though thought the tradesmen were in the right given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'People are actually starting to hoard toilet paper again. People like this make it hard for other families - they should be ashamed,' another wrote. Sydneysiders this week have again started to flock to supermarkets to stock up on toilet paper - three months after panic buying first crippled the nation. NSW supermarkets have started to again experience shortages in their supply of toilet paper amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria. Pictured: Empty shelves at Woolworths in Green Hills Shoppers complained on social media on Friday that toilet paper was in short supply at Coles supermarkets in Leichhardt, Merrylands and Roselands in Sydney on Thursday. Woolworths in Roselands and Coles Toronto in Lake Macquarie also experienced high demand for loo roll. All Coles and Coles Express stores across the country now limit toilet paper and paper towel purchases to just one pack. In addition, Victorian stores and those along the NSW border have two-item limits on hand sanitiser, flour, sugar, pasta, mince, UHT milk, eggs and rice. Shoppers leave Costco after stocking up on essentials. Costco, which has stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide, is limiting customers to one pack of toilet paper each Three Coles stores in Lavington, Albury and Deniliquin in NSW are affected since they rely on Victorian distribution centres. A Woolworths spokesman said the company had reimposed a two item limit on a number of essential items across its Victorian stores on Wednesday afternoon. The limits apply to toilet paper, hand sanitiser, paper towel, flour, sugar, pasta, mince, life-long milk, eggs and rice. The limits will also apply to online order. Victoria has had 176 new cases of COVID-19 in the past seven days, with the local government areas of Brimbank, Casey, Cardinia, Darebin, Hume and Moreland identified as virus hotspots. Police, paramilitary rangers and other law enforcement agencies arrested several men and women, including students protesting against enforced disappearances in Sindh from Karachi press club on Saturday. According to sources, the late crowd including family members of the victims gathered at the Karachi press club to hold a peaceful protest against illegal arrests and enforced disappearances of their loved ones. According to details when protesters started chanting slogans against enforced disappearances, a large number of Police, Paramilitary Rangers, and plainclothes personnel of intelligence agencies attacked peaceful protesters. They baton charged and tortured elderly men, women, young girls and students. Many were injured. Security forces manhandled girls and threw them into police mobile vehicles and were shifted to an unknown place. It is learned that since the last two weeks, more than 200 Sindhis and Mohajirs belonging to MQM and different groups of Jiye Sindh have been arrested by Paramilitary Rangers and other law enforcement agencies in Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities of Sindh. No arrested person was presented before any court of law, said sources. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 21:55:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China has arrested 8,671 suspects linked to major cases of organized crime since a national crackdown operation was launched in early 2018, authorities said Sunday. Eighteen of the 46 targeted fugitives involved in such cases have been captured since the operation began, according to the national office against organized crime. A total of 3,341 people have been placed under investigation for corruption and for sheltering organized crime. The cases involved over 108.8 billion yuan (about 15.4 billion U.S. dollars). Of the 111 major cases of organized crime listed by the office, 23 have been closed, with the rest still under investigation or litigation, the office said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 06:24:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A woman sanitizes her hands as she arrives at a polling station in Warsaw, Poland, on June 28, 2020. Polling stations have opened on Sunday morning for the first round of the Polish presidential elections, which were expected to take place on May 10 but were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Poland's new head of state will be elected in a run-off, exit polls of the first round of presidential elections showed on Sunday evening, Polish Press Agency reported. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/Xinhua) WARSAW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Incumbent Polish President Andrzej Duda will meet his main rival Rafal Trzaskowski, candidate of the main opposition party Civic Platform (PO), in the run-off of Poland's presidential elections, according to an Ipsos exit poll published on Sunday night, Polish Press Agency reported. According to Ipsos, Duda received 41.8 percent of the vote, while Trzaskowski, who's also mayor of Warsaw, gained 30.4 percent, and Szymon Holownia, an independent running as a moderate conservative, gained 13.3 percent. Under Polish election rules, as none of the 11 contenders in the race won more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off will be held on July 12. Duda, supported by the conservative Law and Justice party, and Trzaskowski, a Christian democrat, will look to draw voters of the nine other candidates to their side in the run-off. Despite leading in the first round, Duda will be facing a neck-and-neck contest in the run-off due to opposition consolidation. Holownia already endorsed Trzaskowski for the run-off a week earlier. Much will also depend on voters of far-right candidate Krzystof Bosak, who gained 7.4 percent of the vote. Despite COVID-19 numbers still rising in the country, Sunday's first round saw relatively high turnout. Exit poll indicated 62.9 percent of voters cast their ballots, up from 49 percent five years earlier. "I thank everyone who voted for me, but I also thank everyone who turned out to vote," Duda said in his speech after the voting. Trzaskowski, however, criticized Duda and the ruling Law and Justice party. "These will not be a choice between Andrzej Duda and Rafal Trzaskowski, but a choice between an open Poland and a Poland that, sadly, looks for an enemy and prefers to divide people." The presidential race, originally planned for May 10, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown. To date, Poland has a total of 33,907 COVID-19 infections, with 1,438 deaths, according to the daily update published by the Health Ministry on Sunday morning. Some Albuquerque-area drivers will likely run into detours starting this week as state and locals officials are advising of a few new projects. The New Mexico Department of Transportation says motorists can expect disruptions from Monday through Friday, with daily off-ramp closures from eastbound Interstate 40 to southbound 98th Street and right-lane restrictions on southbound 98th. Work is being performed for commercial development and intersection improvements at Avalon and 98th Street, the DOT said in a news release. The agency also alerts drivers that from Monday through July 24, the southbound Interstate 25 frontage road between Martin Luther King and Central will be fully closed due to utility line work that requires continuous open excavations. Meanwhile, the Village of Los Ranchos reports that utility improvement work will force the closure of Rio Grande Boulevard at 4920 Rio Grande NW in front of the driveway to the Agri-Nature Center with a planned detour between Rio Grande Lane and Rio Grande Place. Work is scheduled for Monday through July 10. A village official reports that Los Ranchos has been awarded funding for utility improvements that will include the installation of water, sewer and fire suppression infrastructure. The water and sewer lines are in the roadway of Rio Grande NW directly in front of the Agri-Nature Center driveway. A detailed traffic control plan will divert thru-traffic beginning at El Pueblo Road north of the project area and Griegos Road south of the project area, the village said. Business access will be maintained the duration of the closure. The World Government Summit recently addressed regional and global investment dynamics in the new normal of the post COVID-19 world. Addressing the webinar were Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc); Laurence Douglas Fink, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock,; Bruce Flatt, Chief Executive Officer of Brookfield Asset Management Inc.; Adebayo Ogunlesi, Founding Partner, Chairman & Managing Partner, Global Infrastructure Partners; and Francesca McDonagh, Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Ireland Group. The session -- part of the World Government Summits COVID-19 & Government online series -- was moderated by Hadley Gamble, News Anchor and International Correspondent, CNBC. Al Jaber spoke about a new idea by Adnoc which announced on June 23 that it has entered into an agreement with some of the worlds leading infrastructure investors and operators, sovereign wealth and pension funds and global partners a $20 billion energy infrastructure deal. Asked why the deal was done at this particular juncture, Dr. Al Jaber said: I think the answer to your question boils down to the fact that the UAE has created a safe, reliable, and stable business environment. And that is of course underpinned by a robust regulatory framework and supported with a fully equipped business unique partnership model. Getting a transaction of this size and this complexity over the line in such a tough economic climate, with a very complicated business environment like the one we are all going through right now and the one that you're actually all experiencing, only demonstrates the continued confidence of the global investment community in the UAE as a highly trusted, go-to investment destination. This $20 billion deal, announced only this past Tuesday, highlights the world class nature of the UAEs energy assets and infrastructure base, and their low risk and stable income-generating profile. And this is just the latest example of AdnocS and the UAEs ability to attract top-tier investment institutions to the UAE. And we are very keen and, in fact, excited about many opportunities that will go on stream in the very near future. Policy & disease curves Laurence Douglas Fink spoke about the reaction by equities markets to the massive stimulus announced by governments around the world: There are two major curves that are addressing the markets - the first curve is the policy curve by governments. We have never seen policy reactions, both fiscal and monetary policy by most governments including Germany and the UK, obviously the US, and so these policy responses are enormous. They have stabilized a) major corporations and b) small corporations has access to the capital. And so we've seen a dramatic stabilization in markets. And we are still sitting in giant pools of liquidity, even with all this. And so that is one of the big reasons why we had this, we've had this enormous bounce back from the lows of March 21. The second curve is now what is the dressing, how effective the policy responses are and that's the disease curve. And I think, psychologically though, the world has changed in the last few months, and the world has changed from a compassionate world to more of a pragmatic world. And right now we are seeing rising infection rates, the market hasn't had a mild setback the last few days, but that is pragmatism that is part of the psychology of the world today. It is very apparent to me that the world is accepting higher diseases, higher infection rates. Obviously we know more about it, we know that young people mostly have very low complications. And so we're trying to navigate this; we've decided compassionate societies are actually too expensive. And I think every democracy right now is trying to navigate this compassionate versus pragmatic, and we'll see in the next two to five weeks is pragmatism right or wrong, your rising infection rates in many places in the United States, in other parts of the world. Yesterday we had the highest infection rate in the world, and markets are still pretty stable. That could all change if people believe that the infection rate is going to translate into higher mortality. And then, does it unsettle democracies worldwide. And I think we don't know where this is going, but right now the marketplace is saying policy responses sufficient, they're going to be enormous they're going to be repeated if we have to if we have higher disease rate, and then the marketplace is assuming some form of anti-viral that will minimize the impact of the disease, and possibly maybe a year from now we'll have a vaccination. I think the market is probably a little ahead of itself. At this time they still believe we are witnessing real tragedies in the small and medium businesses. And if we have to go back to a more compassionate society, they have to do more lockdowns then I believe it's going to require larger fiscal stimulus, which has all its attendant problems in the future. So these two curves that we have to watch - policy curves and disease and that will be now been determined over the next four to eight weeks as to what curve is more effective. OIL outlook: Cautious Optimism & Positivity On the oil markets outlook, Dr. Al Jaber said: It all depends on how resilient you are and how able are you to manage or manoeuvre through these market dynamics. But in my view, I don't think anyone today is in a position, especially at this point in time, to tell you exactly what a recovery would look like or how this could potentially unfold in the very near future. No one can predict to the impact of a potential second wave of the virus. Having said that, there are some encouraging signs of increased activity in Asia, we're seeing it in Europe, and of course in North America. And this is simply happening because of the national economies starting to reopen again. And one of the key indicators we monitor very closely is country by country PMIs, I mean here, the Purchasing Managers Index. Some actually are inching above the crucial 50 mark for the first time since COVID started, and they are pointing towards economic expansion, once again, and that is also being reflected in the oil markets, which have clearly tightened in the very recent weeks. If you look back, where we were just two or two and a half months ago, oil markets are in a much healthier place today. In short, the consensus in the industry is that there is reason for cautious optimism and positivity. There is a reason for positivity. And that is, for example the recent OPEC+ agreement, together with a robust demand, helping rebalance the market. All these are good science, and good reasons for the industry to be optimistic and positive about the future. Asked about this positivity and his greatest concern right now, Laurence Douglas Fink, said:We, COVID is probably the number one thing affecting the vitality of the economy worldwide. If we dont have effective science of reducing the severity of the disease, it is going to change behaviours for a long time. You know, large components of the population are at risk continuously with COVID, men and women over 60, even younger people with some form of complications. It does change your habits. I also do believe there are some silver linings through COVID. We are finding that we're able to work remotely and many companies are able to work remotely really effectively now .. I do believe most companies will never go back to 100% at work. I do believe most companies are going to find ways of rotating their staff and moving them around and I think we don't have to see the clusters and cities as much as we used to. And so they're good and bad things related to COVID but unquestionably the disease curve is going to be the most important issue that's going to overwhelm every other issue going forward. If there is a second wave and we don't have those antivirals effective or we don't have a vaccination it's going to just be another form of retrenchment economically. What's remarkable today is there are more human beings been affected by the disease today than it was on March 21, when markets were 40% lower. That just tells you the psychological transformation, people do want to go out. .. However, we have to be safe, thoughtful, but let's be clear. That is not a solution to a robust economy and let me just add one last thing I speak to many many business leaders in the world. The most important question I asked everybody do you believe earnings are going to be in 2021, at least as good as 2019, and only a fraction of business leaders believe their business will be as robust as it was in 2019, but the marketplace is that saying that, I'll leave it at that. The World Government Summit organization is the primary global forum dedicated to shaping the future of governments worldwide. It takes place in February of every year in Dubai, UAE, bringing together prominent leaders from the public and private sectors, as well as scientists, authors, and entrepreneurs to engage in future-focused dialogues. The Summit showcases the latest innovations and best policies worldwide, with the goal of helping the next generation of governments harness technology and prepare for the rapidly changing political and economic landscapes, ultimately improving the lives of citizens across the world. TradeArabia News Service Spreading the word about a new business is always hard to do. And when lockdown struck in March, that suddenly became an even greater hurdle for thousands of people who were trying to get a money-making idea off the ground. Without a large established customer base, Susan Leonard was one of those who found it increasingly difficult to drum up interest in her face products company, Eva Skin Care. Formerly a civil servant, 63-year-old Susan was forced to give up her career a few years ago after an accident damaged her back and made it impossible to continue in a desk job. Uplifting: Susan Leonard saw a tenfold rise in sales of her skincare products While looking for something to do instead, her family suggested that she should turn her hobby of making natural skincare products for friends into a full-time business. 'I made a lot of my sales at craft fairs, events, house parties and so on,' says Susan, 'so when lockdown hit, it was a bit of a disaster.' She tried Facebook adverts, but that had little effect, and traditional advertising in newspapers, magazines, radio or TV was completely beyond her budget. So when The Mail on Sunday launched a groundbreaking advertising offer to help struggling small businesses get back on their feet, Susan jumped at the chance. She secured one of 1,600 packages of free adverts worth 3,000 across our newspaper group's titles, which include The Mail on Sunday, the Daily Mail, Metro and the i. And to Susan's delight, she was inundated with new customers. 'It was unbelievable,' she says. 'I was immediately doing ten times the number of sales than before. It was quite exciting.' Susan makes all of her chemical-free skincare products, which include face creams, serums and soaps, at home (the name Eva is a combination of her granddaughters' names, Evie and Isla). While traffic and sales to her website evaskincare.co.uk shot up after her adverts appeared, she was also getting orders by phone. 'Several people phoned up to get some advice about their skincare issues and I was able to help them over the phone as well as take their orders,' says Susan. 'Some people are still quite cautious about shopping online so that gave them peace of mind and I am sure it will help my business survive during these difficult times.' Almost 6,000 small businesses applied for the Daily Mail and General Trust's advertising grants, which were launched at the peak of the lockdown to help businesses survive the potentially catastrophic impact of coronavirus. Thousands of small businesses across the UK have had to shut up shop due to the coronavirus The 5 million scheme, funded by DMGT and launched in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses trade body, was designed to rescue the local businesses who are the lifeblood of communities across the country. It also aimed to raise awareness of the part we could all play in helping our neighbourhood businesses as they struggled to cope with the almighty blow to sales dealt by the Covid-19 lockdown. To qualify for the scheme, applicants had to employ no more than 150 people and have an annual turnover of no more than 6 million. All of the entries went before a judging panel from DMGT and FSB and the selected recipients of the 3,000 grants have over the past few weeks had free adverts running in The Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail, the i newspaper and the Metro as well as online adverts on Mail Online, one of the world's biggest news websites, and Metro.co.uk, which is read by millions across the UK. Experts from Mail Metro Media, our advertising arm, were on hand to craft the adverts and the messages to potential customers to help small firms get the most from the scheme. You will see today's 50 adverts on pages 126 and 127 and we urge you to get behind the businesses to give them a much-needed boost. The scheme is due to run until September, giving more and more businesses the opportunity to get their name in front of our millions of readers each week in print and online. This has been one of the most challenging periods for small businesses in modern times - Mike Cherry, Federation of Small Businesses Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, says: 'This has been one of the most challenging periods for small businesses in modern times and the Mail Metro Media's generous package of support has been invaluable. 'On behalf of our members and the small business community, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you to The Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail, Metro and the i paper for creating this hugely generous scheme. 'It has helped ease some of the burden many small businesses have faced over the last few months and the businesses featured say they are absolutely delighted with the impact their adverts have had.' Another entrepreneur to get a boost from the free adverts is David Cherrington, whose Shepherd's Hut Company was the very first to build shepherd's huts from scratch for home use, such as a home office or a summer house. 'When lockdown hit we had to put everything on hold,' he says. 'We couldn't finish off some huts or deliver others, we couldn't get the timber supplies either, and we basically closed for four weeks while our income went down to zero. It was like a zombie time.' 'Real boost': David Cherrington says the ads for his shepherd hut firm have helped his business pick up After a month David was able to restart by working on his own another employee is furloughed and another has just restarted and business has started to get back on track. Being a recipient of the coveted 3,000 DMGT advertising grant was a real boost to business, says David. 'It was great to be able to advertise across all the different titles,' he says, 'and traffic to our website noticeably increased, as did the number of calls enquiring about purchasing one of our huts. 'Now I'm able to visit potential customers and find out what space they have, as well as talk them through all the different huts we make, I'm hoping there will be some great results.' David launched his business in 1999 when he sold his family farm in Wiltshire and moved to west Devon. His bespoke huts which retail from 10,950 to more than 21,000 (the company also makes the 'complete home' Wayfarer's Hut for 125,000) have been snapped up by everyone from celebrities to Oscar-winners although he will not reveal any names and his business is likely to benefit from the rapid rise in working from home as well as hotels and campsites wanting to add extra rooms and offer 'glamping' opportunities. 'I believe home-working and glamping will be sectors that will survive and even thrive,' he says, 'which means we should be all right if we can survive this four-month hit. It was great to benefit from the DMGT adverts during this tough time.' GRANT HELPS MEAT WEBSITE RACK UP ORDERS There's nothing like a crisis to make you move a little faster. Cornish butchers M&W Meats had supplied pubs and restaurants for more than 30 years but when lockdown forced the industry to close, M&W's long-term plans to launch a website were hastily speeded up. Box of tricks: Dean and Dino Myatt get ready to load an order for delivery Claire Myatt, who runs the business with her husband Dean and their son Dino, says: 'Our wholesale business was initially flat out due to people panic-stocking their fridges and freezers, but our catering arm which delivered to butchers who supplied pubs and restaurants lost a lot of business. So we decided to get a move on with launching our website.' After a lot of hard work, Meatsupermarket.com was launched at the start of April and, thanks to a boost in publicity from DMGT's 3,000 advertising grant, has been racking up sales alongside some glowing reviews. 'We still need to give it a bit more of a push and get more customers, but the advertising really helped,' Claire says. With the reopening of the hospitality industry next month alongside the two-metre rule being cut to one, Claire hopes that things can quickly recover for Cornwall, which is heavily reliant on the tourism industry. 'Our business is really going to pick up again and I think it's going to be the making of Cornwall, particularly as there are several months of summer left,' she says. 'If they weren't going to be allowed to open then a lot of businesses wouldn't have been able to survive.' Claire is planning to keep the website going even once the lockdown is lifted. She says: 'A lot of people tried online shopping for the first time during lockdown and will continue to do so afterwards, as it's a great product, delivered chilled straight to your door and there's absolutely no need for queuing.' Freight shipping and flip-flops might not be obvious business partners, but entrepreneur Matt Waring is behind both of them. Having set up international shipping company Frontier Express 13 years ago, it was while on holiday in Turkey that Matt bought a pair of Ceyo flip-flops and was instantly impressed. 'I like wearing flip-flops and realised straightaway these were a little bit different,' he says. 'They were basically the most comfortable and best quality flip-flop I'd seen.' Trying to buy another pair once back in the UK proved to be impossible and he quickly realised that there was a gap in the market. Last year, he launched The Flip Flop Hut to sell Ceyos exclusively and said he was 'thrilled' to be one of the winners of the coveted 3,000 advertising grants. 'The print adverts in particular were really good,' says Matt. 'I was really impressed with them and we saw a noticeable increase in traffic to flipflophut.co.uk as well as sales as a result. It was an instant effect.' Photo:AFP Russia staged a grand Victory Day military parade in Moscow's Red Square to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War on Wednesday, and members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) honor guard participated, with analysts saying China-Russia strategic ties remain unshakable amid rising pressure from the West. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe attended the parade at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu, according to the Chinese defense ministry. China's participation in the parade showed that the two major powers not only share common strategic interests, but also share common ground in safeguarding the correct historical view of World War II. In contrast, some Western voices are trying to downplay the contributions made by China and the former Soviet Union in the anti-fascist war, said Chinese observers. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech before the parade that the world owed the Soviet Union a debt of gratitude for its contributions to the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, according to the Moscow Times. "It is impossible even to imagine what the world would be if the Red Army (of the Soviet Union) hadn't come to defend it," Putin said in an address to thousands of troops gathered to participate in the annual Victory Day parade. Soviet soldiers "freed European countries from the aggressors and put an end to the terrible tragedy of the Holocaust, saving the German people from Nazism," Putin said. China always holds a fair and just stance to jointly safeguard the historic view of World War II with Russia. Five years ago, China also sent PLA honor guards to participate in the Russian V-day parade, and Putin and Russian military honor guards also participated China's V-Day parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression as well as World War II in Beijing in 2015. Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that China and Russia were both victims and winners of the war, so safeguarding the correct historical view is a crucial part of China-Russia strategic ties, especially when some Western countries are hyping historical revisionism to serve their strategy. In a lengthy essay published on the website of The National Interest on June 18, and also on that of the Kremlin, Putin warned, "Historical revisionism, the manifestations of which we now observe in the West, primarily with regard to the subject of the Second World War and its outcome, is dangerous." The Russian leader referred in particular to a European parliament resolution of September 2019 that he wrote, "directly accused the USSR - along with Nazi Germany - of unleashing World War II." Putin's conclusion was clear and defiant: "Desecrating and insulting the memory is mean." Yang said the West is trying to downplay the contributions made by the former Soviet Union and to stigmatize the Russian military because of its current need to contain Russia. "In fact, Western countries like the UK, France and the US held incorrect attitudes toward Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire at the beginning of World War II which appeased and encouraged fascism to grow sharply and led many countries including Russia and China to suffer a lot from the invasion without any reinforcements. So these Western countries should be careful when using historical revisionism to accuse Russia, as they are not innocent either." File photo:Xinhua Military Cooperation Many advanced Russian weapons including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, fighter jets and missiles were shown at the massive parade, and observers noted that Russia always uses the military parade as a chance to demonstrate its strength to deter its enemies and rivals, as well as to promote these advanced products to clients and partners. China and Russia enjoy a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, in which high levels of military cooperation and mutual trust play vital parts. China has long been a customer of Russian weapons and equipment, as recently highlighted by Su-35 fighter jet and S-400 defense missile system deals. Foreign reports suggest Russia is planning to offer a new batch of Su-35s and its most advanced fighter jet, the Su-57. Russia is also helping China to build a missile attack warning system that could significantly increase China's defense capabilities, Putin said in October 2019. This kind of system is currently possessed by only Russia and the US. When put into use, the system could enable China to better conduct early warning missions against hostile strategic missile attacks, prepare interceptions and evacuations, and ready retaliatory attacks as fast as possible, analysts said. Militaries of the two countries have also been conducting joint exercises. For instance, China has joined Russia's large-scale strategic drills Tsentr-2019 and Vostok-2018 in the last two years. In July 2019, China and Russia conducted their first joint strategic patrol in Northeast Asia, with the Chinese side dispatching two H-6K bombers and the Russian side dispatching two Tu-95 bombers. In November and December 2019, the two countries also conducted naval drills in South Africa and the Gulf of Oman with South Africa and Iran respectively. 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 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. 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 NY officials cant impose greater restrictions on religious services than businesses, protests: judge Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A federal judge has blocked New York officials from enforcing state restrictions on outdoor and indoor religious gatherings that are stricter than those imposed on comparable secular entities. U.S. District Court Judge Gary L. Sharpe issued a preliminary injunction Friday on behalf of two Catholic priests and three rabbis who are suing Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Letitia James, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The injunction prevents New York from enforcing any indoor gathering limitations against plaintiffs greater than imposed for Phase 2 industries and enforcing any limitation for outdoor gatherings, provided that the houses of worship adhere to social distancing guidelines. The balance of hardships tips in plaintiffs favor. Indeed, in the absence of an injunction, plaintiffs religious activities will be burdened and continue to be treated less favorably than comparable secular activities, Sharpe wrote. An injunction, on the other hand, does not undercut defendants interest in controlling the spread of COVID-19, provided that plaintiffs abide by social distancing guidance. The judge also took issue with Cuomo and de Blasio voicing their support for thousands gathering at Black Lives Matter protests, noting the double standard. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio could have just as easily discouraged protests, short of condemning their message, in the name of public health and exercised discretion to suspend enforcement for public safety reasons instead of encouraging what they knew was a flagrant disregard of the outdoor limits and social distancing rules, Sharpe continued. But by acting as they did, Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio sent a clear message that mass protests are deserving of preferential treatment. The Thomas More Society, which has been representing the clergy, celebrated the injunction as a blow against selective enforcement of social distancing guidelines. Christopher Ferrara, special counsel for Thomas More Society, said in a statement released Friday that they were pleased that Judge Sharpe was able to see through the sham of Governor Cuomos Social Distancing Protocol which went right out the window as soon as he and Mayor de Blasio saw a mass protest movement they favored taking to the streets by the thousands. Suddenly, the limit on mass gatherings was no longer necessary to save lives. Yet they were continuing to ban high school graduations and other outdoor gatherings exceeding a mere 25 people, he continued. This decision is an important step toward inhibiting the suddenly emerging trend of exercising absolute monarchy on pretext of public health. What this kind of regime really meant in practice is freedom for me, but not for thee. Earlier this month, the clergy filed a lawsuit against New York in the District Court for the Northern District of New York. At issue were state orders on reopening that treated houses of worship differently than comparable secular entities. For example, houses of worship remained limited to 25% indoor capacity during Phases 2 and 3 and a 25-person outdoor gathering limit for Phase 3 locations, while mass protests and businesses faced no attendance limits. De Blasio garnered controversy in April when he warned New York Citys Jewish and Christian communities that he would permanently shut down synagogues and churches if they did not comply with lockdown orders. Earlier this month, New York City workers welded shut gates to a park in a predominantly Hasidic area of Brooklyn after residents continued to take their children to the park. This was done as part of Cuomo's state order to prevent crowds from gathering. However, at the same time park gates were welded shut to keep out children and their mothers, thousands were allowed to protest in mass gatherings throughout the city. 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 BERLIN (Reuters) - The decision on whether Germany should pull out of the European Central Bank's bond-buying programme lies with the Bundesbank, a judge in Germany's highest court said in remarks published on Sunday. Germany's Constitutional Court ruled in May that the ECB overstepped its mandate with over 2 trillion euros of government bond purchases, ordering the Bundesbank to quit the scheme unless the ECB can prove proportionality within three months. Peter Huber, a conservative judge at the court who drafted the ruling, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the court was no longer involved and the decision on whether to quit rested with Germany's central bank. "The Bundesbank is bound by our decision, but it must determine on its own responsibility whether the ECB's statement of reasons fulfils our requirements or not," Huber said. "The Federal Constitutional Court is no longer involved." The ruling set off an unprecedented legal conflict with a national court looking to exert jurisdiction over an institution of the European Union and trying to curtail its policy framework, seen as an encroachment on ECB independence. In a compromise deal, the ECB agreed last week to give vital documents underpinning its policy decisions to Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann, who can then present them to the German parliament and government, as demanded by the court ruling. Astrid Wallrabenstein, a judge-designate at the court, told a newspaper last week she was optimistic a solution to the row over the ECB's bond purchases can be found. Wallrabenstein, who was nominated by the pro-European Greens, is expected to make the Constitutional Court, widely seen as having a narrow Eurosceptic majority, less confrontational toward the ECB. (Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Daniel Wallis) Priti Patel yesterday distanced herself from Cabinet colleague Robert Jenrick in the row over a 1billion homes scheme. Despite it being a live planning case, Housing Secretary Mr Jenrick watched a promotional video about the scheme on billionaire developer Richard Desmonds mobile phone during a Tory fundraising dinner. Asked if she would do the same thing, Home Secretary Miss Patel said she probably would not. Priti Patel yesterday distanced herself from Cabinet colleague Robert Jenrick in the row over a 1billion homes scheme It came as Labour put pressure on the Conservatives to come clean over whether Mr Desmond was promised access to Mr Jenrick at the dinner in return for a donation to the party. The former newspaper tycoon sat next to Mr Jenrick at the dinner at The Savoy hotel in central London last November and urged him to back his plans for the homes scheme in east London. The Housing Secretary granted planning permission for the scheme on January 14, the day before a community levy came in that would have cost Mr Desmond 45million. Text messages between Mr Jenrick (above) and Mr Desmond suggested that the minister rushed through approval Two weeks later Mr Desmond handed a 12,000 donation to the Tories, which he has said was payment for his table at the event. Mr Jenrick is facing growing questions over his handling of Mr Desmonds application to build 1,500 homes on the site of the former Westferry Printworks. Documents published last week showed the minister over-ruled officials in his department who advised refusing permission. Text messages between Mr Jenrick and Mr Desmond suggested that the minister rushed through approval. Last month Mr Jenrick accepted that his decision had been unlawful by reason of apparent bias and it was quashed. Last night, in a letter to Tory party co-chairmen Amanda Milling and Ben Elliot, Labours housing spokesman, Steve Reed, demanded to know who decided the seating plan for the dinner and whether Mr Desmond had been sold tickets on the basis that he would meet Mr Jenrick. It came as Labour put pressure on the Conservatives to come clean over whether Mr Desmond (pictured above with wife Joy Canfield) was promised access to Mr Jenrick at the dinner in return for a donation to the party He urged the party to provide a full and frank account of how the dinner was organised so the public can have full confidence in the impartiality of the planning process. The Home Secretary yesterday denied that those attending Tory party fundraisers would be able to lobby MPs and councillors in support of their planning applications. Asked on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show whether attending a fundraiser would boost the chances of a successful planning application, Miss Patel said: No it will not, it will absolutely not. Pushed on whether she would watch a promotional video for a development at such events, Miss Patel said: I have four planning authorities to cover my constituency, so I probably would not be watching videos at all. People of all backgrounds attend fundraisers. Miss Patel said Mr Jenrick had followed all issues around transparency. She added: It has been discussed in Parliament a number of times, questions have been answered on this and the matter is deemed to be closed. Mr Jenrick has said he did not know he would be seated next to Mr Desmond in advance of the dinner as the table plan was sent to an email account that his aides did not have access to. He only became aware of the donation when the Daily Mail published a story about it earlier this month. COVID Cases Climbing Toward 10 Million By VOA News June 27, 2020 The global number of coronavirus infections is steadily climbing toward the 10 million mark. Johns Hopkins University reported early Saturday there are more than 9.8 million cases. The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of infections with more than 2.4 million. Brazil follows with 1.2 million cases. Russia comes in third with more than 600,000. The U.S. also leads the world in coronavirus deaths at 125,039, followed by Brazil, with nearly 56,000, and Britain, with more than 43,000. Elsewhere, Indonesia reported its biggest daily increase in coronavirus infections Saturday with 1,385 new cases, taking the total to 52,812, a health ministry official said. Achmad Yurianto also said there had been 37 more coronavirus-related deaths, raising the number of fatalities to 2,720. Nine passengers on a flight from Indonesia tested positive for coronavirus after their plane landed in Cambodia, local authorities said. One passenger was Indonesian and eight were Cambodian. The Australian state of Victoria recorded 41 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, marking 11 consecutive days of double-digit infections. Australia said it would continue to reopen its economy despite a surge of infections in Victoria. Six new cases were reported Saturday in New South Wales. The Times of India reported Saturday that the massive South Asian nation has recorded 18,552 new COVID-19 cases since Friday, surpassing Friday's record high of 17,296. Travelers from the U.S., Russia, and a number of other countries that have not reduced their COVID-19 infections will likely not be allowed into EU countries when the bloc reopens July 1. A U.S federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump's administration to release children, held for more than 20 days, and their parents from three family detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania because of the coronavirus pandemic. District Judge Dolly Gee's wrote that the centers "are 'on fire' and there is no more time for half measures." The U.S. Friday set another single-day record for new coronavirus cases, surpassing 40,000 for the first time. The surge in cases led Florida and Texas to announce they are reclosing bars and imposing new restrictions to try to stop the spread of the virus. The U.S. coronavirus task force held its first public briefing in nearly two months Friday; Trump did not attend. The World Health Organization said Friday it needs more than $30 billion over the next year to develop and produce COVID-19 tests, vaccines and other treatments. A WHO-led coalition focused on containing the spread of the coronavirus hopes to use the funds to speed efforts to assist low- and middle-income countries by the middle of next year. A coronavirus state of emergency in Thailand that critics maintain has been used to suppress political dissent may be extended next week. The cabinet is scheduled to decide on whether to extend it Tuesday. The state of emergency empowers the government to censor the media, disperse gatherings and implement curfews. Portugal said it is reinstating lockdown measures for about 700,000 people living around Lisbon after a rise in cases. In Britain, health secretary Matt Hancock threatened to close beaches in the country if coronavirus cases rise after a heat wave led people to flock to the shores. Fern Robinson, Megan Duzor, and Wayne Lee contributed to this story. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On June 24, 90 Vietnamese citizens in Nigeria and Cameroon, with support from the Vietnamese Embassy in Nigeria in collaboration with local authorities, moved to Lagos city, Nigeria, then boarded a flight operated by the Ethiopian flag carrier to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Later on June 25, the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia and Vietnam Airlines took them along with over 40 Vietnamese workers stranded in the country to the homeland. After landing at Tan Son Nhat international airport in Ho Chi Minh, they were put under quarantine in line with regulations. Considering epidemic situation at home and abroad and quarantine capacity in localities, representative Vietnamese agencies and domestic airlines will run more flights to bring citizens homes. She's been enjoying some quality time with her beau throughout California's lockdown. And Paris Hilton proved she's still going strong with her boyfriend Carter Reum as they were seen leaving Nobu Malibu following a romantic dinner date on Saturday evening. The socialite, 39, looked typically radiant as she hopped into a black car alongside the VEEV Spirits founder, also 39. Romance is alive: Paris Hilton proved she's still going strong with her boyfriend Carter Reum as they were seen leaving Nobu Malibu following a dinner date on Saturday evening The former Simple Life star caught the eye in a ruffled, floral print ensemble, which featured a low-cut neckline. With her tresses worn in a straight fashion, the media personality brought out her natural features with matte foundation and heavily-applied eyeliner. Entrepreneur Carter, meanwhile, opted for an equally stylish appearance as he sported a navy jacket. Off she goes: The socialite, 39, looked typically radiant as she hopped into a black car alongside the VEEV Spirits founder, also 39 Fashion savvy: The former Simple Life star caught the eye in a ruffled, floral print ensemble, which featured a low-cut neckline Effortlessly cool: Entrepreneur Carter opted for an equally stylish appearance as he sported a navy jacket Carter is Paris' first romance since she split from fiance Chris Zylka in November 2018, with a source telling E! News the new relationship is going well. They said: 'They are very happy together. They met through friends, and everyone is saying what a great couple they make.' The TV star recently posted a gushing tribute to the businessman on her Instagram as they celebrated an 'anniversary'. She wrote: 'Happy anniversary my love! So many magical, special & unforgettable memories. Romance: Last month, Paris recently posted a gushing tribute to her partner on her Instagram as they celebrated an 'anniversary' 'I love our life together, every moment! You are my every dream and wish come true. I find myself falling more in love with you everyday in ways I didn't know even know were possible. You are perfect for me in every way. 'Kind, loyal, brilliant, handsome, sweet, romantic and loving. Feel so close to you my #TwinFlame. 'I can't imagine spending my quarantine or life with anyone but you. Love you so much! Excited to celebrate our love tonight.' (sic) PAN India Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India Indian government urged to push through with total ban of 27 pesticides Press Release | 27th June 2020 While appreciating the effort of Indian government to ban 27 pesticides, PAN feels that the recent developments show that the ban is in the process of being watered down, or worse, withdrawn completely with no other reason other than the profit motive of the chemical industry. Allowing the manufacture and export of these pesticides reinforces adouble standardsa in pesticides trade, wherein countries are allowed to export pesticides that are already banned in their home countries. Itas a dirty practice that India, as a responsible member of the global community, must not replicate, keeping in mind global environmental health and well-being. Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia Pacific and PAN India strongly urges the Indian government to push through with its initial recommendation of a total ban on 27 toxic pesticides and prioritise peopleas health and the environment over chemical industry profits. The two advocacy groups issued this joint statement after the Indian Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, responding to industry groups, amended an 18th May draft order for a total ban on 27 pesticides. In the 10th June revised order, the government will now allow the manufacture of these pesticides for export purposes. It also extended the period for comments by stakeholders from 45 to 90 days, with an official even quoted in a news report as saying that the government may review the ban aif industry furnishes documents proving that these chemicals are safe for environment.a aWe laud the Indian government for taking this much-awaited decisive step to ban these 27 pesticides, many of which are already banned in other countries. However, recent developments show that the ban is in the process of being watered down, or worse, withdrawn completely with no other reason other than the profit motive of the chemical industry. If allowed to happen, it will put to waste many years of independent study by its own expert panel and derail ongoing efforts to promote safer alternativesasomething that should actually be a priority given the current health crisis,a said Sarojeni Rengam, PANAP executive director. Rengam stressed that allowing the manufacture and export of these pesticides reinforces adouble standardsa in pesticides trade, wherein countries are allowed to export pesticides that are already banned in their home countries. aDeveloped countries have been allowed to manufacture and export pesticides that they have already banned, revealing an unjust double standard that keeps the cycle of poison going. Itas a dirty practice that India, as a responsible member of the global community, must not replicate, keeping in mind global environmental health and well-being,a she said. The group noted that Indian pesticide exports go to countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka where PANAP have also monitored high cases of pesticide poisoning. Twenty of the 27 pesticides are part of PAN Internationalas list of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), or pesticides with proven high acute toxicity, long-term health effects, and hazards to ecosystems. The ministryas ban order itself states that these pesticides are carcinogenic, neurotoxic, disruptive to the hormonal system, and linked to reproductive and developmental disorders. They are also highly toxic to bees, aquatic organisms and birds. PAN India pointed out that some of these pesticides are already covered by state-level bans. aTwo of these pesticides (monocrotophos, acephate) are already banned in the state of Maharashtra after being implicated in the high incidence of poisoning in cotton farming communities. The Punjab state government did not issue fresh licenses to five of the 27 pesticides (2,4-D, benfuracarb, dicofol, methomyl, monocrotophos) due to their harmful effects. In Kerala, some of these pesticides (monocrotophos, carbofuran, atrazine) have been banned since 2011 due to public health concerns. Evidence on the ground is clear: our farmers should no longer be using these pesticides,a said Dileep Kumar, PAN India assistant director. Additionally, 6 of the 27 pesticides (atrazine, carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, malathion, mancozeb, monocrotophos) are on PANAPas list of Twenty Pesticides that are Toxic to Children, whose effects include birth defects, brain damage and reduced IQs. Monocrotophos, in particular, is responsible for the Bihar tragedy in 2013, wherein 23 schoolchildren died after eating food contaminated by the pesticide. Analysis by PAN India shows that there are currently 282 pesticides registered for use in India. aThese 27 pesticides forms less than 10 percent of all registered pesticides. Hence, banning them would not impact food security and agriculture production, and even the assessment of the government found that alternatives are available to all of them. Several pesticides are also usually used for a single crop pest combination, so banning some of them would not affect crop health management but would definitely contribute to reducing the toxic burden of communities as well as Indian consumers,a Kumar added. Jayakumar Chelaton, PAN India director, added that many of the pesticides proposed for ban are implicated in both occupational and self-poisonings in India. aBanning these pesticides is expected to bring down poisoning incidences and ensure a safer working farm environment in the country. PAN India is happy to support the government in eliminating toxic pesticides and assist in replacing these with agroecological farming practices.a PAN India urges the Ministry of Agriculture to review all the remaining pesticides that are registered for use in the country with the same criteria used for assessing the 27 pesticides, and come up with stringent actions for protecting human health and the environment. It also calls on the government to amend the proposed Pest Management Bill 2020, as the current version has several deficiencies concerning pesticides registration, protection of workers and end-users, and business and promotion practices. aThe international community is vigilantly watching to see whether the Indian government will uphold public interest or cave in to industry pressure with the 27 pesticides ban. We have high hopes that it will stand by the findings of its expert panel and that it will base its final decision on independent, global, and scientific evidence and concrete experiences of farmers, not the self-serving and profit-motivated statements by the chemical industry,a said Dr. Narasimha Reddy, PAN India consultant. Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is a network of over 600 participating non-governmental organizations, institutions and individuals in over 90 countries working to replace the use of hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives. PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) is a PAN regional center based in Penang, Malaysia. PAN India is a national non-profit organisation based in Kerala, India. For reference: PAN Asia Pacific - Ms. Sarojeni Rengam, executive director: sarojeni.rengam[at]panap.net PAN India - A. D. Dileep Kumar, Ph. 09447340748; Dr. Narasimha Reddy Donthi, Ph. 09010205742; Jayakumar Chelaton Ph. 09447016587 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-27 23:21:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A network anchor presents the goods to be sold during a live video stream in Baiyun District of Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Ye) BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Kuaishou, a Chinese leading short-video platform, has announced that it will set up a headquarters for live streaming e-commerce business in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, as the company aims to further tap into the thriving sector. The Beijing-based Kuaishou, a domestic rival of TikTok, will invest 3 billion yuan (about 425 million U.S. dollars) on the new headquarters that will be built in an innovation and technology park in the Chengdu high-tech zone, according to the agreement signed between the company and local authorities. The move came amid China's live-streaming e-shopping boom as the COVID-19 epidemic confined Chinese consumers to indoors for months, which has grabbed the attention of traditional merchants, manufacturers and even local governments trying to foster new growth engines. According to an action plan released by Sichuan Province earlier this year, the local government is aiming to make the province a regional center for live streaming e-commerce with annual sales volume reaching 10 billion yuan as of the end of 2022. The number of live-streaming service users in China reached 560 million as of March, accounting for 62 percent of the country's total internet users. On Kuaishou alone, more than 100 million users are engaged in e-commerce business daily, data from the platform showed. By Cate Cadell BEIJING, June 28 (Reuters) - Global coronavirus cases neared 10 million on Sunday according to a Reuters tally, marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months. The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organisation. The milestone will come as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last for a year or more until a vaccine is available. Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into 2021. North America, Latin America and Europe each account for around 25% of cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11% and 9% respectively, according to the Reuters tally, which uses government reports. There have been more than 497,000 fatalities linked to the disease so far, roughly the same as the number of influenza deaths reported annually. The first cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed on Jan. 10 in Wuhan in China, before infections and fatalities surged in Europe, then the United States, and later Russia. The pandemic has now entered a new phase, with India and Brazil battling outbreaks of over 10,000 cases a day, putting a major strain on resources. The two countries accounted for over a third of all new cases in the past week. Brazil reported a record 54,700 new cases on June 19. Some researchers said the death toll in Latin America could rise to over 380,000 by October, from around 100,000 this week. The total number of cases continued to increase at a rate of between 1-2% a day in the past week, down from rates above 10% in March. Countries including China, New Zealand and Australia have seen new outbreaks in the past month, despite largely quashing local transmission. Story continues In Beijing, where hundreds of new cases were linked to an agricultural market, testing capacity has been ramped up to 300,000 a day. The United States, which has reported the most cases of any country at more than 2.5 million, managed to slow the spread of the virus in May, only to see it expand in recent weeks to rural areas and other places that were previously unaffected. In some countries with limited testing capabilities, case numbers reflect a small proportion of total infections. Roughly half of reported infections are known to have recovered. (To see a Reuters interactive, open this link in an external browser: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Zedzk8) (Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Daniel Wallis) New Delhi: The town of Pinarayi in Kerala's Kannur district witnessed yet another gruesome incident on Wednesday as a 25-year-old BJP worker was hacked to death, two days after the murder of CPI-M activist in the district. The deceased has been identified as Prenith, police said. The police added that the incident occurred at around 10.30 AM near a petrol pump at Pinarayi. Very unfortunate report frm Kannur that a BJP activist was killed by CPM terrorist;we strongly protest this:Kerala BJP spokesperson MS Kumar pic.twitter.com/J2DNWhvh2s a ANI (@ANI_news) October 12, 2016 Pinarayi is the home town of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Waynad Superintendent of Police, K Karthick, who also has charge of Kannur, said he was rushing to the spot to take stock of the situation. Kannur has witnessed a series of attacks on political workers in the recent past. A CPI(M) activist and toddy shop worker, Mohanan (40) was murdered by a six-member gang at Pathiriyad in the district two days back, with CPI(M) pointing fingers at RSS for the attack.A For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. China Resumes Dredging at Woody Island in the Paracels By Drake Long 2020-06-26 -- China is dredging in a bay at Woody Island, its biggest settlement in the South China Sea, likely to expand the artificial island's northwest corner, satellite imagery shows. This development in the disputed Paracel island chain, in the northern part of the South China Sea, comes amid mounting concern in Southeast Asia over China's assertion of its sweeping territorial claims. In an unusual move Friday, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, pointedly called for maintaining free airspace over the South China Sea in reaction to reports that Beijing's plans to establish an Air Defense Identification Zone over the region. Woody Island, where the dredging appears to have been underway for several weeks, includes Sansha City, China's main administrative center in the Paracels -- an archipelago of rocks and reefs disputed between China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Commercial satellite imagery between April 17 and June 25 shows the shallow fringing reef off Woody Island's northwest coast, right next to the smaller of the island's two harbors, has had a chunk dug out of its center. Also visible are a web of new land bridges that could be a foundation for more land reclamation, to expand the island. Cranes or heavy machinery can be spotted working in the same spot on May 8. Based on Radio Free Asia and BenarNews' review of the imagery, sand was likely dredged out of Woody Island's shallows to create this new structure. The coastline nearest the foundation has been also been reinforced with what looks like a sea wall, and several smaller artificial jetty-like structures have been built at points along the coast to the east. Woody Island often hosts ships of the China Coast Guard (CCG) and China's maritime militia before they deploy elsewhere, harassing shipping of other South China Sea claimants. Satellite imagery taken on Friday shows three CCG ships in the island's harbor, along with what looks like a barge carrying material or supplies. China undertook a massive land reclamation campaign between 2014 and 2016 to create new artificial islands in the South China Sea, destroying the natural environment and militarizing the occupied rocks and reefs shortly thereafter. Virtually all of China's occupied features in the South China Sea have had parts dredged up to make way for new settlements and military outposts. But the four biggest bases China maintains in the South China Sea, Subi Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef, and Woody Island, are virtually unrecognizable since land reclamation was finished in 2017, granting them deep-water harbors, airstrips, and living facilities. But small-scale dredging has continued, as this latest satellite imagery shows. The new dredging on Woody Island comes at a sensitive time. Last month, Indonesia joined with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia in denouncing China's sweeping assertion of sovereignty over the entirety of the South China Sea in a series of notes to the United Nations. Indonesia cited a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that struck down the legal basis of most of China's claims to the disputed waters, definitively stating none of China's 'islands' could generate exclusive economic zones and were only rocks. More recently, China has tried to intimidate Vietnam, another claimant in the South China Sea, out of exploring for oil within its waters with an international partner by sending a government-operated survey vessel into Vietnam's exclusive economic zone on June 17. Vietnam was the chair of Friday's virtual summit of ASEAN leaders. All the claimants to the South China Sea were taking part, save for China and Taiwan. "While the world is fighting against COVID-19 pandemic, there are irresponsible actions, violating international law, effecting to security environment and stability in some regions, including the ASEAN region," Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in his opening remarks, in a tacit reference to China. The 10-member ASEAN bloc has long struggled to reach a consensus on issues related to the South China Sea, so Friday's joint statement implicitly criticizing Beijing's reported plans for an ADIZ was an unusually pointed expression of concern over rising tensions. On Sunday, China adopted a revision to its law governing the People's Armed Police (PAP), a paramilitary branch of its armed services that has been formally placed under the Central Military Commission alongside the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN). The reform may signal that China wants to beef up the security forces it can draw on to police the South China Sea. The amended law now tasks the PAP with "maritime rights enforcement" and allows it to participate in joint exercises with the People's Liberation Army. The China Coast Guard is a constituent part of the PAP. This week, navies of several governments have been on maneuvers in the South China Sea which is widely viewed as an effort to push back against China's assertive behavior. Japan performed a bilateral training drill with Singapore on Monday, and a bilateral exercise with the United States in the same area on Tuesday. The U.S. and Taiwan both sent maritime patrol aircraft south of Taiwan on Wednesday, seemingly tracking Chinese submarine movements in the area after a submarine was detected by Japan in the East China Sea last week. 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 Traffic density, wind and air stratification influence concentrations of air pollutant NO2 Leipzig/Dresden. In connection with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, satellite measurements made headlines showing how much the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) had decreased in China and northern Italy. In Germany, traffic density is the most important factor. However, weather also has an influence on NO2 concentrations, according to a study by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), which evaluated the influence of weather conditions on nitrogen dioxide concentrations in Saxony 2015 to 2018 on behalf of the Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG). It was shown that wind speed and the height of the lowest air layer are the most important factors that determine how much pollutants can accumulate locally. In order to determine the influence of various weather factors on air quality, the team used a statistical method that allows meteorological fluctuations to be mathematically removed from long-term measurements. The air quality fluctuates, in some cases very strongly, due to different emissions and the influence of the weather. Until now, however, it has been difficult to estimate, what share legal measures such as low emission zones or diesel driving bans have and what share the weather influences have in the actual air quality? With the method used, this will be easier in the future. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an irritant gas which attacks the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, causes inflammatory reactions as an oxidant and increases the effect of other air pollutants. As a precursor substance, it can also contribute to the formation of particulate matter. Limit values have been set in the EU to protect the population: For nitrogen dioxide, an annual average value of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air applies (g/m). To protect the health of the population, measures must be taken if these limit values are not complied with. In 2018/2019, for example, various measures were taken in Germany, ranging from a reduction in the number of lanes (e.g. in Leipzig) to driving bans for older diesel vehicles (e.g. in Stuttgart). To evaluate the effectiveness of such measures, it would be helpful to determine the exact influence of weather conditions. The Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG) therefore commissioned TROPOS to carry out a study on the influence of weather factors on NO2 concentrations and provided its measurement data from the Saxon air quality measurement network and meteorological data for this purpose. The researchers were thus able to evaluate data from 29 stations in Saxony over a period of four years, which represent a cross-section of air pollution - from stations at traffic centres to urban and rural background stations and stations on the ridge of the Erzgebirge mountains. They also calculated the height of the lowest layer in the atmosphere and incorporated data from traffic counting stations in Leipzig and Dresden into the study. A method from the field of machine learning was used for the statistical modelling, the application of which in the field of air quality was first published by British researchers in 2009. In this way, the study was able to demonstrate that the traffic density at all traffic stations is most significantly responsible for nitrogen oxide concentrations. However, two weather parameters also have a significant influence on nitrogen dioxide concentrations: wind speed and the height of the so-called mixing layer. The latter is a meteorological parameter that indicates the height to which the lowest layer of air, where the emissions mix, extends. "It was also shown that high humidity can also reduce the concentration of nitrogen dioxide, which could be due to the fact that the pollutants deposit more strongly on moist surfaces. However, the exact causes are still unclear," says Dominik van Pinxteren. The statistical analysis has also enabled the researchers to remove the influence of the weather from the time series of pollutant concentrations: Adjusted for the weather, the concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) decreased by a total of 10 micrograms per cubic meter between 2015 and 2018 on average over all traffic stations in Saxony. In urban and rural areas and on the ridge of the Erzgebirge, however, NOx concentrations tend to remain at the same level. Even though there have been some improvements in air quality in recent years, there are good scientific arguments for further reducing air pollution. In a way, this also applies to premature conclusions from the corona crisis: in order to find out how strong the influence of the initial restrictions on air quality actually was, the influence of the weather would have to be statistically removed in a longer series of measurements. To this end, investigations for the Leipzig area are currently underway at TROPOS, as is a Europe-wide study of the EU research infrastructure for short-lived atmospheric constituents such as aerosol, clouds and trace gases (ACTRIS), the German contribution to which is coordinated by TROPOS. Tilo Arnhold ### Publication: Dominik van Pinxteren, Sebastian Dusing, Alfred Wiedensohler, Hartmut Herrmann (2020): Meteorological influences on nitrogen dioxide: Influence of weather conditions and weathering on nitrogen dioxide concentrations in outdoor air 2015 to 2018. Series of publications of the LfULG, issue 2/2020 (in German only) https:/ / publikationen. sachsen. de/ bdb/ artikel/ 35043 This study was commissioned by the State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG). Project: LfULG-Projekt Meteorologische Einflusse auf Stickstoffdioxid": https:/ / www. luft. sachsen. de/ Inhalt_FuE_Projekt_Witterung_NOx_Ozon. html Media contacts: Dr. Dominik van Pinxteren Scientist, Atmospheric Chemistry Department at the Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Leipzig Phone +49 341 2717- 7029 https:/ / www. tropos. de/ en/ institute/ about-us/ employees/ dominik-van-pinxteren Prof. Hartmut Herrmann Head of the Atmospheric Chemistry Department at the Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Leipzig Phone +49 341 2717- 7024 https:/ / www. tropos. de/ en/ institute/ about-us/ employees/ hartmut-herrmann Tilo Arnhold Public Relations at the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Leipzig, Germany Phone: +49-341-2717-7189 https:/ / www. tropos. de/ en/ current-issues/ press-releases Links: COVID-19 campaigns by ACTRIS: http://www. actris. eu/ Outreach/ News/ ACTRISUpdates. aspx Background information: Until now, the influence of weather has made it difficult to assess the effectiveness of traffic measures in reducing the exposure to the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide. This is mainly due to its formation: Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are mainly produced in combustion processes. In conurbations, road traffic is considered the most important source, with the largest share coming from diesel engines. Diesel engines emit nitrogen dioxide and, above all, nitrogen monoxide (NO), which is converted to NO2 in the atmosphere by complex photochemical processes: High solar radiation can therefore lead to high NO2 and ozone (O3) levels, especially in urban areas. Also in summer, high temperatures, especially in rural areas, can lead to high concentrations of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) and thus to an increased conversion of NO to NO2. However, the extent to which concentrations of trace gases accumulate in the air above the ground also depends on the weather: It has long been known that weak winds can cause high concentrations of pollutants. Two unfavourable factors come together, especially in inversion weather conditions in winter: Because of the cold temperatures, there is a lot of heating and the high emissions accumulate in a small volume of air. High concentrations of pollutants are then the result. In particular, valley locations then act like a pot on which the inversion layer in the atmosphere has been put on a lid. The concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Saxony have decreased on average since 2000. Until 2018, however, exceedances of the annual NO2 limit of 40 micrograms per cubic meter were still measured. In October 2019, for example, the city of Leipzig was forced to implement immediate measures from the Clean Air Plan and to throttle the traffic flow on several entry roads, because the modelling had suggested that the NO2 values in these roads were too high. The applied method is based on so-called "boosted regression trees". "These are decision trees, with which a mathematical algorithm is 'trained' in such a way that it can independently decide on the basis of the data whether a factor has an influence on the pollutant concentration and if so, how high this influence is. A decision tree consists of a sequence of "if-then" decisions, which in its structure resembles a tree that starts at the root and branches out further and further until it reaches the "leaves", as the final points of a decision tree are also called," explains Dr. Dominik van Pinxteren from TROPOS, who has made the method applicable to Saxony. "A disadvantage of a single regression tree is its usually only moderately good prediction quality. To improve this, modern applications therefore calculate ensembles consisting of many trees. The prediction is averaged from the entire "forest", so to speak. In this way, a "weak learner", i.e.a single tree with limited depth, is gradually built up or boosted to become a "strong learner", resulting in powerful models that have become widely used in areas of machine learning". Detailed results: The team around Dominik van Pinxteren was able to statistically calculate that e.g. at the measuring station Dresden-Bergstrae the nitrogen dioxide concentration decreases significantly due to wind: from 0 to 1 m/s wind speed by 25 g/m3 and between 1 and 3 m/s by another 10 g/m3. NO2 also decreases by 10 g/m3 when the height of the mixing layer increases from very close to the ground to an average height of 500 m. The Leibniz-Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) is member of the Leibniz Association, which connects 96 independent research institutions that range in focus from the natural, engineering and environmental sciences via economics, spatial and social sciences to the humanities. Leibniz Institutes address issues of social, economic and ecological relevance. They conduct knowledge-driven and applied basic research, maintain scientific infrastructure and provide research-based services. The Leibniz Association identifies focus areas for knowledge transfer to policy-makers, academia, business and the public. Leibniz institutions collaborate intensively with universities - in the form of "Leibniz ScienceCampi" (thematic partnerships between university and non-university research institutes), for example - as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to an independent evaluation procedure that is unparalleled in its transparency. Due to the importance of the institutions for the country as a whole, they are funded jointly by the Federation and the Lander, employing some 20,000 individuals, including 10,000 researchers. The entire budget of all the institutes is approximately 1.9 billion Euros. They are financed jointly by the Federal Government and the Lander. The basic funding of the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) is therefore financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts (SMWK). The Institute is co-financed with tax revenues on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament. https:/ / www. leibniz-gemeinschaft. de/ en/ home/ This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Reports of violence by dating partners rose last year from a year earlier, police said Sunday, vowing to step up efforts to prevent this type of crime and protect victims. The number of dating violence cases reported to police came to 19,940 in 2019, up from 18,671 a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the National Police Agency (NPA). In 2017, the figure came to 14,136. Of the total, 9,858 people were booked for criminal charges last year, compared to 10,245 in 2018, the data showed. Assault charges accounted for the largest share with 7,003 people, followed by confinement and intimidation with 1,067, sexual violence with 25 cases and murder with 10, the police said, noting that most of the victims were women. Police said they will continue to implement diverse measures to root out the crimes and better protect victims. A two-month campaign will be launched starting in July to encourage people to proactively report dating violence to the authorities. Police will also extend support for victims to receive more counseling services and review an option to cover their medical and living expenses, according to the NPA. "Dating violence undoubtedly constitutes a criminal act, not lovers' quarrel, and active responses are a must," an NPA officer said. (Yonhap) 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. 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 The Survivors Covid-19, and after by Trilby MacDonald From the June, 2020 issue By mid-May, the Washtenaw County Health Department had recorded 1,235 lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 235 more "probable" ones. Ninety people had died, some were still receiving care, and 1,048 had recovered. We asked some of the survivors to share their stories. --- Lucy Ann Lance is the longtime host of the "Lucy Ann Lance Show" on WLBY radio. She and her life partner, Doyle M. Barnes, contracted Covid-19 at the beginning of April. Both were hospitalized at Michigan Medicine, where Barnes succumbed to the disease on April 11. Barnes had survived several strokes and suffered from Parkinson's disease. Because of his health issues, Lance had been broadcasting from home long before Governor Whitmer's stay-at-home order. She avoided stores and believed she was being extremely careful, but she did make one trip to Walgreens. "My symptoms started a couple days later." Her first symptom was smelling an awful odor. "I thought an animal had died in the house!" she says. She developed a slight headache and some flu-like symptoms but no fever. Her request for a Covid-19 test was denied because she had a normal temperature. "I wonder, if we had gotten that test earlier on, would things have turned out differently?" she asks. Her symptoms got worse, and Barnes started to exhibit symptoms. Suddenly things got much worse and they both went to the hospital in an ambulance. "On Tuesday, two days after we got to the hospital, they told me I qualified for [a clinical trial of] the new drug remdesivir. I got an infusion for an hour a day every day for the duration of my stay"--eight days. "That's what turned the tide for me. I begged them to give it to my Doyle, but they said he didn't qualify because of his underlying conditions." Lance says the hospital staff were extremely kind to them. A nurse told her that when she pushed their beds together, Barnes's oxygen levels improved. "My heart lit up," says ...continued below... Lance. "He knew I was there, and I was going to be sure everything was okay for him."So many families weren't able to be with their family members as they passed out of this world. If I had to be sick to be able to be with Doyle at the end, I'm glad I got sick."She returned home alone but surrounded by love. "My neighbors are incredible. They bring food to my house every day. They walk my dog. The love and support on social media! People I don't even know were sending me cards."She has had some dark times. "There were moments when I thought I couldn't go on air again. I thought I would have to find something else to do. But getting back on the air was the best thing for me. We are who we are, and we do what we are supposed to do." When asked if she has a message to share, she replies, "Every day there is joy. Just wait until tomorrow--you never know what it's going to bring."eighty-eight, arrived in Ann Arbor from the Netherlands in 1958 as a student at U-M. She married an American and they had four children. Two are still in Ann Arbor, and two live in California.Naylor keeps in close touch with her family and believes she contracted Covid-19 from her son Phillip, who developed symptoms soon after a visit. Before long, most of her Ann Arbor family had the virus.Naylor first noticed symptoms on March 27. "I was extremely sleepy. I could sleep all day long." She felt hot but didn't believe she had because her fever was only 101. Her daughter gave her an Oximeter to keep track of her oxygen levels, which were low. She tested positive on April 2. Her oxygen continued to drop, and on April 7 she checked into St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor."I have nothing but great things to say about the ninth floor; it's a beautiful place to be sick," she says. Naylor was impressed by the level of care and extensive precautions staffers took to contain the infection, including changing PPE each time they came into her room. No visitors were allowed, but one of her daughters in California kept in touch with her health care providers by phone.Naylor was too tired to speak to anyone at first. "I got oxygen, which was my main savior. I didn't notice that I couldn't breathe. I didn't cough much--just a short, dry cough. But I wasn't absorbing oxygen. I thought I was all there, but my daughter told me that I was in and out of consciousness." Because she was asleep most of the time, Naylor didn't realize how sick she was. "I only had one second when I thought, 'Oh no, if I die I will leave a big mess,'" because she had not gotten her affairs in order.Naylor was released after four days. Her son brought her home, where she lives alone, and he and, later, her daughter stayed with her until April 22. "My neighbors were fabulous. They put hearts on my door and the windows."Naylor attributes her relatively quick recovery to her strong physique. "I am very healthy. I swim, I ride a bike, I walk. One of the doctors also said I recovered so well because of the strength I had going in. I'm a good, hardy breed."fifty-six, is married to Andree Naylor's son Dirk. She is a hairdresser who has lived in the Ann Arbor area her whole life. On March 20, her son Troy, twenty-four, was the first in the family to exhibit symptoms of Covid-19. He did not get tested but quarantined himself in his room and recovered in about a week."Pretty soon, we just started dropping like flies," says Gullett-Naylor. Eventually, she got the virus, along with Dirk, fifty-six; her brother Phillip Gullett, sixty-eight; her mother-in-law Andree Naylor, eighty-eight; her sister-in-law Mary Gullet, seventy-one; and her ninety-year-old father, Ray Gullett.Ray Gullett was hospitalized on March 29. He spent twenty-one days in University Hospital but never needed a respirator. He has since returned to his home, where he lives alone. According to his daughter, his motto is "You can do anything you put your mind to."Gullett-Naylor's own symptoms were not the ones typically associated with Covid-19. "I cleared my throat constantly but never had a cough. I never had a fever. The fatigue is the thing that is the most noticeable about this. Dirk didn't have a fever or cough, but he got the toe thing, and so did I and my brother. My middle toe turned brown."Gullett-Naylor suffers from colitis and went to the ER with stomach cramps on April 5. The care she received during her three-day stay at St Joseph Mercy Chelsea was "amazing," she says, although the experience was strange because of the masks: "You can only see the eyes of the people who care for you."Gullet-Naylor was tired at first after returning home, but has since rebounded completely. She is grateful for the love and support she received from friends and neighbors and is relieved to have the whole thing behind her.Asked what she has learned from the experience, she says, "We have to be more compassionate with each other. We need a bigger sense of community. When I started going to Meijer or Target, even though there is a big sign on the wall saying 'You must wear a mask,' there are so many people strolling around like nothing is going on. That to me is troubling."Hinchey is officially retired as the Observer's calendar editor but jokes that he still "haunts" his successors. Forsberg-Smith is twice retired, as an AAPS music teacher and massage therapist. Both are in their seventies and lived in fear of getting Covid-19. But because they contracted it so early--Forsberg-Smith in late January, Hinchey in mid-February--they were never tested and didn't suspect that they had the virus till after they'd recovered."Had I known that I had it at the time I would have been terrified, but instead it just seemed like a weird and unusually bad flu," Hinchey says. It was only later that they realized that all of their symptoms were typical of Covid-19."I had the red, blistery toes on one foot," Forsberg-Smith recalls. "I got a chest cold. I lost my sense of taste for a while. I remember eating asparagus and not being able to taste it and blaming the farming practices. I didn't have a cough. I didn't feel that I had a fever. I never felt like I was so sick that I had to stay in bed."Hinchey felt terrible for a week and coughed incessantly. Finally, he just went to bed for a couple of days and emerged feeling relatively well. He jokes that they shared the symptoms equally between them, so neither one got terribly sick.The couple believe they got the virus from Hinchey's daughter, who works at ISR with international researchers, one of whom had recently returned from a trip to Asia with a terrible flu. Hinchey is amazed they got off so easily."I don't win lotteries or contests; I am not that lucky," he says. Escaping with a relatively mild case of Covid-19, he says, "I feel that I have used up most of my good luck for the next decade!"spent his forty-ninth birthday in the hospital, and is extremely happy to be alive. He says he is "healthy as a horse," and had been in his new position with the human resources department at Metropolitan Detroit Area Hospital Services for six days when he started to feel ill on March 24. He did not want to take time off but had no choice. His incessant coughing worried his fiancee, LaTrivia Peterson. A nurse at the VA Medical Center, insisted he go to St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor on the 26th. The next day, he was on a ventilator fighting for his life. He was on it for a week and spent three weeks in the hospital.Peterson had the foresight to pack his phone and charger, which became his lifeline. "They were getting ready to put me on the vent, and I was shaking. They asked me to call my family before, and I was so scared. I looked at Mary, my nurse, and asked if she would be willing to hold my hand. Of course, being the guy that I am, I cracked a joke--'dead man rolling!'--on my way to being intubated. I figured I would go out in style."While on the ventilator, Wade experienced powerful hallucinations. "I was telling stories, I was all over the place. I felt like I was awake the whole time but kept warping to different dreams." According to a respiratory therapist who came to visit him later, this is a common experience."St. Joe Hospital has an amazing staff," Wade says. "They were phenomenal. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it."Wade is working from home but is still not 100 percent. "It takes about three weeks to get the fog off of your brain. When you are in bed that long, you lose the strength in your legs, and trying to walk is a whole new experience."Reflecting on his brush with death, Wade says he wants to spend more time with his family. "When you come that close, it does stay with you," he says. He is also concerned by the number of people who continue to doubt that Covid-19 is dangerous."He wants to "spread the word and tell people this is real. I have some family members that are posting that this is a hoax even after I had it. We need to get people to take this seriously. It was just awful."---[Originally published in June, 2020.] Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a video conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Beijing, capital of China, June 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) By Zhang JiaDong The Galwan Valley incident caused heavy casualties and brought tremendous pressure again to China-India relations. This incident was inevitable and predictable to some extent. As two rising powers in the world, the comprehensive national power of China and India has risen, their border control and management capabilities have gradually increased, and national senses of honor and nationalist sentiment within their territories have also continued to rise in China and India. These all have put increasing pressure on the disputed line of actual control (LAC). Overall, this incident is a major event in China-India relations, but it is only a minor episode. Poor handling will lead to a long-term decline in China-India relations. However, if handled properly, it will bring new opportunities to the building of the control mechanism between China and India in the border area instead, as well as to the broader China-India relations. Historically, a crisis has often provided opportunities for development and cooperation, and ultimately escalated the cooperation mechanism between China and India. The biggest problem in China-India relations is the rapidly expanding gap between the development level of China-India relations and the strategic importance of such relations. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the international status of China and India has rapidly improved, and the strategic significance of China-India relations to the two countries and the international community has quickly increased. However, the progress of China-India relations has not been ideal. This has led to a serious mismatch between the importance of the China-India relationship and its current development. As a relatively weak party in this relationship, India has actively adopted some measures at the major power relations, regional and bilateral levels. At the level of major power relations, India has continuously strengthened its relations with the US, Japan, and other countries, and consolidated its strategic capabilities to check and balance China. India and the US have signed a series of cooperation agreements, ranging from civilian nuclear energy cooperation to military cooperation. This has not only enhanced India's military strength but also constantly changed the nature of India-US relations. At the regional level, India is actively taking steps to compete with China for leadership in South Asia and the North Indian Ocean. China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R), and India has the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor(AAGC) - a collaborative vision between India and Japan to promote development, connectivity, and cooperation between Africa and Asia as part of a liberal and value-based order.. China built a port in southern Sri Lanka, and then India built another port in northern Sri Lanka. China appeared in Gwadar Port in Pakistan, and then India appeared in Chabahar Port in Iran to the west. At the bilateral level, India has continuously strengthened its frontier frictions under the no-war expectation. One the one hand, it aims to cope with the rising nationalist sentiment in the country, and at the same time, to show a sense of presence in front of China. From this perspective, India has fallen into an infinite loop of "tentative provocation-confrontation-negotiation" with China on the border issue. India aims to increase the frequency of friction at the border so that China can neither fight nor tolerate harassment. Through such provocations, India expects that it will resolve the border dispute between the two countries based on India's conditions. However, China's strategic judgment on India has not changed significantly. India is a world power, but it is also a developing country and China's neighbor. China is willing to accept India's status as a major power within a certain sphere, and recognizes the common interests with India in some fields. But the two premises of China's policy toward India have also not changed significantly: first, India does not join any anti-China alliance system; second, India does not undermine the interactive norms and habits formed by the two sides in the border area since 1993. But now, these two premises are continually being eroded, and China's policy toward India is also facing increasing adjustment pressure. The border dispute is a sensitive issue, but it is not the core of China-India relations. China and India need to identify new dynamics to do no harm to the interests of both countries. (The author is a professor at the Center for South Asian Studies affiliated to the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University) Vaughan, Ontario, June 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) is appalled that nooses have been discovered at more Toronto construction sites and is calling on police to conduct a full investigation of the racist hate crimes and prosecute those who are responsible. These are disturbing and shocking racially-motivated incidents that are denounced by everyone who works in our industry, said RESCON president Richard Lyall. These are acts of cowardice and racism that have no place in our industry nor society. The perpetrators must be caught and prosecuted. Our industry and members have zero tolerance for racism and discriminatory behaviour of any kind. Hanging a noose is a hate crime. These perpetrators will be terminated and no longer welcome in the industry. RESCON, which represents more than 200 residential builders in the province, has always taken a leadership role in fighting racism and discrimination. It is proud of the incredibly diverse and multicultural workforce in construction and has always welcomed people of all creeds. The recent incidents in no way exemplify the more than 400,000 people who work in Ontarios construction industry. RESCON is disgusted by these incidents, says Lyall. A noose is a very specific racist symbol and one that is disturbingly targeted against the Black community. This is completely unacceptable. We have a multi-racial and multi-cultural workforce and oppose all forms of racism. RESCON commends EllisDon, Govan Brown and The Daniels Corporation for notifying police when nooses were found and is now calling on the law to do everything in its power to find the culprits. Sadly, such incidents have occurred at three construction sites now in Toronto, says Lyall. Whoever did this is merely attempting to sow division and hatred. These incidents must be investigated to the fullest extent. We can not allow this to go unpunished. RESCON is encouraging anyone with information about the incidents to contact Toronto Police Service at 416-808-2222 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. The British Embassy in Hanoi has proposed that a 43-year-old British pilot, Vietnams most seriously ill novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient, be brought back to his home country on July 12, as his health has greatly improved over the past weeks. The proposal was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Saturday. In the document, the British Embassy thanked Vietnamese doctors for treating the Briton and asked them to make an evaluation on whether the patient is healthy enough to return to his home country in Scotland. The patient will be accompanied by a team of health workers, the embassy stated, adding that all travel expenses will be covered by his insurance company. The recommended date is July 12. The Briton will travel on a flight operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines. The flight is scheduled to bring stranded Vietnamese citizens from the UK to Hanoi, before transporting the British patient, along with several health workers, to his home country. On Saturday, doctors at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City were still focusing on restoring the patients respiratory and physical functions. He is now able to practice walking small steps without a walker. The 43-year-old man, a Vietnam Airlines pilot, was confirmed as the countrys COVID-19 patient No. 91 following his diagnosis in mid-March. He was admitted to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases on March 18 with damaged lungs. His conditions deteriorated shortly after that, putting him in a coma and his life in jeopardy a few times. Doctors once thought only a lung transplant would save him from death. But medication and other medical care gradually improved his health in the following weeks. The Scotsman was transferred to the intensive care unit at Cho Ray Hospital on May 22, still comatose and with severely damaged lungs, after being cleared of the coronavirus following his treatment at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases. On June 3, doctors gave the green light to disconnect the patient from ECMO life support he had been on for nearly 60 days. He was taken off his ventilator on June 13, and stopped taking antibiotics used to treat other bacterial infections on June 15. A CT scan showed that nearly 90 percent of his lung capacity had recovered. The patient was transferred from the intensive care ward to the physical rehabilitation unit of Cho Ray Hospital on June 21. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! BOBBY STOREY, hero or villain. These are the two conflicting narratives played out since the death of one of the most prominent IRA leaders of the conflict. But often there is no simplicity or consistency in history or life. The man who once waged war on the British State later became an instrumental peeler for the peace. And even that was a messy business - reliant if not on violence, then at least on the unspoken threat of it. Those republicans who transgressed from the peace process, or were thinking about it, knew that big Bobby calling to the door was a whole different ball game to a chat with Mary Lou, or whoever was her late 1990s equivalent. The complicated nature of Storey's role in post-ceasefire Northern Ireland is conveyed by two incidents. It's May 2014, just after the arrest of then Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams. He's being questioned by the PSNI about the 1972 murder of mother-of-10 Jean McConville. A mural is painted of Adams on the Falls Road within less than 48 hours of his arrest. It's located, with incredible insensitivity, just a few hundred yards from where McConville was abducted. A protest rally is held beside it. Martin McGuinness delivers the main address, but it's Storey's short speech which is the most eye-catching. "We have a message for the British government, the Irish government, the cabal that's out there," he roared. "We ain't gone away, you know!" Expand Close Chief Constable George Hamilton, Martin Duckser Lynch and Bobby Storey / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Chief Constable George Hamilton, Martin Duckser Lynch and Bobby Storey It brought back memories of Gerry Adams' quip about the IRA outside Belfast City Hall in 1995. "They haven't gone away, you know," he told the crowd. So, the phrase Storey used was no accident. He warned of the "anger, the annoyance that they would dare touch our party leader, the leader of Irish republicanism". His voice went up many decibels to emphasise the word 'dare'. The message from the IRA to the PSNI that Storey conveyed was clear: Gerry Adams was untouchable. And yet just a year later, Storey helped provide one of the Kodak moments for the peace process on the Falls Road. Chief Constable Sir George Hamilton was invited to share a platform with Martin McGuinness at St Mary's College during the West Belfast Festival. It was a symbol to help encourage nationalist communities' relationship with the PSNI. Storey sat just a few feet away in the audience, his presence signifying IRA approval, while outside anti-agreement republican protesters blasted rebel songs. He was a staunch opponent of dissidents. He set up and led a Provo investigation into the Real IRA murder of two British soldiers at Massereene in 2009. A republican source revealed last week that Sinn Fein members were "arrested" and quizzed about who was involved. Is it beyond the realms of possibility to speculate that whatever information was gained overall during this investigation made its way to the PSNI informally? Regardless, Storey's support for the peace process was vital in the early years. Had someone of his stature thrown his weight behind dissidents, or even sat on the fence, the Adams leadership would have been significantly weakened. Yet two of the most famous operations that Storey ran as IRA director of intelligence - the 2002 Castlereagh break-in and the 2004 Northern Bank robbery - caused massive embarrassment for the authorities. They were impeccably put together and coolly executed. Storey's sheer audacity and tactical nous drew grudging admiration even from security sources. And yet when all is done, and those who loved him and those who loathed him have had their say, what was it all about? None of it brought a united Ireland one inch closer. Any progress that has been made in recent years is down to demographic changes, Brexit, and the foolishness of the DUP. Bobby Storey spent 20 years in jail, and he certainly wasn't defeated by that. Under his tutelage, the IRA scored many tactical wins. But the big strategic, ideological goal - Irish unity - has remained as elusive as ever for the Provisional movement. And that's a narrative that all the bank notes, security files or war stories just can't hide. Over a private lunch in his Downing Street flat three weeks ago, Boris Johnson persuaded the Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill that it was time to stand down. It was an amicable conversation as Sedwill had been thinking for a while it was time to move on. The burden of the job had become too great. The Oxford-educated 55-year-old has been the most powerful and perhaps the busiest civil servant of modern times. He's the Cabinet Secretary, the head of the civil service, the national security adviser and the first to hold all three positions at once. But he came up against arguably the most powerful unelected adviser of modern times: Dominic Cummings Boris's most trusted aide. Over a private lunch in his Downing Street flat three weeks ago, Boris Johnson persuaded the Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill (pictured together) that it was time to stand down Only last week, Cummings paraphrased Bob Dylan to warn 'that a hard rain is coming on Whitehall'. The civil service, he believes, is too slow, bureaucratic and has presided over 'expensive debacle after expensive debacle'. Cummings wrote a memo earlier this year calling for 'weirdos and misfits' to work in Downing Street. And Sedwill, who worked well with Boris and was popular among many colleagues, scarcely fits into that category. One well-placed source said: 'The lazy view will be that Cummings wants radical reform of the civil service so Sedwill had to go. But actually Sedwill had some interesting ideas of his own for changing things in the civil service. 'In the end he is going because he's been doing the job a long time, the workload was often overwhelming, and he agreed with the Prime Minister it was time for someone else to take over and for the job to be split.' David Frost, the Government's lead Brexit negotiator with the EU, will take on Sedwill's security post. Inevitably, there had been sharp disagreements. Boris, who inherited Sedwill from his predecessor Theresa May, had clashed with him over Brexit. In a tense stand-off during a meeting last month, Boris (pictured) asked Sedwill: 'Who is in charge of implementing this plan? Is it you?' The Oxford-educated 55-year-old (pictured) has been the most powerful and perhaps the busiest civil servant of modern times 'Sedwill never made any secret of his opposition to a no deal Brexit,' said a senior source. 'We finally break free from the EU on December 31 with or without a deal. The PM wants someone at his right-hand side who is okay about leaving with no deal.' One senior minister said that many would be sorry to see Sedwill go, adding: 'I like Mark. He's clever, he's got a good sense of humour and he's a 'can-do' figure, unlike some senior civil servants. But the PM and Cummings want things done differently. It's why his successor may be from outside Whitehall.' Boris also clashed with Sedwill, who fell ill with coronavirus at the same time as the PM, over the strategy for lifting lockdown. In a tense stand-off during a meeting last month, Boris asked Sedwill: 'Who is in charge of implementing this plan? Is it you?' After a long pause Sedwill replied: 'No I think it's you, Prime Minister.' Even Sedwill's admirers concede that at times he was overwhelmed by his workload. 'Being the national security adviser is a huge job. But Sedwill went on a power grab, was indulged by Theresa May who let him do all three jobs, and he's now paying the price,' said a Whitehall official. Yet it all could have been so different for Sedwill, who studied at St Andrews University in Scotland and gained a masters in economics at Oxford's St Edmund Hall. In an interview he once said that his time working as a scuba-diving instructor after graduation 'almost prompted me to drop out and spend the rest of my life on a beach'. But the would-be beach bum instead joined the diplomatic service, learning Arabic to serve in Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq as a UN weapons inspector. In one of the stranger moments of his career, Sedwill was stranded in a remote part of Pakistan in 2004 after snowfall cut off all access to local roads. He ended up being the guest of honour at a polo festival, 12,000 feet up in the Himalayas. David Frost (pictured), the Government's lead Brexit negotiator with the EU, will take on Sedwill's security post Pictured: Sir Mark (second left) with Therese Coffey, Matt Hancock, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak In April 2008 he became ambassador to Afghanistan and was hand-picked by Nato to act as the senior civilian representative in Kabul. His uniform was a bulletproof flak jacket and a helmet rather than a suit and tie. With a strong security background, he doesn't flinch from conflict. 'Given his experience in Afghanistan, Mark would take a gun to a knife fight,' said one Whitehall admirer. When the Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood died in 2018, there was no doubt who would replace him. Downing Street never even advertised the job it always had Sedwill's name on it. He relished the power and wielded it ruthlessly. The former defence secretary Gavin Williamson was fired for a leak from the National Security Council over plans to allow Chinese telecoms giant Huawei to help build the UK's 5G network. Sedwill demanded his scalp. A source said: 'Mark worked so closely with the military and intelligence service, some of us wonder if he had been a spy when he was in the Middle East. 'He is intensely serious, despises leaks and leakers as Gavin Williamson discovered. With just one look, his officials know if he doesn't like what they're serving up.' Brought up in a village in Lincolnshire, he was grammar-school educated and has been married for 20 years to Sarah-Jane. They have one daughter and live in south-west England where he enjoys snorkelling. He is chairman of the Special Forces Club in Knightsbridge, which is popular with the intelligence services and the crack SAS regiment. No wonder he has such a tough streak. On a wall in his Whitehall office there is a striking photograph of a lifeboat battling stormy waters. As he is eased out of his post as Cabinet Secretary, Sedwill may well be hoping to enter a calmer period in his life. 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 Were more online than ever what does that mean for our privacy? View(s): Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many of us have adapted to the new normal and withdrawn to the safety of our homes. Its only natural, then, that our internet use has spiked significantlyaround 70%, according to Forbes. But now that we work from home, communicate with our distant loved ones, and commune with friends through our devices, our private information is at risk more than ever. Youve probably heard of the privacy concerns that plague many of the communications apps that have grown in popularity during the quarantine. These are usually video conference apps or mobile video social networking apps that leave you vulnerable to third parties and data leaks. There are also warnings against using apps designed for contract tracing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Though these apps may be helpful in these times, they do process and store location data in real-time. People have also turned to the social media to join groups or communities that align with their hobbies and interests. Online marketplaces have also become more active, with people trying to make ends meet in a time of such economic uncertainty. But what people dont always realise is that some of these public groups expose their profiles to strangers they dont necessarily trust. Other messaging apps can scan users personal and private chats, and use the data for targeting and advertising. Some apps can also access messages and data to give to law enforcement agencies for tracking. So this leaves us with the question: What app can you really trust with your privacy in the era of social distancing? Rakuten Viber, one of the top messaging apps in the world, gives you several ways to prioritise your security online. This is keeping in line with its commitment to protecting the data of its users. Unlike other apps, which mine user data to improve their marketing campaigns or to sell to other companies, the personal messages sent via Viber are by default encrypted, which means it is virtually impossible for anyone from Viber to view users chat. On Viber, you can be sure that every personal message you send can only be read on the device you send it to. says Rakuten Viber CEO Djamel Agaoua. You can even go a step further and follow some guidelines to secure the info on your device. For one, you can check your phones Privacy Settings. Here you can see which apps you have and if youve granted them permission to access data elsewhere on your phone. If you spot an app that has access to something you dont want it to, just tap on the toggle switch to turn it off. If youre on a shared device, its especially important to turn off autofill to protect sensitive info you may have typed in. Of course, you should log out of apps youve finished using, so the next user doesnt see your private profile. Be vigilant when it comes to the apps you install. Only get apps from trusted stores, like the App Store or Play Store, and only get them if they are trusted and secure. Remember, many apps can actually access your data for collection, commercial, and advertising purposes. Go through every single app on your phone, and keep in mind that each one is a potential privacy problem. You may not think of it, but even your photo editing suite can be a gateway to your contacts, location, and profile. If you encounter an app that you hardly use anymore, delete itit will be one less security risk on your phone. Since Viber is by default encrypted, you dont need to worry about your data getting leaked or sold. At Rakuten Viber, were proud to say that we put customer privacy first. We will never sell your data. In fact, we cant even see it in the first place. says Rakuten Viber CEO DjamelAgaoua. Moving all your personal interactions online may present some security risks, but if youre careful with the apps you use and take the measures to protect your privacy online, you can dodge all the traps in the data minefield of the internet and connect with those who matter most with some peace of mind. Fox News polls released on Thursday found Biden leading Trump in several swing states, including a 9-point lead in Florida. Washington: US president Donald Trump on Sunday exuded the confidence of winning the 3 November election, claiming that the vast silent majority is with him. The presidents tweet came as his Democratic rival Joe Biden has been beating Trump in recent polls. Fox News polls released on Thursday found Biden leading Trump in several swing states, including a 9-point lead in Florida. The Fox News polls also found Trump neck-and-neck with Biden in Georgia, Texas and North Carolina. Biden is leading Trump by more than 9 points nationally, according to a RealClearPolitics average of recent polls. THE VAST SILENT MAJORITY IS ALIVE AND WELL!!! We will win this Election big, Trump said in a tweet Sunday morning. Nobody wants a low IQ person in charge of our country, and sleepy Joe is definitely a low IQ person! Trump said. Biden did not respond to Trumps tweet, but his party leader Nancy Pelosi appearing on a Sunday talk show insisted that it is very important to defeat Trump in the November presidential elections. However, she cautioned against being overconfident given that Biden is now leading all the polls. I do believe that we have to put one day in front of another. I take nothing for granted. think 128 days, no wasted time. No underutilised resources and no regrets the day after the election, Pelosi told ABC News. Police will arrest you, if you fail to wear a face mask View(s): From the second week of July, people failing to wear face masks in public places will be arrested and produced in courts for violating the quarantine regulations, Police said yesterday. Police spokesman Jaliya Senaratne said that during the next week they would be warning people who fail to wear masks in public places, but action would be taken only the week after. He said the action was being taken after health authorities had alerted the police that in public places, some people were failing to follow health precautions such as wearing face masks. Senior Superintendent Senaratne said that from tomorrow the police would record names and National Identity Card numbers of those failing to wear masks and warn them. Three-time Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone protected himself at Madeo in Beverly Hills on Saturday night by wearing his $18 'Keep Punching' mask. The Italian stallion - turning 74 next week - is donating 100% of the profits from his mask to 'organizations assisting with the relief efforts caused by the coronavirus.' California Governor Gavin Newsom made cloth face masks mandatory for all public outings on June 18, and Mayor Eric Garcetti has extended the stay-at home order indefinitely. Staying strong: Three-time Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone protected himself at Madeo in Beverly Hills on Saturday night by wearing his $18 'Keep Punching' mask Charitable: The Italian stallion - turning 74 next week - is donating 100% of the profits from his mask to 'organizations assisting with the relief efforts caused by the coronavirus' As of Sunday morning, there have been 95K confirmed COVID-19 cases in LA County, which has led to 3,285 deaths - according to Johns Hopkins University. Sly's third wife Jennifer Flavin wore a black patterned mask with her matching blouse and pencil skirt. Stallone and the 51-year-old Serious Skincare founder - who met in 1988 - celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary on May 18. But Saturday night was all about their daughter Sistine Rose's 22nd birthday, and she made a wish before blowing out the candle perched on her creme brulee. Chic: Sly's wife of 23 years, Serious Skincare founder Jennifer Flavin, wore a black patterned mask with her matching blouse and pencil skirt Make a wish! But Saturday night was all about their daughter Sistine Rose's 22nd birthday, and she blew out the candle perched on her creme brulee The Rambo: Last Blood action star - who boasts 23.4M social media followers - gushed: 'A very happy birthday to our wonderful SISTINE! We love you!' Birthday girl: The 47 Meters Down: Uncaged actress wore a white lace bustier with black leather pants and she decided not to mess up her lipstick by wearing a mask The Rambo: Last Blood action star - who boasts 23.4M social media followers - gushed: 'A very happy birthday to our wonderful SISTINE! We love you!' The 47 Meters Down: Uncaged actress wore a white lace bustier with black leather pants and she decided not to mess up her lipstick by wearing a mask. Not pictured Saturday were Stallone and Flavin's 18-year-old daughter Scarlett and 23-year-old daughter Sophia. Sly (born Michael) also has a 41-year-old son Seargeoh with ex-wife #1 Sasha Czack, but their eldest Sage died age 36 from heart complications in 2012. Family of five: Not pictured Saturday were Stallone and Flavin's 18-year-old daughter Scarlett and 23-year-old daughter Sophia (pictured April 12) 'I'm going to finish this thing if it kills me!' During quarantine, Sly has been hard at work penning his script on 19th century American poet Edgar Allan Poe, which he plans on directing Stallone explained on May 15: 'I don't even know if it's going to be made. I don't care if it's going to be made. To me, I just want to complete the mission. I hate doing things halfway' During quarantine, the native New Yorker has been hard at work penning his script on 19th century American poet Edgar Allan Poe, which he plans on directing. 'I'm going to finish this thing if it kills me. Even though I've cooled on it for many, many years,' Stallone explained on May 15. 'The point is, I don't even know if it's going to be made. I don't care if it's going to be made. To me, I just want to complete the mission. I hate doing things halfway, even though the longer you let them sit the farther down the road you kick the can and then eventually you just don't have the incentive anymore. On hold: The Golden Globe winner's last acting gig - Julius Avery's 2021 sci-fi flick Samaritan - suspended production in Atlanta on March 15 due to the global pandemic 'I'm going to do this, if it kills me for no other reason but just to say I crossed the finish line. Anyway, keep punching and yo Poe!' Meanwhile, the Golden Globe winner's last acting gig - Julius Avery's 2021 sci-fi flick Samaritan - suspended production in Atlanta on March 15 due to the global pandemic. The MGM movie centers on a boy (Euphoria star Javon 'Wanna' Walton) who discovers sanitation worker Stanley Kominski (Sly) is a superhero who went missing after an epic battle. When Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex initially announced theyd be stepping back from their roles as senior royals, they noted in their message that they were hoping to continue to work alongside the royal family in some capacity. As we now know, that didnt happen. And one royal expert thinks Prince William gave the couple an ultimatum youre in, or youre out. Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate Middleton | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their royal departure in January When Harry and Meghan returned from a six-week trip to North America over the holidays, nobody thought much of it. The two needed some downtime, and the public thought things would return to business as usual when they arrived back in the United Kingdom. However, the two made a major announcement: They would be stepping back from their royal roles. Since Meghan and Harry began dating, Meghan had battled harshly with the press. Most stories about the duchess were negative, which led her to have a hard time winning over the public. Plus, the couple wanted more privacy for themselves and their son, which was difficult given the brightness of the royal spotlight. The two said they could not achieve financial independence if they continued royal duties When Meghan and Harry announced on Instagram that theyd be stepping back, they were hoping to still work on behalf of the queen in some capacity. But the two noted in their announcement that they wanted to gain financial independence. Upon taking a further look, they realized that they would not be able to perform royal duties without receiving taxpayer money, which meant they wouldnt ever be fully financially independent. And for that reason, they decided to step back entirely or, so they said. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially stepped down in March. | Victoria Jones/AFP/Getty Images One expert thinks Prince William had a hand in their decision One royal commentator recently revealed that Harry and Meghans reasoning for leaving the family might have come down to an ultimatum from Prince William. William, who is second in line for the throne, reportedly told Harry and Meghan they couldnt have their cake and eat it, too. According to Express, royal expert Richard Kay revealed in a Prince William and Kate Middleton documentary that William wouldnt have allowed a 50/50 royal lifestyle. You could not be, in Williams view, a member of the Royal Family dipping in and out. Anna Pasternak, a royal author, agreed with the idea that William might have been involved. The decision was made if you want to go we are desperately sad about that, but you are out, she said. Prince Harry and Prince William | Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Others say William likely didnt play a role Though some royal commentators felt William had a say in his brothers wish to split his time, others think he didnt have much choice in the matter. Ultimately, Harry and Meghans reasoning about financial independence makes sense as far as why they had to exit the family entirely. It seems plausible that William might have given his opinion but less plausible that he was the sole reason the two werent able to split their time. Still, the royals do everything very privately, so the true answer remains unknown. Larry Kramer used to wear a lot of turquoise jewelry on both hands. When Kramer moved to New York City in the 1970s, a fortune teller told him he must always wear something turquoise to look after his health. He trusted that claim. In the years that followed, Kramer survived the liver disease hepatitis B and had a liver transplant operation. He had also battled HIV for more than 30 years. HIV is the name of the virus that causes the disease AIDS. Kramer, a playwright and AIDS activist for many years, once said God knows how he survived all those health problems. He spoke with VOA before dying of pneumonia last month. He was 84 years old. A series of antiviral drugs kept Kramer and millions of others with HIV alive for many years. The first of those drugs was studied and received U.S. government approval in the 1990s. But before that success, the search for an effective treatment took more than 10 years and caused fierce clashes between Americans and the government. AIDS activist Kramer launched AIDS activism in the United States. He demanded money for research and treatments for a mysterious disease that researchers identified in 1981. They would later link AIDS to the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, which most often is passed sexually. Infected people accused the government of not taking steps to fight a disease that was mostly killing gay men. "Ronald Reagan, who was president, never even said the word AIDS" until his second term in office, Kramer said. By the end of 1986, more than 16,000 Americans with AIDS had died. In 1987, Kramer started ACT UP, the first group to put together loud, energetic protests over an epidemic which had no effective treatments. Silence = Death A protest on October 11, 1988 would become ACT UP's most memorable clash with the U.S. government. The group forced the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, to close its headquarters, near Washington, D.C. That day, ACT UP blocked roads to the FDA offices. Protesters lay on the ground in front of the building with homemade tombstones. Activists hung a sign above the entrance to the building with ACT UP's saying: Silence = Death. Richard Klein was the FDA's representative to the AIDS community at the time. He called ACT UP's protest "a great wake-up call for the FDA." Speaking with VOA, Klein recalled the uneasy days between the AIDS activists and federal officials. And he noted that changes did come. Activists were added to FDA advisory committees as patient representatives. The agency expanded patient access to experimental drug studies. Many of those studies were sped up and extended. Trial patients whose health was failing were moved to groups getting the drug or drugs being tested. "It took people who were dying to really make the point of 'We don't want to die in these clinical trials,'" Klein said. Yet AIDS patients continued to die 300,000 in the United States by 1995. The most widely used drug at the time, AZT, was developed in the 1960s and approved as an AIDS treatment in 1987. AZT did slow the weakening of patients' natural defenses for fighting disease. However, the HIV virus became resistant to the medication and the deadly path of AIDS continued. New class of drugs In June of 1995, the FDA approved a study of saquinavir, the first of a new group of drugs called protease inhibitors. They were designed to prevent the HIV virus from reproducing. These drugs were thought to be a way to end virus resistance issues, Klein explained. Saquinavir proved ineffective by itself. But when combined with AZT and other anti-viral medication, it led to an increase in white blood cell counts in AIDS patients. That was a clear sign that the bodys disease-fighting systems had begun to recover. Most importantly, the HIV virus did not develop resistance to the combined drugs. Fewer than four months after getting the results, the FDA gave the fastest drug approval ever to saquinavir as part of a combination treatment for HIV/AIDS. "It completely transformed the lives of HIV infected individuals," Anthony Fauci told VOA. Fauci is director of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, and currently leading NIH's battle against COVID-19. He supervised much of the U.S. government's efforts against AIDS from 1984 forward. Fauci noted that the arrival of protease inhibitors marked "the first time we had highly effective drugs against HIV." Ending a dispute In addition to physical healing, the arrival of life-saving drugs would lead to an end to the public clashes between the FDA and AIDS activists. For example, during the worst of the AIDS epidemic, Larry Kramer called Fauci a murderer and other things. Over time, the two men grew to respect and like each other. Kramer called Fauci a "friend" in his interview with VOA. Writing for TIME magazine after Kramer's death, Fauci praised Kramer's activism. He added, "I will miss a lot about Larry, but I think his warmth most of all." Protease inhibitor drugs saved countless lives after 1995. In recent years, the drugs have proven effective in stopping HIV infections when taken as a preventative. Even with this progress, there is no cure and no effective vaccine for HIV/AIDS. Im Alice Bryant. Carolyn Presutti wrote this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story turquoise - n. a bluish-green stone used in jewelry fortune teller - n. a person who claims to use special powers to tell what will happen to someone in the future playwright - n. A person who writes plays pneumonia - n. a serious disease that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe antiviral - n. A drug or treatment effective against viruses gay - adj. sexually attracted to someone who is the same sex epidemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people tombstone - n. a stone that marks the place where a dead person is buried access - n. a way of being able to use or get something transform - v. to change something completely and usually in a good way Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. 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Social service or helping a helpless person is an act that has no connection with any particular religion or community. Whoever wants to serve the society in a selfless spirit whatever their religion may be, can do it. But in the last few years, it is seen that social service is also becoming a tactic to convert people. Specifically, the Christian missionaries are front runners in this practice. They use this method in two ways. The first method is to project their religion as the saviour of poor and helpless in order to convince them for conversion and secondly they provide financial help to the needy. They use social service as a cover to hide their fraudulent immoral converting practices. Its not a sudden thing that Christian missionaries go to an area and start providing service and help. This is a very well planned practice. First, a region is selected where most of the people are backward and poor, where majority belongs to SCs and STs, as it is easy for them to incite these people against their own religion. Then these Jesus Salesmen start to sell their religion. Providing financial assistance is not a bad thing at all but when it is done to convert people, it becomes wrong. It becomes a false allurement given to them to get them converted. This is immoral. Religious conversion is ones personal matter but only if ones decision to get converted is only due to his attraction towards the religion or its a religious philosophy. If his decision is shaped by his poor financial condition or he aims to achieve a better living standard by conversion, It becomes barter through religion rather than freedom to choose religion or Social Service. We have hundreds of examples in which missionaries and organizations tried to take advantage of the helplessness of the people and to convert them by preying them into the false trap of social service. Pandita Ramabai, a Brahman converted to Christianity after being widowed at an early age, started an organisation Shanti Sadan in Mumbai in 1889. It was a school for widows. It was found that she carried out proselytisation in that school. She is called Social Reformer by the feminists. During the 1896 famine in Maharashtra, she housed a few thousand orphan girls and widows. They were later baptized(preached Christianity) and converted to Christianity. Proselytising during the time of natural calamity is well-known missionary activity. Ramabai was probably the first missionary in India to apply this tactic successfully. Christian Missionaries blackmail vulnerable people to choose between being able to follow their traditions and being able to feed their family. In desperate times, many people convert. During any deep problem in life, people become more religious. At this time vulnerable are preached about Jesus. They are given financial aid also, as the evangelical army has multi-billion dollar resources. During the Kerala floods in 2018, a Christian preacher Lazarus Mohan blamed Hindu rituals (mainly Moorthipooja) responsible for the floods in Kerala. Attacking the traditions of others and praising Jesus as a sole saviour is a well-nourished tool, used by missionaries to convert people when they are in deep distress and hoping for any divine help. Pointing out the helplessness of other religions, Christian missionaries stress on Jesus and Christianity. Missionaries were busy in selling Jesus during Nepal Earthquakes in 2015 too. In December 2004, a deadly Tsunami broke out in the Indian Ocean, near Sumatra. Over 2,30,000 people lost lives in it across 14 countries. In India more than 18,000 people lost lives, above 8000 lives were lost in TamilNadu. Christian missionaries use the immense human tragedy for their advantage. This Tsunami also brought an opportunity for them. In Indonesia, western Christian groups reached for proselytization. Local Muslims opposed it. American evangelist Mark Kosinski said, These people need food but they also need Jesus. God is trying to awaken people and help them realize salvation is in Christ. Missionary group tried to fly hundreds of children to a Christian orphanage, where they baptized (preached Christianity) them. In TamilNadu also, this Tsunami was used as an opportunity for conversion. Lazarus Mohan, a powerful Christian preacher, called Idolatory (Moorthipooja) a Sin that brought curses and disasters to the nation. He said, instead of worshipping Jesus, people worship demons and evil spirits (he was pointing to Hindu Gods clearly). The legends of St. Thomass miracles were unleashed and a story was circulated titled How Tsunami waves did not touch santhome cathedral. This fraud was circulated by Jesus Salesmen in order to prey people for conversion. In the coastal village Akkaraipettai, an evangelical group Gospel for Asia and their associates Believers Church had set up an orphanage illegally. CD Suriyakala, a professor at Sathyabama University (Chennai) discovered that 108 children, mainly Hindus, had been taken to the orphanage and compelled to recite Christian prayers six times a day. KP Yohannan, the founder president of GFA, proudly admitted that 14,500 missionaries had distributed Bibles and pamphlets to Tsunami victims. Yazidi people in Iraq lived in the mountains near the border with Turkey. ISIS forced them to flee, that made missionary work much easier. From the reports which came from Iraq in 2015, we find that the tactic of social service was used there also to convert the Yazidi people. Vian Dakhil, the only Yazidi member of Iraqi Parliament told the reporters of a news agency that Attached with humanitarian aids they distributed Bible and pamphlets containing information about Christianity. Christian groups inside the Yazidi camps were working to persuade Yazidis to convert to Christianity. This incident is not just about religious conversions, its a clear attack on a culture. During the 2004 Tsunami, In Moraketiya (Sri Lanka) many evangelists tried to convert people in a relief camp. They gave gifts to children to grab both the attention and affection of the residents of the relief camp. They tried to convince the people to convert to Christianity by showing them drama related to Jesuss life. This seems like an ordinary attempt to convert as these groups usually do in every place they visit. But here in Sri Lanka, it can have very serious consequences. Because Sri Lanka is an orthodox Buddhist country and these incidents can change the perspective of Buddhists towards Christians and it will affect the lives of Sri Lankan Christians who are 7 percent of Sri Lankas total population. Religion and social service or Social service by religious institutions and organizations has a very long history. In Indian culture, social service was never done for conversion. It is always done for a good cause. In India, Temples are providing food daily for the needy. The caste of Men, Women, Children benefited by this does not matter to them. There is never a sense of conversion in the social service provided by the Temples. Social service has a very wide meaning. Limiting it to just as a way to convert is not fair at all. During the time of Kerala floods, during the cyclone disaster in Odisha recently, RSS swayamsevaks served people selflessly and tirelessly. They didnt ask the religion of the victim of calamity nor they tried to proselytize anyone. As the whole world is affected by Covid-19, this brings the golden opportunity for Christian missionaries to convert people. Many people lost their jobs, their earnings, their savings. They are out of money and hope as well. Missionaries are expert in utilizing such opportunities. There would be a massive conversion work going on all over India, by providing financial aid and moral help. As we have seen, many countries around the world are hit by these missionary activities. Providing help and service in the time of distress is always welcome. Temples and Gurudwaras provide food and shelter to needy without asking their religion or trying to convert them. Why cant churches do so? Why do missionaries need to convert people for providing help and service? Can social service not be done without conversion? Definitely it can be done. Temples, Gurudwaras and organizations like RSS are doing it without proselytizing, then why missionaries dont do it that way? This question needs to be answered. (The authors of this article are Prabhas Sakya and Shivansh. They are Under Graduate students of History (Honors) at KiroriMal College, Delhi University) Source : OpIndia 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 The owners of 130 buildings in inner Sydney have been told to replace flammable cladding or reveal more details about the composition of materials used, leaving individual apartment owners facing bills running into the tens of thousands of dollars. The breadth of the cladding crisis in just one part of the city has led to fresh calls for the NSW government to follow Victoria in funding rectification work, partly given the financial pressure owners are already under due to the coronavirus-induced recession. Apartment owner Adrian Shi. Credit:Nick Moir The City of Sydney, seemingly the worst affected in the state by combustible cladding, has issued fire safety notices for 130 buildings to date, up from 52 in March. Waterloo resident Adrian Shi was shocked to discover that he would have to pay $25,000 over the next year to remove combustible cladding from his building in the inner-southern suburb. Workers load steel products for export to a cargo ship at a port in Lianyungang SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Profits at China's industrial firms rose for the first time in six months in May, suggesting the country's economic recovery is gaining traction and brightening the outlook for manufacturing investment and jobs. China's national bureau of statistics said profits at China's industrial firms in May rose 6% year-on-year to 582.3 billion yuan ($82.28 billion), according to a statement on Sunday. The rebound followed a 4.3% fall in April, and is its sharpest monthly gain since March 2019. Economic activity in China is clearly improving after the lifting of tough virus containment measures that led to weeks of near paralysis. But the recovery has been uneven and demand at home and abroad remains sluggish amid concerns of a second wave of infections and a global recession. Despite May's earnings growth, "market demand remains relatively weak amid the epidemic, and sustainability of the profit recovery deserves further observation," Zhu Hong, senior statistician at the statistics bureau said in the statement. Earnings for Chinese factories were hit by the sharpest factory-gate price drop in more than four years recorded in May, while exports slipped again, erasing a transient gain in April. Futures prices for steel, which have surged this year on a government push for more infrastructure projects, fell last week as rising steel production and lean demand from downstream users stoked worries about oversupply. For the first five months of 2020, industrial firms' profits fell 19.3% from the same period last year to 1.84 trillion yuan. May's profit growth was aided by significant profit recoveries in key industries including oil refinery, power, chemicals and steel. For example, the oil refinery sector recorded a profit of 11.6 billion yuan in May, up 8.9% year-on-year, swinging from a loss of 21.8 billion yuan the previous month. Power sector profits grew 10.9% in May, compared with a decline of 15.7% in April. Zhu also attributed May's profit growth to easing cost pressures, improving profit margins, positive impact from policy stimulus and much higher investment returns. Story continues Earnings at China's state-controlled industrial firms were down 39.3% on an annual basis for January-May, versus a 46.0% fall in the first four months, the statistics bureau data showed. Private sector profits fell 11% in the first five months, narrowing from January-April's 17.2% slump. Liabilities at industrial firms rose 6.6% on year at end-May, compared with a 6.2% increase as of end-April. (This story corrects typographic error in first paragraph) (Reporting by Samuel Shen, Emily Chow and Roxanne Liu; editing by Jonathan Oatis & Simon Cameron-Moore) 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. 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. Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said a Panama City man is in custody after he crashed a truck into a store and shot someone trying to assist him. It was a very scary situation, Wade said. The incident happened at 6:49 a.m. along an unincorporated part of Alabama 21 that adjoins the City of Oxford. Wade said that a 36-year-old man driving a Ford F-150 exited off Interstate 20 and ran his truck into the Liquor King store. No one was inside the store. It is unclear why the crash happened. Immediately after, the male manager of the nearby Econo Lodge, along with a female who witnessed the event, went to the truck believing the driver needed assistance. The driver then took out a pistol and began shooting from inside his truck. Wade said the man was struck in the leg, while the woman fled. The driver ran across the highway in the direction of a nearby Chick-fil-A, firing multiple shots until his gun was empty. He then lay down in the highway median until an off-duty deputy took him into custody without incident. It is believed the driver was under the influence of methamphetamine, Wade said. The shooting victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The woman was uninjured. The driver was also taken to the hospital for observation. He will likely face multiple charges. These were innocent people who were trying to help the man, Wade said. Its a scary world we live in. Three Christians sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran have lost their appeals, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, deacon Saheb Fadaie and church member Mohammadreza Omidi were handed the sentences after being convicted in 2017 of 'acting against national security' by 'promoting Zionist Christianity'. They were convicted alongside a fourth Christian whose appeal verdict has not yet been delivered. While the appeal court did not acquit Nadarkhani, Fadaie or Omidi, their sentences have been reduced. Nadarkhani and Fadaie have both now received six year sentences, while Omidi has been given a 24-month sentence, although CSW said he is expected to be released in July. Their lawyer has not ruled out the possibility of a further appeal. CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said he was "deeply disappointed" by the sentences delivered to the three men. He called for their release as he urged the international community to raise Iran's treatment of religious minorities during bilateral discussions and put pressure on the country to end all forms of religious persecution. "While acknowledging that they have been reduced, we continue to contend that the sentences should have been dismissed altogether," he said. "The spurious nature of these charges and the subsequent excessive sentencing amount to a criminalisation of Christianity. "We call on the Iranian authorities to dismiss these charges and to release all four men immediately." Reposted with permission from Christian Today By Feng Songjiang The US Department of Defense released the brief report of Space Defense Strategy on June 17, clarifying that the US will accelerate its war readiness in space over the next 10 years. The strategy aims to deter opponents in a complex security environment characterized by great power competition. Following the US National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, the report demonstrates the US government's hegemonic concepts of "America First" and "maintaining space superiority." The Pentagon enacts the space strategy by the excuse that countries such as Russia have weaponized space into a war-fighting domain through their development, testing, and deployment of counter-space system, jeopardizing the military effectiveness of US and its allies in space and presenting a great strategic threat to the US. A Russian congressman refuted that the US is actually hindering all peace initiatives proposed by Russia. There is no doubt that the US is trying to make Russia the "scapegoat" for its space war preparations and using Russia's threat as an excuse to woo allies and ensure its space superiority. To achieve the US government's policy goal of "ensuring its space superiority will never be challenged and threatened" and advancing spacepower to be able to "compete, deter, and win," the space defense strategy desires to realize the conditions of a "secure, stable, and accessible space domain" more quickly within the next 10 years, and also clarifies that the US will advance spacepower through the pursuit of three objectives: Maintain Space Superiority; Provide Space Support to National, Joint, and Combined Operations; and Ensure Space Stability. To achieve the aforesaid goals, the US put forward four priorities in the strategy as follows: First, build a comprehensive military advantage in space. Specific measures include strengthening the foundations of military spacepower, developing and deploying reliable space warfighting capacities, innovating space military and combating theories, and improving intelligence and command-and-control capabilities. Second, integrate military space power into national, joint, and combined operations. Specific measures include enabling the US Space Command to plan, exercise, and execute joint and combined space operations across the spectrum of conflict; integrating space warfighting operations, intelligence, and personnel into military plans and staffs; and integrating allies and partners into plans, operations, exercises, engagements, and intelligence activities. Third, shape the strategic environment in favor of the US. In fact, it aims to tout for the growing space threats to the public and formulate standards and norms of behavior favorable to US interests. Fourth, cooperate with allies, partners, industry, and other US government departments and agencies. Specific measures include expanding information-sharing with capable allies and partners; expanding cooperative research, development, and acquisition with allies and partners; and leveraging commercial, technological advancements and acquisition processes. So far, the US has formed the Space Development Agency, Space Command, and Space Force, laying the groundwork for its accelerated development of military spacepower. Guided by the strategy, the US will quicken its pace to advance military space power and secure an overall military superiority in space over the next 10 years. By so doing, the US will bring the weaponization of space into a fast lane, intensify the space arms race and undermine global strategic stability. (The author is from the Research Center for Space Security at the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) Space Engineering University.) The innocent gesture of smokers sharing a cigarette lighter has contributed to the coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne as the city battles to control the pandemic after a sharp rise in new cases. Victoria is experiencing a second wave of infections after recording its highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases in almost three months on Sunday. Of the 49 new cases reported, four are from known outbreaks, 26 were detected through routine testing and the other 19 are under investigation. One of the four cases from known outbreaks was traced to Melbourne's Stamford Plaza hotel - which is also acting as a quarantine hotel for returned travellers. Premier Daniel Andrews said hotel quarantine was a very challenging environment as he shared several examples of where some of the clusters and outbreaks have come from. Coronavirus testing has stepped in Victoria following outbreak of new infections. Pictured is a Melbourne woman being tested at a mobile testing site on Saturday 'To the best of our knowledge, we believe that some of those cases may well have come from people sharing a cigarette lighter,' the Premier told reporters on Sunday. 'Keeping their distance, but ultimately, sharing a lighter. One between the other. 'Not a wilful breach of anything, but one of those things where an apparently innocent thing can lead to transmitting the virus. That is how wildly infectious this is.' None of the new cases were in hotel quarantine. Carpooling and large family gathering have contributed to the spread of the virus. 'There also seems to have been some likelihood that some carpooling arrangements between staff may well have meant that they were in closer contact than you would like,' Mr Andrews said. 'As Brendan Murphy noted on Friday, you will never deliver a risk-free model- whether it be home-based, hotel-based. It doesn't matter how you do it. You will never be 100 per cent risk-free.' Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday after the state recorded its highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases in almost three months 'Big families getting together with other big families makes for very large gatherings, and if someone is unwell, that means lots of people leave that gathering positive,' he added. 'They may not know it, some of them may never get symptoms, but again, it is a pretty obvious thing.' It follows a sharp spike in cases in Victoria, which is the only state to have reported 12 consecutive days with cases in the double digits. The last day Victoria recorded 49 cases overnight was on April 3, which marked the end of a horror week at the height of the pandemic with 511 confirmed cases. Mr Andrews won't not rule out placing Melbourne's hotspot suburbs under lockdown if cases continued to rise. One of the new cases on Sunday was traced to the Stamford Plaza Melbourne (pictured) 'I hope it doesn't come to that ...That is not our preference, but we'll do it if we need to,' he said. He also announced compulsory testing for returned travellers in hotel quarantine, who will be tested twice - firstly on day three and then again on day 11 of the 14-day quarantine period. 'Those who refuse to comply with testing will be required to remain in quarantine for a further 10 days to ensure they pose no risk of introducing coronavirus to the Victorian community,' Premier Andrews said. Pakistan on Saturday rejected the grant of domicile certificates by India to the people not originally from Jammu and Kashmir. As per the new domicile law, non-permanent residents who have residency proof of at least 15 years in Jammu and Kashmir are entitled to get domicile certificates. Over 30,000 people have till now received domicile certificates online in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian government changed laws to grant residency to different categories of non-residents in the Union territory. The Foreign Office rejected the grant of domicile certificates by India to the people not originally from Jammu and Kashmir. The certificates issued to non-Kashmiris including, among others, the Indian government officials under Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure), 2020 are illegal, void and in complete violation of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and International law including the 4th Geneva Convention, the FO said. It asked the international community to intervene to stop India from what it called changing the demographic structure of Kashmir. 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 Haiti - Insecurity : The bodies of 2 young dancers found murdered and burned Tuesday, June 23, two young dancers Nancy Dorleans (25) and Sebastien Petit aka "Baba" (20) went to a repetition in order to perform next July 2 in the live concert by artist Misty Jean. After they never came back at home... 5 days after their disappearance and intense searches by family, relatives and friends, no request for ransom having been made, the family decided to alert the authorities. On Friday at the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police, (DCPJ), learned that the police of Tabarre had discovered earlier this week two charred bodies near Uniqua University. Thanks to photos taken at the crime scene, the family despite the state of the bodies has nevertheless be able to identify Nancy Dorleans. The family in shock, wants to know now what happened and demands justice... Reacting to this sad news, Pradel Henriquez, the Minister of Culture says he learned "with infinite grief the murder of the two young dancers Sebastien Petit and Nancy Dorleans whose bodies were found in painful circumstances." Henriquez says he is "intrigued by this double crime which once again affects the cultural sector and which reflects the fragility of artists' lives and the climate of insecurity in which they operate in this society." The Minister asks the police and judicial authorities to shed light on this double crime which tragically affects both our youth and our culture and presents "his sincere condolences to the families, friends and the community of dancers affected by this mourning." TB/ HL/ HaitiLibre 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. As the world starts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, there is a unique opportunity to promote the role of women in the public and private sectors, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al Mashat said. Al Mashat made her comments during a videoconference held virtually on Sunday with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Sir Suma Chakrabarti and the EBRDS Managing Director for Policy and Governance Mattia Romani to discuss key gender-inclusive policy recommendations relevant to policy makers and the private sector in order to ensure that future recovery measures are gender responsive. Effective gender-inclusive policies, ranging from accessing financial rescue packages, credit and unemployment benefits to removing barriers for women to perform higher-skilled and better-paid jobs, can help unlock the full potential for womens equal participation in the economy, Al Mashat said. The webinar showcased crisis recovery policies in place currently and in the future to support business resilience and sustainability through public-private partnerships. It also touched upon emerging evidence around gender-differentiated market transition and the economic impact of the crisis, and how it can be used to feed into the Women20s development of a gender responsive global and regional crisis recovery roadmap. For the EBRD, it aims to increase gender equality and equality of opportunities in the countries where the EBRD invests, as an important contributor to well-functioning market economies and inclusive societies, a core component of sustainable and equitable transition. Egypt was highlighted in the discussion as an exemplar case, since it was the first country to issue a policy paper outlining Egypts Rapid Response to Womens Situation during the COVID-19 Outbreak and initiated the bimonthly Gender Policy Tracker to track the governments response to the crisis through a gender lens. Together with the National Council for Women; we are ensuring that development financing initiatives have a gender-inclusive element to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality. The Ministry of International Cooperation with its multilateral and bilateral partners are collaborating closely to push forward the gender agenda, a national priority, to showcase actual results on ground across women economic empowerment, labor inclusion, social protection and sectoral support, Al Mashat explained. Egypt was recently awarded by the EBRD in its 2020 Annual Sustainability Awards for its commitment to the Environment and Social Sustainability on Gender and Inclusion. Search Keywords: Short link: 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 Fireworks go off outside the Liver Building in Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA) Fifteen people were arrested and police officers faced violent confrontations as Liverpool fans gathered to celebrate their Premier League win, Merseysides chief constable has said. In scenes described as unacceptable by the club, crowds gathered on the Pier Head on Friday night and part of the Liver Building was set alight as fireworks were launched amid wild celebrations. In a statement, Chief Constable Andy Cooke said the actions of a minority were not only irresponsible, but criminal. He said: Last night, children and families were present alongside others and heavy-handed police intervention was therefore not appropriate at the time. Later on in the night, 15 people were arrested for violent disorder and my officers were subjected to a number of violent confrontations. This is not acceptable. The chief constable, himself a Liverpool supporter, said CCTV was being examined to identify those responsible for criminal or anti-social behaviour and urged fans to wait until it was safe to celebrate the clubs first Premier League win in 30 years. Police issued a Section 34 dispersal order for the city centre on Friday night, allowing them to disperse the crowds who had gathered. A joint statement on behalf of the club, Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Police said: Several thousand people turned up at the Pier Head on Friday June 26 and some chose to ignore the social distancing guidance and risk public safety. Our city is still in a public health crisis and this behaviour is wholly unacceptable. The potential danger of a second peak of Covid-19 still exists and we need to work together to make sure we dont undo everything that has been achieved as a region during lockdown. When it is safe to do so, we will all work together to arrange a victory parade when everyone can come together to celebrate. Until that time, the safety of our city and our people continues to be our number-one priority. Expand Close Workmen clear up rubbish left outside the Liver Building (Peter Byrne/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Workmen clear up rubbish left outside the Liver Building (Peter Byrne/PA) Videos circulating on social media showed a firework hitting the Liver Building, which is partly owned by Everton FC majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, as fans celebrated the clubs first Premier League win in 30 years. Four fire engines were sent to the building, where they extinguished a blaze on a balcony, a Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said. Merseyside Police said the crowd developed quickly and officers had to close off side roads leading to the area for public safety. The statement added: We all understand that fans want to celebrate, but now is not the time. We need to get through this first, and know that it is safe, before any victory parade can go ahead. But rest assured, when the time is right the city can have a party and paint the town red, but we need to be patient for the safety of the public of Merseyside. A Section 34 Dispersal Order has been issued around the Liverpool City Centre (seen on map) under the ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014 following large gatherings in the area this evening. The order will be in place until 28th June. pic.twitter.com/6BVSZzibKI Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) June 26, 2020 Metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: The vast, vast majority of supporters followed the advice of the police, the club, the council, myself and others, to celebrate safely and at home. They deserve our praise and thanks for doing so. Unfortunately, a small minority of people did not listen to these pleas and instead chose to gather in public. In some cases, people behaved in a way that would be unacceptable even if we were not still grappling with a global pandemic. The Liverpool Echo carried video that appeared to show glass bottles being thrown at police. On Saturday the area was left littered with discarded bottles and rubbish and council street cleaners were on site. It followed supporters packing into the area around Anfield Stadium on Thursday night when Liverpool claimed the title as the final whistle blew in the match between Chelsea and Manchester City. I am really concerned about scenes at Pier Head tonight. I appreciate #LFC fans want to celebrate but please, for your own safety, and that of others, go home and celebrate at home. Covid-19 is still a major risk and our city has already lost far too many people to the illness pic.twitter.com/fqoQZvcSQG Joe Anderson (@joeando58) June 26, 2020 Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said on Twitter he was really concerned about the crowds on Friday night but said the council did not have the power to disperse the gathering. He said: I appreciate #LFC fans want to celebrate but please, for your own safety, and that of others, go home and celebrate at home. Covid-19 is still a major risk and our city has already lost far too many people to the illness. The policing reforms proposed June 17 by Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost are constructive, thoughtful and needed. Their recommendations also parallel, in several ways, Cleveland police reforms that have been underway subject to the May 26, 2015, settlement agreement on use-of-force policing that Cleveland reached with the U.S. Department of Justice that was approved by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver the next month. Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 Fuel demand in the United States has been gradually increasing in recent weeks, clawing back over half of the consumption lost during the first couple of weeks of lockdowns. Gasoline demand has been rising since early April as lockdowns eased and people started driving more. Distillate fuel and jet fuel demand, however, is still struggling--especially jet fuel. Gasoline production has also risen since April lows, but growth has been much slower than the pace of consumption recovery, suggesting that there are still sizeable fuel stocks that refiners need to sell first before ramping up crude processing rates and capacity utilization to pre-crisis levels. Refiners across the U.S. are not rushing to quickly increase processing rates, leaving the market to first draw down the fuel oversupply, Reuters market analyst John Kemp says. According to the latest weekly inventory report of the Energy Information Administration, refinery crude oil inputs and capacity utilization have been rising at a slower pace than the implied gasoline consumption. The EIA reported an inventory draw of 1.7 million barrels of gasoline for the week to June 19, compared with a decline of the same size for the previous week. Gasoline production last week averaged 8.8 million bpd, up from 8.4 million barrels daily a week earlier. In distillate fuels, where demand has been slower to recover than in gasoline, the EIA reported an inventory rise of 249,000 barrels for the week to June 19. Production of distillates averaged 4.6 million bpd last week, compared with 4.5 million bpd a week earlier. Refinery runs averaged 13.84 million bpd, up from 13.6 million bpd a week earlier. Compared to the same week a year ago, refinery crude oil inputs were down 20.2 percent. Production of motor gasoline at 8.8 million bpd was still 16.3 percent lower than in the same week last year when gasoline production was 10.512 million bpd. Related: Chinas Oil Imports From Saudi Arabia Jump To Record High Story continues Jet fuel is still profoundly depressed, with production at 694,000 bpd, down by 63.6 percent from the 1.9 million bpd of jet fuel produced in the same week last year. Gasoline demand stood at 8.6 million bpd in the week to June 19, up from 7.87 million bpd from the prior week, but still well below the 9.466 million bpd demand in the same week in 2019. Gasoline demand is returning, but it still has a long way to go to reach its normal levels for this time of the year. Refinery capacity utilization is rising much slower as refiners and the market have to draw down excess fuel inventories that surged at the start of the lockdowns. U.S. refinery capacity utilization has been slowly creeping up over the past weeks, by less than 1 percentage point each week, to reach 74.6 percent in the week to June 19, from a low of 67.6 percent in the third week of April. To compare, in the third week of June last year, refinery utilization was 94.2 percent as demand was soaring with the start of driving season. Typically, U.S. capacity utilization is around 95 percent in the summer season. If refiners continue operating at much lower-than-normal utilization rates, they could help draw down the excess fuel stocks faster. However, while gasoline demand is now more than halfway back to pre-crisis levels, it is unlikely to return to normal by the end of this year, according to IHS Markits company Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). Gasoline sales have been rising at an average of 6.4% per week since the low point in April when demand was sliced in half. There is still more ground to cover, but the positive trends are a sign of recovery, OPIS president Fred Rozell said. We can see a new preference for driving your car instead of public transportation or a short-range flight, and people do want to get out, said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at OPIS. But that will be offset by less commuting and more working from home, the cancellation of sporting events, still-high unemployment levels and possibly a second wave of the virus in the autumn, Kloza noted. The gap in consumption between this year and last year will continue to narrow, but at this point we dont see demand reaching the record levels of last year, Kloza said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com WHO says cases rose by at least 8,143 in the last two weeks as Manila reports 1,244 total deaths. The number of coronavirus cases in the Philippines has surpassed 35,000, as data from the World Health Organization showed that the country also recorded the fastest increase in the number of infections in the Western Pacific region in the last two weeks. The Philippine Department of Health (DoH) reported on Sunday an additional 653 positive cases, bringing the total to 35,455. At least eight new deaths were also recorded, with the total number of fatalities reaching 1,244. Most of the cases reported were from the two most populous metropolitan areas in the country the capital, Metro Manila, and Cebu. The Department of Foreign Affairs also reported a total of 8,433 cases and 538 deaths among Filipinos working or living outside of the country. Between June 16 and June 27, the number of infections in the Philippines rose by 8,143 the highest among 22 countries in the Western Pacific region, according to the WHO data. Singapore ranked second with 2,351 cases, and China third with 302 new recorded cases during the period. Indonesia, which has a higher number of infections and deaths compared with the Philippines, is not included in the WHOs Western Pacific region. The Philippines has already eased some of its lockdown restrictions in the Metro Manila area, while the city of Cebu is under stricter measures due to the surge in cases in the last week. The Philippines has yet to hit its target of 30,000 daily tests, reaching only an average of 12,000 to 14,000 tests a day, according to the latest DoH data. Some health experts feel the low numbers could be due to under-reporting. Private organisations, however, have stepped in with the Philippine Red Cross launching on Saturday a new laboratory that can process as many as 14,000 samples a day. But it remains unclear whether the optimum number of tests will be reached. In a statement published on the news website Rappler, the DoH defended its policy to tackle the coronavirus, saying the mortality rate in the Philippines is still lower compared with the global rate. Let us not cherry pick the countries we want to compare ourselves to, the statement said. As of Sunday, the death rate worldwide is 4.99 percent, according to the Johns Hopkins University statistics. The Philippines has a fatality rate of 3.5 percent, according to the DoH data published on Sunday. But in a social media post, Dr Tony Leachon, a health expert who recently resigned from the government coronavirus committee, described the recent spike in infections as disturbing. The rapid rise in new cases is disturbing because this would cause the acceleration phase leading to more deaths and collapse of healthcare system, he said. TVs Steph and Dom Parker, 53 and 55, draw on their 22 years of marriage to solve your relationship problems . . . Q: Im a 48-year-old divorcee with an 11-year-old son. During lockdown, my boyfriend of six months moved in with us in London. It hugely accelerated our relationship, and it felt as though in two months we did two years worth of getting to know each other. My boyfriend is from a rural part of Scotland and the problem is hes now saying he wants to go back there. He wants to go within weeks and he wants me to go with him. An anonymous reader asked British TV's Steph and Dom Parker for advice, after her boyfriend asked her to move to Scotland (file image) Im so conflicted. On the one hand, Id love an adventure like that, but on the other it would mean giving up a good school place for my son. My question is, how do you know if you love someone enough to make such a radical change after such a relatively short time and in such weird circumstances? Lockdown has turbocharged my relationship but it has made me too dizzy to think straight. STEPH SAYS: I have to tell you, I got goosebumps when I read your letter. I have been lucky enough to know real love, so when you ask me how do you know if you really love someone, I think you already know: for my money, this is the real deal. I understand when you say youve experienced the stages of falling in love at full speed, living cheek by jowl. Lockdown has fast-tracked your love life. Normally, we dont have the luxury of this kind of time, which is why it can take years to build such intense intimacy. Life is usually so busy that we just dont really get to see each other with no distractions. So there is no question in my mind that youve raced through to the Im in! level of sheer joy, and now it is being threatened. Now, if this were a Mills & Boon novel, youd be packing up your tweed and tartan and getting ready for the drive north. Sadly its not, is it? Its real life, with a huge responsibility to your son. So while my romantic side wants to urge you to drop it all and Scotland, ahoy!, the mother in me knows you have a difficult choice to make between the love of your life and your beloved son. Steph (pictured, with Dom) advised the reader to ask her 11-year-old son for his perspective on possibly moving We all know that long-distance relationships are difficult and the risk of splitting is high. I know from experience that facing that is risky. Lets not forget, however, that you have another 40 years of your own life to live and your boy will be an adult before you know it. At 18, hell be off, living his best life and you may never regain the happiness you have just found. But we know that children must always come first. So, I think you should put your son at the heart of the decision. I believe he has the right to voice his choice. Ask his advice, involve him in the dilemma, tell him the truth. However, you must choose your words carefully you cannot afford for him to feel that you are putting it all on him, because its too much for 11-year-old shoulders. Youre a mum, not in a Mills & Boon But this is a life choice for him too. Tell him that he is your first and only obligation. Remind him that it will always be you and him first and foremost, and gauge his reaction. Tell him that the only way youll ever feel good about this is if you know that he wants it too for himself, as well as you. If he reacts strongly or with fear, go back to it in a few weeks once he has had time to digest it. This is not a sales pitch, this is a life-changer. Then wait. The answer will come. You know what you want to do but you cant do it without him. I hope your son is on side and you get to follow your heart and go. DOM SAYS: First, Id like to thank you for writing to us. In such tricky times its great to hear something positive. It does seem at the moment that all we hear is bad news, so its wonderful to be reminded of the good stuff. Falling in love is delightful, but what a shame your boyfriend has had to go and spoil it all. Dom (pictured) told the reader that she should try a long distance relationship, until she's sure if she should move to Scotland As we all know and it should go without saying children must always come first. There is, Im afraid, no getting around that and nor should there be. So I think what you must do is consider what you can and cannot make happen with regard to your son and his life. He is in absolute pole position in your life until he turns 18. That means you have seven years to try to figure this out which is, I think, more time than you will need. At the end of your letter you ask us: how do you know if it really is love? Well, I would say, its when you simply cant stop thinking about them when youre going to see that person and when they can be back in your life all day, every day. You have received a beautifully romantic proposal and, quite naturally, you want to scream yes from the rooftops and go and dance in the ferns. Let him go and then youll know But you cant risk your sons happiness for a relationship you are not yet sure of. Im not sure you should risk it even if you are utterly certain about your feelings and those of your boyfriend. Its a shame your bloke is so set on leaving London. I assume you have discussed this with him at length and he has made his decision. If so, then, hard as its going to be, you must make a decision too. I think you should try to make the distance thing work until both of you decide you cant take it any more. When that point comes you will know. And then you should move heaven and earth to make a relocation work for your son or your boyfriend must move heaven and earth to return. But there is, I fear, a note of caution to be sounded here. In principle, the wilds of Scotland should be worthless and empty for your chap if you are not there. Should he find that actually he desires the open roughness of the country more than you, then you will know. It is, sadly, not beyond the realms of possibility that this most heavenly love is a sort of holiday romance, suffused with excitement and passion because of the pandemic. If your chap says he has to go, let him go. You will know soon where the future lies. I hope its a happy one for you and your son. If you have a question youd like Steph and Dom to tackle, write to: stephanddom@ dailymail.co.uk Vice President Mike Pence, head of the White House coronavirus task force, pushed back on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday against claims that the new surge of coronavirus cases is a result of states reopening too quickly. Why it matters: Public health experts, including the task force's own Anthony Fauci, largely agree that increased mobility and social contact stemming from the lifting of lockdown restrictions are driving spikes in infections. Most of the states that began reopening in May did not meet the White House's guidelines for declining cases. Former CDC director Tom Frieden equated states reopening while cases were still growing to "leaning into a left hook," warning on "Fox News Sunday" that the outbreaks are only going to get worse and that effects of new restrictions won't be seen for a few weeks. Driving the news: New cases are skyrocketing in a number of states that reopened early and aggressively after initially avoiding large-scale outbreaks. Texas and Florida two of the largest current hot spots in the U.S. have had to pause parts of their reopening plans in a desperate effort to curb the spread of the virus. Florida on Friday banned serving alcohol onsite at bars, and Texas closed bars completely and limited restaurant occupancy. Pence said he fully supports the efforts by both states' leadership. Between the lines: Other countries that waited longer to reopen and did so more cautiously have not seen the same dramatic spike in new cases that the U.S. has experienced. Pence and President Trump have partially blamed the surge on increased testing, but health experts say that this doesn't fully explain the massive spike in cases. What he's saying: "I know there's a temptation to associate the new cases in the Sunbelt with reopening, but it's important to remember that states like Florida and like Texas actually began to open up in early May. For the better part of six weeks, John, we did not see any significant movement," Pence said. "In my conversations with governors in Florida and in Texas and in Arizona in particular we're monitoring very closely their hospitalization rate, and we continue to be very confident that they have the supplies and the support and the capacity to give people the ... level of care that any of us would want a family member to have." The bottom line: As the U.S. struggles to contain the coronavirus and barrels toward disaster, Pence defended the Trump administration's response and insisted that the country is in a better place than it was four months ago. Go deeper: The coronavirus surge is real, and it's everywhere There was good news yesterday evening after a seal pup, which was reported as being abandoned and looking "underweight" and in "need of medical attention", was rescued close to Omeath. A post on Love Your Lough's Facebook page on Saturday evening explained the situation: "We have found the pup and he will be taken to Exploris in the morning. Big massive thanks to Rob Fearon & Gina McGoldrick & to Padraig in helping save this little guy. You guys are amazing!! We will keep you posted on his progress." The pup had originally been spotted on its own beside Greers Quay just outside Omeath. Love Your Lough put out the following appeal before the pup had been rescued. "He looks underweight and may need medical attention. He went back into the water but we are asking folks to contact us or Seal Rescue Ireland if you spot this little one again on the shoreline. "If you do see him please keep your distance and do not approach. Keep any dogs well back also. If you get too close the pup may go back into the water. Best thing to do is contact us and if you can stay with the pup from a distance & monitor that would be great. "If you see a mummy seal around then all is well but if not you know what to do. Big thanks to the folks for contacting us about this little one and capturing these photos." When the COVID-19 crisis hit hard, lawmakers immediately put their heads together to assemble a relief package. In late March, the CARES Act was passed, and one of its most talked-about provisions was a one-time stimulus payment worth up to $1,200 for qualifying recipients. While those initial stimulus checks served as a lifeline for out-of-work and income-insecure Americans alike, many people blew through that cash quickly upon receipt in April or May. Now, several months later, Americans are desperate for a second round of relief, and some lawmakers are fighting to make that happen. There are several barriers to a follow-up stimulus check, though, and money is definitely one of them. In May, Democrats introduced the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion relief package that calls for a follow-up round of stimulus payments. But Republicans have criticized the HEROES Act from the start, citing its cost as a major deal-breaker. In light of this, it's a shame to learn that the IRS spent $1.4 billion earlier this year on stimulus payments that were sent out to people who actually were not alive at the time. A new report from the Government Accountability Office has found that roughly 1.1 million payments were sent out erroneously, costing the government $1.4 billion -- money that could instead be used to provide relief to struggling Americans today. What went wrong? How did so many stimulus payments manage to go out to people who aren't even alive? It's actually pretty simple: Eligibility for a stimulus payment was based on data from 2018 or 2019 tax returns -- the most recent return the IRS had on file. But because the goal was to get that money into Americans' hands as quickly as possible, the agency didn't take the time to vet each individual recipient. Instead, payments were blasted out either by check, direct deposit, or debit card without verifying whether those on the receiving end were alive and well (or at least alive). So what happens now? Both Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and the IRS have stated that stimulus payments issued to deceased individuals must be returned. But for that to happen, the IRS also needs to reach out to recipients who may be in possession of a deceased family member's stimulus money and make it clear that it needs to be given back. The only partial exception is if someone whose spouse passed away receives a check meant to cover two people. In that case, the surviving spouse can keep half of that stimulus payment, but must return the remaining portion. Will this happen again? Despite the fact that the HEROES Act is unlikely to pass the Senate, President Trump has stated that he expects a second relief package to go through that may or may not include a follow-up round of direct stimulus payments. So what's to prevent the IRS from paying deceased people again? One solution is to have the Social Security Administration share more data with the Treasury Department so that death records can be updated, thereby preventing this costly mistake in the future. At a time when so many Americans need help getting through the current recession, the government can't afford to part with over $1 billion due to what's technically a clerical error. New Delhi: Ahead of their annual bilateral Summit, India has conveyed its opposition to Russia over its joint exercise with Pakistan, a nation which "sponsors and practises terrorism as a matter of State policy", saying it will create further problems. "We have conveyed our views to the Russian side that military cooperation with Pakistan which is a State that sponsors and practises terrorism as a matter of State policy is a wrong approach and it will only create further problems," Indian Ambassador to Moscow Pankaj Saran said in an interview to Russian news agency Ria Novosti. Saran's remarks come ahead of the bilateral meeting in Goa on Saturday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will be arriving in India on October 14. Apart from bilateral Summit, Putin will attend the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) meet on October 16. India has been communicating its unhappiness to Russia over its joint military exercises with Pakistan. However, these concerns have been played down by the Russins who maintain that they hold similar military drills with other countries of the region as well. Saran also said, "There are some burning issues before the world today which the BRICS countries will certainly address and this includes the question of terrorism and the threat of terrorism faced by all the countries in the BRICS group. So this will be a major item of discussion during the Summit apart from the regional conflicts and the global situation." On Indo-Russia ties, the envoy said as far as India's relations with Russia are concerned, the two countries share a special and privileged strategic partnership. "We see no change in this. On the contrary, this has only strengthened in all areas, including in the field of military-technical cooperation. This partnership is an anchor of peace and stability in the region and the world. "We have a regular system of military exercises with Russia. We have been holding these exercises for the last few years with Russia and we will continue to do so. The plan for these exercises is drawn up between the relevant agencies of the two sides. This will continue even next year," he said. Saran also talked about the cooperation in the field of civil nuclear sector, trade and investments. Russia had held first-ever joint military exercise with Pakistan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region in September. Saran said as far as nuclear cooperation was concerned, the ties were "historic". "We have five other units for Kudankulam project. Unit-2 is in the process of achieving criticality and work on Units 3 and 4 is in the process of beginning. As far as Units 5 and 6 are concerned, we are working with the Russian side to finalise a General Framework Agreement and a Credit Protocol," he said, hoping to conclude the negotiations to mutual benefit for the two countries. On commercial ties, he said the two sides were "actively" working to meet the bilateral trade target of $30 billion by 2025. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lesly and Noah Tatz hate the virus. I cant see my friends, said Lesly, 39, who like her 25-year-old brother Noah has intellectual and physical disabilities. I dont like the masks, Noah said. Its scary wearing masks all the time. It makes me sad, Lesly said. Things are not the same. The COVID-19 shutdown has kept both of them from their Special Olympics teams and other activities they enjoy. They miss the Merry Makers Friday night dances and other social programs that filled their days. And while Noah gets to meet with his Special Olympics track and field team on the internet, he cant swim with the Special Olympics swim team because pools are closed. Some of the programs they participated in involve agencies that have applied for the 80% retention payments from Medicaid. But except for some Zoom meetings with others from the program, they have not been getting any services. Their mother, Jill Tatz, said the lack of socialization during the pandemic has been difficult. They are both very social, Tatz said. They have a hard time grasping the concept of the virus. The lack of physical activities also worries Jill Tatz. We take a lot of walks and I take Noah to the track to run, she said. Noah was enrolled in a literacy program before the COVID-19 shutdown and volunteered at the city of Albuquerques therapeutic recreation program where he has been on the staff for several years. Lesly has worked part time at a Sonic restaurant for six years and Noah has recently started working there. They dont have contact with customers. You see how they were thriving in the community pre-COVID, Tatz said. I worry that all the progress they made will be lost. That they will regress. Career firefighters were beaten to a fatal blaze by volunteers because they were shopping for gas for a BBQ from Bunnings when the call came in. Christopher Munday died in a house fire at Vista Crescent in Rowville in Melbourne's southeast on February 16 in 2015. An investigation into Country Fire Authority firefighters response to the blaze found volunteer firefighters from the Scoresby CFA branch beat them to the Vista Crescent despite their station in Rowville being closer to the fire. Both crews were paged at 2.17pm, with the volunteers arriving at the scene at 2.24pm, three minutes before the career firefighters reached the address. Christopher Munday died in a house fire at 3 Vista Crescent in Rowville in Victoria in February 2015 (pictured) Sources told The Herald Sun career firefighters arrived later than the volunteers because they were buying gas from Bunnings for a staff event. Liberal MP Brad Battin said emergency response personnel should be better. 'A full and thorough investigation needs to be undertaken and if it is the case that firefighters were at Bunnings buying a gas bottle for a barbecue when they should have been attending a fire where someone died then they should no longer be in the job,' he said. Firefighters pulled an unresponsive Mr Munday from the building where he was treated by paramedics before he passed away. Liberal MP Brad Battin said an investigation should be launched into the firefighters reaction to the blaze The CFA released a statement saying they were 'satisfied that all due process was followed and crews did everything they could to save Mr Munday.' United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall said career firefighters arrived at the address within the emergency response timeline. 'Emergencies can happen at any time, which is why professional firefighters are highly trained and able to respond rapidly even when theyre away from the station to purchase items for the station. This is why they leave stations when they need to with the full crew,' he said. Haiti - News : Zapping... The Mayor of Carrefour threatened The Association of Mayors of the North-West (AMANO) invites Jude Edouard Pierre, Mayor of Carrefour, to file a complaint against the threats made against him by certain ill-intentioned individuals who claim be ally and close to the power in place. "Toto Constant" before the judge Thursday, the former head of the Revolutionary Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti (FRAPH) Emmanuel Mario "Toto" Constant was heard at the trial court of Gonaives by Me Adisson Diogene, deputy of the Government Commissioner. He is accused of murder and summary execution and of having instigated, on April 22, 1994, the massacre of Raboteau. After this preliminary appearance, the magistrate issued a deposit warrant. Emmanuel Mario "Toto" Constant is, according to our sources, imprisoned in Saint-Marc prison. P-a-P Shootout On Saturday, two individuals were arrested Ronald Verdieu and Mentor Kervens Cliff and a third "Tuine" was killed in an exchange of fire with agents of the National Police, in downtown Port-au-Prince. These 3 thugs belonging to the gang called "krache dife" which operates in Village de Dieu. Pont Rouge, Chancerelles, La Saline, Nan Tokyo and Fort Dimanche, red zones No less than 34 people were killed, including 3 minors and 6 women and 8 others were wounded by gunshots while nearly a hundred houses were vandalized and/or burned down during the violence recorded last May at the Pont Rouge, Chancerelles, La Saline, Nan Tokyo and Fort Dimanche, according to a report by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) 44th anniversary of the Magnum Band Happy birthdays to the Magnum Band, especially to the Mythical Maestria Andre (Dadou) Pasquet. This reminds us of the first concert, given by the legendary musical group, Magnum Band, in Miami at the Masonic temple "Noah's Ark" on June 24, 1976. Since then, the band to Dadou has never stopped creating the difference by participating in propelling our national Konpa into the limelight. This project, led by the Pasquet brothers : Andre, Claude and Carlos, for four decades has become a real musical heritage. Magnum Band moves young and old, lovers of good music, in short, all music lovers of the region and abroad. The Ministry of Culture and Communication wishes its success and continuity to the band leader, virtuoso Dadou and to all musicians of the unique, the only difference, Magnum Band. Happy 44 years !" Pradel Henriquez Minister. HL/ HaitiLibre Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel. Instant News Wire The dispute over the bears on Monday night in the Northern Italian province of Trentino had injured two hikers, and according to the will of the provincial government in Trento, therefore, a shot, coming to a head. On Sunday, the 28-year-old Christian Misseroni rejected in the daily newspaper "Corriere della Sera" against him and his 59-year-old father Fabio's allegations, which have wild provoked the animal to attack. "Nothing could be more wrong," said Misseroni the sheet: "We were about 200 meters from the main road, on a Hiking trail. I wore bright clothes, had no camera or anything else what can trigger an attack. The bear came like a rocket out of the woodwork shot and fell on top of me. Matthias Rub Political correspondent for Italy, the Vatican, Albania and Malta, based in Rome. F. A. Z. After having thrown Christian Misseronis father Fabio, in turn, on the bear attacked the animal, the older of the two men, and wounded him far harder than his first victim. Fabio Misseroni had to be treated for bite wounds on the hands, arms, and legs, as well as due to a fibula fracture for several days stationary. His son Christian was able to outpatient treatment in the hospital of Cles on Monday night. In the interview with the "Corriere" complained Christian Misseroni, he'll be attacked by environmentalists fiercely to be there for the possible death of the bear in charge: "more and more animal rights activists accusing me of. That makes me quite ready. In doing so, we can nothing at all for the incident and its consequences. In the Interview Misseroni was to shoot the animal, finally, he had penetrated into the Habitat and not the bear in that of the people. Misseroni but calls for measures to make the popular Hiking trails in the Brenta Dolomites safer. launch approval by the province President In Rome, announced, meanwhile, the Minister of the environment Sergio Costa possible legal action against the launch approval by the province President Maurizio Fugatti. Costa is independent, but the left-populist Five-star movement. Fugatti belongs to the right-nationalist Lega of the former interior Minister, Matteo Salvini. In a Letter to Fugatti Costa urged, first of all, would have to be collected "safe scientific information to of the bear", before it would decide on measures. The results of the analysis of the DNA of bears, which are designed to provide information on the age and sex of the animal, are expected this week. To attacks by bears on people in General, if females see their litter of threatened and defend their pups. The debate about dealing with the "Problembar" has long been protectors of the belief the dispute between "left," environmental and animal "rights" advocates of a missile launch to become. Province President Fugatti said, apart from the danger of the out of this obviously aggressive animal, there are now too many bears in the Trentino. Their number amounts to 82 to 93, wherein recently thrown puppies are not counted. Such Numbers endangered "the Fugatti argues coexistence of man and bear",. As a typical counter-position, that of the actor Alessandro Gassmann can apply the writes in a Tweet: "In Italy we're 60 million, and in the Trentino live about 80 bears. In the area we have entered, have it plundered, cut down, grubbed up, concreted over. And now you want to shoot a supposedly dangerous animal, because it protected its offspring? You are clueless and should be ashamed of yourselves! Updated Date: 28 June 2020, 11:19 Mel Brooks is a legendary American actor, comedian, director, and producer. Prince Philip is an iconic figure in Britains royal family and married to one of the most recognizable women in the world. Both men have spent most of their lives in the spotlight and celebrate their birthdays in June. So whos older? Read on to find out the answer to that as well as who has a higher net worth. (L) Prince Philip | Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images, (R) Mel Brooks | Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI RELATED: Whos Older Queen Elizabeth or Betty White and Who Has the Higher Personal Net Worth? Whos older Mel Brooks or Prince Philip? The patriarch of the royal family was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on June 10, 1921, and is the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Shortly after his birth, his family was exiled from Greece. He was educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom before joining the Royal Navy in 1939. In 1947, he married then-Princess Elizabeth and was named the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI, Philips wife ascended the throne and became Queen Elizabeth II. The prince and monarch have four children: Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward. Brooks is five years younger than the prince. He was born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York to parents Kate Brookman and Max Kaminsky. He officially changed his name to Mel Brooks when he was a teenager. After seeing a Broadway play with his uncle, Brooks said he wanted to be in show business. The comedian married Florence Baum in 1953. They had two sons, Eddie and Nicky, as well one daughter, Stephanie, and divorced in 1962. Two years later, Brooks married Anne Bancroft who died of cancer in 2005. They have one son, Max Brooks. Mel Brooks net worth Mel Brooks | John Phillips/Getty Images Brooks began his career working as an entertainer in the 40s at the resorts in the Catskills Mountains. In 1949, he was asked by Sid Caesar to join the writing staff for The Admiral Broadway Revue television show. Brooks also wrote for the comedy series Your Show of Shows from 1950 to 1954. His fellow writers on the program included Carl Reiner and Neil Simon. In 1968, Brooks wrote and directed The Producers, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. In 1970, he directed The Twelve Chairs and four years later released his third directorial effort, Blazing Saddles, which was co-written by Richard Pryor. Brooks produced and directed several more films over the years including Silent Movie, High Anxiety, Spaceballs, Life Stinks, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It. Today he has an estimated net worth of $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Prince Philips net worth Prince Philip | Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince Philip has Brooks beat when it comes to age but not net worth. The net worth of the British royal family as a whole falls somewhere in the neighborhood of $88 billion when looking at the crowns assets and value of the family brand. But as Celebrity Net Worth notes, Philips personal net worth is $30 million. The Duke of Edinburgh retired from royal duties in 2017 and moved from Londons Buckingham Palace to Woodfarm Cottage located in Norfolk on the queens Sandringham estate. RELATED: Things Older Than Prince Philip France emerges from months of coronavirus lockdown to vote on Sunday in a delayed second round of municipal elections, with opinion polls suggesting a dire outcome for President Emmanuel Macron, whose party could fail to win in any big city. A year ago Macron had hoped the local elections would help anchor his young party in towns and cities across France, including Paris, ahead of an anticipated 2022 re-election bid. But more recently, presidential aides have been playing down expectations. In the capital, the elections biggest prize, the sitting socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo is on track for a comfortable win after a shambolic campaign by Macron and his La Republique en Marche (LaRem) party. Meanwhile, the Greens are projected to do well in cities such as Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux, sometimes in alliance with the Left, building on momentum they created in 2019s European elections. In Perpignan, Marine Le Pens far-right party may take control of its first city with a population over 100,000. France pressed ahead with the first round of the municipal elections in mid-March, less than 48 hours before Macron imposed one of Europes strictest lockdowns, forcing a long delay before the second round. Well be careful. We can always bring our own pen, wear a mask and use sanitizer gel, remarked Paris pensioner Christian Courtot. Macron has said he will reinvent his presidency and present a detailed plan next month for the final two years of his mandate. A government reshuffle is widely expected, with the biggest question-mark over the future of Macrons popular prime minister, Edouard Philippe. Philippe is running for his old job as mayor of Le Havre. HOUSTON (AP) A federal judge on Friday ordered the release of children held with their parents in U.S. immigration jails and denounced the Trump administrations prolonged detention of families during the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gees order applies to children held for more than 20 days at three family detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some have been detained since last year. Citing the recent spread of the virus in two of the three facilities, Gee set a deadline of July 17 for children to either be released with their parents or sent to family sponsors. The family detention centers are on fire and there is no more time for half measures," she wrote. Gee's order said ICE was detaining 124 children in its centers, which are separate from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services facilities for unaccompanied children that were holding around 1,000 children in early June. The numbers in both systems have fallen significantly since earlier in the Trump administration because the U.S. is expelling most people trying to cross the border or requiring them to wait for their immigration cases in Mexico. Gee oversees a long-running court settlement governing the U.S. governments treatment of immigrant children known as the Flores agreement. Her order does not directly apply to the parents detained with their children. Gees order says ICE can decline to release a child if there is not a suitable sponsor, the childs parent waives rights under the Flores agreement, or if there is a prior unexplained failure to appear at a scheduled hearing. ICE did not respond to a request for comment Friday. But most parents last month refused to designate a sponsor when ICE officials unexpectedly asked them who could take their children if the adults remained detained, according to lawyers for the families. The agency said then it was conducting a routine parole review consistent with the law and Gees previous orders. Story continues Advocates contend that ICE should release all families from detention especially as the coronavirus has spread rapidly through immigration detention. In court filings revealed Thursday, ICE said 11 children and parents have tested positive for COVID-19 at the family detention center in Karnes City, Texas. At the detention center in nearby Dilley, at least three parents and children including a child who turned 2 this week were placed in isolation after two private contractors and an ICE official tested positive for the virus. Amy Maldonado, an attorney who works with detained families, said Gee clearly recognized that the government is not willing to protect the health and safety of the children, which is their obligation. They need to make the sensible choice and release the parents to care for their children, she said of the government. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover. More than 2,500 people in ICE custody have tested positive for COVID-19. The agency says it has released at least 900 people considered to have heightened medical risk and reduced the populations at its three family detention centers. But in court filings last month, ICE said it considered most of the people in family detention to be flight risks because they had pending deportation orders or cases under review. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry The Disenchanted Self: Anthropological Notes on Existential Distress and Ontological Insecurity Among ex-Mormons in Utah (open access) E. Marshall Brooks This paper describes a pervasive form of psychological distress occurring among people undergoing a sudden and acute collapse of faith in the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka LDS, or Mormon Church). Drawing on 18 months of fieldwork in Utah, I trace the culturalhistorical etiology of this unique form of psycho-existential trauma, focusing on ex-Mormons narratives of world collapsein which the all-encompassing symbolic-existential framework of reality once provided by religion disintegrated once they lost faith in the Mormon Church. Although marked by symptoms resembling depression, anxiety, dissociation and paranoia, this condition is however unlike mental health disorders described in psychiatric diagnostic manuals, and has thus been largely overlooked within the mental health professions. I thereby discuss the extent to which the distress of religious disenchantment constitutes a unique form of cultural syndrome (Hinton and Lewis-Fernandez in Cult Med Psychiatry 34(2):209218, 2010), reflective of complex historical, cultural, and religious transformations occurring within contemporary Utah Mormonism. Neuronarratives of Affliction: Antidepressants, Neuropolitics and the Entrepreneur of Oneself Angel Martinez-Hernaez The dramatic increase in the consumption of antidepressants is one indicator, among others, of the contemporary cerebralization of human affliction. This process has been led by expert systems, creating new biosocialities or neurosocialities, and new models of self as well: the neural self. While some research minimizes the neuro-colonization of the self and its impact on lay knowledge systems, here I argue that synergy between neuropolitics and figures characteristic of neoliberal governamentality such as the entrepreneur of oneself can give rise to an interiorized, cerebralized, centripetal, inwardly-oriented self. This paper, based on long-term fieldwork among consumers of antidepressants in Catalonia, analyses the emergence of neuronarratives of affliction (NoAs). NoAs privilege neurochemical dysfunction as the source of distress, shortcircuiting an awareness of the social sources of suffering while at the same time obscuring the fact of this concealment. NoAs transform the self into structure and reduce the social world to event. Relegating Psychosis: Blood Work and Routine Connection in the Clozapine Clinic Julia E. H. Brown This paper attends to the sociality available in the clozapine clinic regimen and suggests that the social dimensions of clozapine treatment may be as important as the biochemical efficacy of clozapine. The clozapine clinic is where people diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia who take the antipsychotic clozapine go for routine monitoring of clozapine side effects, particularly haematological effects. Psychopharmaceutical treatments are often criticized for being reductionistic and dehumanizing, but clozapine clinics offer increased clinical contact in the age of deinstitutionalization. The inadvertent social benefits of biomedically reductive treatments have not previously been ethnographically attended to in the clozapine-only context. Drawing on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork with 43 clozapine clients and 16 clinical caregivers in two clozapine clinics in the United Kingdom in Australia, I argue that routine clinical attachments in the clozapine clinic can serve a therapeutic role in terms of providing opportunities for clients health agency, social competence and accountability. This socio-therapeutic quality appeared to be available because the clinical emphasis was not on psychotic illness. It depended, however, on reliable and familiar social exchanges inside the clinic and on the predictability of clinical activity. The importance of unemotional but unfailing relationships and rhythms in the clozapine clinic context echoes cross-cultural findings about how schizophrenia is managed more productively in environments that invite more neutral and equal social exchanges. Its Always About the Eating Disorder: Finding the Person Through Recovery-Oriented Practice for Bulimia Kate Churruca, Jane M. Ussher, Janette Perz & Frances Rapport Bulimia is an eating disorder characterised primarily by binging and inappropriate compensatory behaviours, such as purging or excessive exercise. Many individuals with bulimia experience chronic disordered eating, dissatisfaction with treatment, and difficulty establishing a new life. Recovery-oriented practice, which focuses holistically on the person and their own aspirations for treatment, has recently been advocated in the treatment of eating disorders in Australia and other countries. However, questions have been raised about how this practice might be integrated into existing treatment approaches. Taking a social constructionist approach and using a case study of one womans account, together with literature on patients treatment experiences, we examined recovery from bulimia. Three themes were identified: bulimia was constructed as consuming ones life, an experience protracted through treatment (treatment and becoming the eating disorder), which makes life beyond treatment and attempting to live without bulimia challenging. Based on this analysis, we argue that recovery-oriented practice, while seemingly commensurate with patients needs, may be challenged by long-standing meanings of mental illness and experience of bulimia specifically. International Journal of Social Psychiatry The outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus and its impact on global mental health (open access) Julio Torales, Marcelo OHiggins, Joao Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia, Antonio Ventriglio Background: The current outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus infection among humans in Wuhan (China) and its spreading around the globe is heavily impacting on the global health and mental health. Despite all resources employed to counteract the spreading of the virus, additional global strategies are needed to handle the related mental health issues. Methods: Published articles concerning mental health related to the COVID-19 outbreak and other previous global infections have been considered and reviewed. Comments: This outbreak is leading to additional health problems such as stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, insomnia, denial, anger and fear globally. Collective concerns influence daily behaviors, economy, prevention strategies and decision-making from policy makers, health organizations and medical centers, which can weaken strategies of COVID-19 control and lead to more morbidity and mental health needs at global level. Psychotic experiences and psychiatric treatment utilization in Buenos Aires Hans Oh,Ai Koyanagi, Jordan E DeVylder, Eduardo A Leiderman Objective: Psychotic experiences are associated with psychiatric treatment utilization, though findings have not been entirely consistent. Furthermore, it is unclear how psychotic experiences relate to specific types of psychiatric treatment, and whether mental illness moderates these associations. Methods: In total, 1,036 adult residents of Buenos Aires were recruited through convenience sampling in public places. Multivariable logistic regression models examined the associations between psychotic experiences and psychiatric treatment, adjusted for age, sex and education. Analyses were then stratified by diagnosis of mental illness. Results: Approximately 17.95% (N = 186) of the sample reported at least one psychotic experience over the past week, about 22.39% (N = 232) of the sample was receiving some psychiatric or psychological treatment and 8.59% (N = 89) was receiving psychopharmacological treatment. In the total sample, psychotic experiences were associated with greater odds of being in psychiatric/psychological treatment (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.52; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.052.21) and psychopharmacological treatment (AOR: 2.49; 95% CI: 1.524.09), adjusted for age, sex and education. Mental illness did not moderate the association between psychotic experiences and psychiatric/psychological treatment, but did moderate the association between psychotic experiences and psychopharmacological treatment. Among people with mental disorders, psychotic experiences were associated with greater odds of receiving psychopharmacological treatment (AOR: 14.63; 95% CI: 1.73123.45) versus people without mental disorders (AOR: 1.75; 95% CI: 0.983.15). Conclusion: Psychotic experiences are associated with psychiatric treatment utilization, particularly psychopharmacological treatment among people with a co-occurring mental illnesses. Translational research should explore the utility of psychosis screens in assessing need for medication or clinical responsiveness to medications. Role of traditional healers in the pathway to care of patients with schizophrenia in Egypt Mona Ibrahim Awaad, Nesreen Mohsen Ibrahim, Rehab Mohamed Naguib, Sherien Ahmed Khalil, Mahmoud Elhabiby, Zainab Khaled Mohamed Background: Traditional healers are considered one of the important stages in the pathway to care of schizophrenia patients because of the confidence in the system, affordability and accessibility of the service, exposing patients to hazardous management, delay in seeking psychiatric help and bad prognosis. Aim: To assess the pathway to care of schizophrenia patients and role of traditional healers into it, the sociodemographic and clinical correlates of those patients. Methods: We assessed 232 patients with schizophrenia after confirmation of diagnosis with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorder (SCID-I) research version using a questionnaire designed by authors to assess help seeking behavior in schizophrenia patients and its sociodemographic and clinical correlates. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale to identify the presence and severity of symptoms. Results: A total of 41.8% sought traditional healers first, 58.1% sought a psychiatric consultation first, main symptoms related to traditional healers seeking were hallucinations in 51.5%, delusions 29.9%, 9.28% bizarre behavior and 9.28% formal though disorder. Main causes of traditional healers preference were society acceptance 30.39%, affordability 24.74% and accessibility 16.49%. Conclusion: This study shows that a significant percentage of the patients suffering from schizophrenia prefer to approach faith healers first due to their own beliefs, society acceptance, affordability and easy accessibility. The impact of mental health diagnoses on perceptions of risk of criminality Jessica L Garcia, Adanna J Johnson, Marianna E Carlucci, Rachel L Grover Background: Previous research has examined the relation between mental illness (MI) and perceptions of dangerousness, but less research has focused on its relation to perceived risk of criminality. Individuals with MI are perceived to be more dangerous than those without, and individuals with schizophrenia or substance abuse diagnoses are viewed as being more dangerous. Research also supports that race of individuals with MI plays an important role in the conceptualization and experience of stigma. Aims: The current study investigated the relation between MI, perceived criminality and race of diagnosed individuals. Method: Two hundred ninety participants were randomly assigned to read one of the four vignettes and answer a series of questions. The first three vignettes depicted someone with MI (schizophrenia, depression or alcohol dependency), while the fourth vignette served as a control. Participants were asked to indicate likelihood of committing a future crime, severity of the future crime and the persons potential for rehabilitation. Levels of sympathy and trust, as well as perceived race of the person, were also measured. Results: Presence of MI was a significant predictor where MI elicited higher levels of perceived risk of criminality. The remaining predictor variables (type of MI, familiarity with MI and criminality and perceived race) were not significant predictors. Exploratory analyses revealed the schizophrenia and alcohol dependency conditions elicited higher levels of perceived severity of future crimes. Perceived MI severity and likelihood of rehabilitation were all significantly correlated with perceived risk of criminality. Conclusion: Presence of MI appears to be the most important in influencing participant attitudes about perceived risk of criminality, though type of MI may influence beliefs about severity of future crimes. The impact of race could not be examined but should be examined in future studies. Science as Culture The Laboratorization of Schools: Laboratory Metaphors in Twenty-first Century US Education Michael Lachney In twenty-first century US education, laboratory metaphors are used to frame school governance and classroom practices. To explore how non-laboratory and non-traditional laboratory settings are framed as sites for experimentation, science and technology studies (STS) has two parallel trajectories for conceptualizing the laboratorization of society: the literal implantation of laboratories into physical locations and the metaphorical application that looks at the world as if it were a laboratory, that is from a laboratory perspective. Concerning the latter, the laboratory perspective offers STS ways to study: (1) how laboratory metaphors frame social and cultural understandings of scientific knowledge production; (2) the work laboratory metaphors do when used to describe non-laboratory settings. Fieldwork in two classrooms reveals how laboratory metaphors reproduce different but coexisting images of scientific knowledge production. There is an ideal image of laboratories as orderly, with a controlled amount of outside influence. This image frames schools as places with which to experiment from the top-down. There is a more empirical image of laboratories as socially and culturally structured. This image frames schools as places to conduct experiments from the bottom-up. Though each framing positions teachers and students differently, both are useful for characterizing the dynamics of US education. Marketing Experimental Stem Cell Therapies in the UK: Biomedical Lifestyle Products and the Promise of Regenerative Medicine in the Digital Era (open access) Sonja Erikainen, Anna Couturier & Sarah Chan Stem cell research has attracted much public and biomedical anticipation centred on the possibility of using stem cells to treat various diseases and conditions, but the number of evidence-based therapies is currently limited. Numerous commercial direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses are nonetheless marketing experimental stem cell therapies online for myriad medical conditions and aesthetic ailments, which has attracted critique due to safety and efficacy concerns. Existing research has largely focused on the problem of unproven therapies and regulatory pathways for addressing it. The proliferation of these experimental products must also be examined, however, in the broader socio-technological context of consumer culture and changing practices of knowledge-making in the digital era. DTC stem cell therapies have emerged as a new biomedical lifestyle product that blurs the boundaries between science, medicine, and consumer culture. In using, conceptualising and marketing stem cells, commercial businesses build on and commercially co-opt alternative epistemic and ontological frames that challenge scientific medicine. They advance promissory narratives about their potential that tap on cultural aspirations around the future of medicine and health. This is key, not only for understanding how and why these therapies have proliferated but also in conceptualising what the problem around them actually is. Breaking Bad with the Participatory Turn? Accelerating Time and Intensifying Value in Participatory Experiments Pierre Delvenne & Hadrien Macq Science and technology studies (STS) scholars have long advocated a participatory turn in science, technology and innovation. Decisively informed by STS, participatory experiments across the world have sought to overcome the limitations of technocratic approaches and traditional innovation processes, to allow for new forms of democratic engagement. Yet the interplay between modes of participatory experiments and their wider political-economic ordering is significantly evolving. Alongside traditional deliberative experiments of the so-called participatory turn, participation is now also organized in various collective experiments during which technologies are tested, e.g. in living-labs or hackathons. Currently, participatory experiments are shaped by a double trend of accelerating time and intensifying value; they are now often organized as intense events seeking to extract as much value as possible from participants. This trend indicates a broader shift in the way participatory experiments are imagined, designed and implemented, away from participation in decision-making to participation in innovation-making, as well as a shift from civic values to productivist values with the pervasive expectation that publics should increasingly act as innovators and entrepreneurs. The relative abandonment of democratization warrants STS co-productionist analyses that question the values and objectives of participatory experiments in addition to their formats, issues, and publics. Social Studies of Science Londons fatbergs and affective infrastructuring Mike Michael This exploratory article considers the accumulations of fat and other materials in Londons sewerage system known as fatbergs in the UK in terms of the processes of infrastructuring. In particular, drawing on a range of media, including a major museum exhibition, numerous newspaper and online articles, and a TV documentary, this article analyses how Londons fatbergs have been affectively enacted. The affects identified include: disgust in the composition of the fatberg, pride in the London-ness of the fatbergs, admiration at the flushers courage, generic horror at the sewers, shame in the flushing of wet wipes, and anxiety about microbial threats. Such enactments simultaneously perform the fatbergs, the sewerage infrastructure, and the public audiences, through what we can call affective infrastructuring. This extends the analysis of infrastructuring to encompass the ways in which public audiences are affectively made. The article also suggests that the various affective enactments of the fatberg cumulatively perform London as spatially uniform and the sewerage system as temporally naturalized. A critical implication of this is an effacement of, on the one hand, class and cultural difference and, on the other, historical specificity. In smells shadow: Materials and politics at the edge of perception (open access) Christy Spackman This article examines the politics of smell at the edge of perception. In January 2014, the municipal water supply of Charleston, West Virginia was contaminated by an under-characterized chemical, crude MCHM. Even when instrumental measurements no longer detected the chemical, people continued to smell its licorice-like odor. In a space where nothing was certain, smell became the only indicator of potential harm. Officials responded by commissioning state-funded sensory testing of crude MCHM to determine its sensory threshold. Via the critical passage point of sensory science, some instances of embodied attunement were allowed to enter into the evidentiary regimes of perception, while other, similarly trained moments of attunement were excluded from the process. This, I show, produced knowledge about the spilled chemical that maintained the systems that contributed to the spill in the first place. Drawing on new materialist thought, I riff on biology and transduce the ephemeral phenomena of smelling crude MCHM into a new medium: Rather than thinking of smell as a volatile molecular material (an odorant), I show that consideration of smell as a manipulable object that one can imagine as having tangible substance and shape offers a way to experiment with disciplinary forms. I suggest an alternate future, where sensory science acts to record sensory labor that produces facts about collective experience that cannot (easily) travel through current systems, a process that is one possible way of beginning to unravel entrenched systems of toxic harm. Beyond intersubjectivity in olfactory psychophysics I: Troubles with the Subject Morana Alac This article provides an experience-oriented relational account that goes beyond a human control of the world. Rather than working with the notion of intersubjectivity (commonly evoked in sensory STS, and still conserving the subject/object opposition), the article reports on how the sense of smell affords a rethinking of our relationship with the world. It does so by challenging the assumption of olfactory ineffability as it turns to a place whose inhabitants speak about smell as a part of their everyday affairs: a laboratory of olfactory psychophysics. There, we attend to a multimodal, embodied language that participates in preparing, running and analyzing scientific experiments. While Western languages are short on specialized vocabulary for expressing olfactory qualities and it feels difficult to talk about smell, laboratory events manifest smell language in its enmeshing with the sensory realm and the world. Noticing these ties destabilizes the idea of agential subject, highlighting instead our pre-intentional sensibility, in its connection with the world. A sister article on troubles with the Object (Alac, 2020) continues to argue that the notion of intersubjectivity is overly narrow, highlighting our immersion in the world (rather than assuming our dominance of it). Beyond intersubjectivity in olfactory psychophysics II: Troubles with the Object Morana Alac This article takes advantage of the sense of smells peculiar spatiality to reflect on how we may render our engagement with the world other than through manipulating well-defined objects. The lived spatiality associated with olfaction is not reducible to the known parameters of distant observation and reaching toward, familiar from the visual and tactile modalities. Instead, olfactory spatiality is one of immersion: Odors ask us to give up our dominance while we continue to be involved. The article attends to this immersive quality of the sense of smell by tracing multimodal, embodied qualities of mundane events in a laboratory of olfactory psychophysics, also considering the spatial organization of laboratory chambers, and how researchers fashion their bodies while they recognize the frailty of their enterprise. To engage these complexities, the article illustrates an exercise in experimenting with re-production, re-enactment and re-experiencing. While the exercise functions as a reflection on how to orient a laboratory study to non-ocular dimensions of science, the article, in parallel, enquires into semiotic articulations of smell experiences. By pointing out how smell language, rather than being mute, speaks the spatial quality of our olfactory experiences, it concludes the argument against the olfactory ineffability, initiated in the sister essay on troubles with the Subject. Social Theory & Health Was it autoethnography? The classificatory, confessional and mad politics of lived experience in sociological research McWade Brigit This paper will consider the history and politics of autoethnography in relation to the activist scholarship of Mad Studies. As part of ethnographic research about recovery in/from serious mental health problems in the UK, I accessed an NHS community arts for mental health service as a service-user would do, situating this data in broader socio-political debates concerning the meaning, management and lived experience of madness and distress. This paper examines the framing of this research as autoethnographic and the relationship of personal and/or lived experience to the knowledge produced. I explore the classificatory, confessional and Mad politics of experience, identity and identification, and embodiment for research subjectivities. Employing autoethnographic means, I consider the ways in which I situate myself, and am situated by others, in relation to my research, evaluating the methodological implications of the crisis of representation in anthropology, and the post-structuralist criticism of identity politics. Through an engagement Mad Studies, I seek to move beyond these two established responses to the use of personal experience and autobiography in research. Am I a researcher or a self-harmer? Mental health, objectivity and identity politics in history (open access) Sarah Chaney The different models of self-harm in other eras can challenge the presumed universality of modern concepts, from psychiatric diagnoses to the very idea of objectivity in science and medicine. In this paper I argue that the history of psychiatry is not a neutral set of ideas by which we understand the past but an opportunity to reflect on, critique and improve modern mental healthcare. By writing as omniscient narrators of the past, historians often do create the impression that there is only one interpretation of a set of ideas. Incorporating personal material into a narrative is one way of countering this tendency, reminding the reader that the researcher is a part of his or her field of research. Yet there are challenges here as well. In identifying as a particular kind of persona mental health service userwe run the risk of narrowing the field. By exploring the tensions between research and experience, I highlight the importance of critical reflection on identity politics within mental health care and practice today. Tactical authenticity in the production of autoethnographic mad narratives Simon P Clarke, Colin Wright First-person accounts of madness and of encountering psychiatric services provide important sociocultural and psychological knowledge about the subjectivity of distress. The importance of such accounts is often based upon a claim of the authenticity of personal experience. However, authenticity is a highly heterogeneous concept: a popular current manifestation of the discourse of authenticity is in positive psychology, where it is often underpinned by humanist assumptions such as the rational autonomous self. The post-structuralist critique of humanism challenged such essentialist notions some time ago and has been adopted explicitly by research methodologies such as autoethnography. The purpose of this article is to argue that this tensionbetween the value of methods such as autoethnography that offer a legitimate source of knowledge regarding the subjective experience of madness on the one hand, and the problems with an essentialist conception of the authentic self on the othercan be addressed by the deployment of a reconceptualised form of authenticity based on Spivaks (in: Guha and Spivak (eds.) Selected subaltern studies, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1988) notion of strategic essentialism, especially when modified by De Certeaus (The practice of everyday life, University of California Press, Los Angeles, 1984) distinction between tactics and strategies. The implications of this distinction in terms of developing autoethnographies of distress are then discussed. Sociology of Health and Illness Air care: an aerography of breath, buildings and bugs in the cystic fibrosis clinic (open access) Nik Brown, Chrissy Buse, Alan Lewis, Daryl Martin, Sarah Nettleton With significant relevance to the Covid19 pandemic, this paper contributes to emerging aerographic research on the sociomaterialities of air and breath, based on an indepth empirical study of three hospitalbased lung infection clinics treating people with cystic fibrosis. We begin by outlining the changing place of atmosphere in hospital design from the preantibiotic period and into the present. We then turn to the first of three aerographic themes where air becomes a matter of grasping and visualising otherwise invisible airborne infections. This includes imagining patients located within bodily spheres or cloud bodies, conceptually anchored in Irigarays thoughts on the forgetting of the air and Sloterdijks immunitary spherology of the body. Our second theme explores the material politics of air, air conditioning, window design and the way competing air regimes come into conflict with each other at the interface of buildings, bodies and the biotic. Our final theme attends to the cost of air, the aeroeconomic problem of atmospheric scarcity within modern highrise, deepdensity healthcare architectures. The biohabitus of scarcity: biosocial dispositions and the obesity epidemic in Mexico Alejandro Martinez, Ivan Anduro, Ietza Bojorquez In this article, we explore the potential of Warin et al .s concept of biohabitus (a set of embodied biological and social dispositions) as a conceptual tool for the understanding of mechanisms behind the obesity epidemic. Elaborating on this concept, we argue that a context of food scarcity gives rise to a biohabitus geared to energysaving, expressed in both biological (the thrifty genotype/phenotype hypotheses) and symbolic dispositions (Bourdieus taste of necessity), and the interaction between this type of biohabitus and changes in the foodrelated environment results in increased body mass index. We exemplify the use of this framework by applying it to the case of Mexico, a middleincome Latin American country with one of the highest prevalences of obesity worldwide. The example shows how the concept of biohabitus can help researchers move beyond disciplinary explanations, towards a more complex understanding of the conjunction of social and biological processes that result in differential patterns of health and disease. Making body work sequences visible: an ethnographic study of acute orthopaedic hospital wards Tamara Backhouse, Simon P. Hammond, Jane L. Cross, Nigel Lambert, Anna Varley, Bridget Penhale, Chris Fox, Fiona Poland Within health and social care, academic attention is increasingly paid to understanding the nature and centrality of body work. Relatively little is known about how and where body work specifically fits into the wider work relations that produce it in healthcare settings. We draw on ethnographic observations of staff practice in three National Health Service acute hospital wards in the United Kingdom to make visible the microprocesses of patient care sequences including both body work and the work contextualising and supporting it. Our data, produced in 2015, show body work interactions in acute care to be critically embedded within a context of initiating, preparing, moving and restoring and proceeding. Shades of privacy and objectification of the body are present throughout these sequences. While accomplishing tasks away from the physical body, staff members must also maintain physical and cognitive work focussed on producing body work. Thus, patient care is necessarily complex, requiring much staff time and energy to deliver it. We argue that by making visible the microprocesses that hospital patient care depends on, including both body work and the work sequences supporting it, the complex physical and cognitive workload required to deliver care can be better recognised. (A virtual version of this abstract is available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_979cmCmR9rLrKuD7z0ycA) Advising without personalising: how a helpline may satisfy callers without giving medical advice beyond its remit Charles Antaki, Steven Bloch Callers to telephone helplines often seek advice beyond the authorisation of those staffing the service. On health helplines, this poses a problem to the calltaker. How do they manage the dilemma between, on the one hand, exceeding their competence and authority to give medical advice, and, on the other, leaving the caller unsatisfied with the service? We offer a framework in which to set newly identified practices along with those identified in previous studies. Using a set of calls to a medical helpline run by Parkinsons United Kingdom, we show that the calltaker manages the problem by (i) only suggesting courses of action highly marked for impersonality or contingency (displaying a low deontic stance, Stevanovic and Perakyla 2012), and (ii) limiting the interactional risks of tailoring the advice to callers personal circumstances. We show how our suggested framework of advising without personalising may guide research into the difficult job of delivering advice where the service provider must observe a limit on what they can say. Transcultural Psychiatry Caregivers causal attributions of their relatives mental illness and the association with stigma Vathsala Sagayadevan, Ying Wen Lau, Yunjue Zhang, Anitha Jeyagurunathan, Saleha Shafie, Sherilyn Chang, Siow Ann Chong, Mythily Subramaniam Causal attributions of mental illness have received substantial attention given their influence on help-seeking patterns of individuals and the level of engagement with health services. Few studies, however, have examined caregivers perspectives of their relatives illness. The current study aimed to examine caregivers causal attributions of their relatives mental illness and its association with perceived stigma in a multi-ethnic Asian sample. Primary caregivers (N = 350) of psychiatric outpatients were recruited from a psychiatric hospital. The attribution and stigma sections of the Family Interview Schedule (FIS) were utilized to obtain caregivers causal report of their relatives illness and stigma perception. Logistic regressions were performed to examine the socio-demographic and diagnostic correlates of the four categories of causal attributions (psychosocial, biological, drug-/substance use-related, supernatural). The majority of caregivers identified psychosocial causes, followed by biological, supernatural, and lastly drug-/substance use-related causes for their relatives illness. Marital status, religion, employment status and the diagnosis of depressive disorders were significant correlates of biological attributions. Ethnicity and not knowing their relatives diagnosis were significantly associated with psychosocial attributions. For drug-/substance use-related attributions, ethnicity was the only significant correlate. Supernatural attributions did not yield any significant associations. Caregivers who endorsed drug-/substance use-related reasons also reported significantly higher stigma than caregivers who did not endorse these attributions. A tendency to endorse biological and psychosocial causes for their relatives illness was noted among caregivers. Further research on caregivers causal attributions is warranted to account for and replicate current study findings. Caregiving and bereavement in palliative care: A cross-cultural study between Brazil and Portugal Mayra Delalibera, Alexandra Coelho, Pedro Frade, Antonio Barbosa, Isabel Leal Caregiving and bereavement outcomes are strongly influenced by socio-cultural context. Past research has found higher levels of caregiver burden and psychological morbidity in Portuguese compared to Brazilian caregivers. This study compared Brazilian and Portuguese family caregivers in palliative care to identify differences in psychological morbidity and caregiver burden and their relationship with psychosocial factors such as sociodemographic variables, circumstances of end-of-life care and dying, social support, family functioning, and perception of quality of care. Prospective data were collected from convenience samples of family caregivers in Brazil (T0 n = 60; T1 n = 35) and Portugal (T0 n = 75; T1 n = 29) at two separate time pointsduring caregiving (T0), and during the first two months of bereavement (T1). The study samples consisted mostly of women, offspring, and spouses. In both countries, family caregivers devoted most of their day to taking care of their sick relatives and reported a lack of practical support. Portuguese caregivers had higher levels of burden than Brazilian caregivers, and in both populations a greater burden was associated with more psychopathological symptoms. Higher caregiver burden among Portuguese caregivers was associated with the circumstances of death and the perceived lack of emotional support. Among Portuguese caregivers, symptomatology persisted during bereavement, reaching significantly higher levels of anxiety, somatization, and peritraumatic symptoms compared to the Brazilian sample. These results show differences between family caregiver samples in Portugal and Brazil during the bereavement process. Understanding the underlying cultural patterns and mechanisms requires future research. If somebody could just understand what I am going through, it would make all the difference: Conceptualizations of trauma in homeless populations experiencing severe mental illness (open access) Andrew Gilmoor, Smriti Vallath, Barbara Regeer, Joske Bunders Exposure to violence, vulnerability due to lack of shelter, alienation due to stigma, the experiences of severe mental illness (SMI) and subsequent institutionalization, make homeless persons with SMI uniquely susceptible to trauma exposure and subsequent mental health consequences. This study aims to contribute to the development of culturally sensitive interventions for identifying and treating trauma in a population of homeless persons with SMI in Tamil Nadu, India by understanding the manifestations of trauma and its associated consequences in this population. Free-listing exercises followed by in-depth interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 26 user-survivors who have experienced homelessness or were at risk of homelessness, and suffered from SMI. Topics explored included events considered to be traumatic, pathways to trauma, associated emotional, physical and social complaints, and coping strategies. Results indicate discrepancies in classification of traumatic events between user-survivors and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Traumatic experiences, particularly relating to social relationships and poverty, mentioned by user-survivors did not match traditional conceptualizations of trauma. Positive coping strategies for trauma included being mentally strong, knowledge and awareness, whereas the main negative coping strategy is avoidance. User-survivors attributed their experiences of homelessness and SMI to past traumas. Differing views of trauma between user-survivors and mental health professionals can lead to misdiagnosis and under-recognition of trauma in this population of homeless persons with SMI. Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr LinkedIn [view academic citations] [hide academic citations] Advertisement A homeless man squatting inside Manhattan's Washington Square Park fountain was arrested following a nude brawl Saturday, bringing an abrupt end to his weeks-long occupancy of the famous tourism haunt. Matthew John Mishefski, a 25-year-old originally from Wyoming, Pennsylvania was arrested by officers from the NYPD at 9:30pm yesterday night after he became ensnared in a physical altercation with two other scantily dressed men. A total of 12 officers responded to the scene and Mishefski was strapped to a gurney and taken away from the landmark in an ambulance. One of the men Mishefski was entangled with was also seen being taken away from the scene by EMTs, with a large amount of blood sprayed over his chest. Mishefski, who refers to himself as 'Son of God Lord Saviour Jesus Christ', had been living in the drained fountain since May. City authorities, including NYPD, Parks Department staffers and homeless outreach workers, failed for weeks to get him to voluntarily abdicate his makeshift thrown despite several visits. Matthew John Mishefski, a 25-year-old originally from Wyoming, Pennsylvania was arrested by officers from the NYPD at 9:30pm yesterday after he became ensnared in a physical altercation with two other scantily dressed men A total of 12 officers responded to the scene and Mishefski was taken away from the landmark in an ambulance A man who was seen sparring with Mishefski was also transferred to an ambulance at Washington Square Park on Saturday Members of the New York Police Department take Matthew John Mishefski into custody, ending his weeks-long occupancy of the famous fountain Mishefski, who refers to himself as 'Son of God Lord Saviour Jesus Christ', had been living in the drained fountain since May City authorities, including police, Parks Department staffers and homeless outreach workers, failed for weeks to get him to voluntarily abdicate his makeshift thrown despite several visits During his residency, Mishefski amassed a collection of tables, six chairs, a pink recliner, a box of clothes and a beach umbrella - all protected by the metal barricades surrounding the fountain Matthew John Mishefski pictured atop the center of the fountain on Friday, June 26, just a day before his Saturday arrest His makeshift home now included a table, six chairs, a pink recliner, a box of clothes and a beach umbrella - all protected by the metal barricades surrounding the fountain New York homeless service visit with the man to see if they can get him assistance Mishefski is covered with fake blood as he lays on a unicorn plush. Demonstrators from a nearby BLM protest shared that he stole red paint from him During his residency, Mishefski amassed a collection of tables, six chairs, a pink recliner, a box of clothes and a beach umbrella - all protected by the metal barricades surrounding the fountain. 'It's a representation of the altar to god,' Mishefski, who is autistic, explained of his temporary home to the New York Post. Mishefski was previously arrested by police on June 13 at around 12.15am after he reportedly refused to leave the park after hours. The transient - who first moved to NYC in 2017 - was charged with criminal trespass and failure to comply with signs. He was later released on bail and returned to the park. His next court date had been set for September 14. The park is one of New York's most iconic locations, and popular with tourists. It has featured in a host of movies set in the city, including Ghostbusters and Avengers: Infinity War. 'Obviously the commanding officer [of the local 6th Precinct] is aware with many 311 calls and community members reaching out,' a NYPD spokesperson previously said. 'He has made numerous calls to Parks Department and several attempts to provide services. They are trying to get him help.' A spokesman from the city Department of Homeless Services said that workers had tried to persuade the man four times to leave on his own volition, but he refused. Black Lives Matter banners were hanging in the park as a backrop for Mishefski, who has squatting there since May. Demonstrators with the Black Lives Matter protest in the park told DailyMail.com that the transient accosted them as they put up the banner outside the barricade of the fountain. They also added that the man stole red paint that they had been using, turning it into a 'fake blood' prop for himself. Black Lives Matter banners were hanging in the park as a backrop for Mishefski, who has squatting there since May. Demonstrators with the Black Lives Matter protest in the park told DailyMail.com that the transient accosted them as they put up the banner outside the barricade of the fountain Mishefski was arrested by police on June 13 at around 12.15am after he reportedly refused to leave the park after hours. He was charged with criminal trespass and failure to comply with signs He has since been released on bail and has returned to the park, with his next court date is set for September 14 'It's a representation of the altar to god,' Mishefski, who goes by 'Son of God Lord Saviour Jesus Christ', said of his living arrangments 'We remain undeterred and will keep coming back to build trust, make those breakthroughs, and help them get back on their feet,' said spokesman Isaac McGinn. Parks Department had a different energy behind the man's presence, with a spokeswoman adding: 'Being homeless in a New York City park is not a crime.' She continued: 'We are working sensitively to encourage this individual to comply with Parks rules. The spokeswoman did assert that there are rules prohibiting the erection of tents, shelters or camps at the park. A spokesman from the city Department of Homeless Services said that workers have tried to persuade the man four times to leave, but he refuses Parks Department had a different energy behind the man's presence, with a spokeswoman adding: 'Being homeless in a New York City park is not a crime.' She did however say that rules prohibit setting up a tent in parks 'This is a spiritual zone,' declared Mishefski The Washington Square Park conservancy shared that it was aware of the encampment since early June, with representatives adding that they have been talking with the Parks Department and the NYPD. Parks has said that it is working to remove the various pieces from the fountain. Mishefski has only been at the park for a few weeks, according to the Parks Department, who said that the man travels between parks. Mishefski has only been at the park for a few weeks, according to the Parks Department, who said that the man travels between parks An American flag sits near a table that Mishefski has inside the fountain 'This is a spiritual zone,' declared Mishefski, who had been living in shelters until November 2017 before deciding to just stay on the streets. Life in the shelters did not seen like safest option, Mishefski shared. 'People bring in knives, weapons, they say they're going to hurt you if you say something they don't like, if you look at them,' he said. 'I had a staff member pull a knife on me.' Mishefski said he suffers from autism and added that he has been in and out of psych wards. He even had a brief five-week stay at the Woodhull Hospital around September 2019. Mishefski said he suffers from autism and added that he has been in and out of psych wards Mishefski reads in the middle of the fountain as New Yorkers enjoy a day at the park Iron Man battles it out in front of the Washington Square Park in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War CAPE TOWN, June 20 (Reuters) - The New Development Bank established by the BRICS group of emerging nations has approved a $1 billion COVID-19 emergency loan to South Africa to help reduce the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, the National Treasury said on Saturday. South Africa was already in recession before the pandemic wreaked further havoc in Africa's most industrialised economy. "The COVID-19 emergency program loan to South Africa will be provided in response to the urgent request and immediate financing needs of the South African government," the Treasury said in a statement. Finance minister Tito Mboweni is expected to unveil an emergency budget with major changes to spending and revenue forecasts in parliament on Wednesday. The government this week further relaxed two months of tough restrictions as it looks to support the economy. After detecting its first case in March, infections and deaths have spread across South Africa. As of Friday the country had 87,715 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,831 deaths. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are members of the New Development Bank. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; editing by Jason Neely) Second of two columns German-born artist Hans Huebners early life, covered in last Sundays column, was a patchwork of jobs decorating glass lampshades for lighting manufacturers in New York, Ohio, West Virginia and likely Milwaukee, where his name appears on a 1923 U.S. patent for a light fixture husk (the glass shade with a hole for the light bulb and socket). After his 1895 arrival in this country, he seems to have followed an erratic path marrying and fathering a child, at least once for both; committing a crime (illegible on his admission record) that got him sentenced to Sing Sing prison in 1910; bouncing around from one design job to another, while at some point abandoning his family and getting arrested for bigamy, cleared because he didnt actually try to marry the woman, who died after an abortion. Were looking at him because like so many people he managed to reinvent himself in Texas, where he became such a respectable figure that his death was front-page news in an Austin paper, headlined Well-known Southwest artist dies in wreck. RELATED: On his way to Texas fame, noble artist with San Antonio ties was anything but In addition to at least one Texas history painting that was exhibited statewide, he created numerous still life paintings (mostly fruit and flowers), two of which are owned by reader Barbara Boucher, who asked for information about his life. Huebner signed the Boucher paintings (purchased by her grandmother, a neighbor of the artist) by the moniker he seems to have adopted when he moved to Texas: Count Hans von Huebner, although theres no evidence that he was descended from nobility. He turns up in the 1931 Dallas city directory as Hans von Huebner, vice president of Criterion Arts Inc., no address beyond his residence in the Criterion Hotel, which may be the first time he used the fancy particle von in print. Obituaries say he designed stained-glass windows for unnamed Texas churches, in keeping with his employment history and general upturn in his fortunes here. In San Antonio, at least sporadically from the mid-1930s, he lived modestly in the Lawrence Hotel, 1607 Broadway, between 1938 and 1941, according to city directory research by Beth Standifird, Conservation Society of San Antonio librarian. This was a small, two-story building that advertised one-room efficiency apartments. Before that, according to stories of his giant painting of the Alamo compound as it looked at the time of the 1836 battle, he spent three years researching the subject, traveling to libraries in Washington, Austin and Mexico, to view documents related to the buildings and the battle. And he spent an additional six months painting the artwork that was 7 feet by 10 feet, according to a story in the San Antonio Express, Nov. 11, 1936, announcing its exhibit for two weeks in Municipal Auditorium. The painting was endorsed by major Texas history and lineage organizations the Daughters and Sons of the Republic of Texas, Pioneers of Texas and the Texas Historical and Landmarks Association. More importantly, for his fortunes, hes said to have been sponsored or supported by Mrs. W.A. Ridgeway of San Antonio, who may have suggested the subject and heroic size of the painting and is credited with helping him with his research. Former Alamo curator and historian Bruce Winders, Ph.D., hadnt heard of Huebner or his Alamo painting but noted that creators often piggyback work to coincide with historic events in order to reach a built-in audience. Judging from a photo of the painting, he said, the compound looks a little out of proportion, looking more square than rectangular. His church also seems a little elongated. Huebner may have drawn on the Alamo plan in Reuben Potters 1860 booklet on the battle, derived from the authors study of the grounds and talks with people familiar with the Alamo of 1836. Huebners structures seem to match up with that, Winders said, adding that a painting can only be as authentic as the information the artist has to work with. More evidence has come to light since then. Someone with more energy than Huebner showed in his modest pre-Texas career seems to have arranged a promotional tour for him and his Alamo painting near the end of 1936, the year the Texas Centennial was celebrated. A former circus publicist W.R. Tumber, who traveled for years with the Palmer Bros. show was hired to promote a Texas tour for the artist and his painting, according to the Express, Nov. 17, 1936, and the campaign seems to have worked. In addition to the exhibit in Municipal Auditorium, it was shown in New Braunfels, where the artwork was introduced by well-known preservationist Adina De Zavala; Victoria; Gonzales, site of the first skirmish of the Texas Revolution; and Austin, where the American Legion sponsored a fundraiser at the Driskill Hotel patrons paid 15 cents to look at the painting, to help provide Christmas cheer for underprivileged children. San Antonio newspapers published a couple of references to plans for the painting to be shown in Dallas at the Centennial Exposition, but this doesnt seem to have happened. Although the Austin History Center found no evidence of Huebner living or working in the state capital, his obituary in the Austin American stated that Huebner once taught art to the late wife of Gov. Coke R. Stevenson. Well, if true, it was before the Stevensons were in the Governors Mansion. Stevenson was governor from 1941 to 1947, and his first wife, Fay Wright Stevenson, was gravely ill during the first year of his first term and died in 1942. He didnt remarry until 1954, almost a decade after Huebners death. After the flurry of centennial fame there are a few references to another large canvas depicting the Battle of San Jacinto, but it either disappeared or was never finished Huebner seems to have settled into a quiet life, living in a rooming house at 1227 Broadway. He was working as a night watchman for the American Mill & Fixture Co., 252 W. Josephine St., at the time of his death. He might have been on his way to work when he was hit by a car at 10:40 p.m., July 26, 1945, at Broadway and 13th Street. He suffered a broken leg and died of internal injuries en route to Robert B. Greene Hospital, according to his death certificate, whose informant was Mrs. W.C. Fischer, not related to the deceased. His death notice in the Express, July 28, 1945, says he was survived by nephew, Winfield Wm. Huebner, of Long Island, New York. That was the name of his only son, who gave Huebners name as that of his father on his World War II draft registration card a few years earlier. The San Antonio artists funeral was held in the chapel of the Alamo Funeral Home, and he was buried in Roselawn Cemetery, later renamed San Fernando No. 3. His Alamo painting had a longer public life, hanging in hotels in Corpus Christi and Austin. It was sold at auction in 1968 with all the furnishings of Austins Texan Hotel. The buyer was Emma Fischer, a San Antonio artist, who hopes to have it exhibited at HemisFair (68) and later have it placed permanently at the Alamo Museum or the (Texas) Capitol, reported the Austin American, July 1, 1968. The painting was next on public view in 1973 in the office of the county clerk in the Bexar County Courthouse, according to a story in the San Antonio Light, Sept. 23, 1973, at which time it was on loan from B.J. Red McCombs. During the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986, the massive painting was shown at the Witte Museum, whose exhibit card points out inaccuracies in the depiction of structures within this fanciful rendering, commissioned by Elsie Rae Ridgeway, who was his landlady while he was painting the picture. The painting at that time was owned by Mr. and Mrs. William A. Ridgeway. Its said that Huebner also made a large copy of the original, which he reputedly gave to his (unnamed) mistress. Discovered several years before the Witte exhibit, the copy still exists in a private collection in San Antonio. historycolumn@yahoo.com | Twitter: @sahistorycolumn | Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn Farmers fear that a free trade deal with the US could herald the return of battery-produced eggs to supermarket shelves. As well as torpedoing two decades of progress on animal welfare, they say that an unregulated trans-Atlantic agreement could decimate the 1 billion-a-year British egg industry. The absence of federal legislation means farmers in America do not face the same regulatory costs as their British counterparts, providing a huge commercial advantage that could allow them to undercut UK farmers. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, which is leading a major campaign to Save Our Family Farms by protecting them from inferior foreign imports, Mark Williams of the British Egg Industry Council said: 'Across the UK and Europe we have high standards of animal welfare, food safety and environmental protection and actually 16 per cent of the cost of producing a dozen eggs is down to legislation on those three areas. Farmers fear that a free trade deal with the US could herald the return of battery-produced eggs to supermarket shelves 'That cost is not borne by countries outside Europe so straight away they have a 16 per cent economic advantage on us. I'd say we are probably one of the most efficient countries in the world in terms of producing eggs, but we have what UK citizens want and that's high standards of animal protection and environmental protection.' Aimee Mahony, poultry adviser for The National Farmers' Union, said: 'This market worth over 1 billion in sales each year would be severely impacted by any trade deal that allowed the import of eggs produced to standards that fall far below what is expected of British farmers. It is crucial the Government does not agree to any trade deal that could see the imports of food that would be illegal for our farmers to produce here.' The UK supported a European Council directive in 1999 to phase out the use of conventional battery cages in the EU by January 2012. Britain now has 25 million free-range hens, the largest number in the world. By contrast, 95 per cent of America's 280 million chickens live in battery cages. Caged hens in the UK are allocated an average of 750 sq cm each, more than double that of US battery hens. The British Free Range Egg Producers Association says that the average egg producer in the UK is paid an average of 86p for a dozen eggs less than the break-even price of 1. Farmers fear cheaper eggs will sound the death knell for the industry. Food experts also fear Britain could be flooded with US pork containing cancer-causing substances. More than 60 million US pigs are treated every year with the antibiotic Carbadox which is used to prevent disease and promote growth. It is banned in the UK. Four years ago, the US government's Food and Drug Administration warned that eating Carbadox-treated pork increases the risk of cancer. American food safety experts believe the export of products which have received Carbadox will 'undoubtedly' form part of a trade deal with the US. President Trump's chief negotiator Robert Lighthizer, who is heading talks on a trade deal with International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, has threatened to pull out if any significant barriers are imposed on US farmers. The UK Government is split on the issue, although Ms Truss last week sought to assure the International Trade Select Committee. 'When it comes to food, we will never lower our standards in order to sign a trade deal,' she said. The Mumbai Police is conducting a detailed probe into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14 and have interviewed 27 people in connection with the case, including his family and most recently, Yash Raj Films casting director Shanoo Sharma. The actor died by suicide on June 14. Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhishek Trimukhe told ANI that they are covering every angle in their investigation. Bandra police has recorded statements of 27 people so far in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. Weve got his detailed post-mortem report and doctors have clearly mentioned asphyxia due to hanging as cause of his death. We are investigating the reason behind his suicide from every angle, he said. After Sushants death, it was alleged that he was unceremoniously dropped from projects and that some bigwigs of Bollywood attempted to stall his career. In light of these reports, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said that claims of professional rivalry will be thoroughly investigated by the police. Watch | Probing every angle behind Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide: Mumbai Police Also read | Riddhima Kapoor Sahni shares pic with mom Neetu, daughter Samara: Three generations Earlier this month, the police received a copy of Sushants contract with Yash Raj Films. He worked in two of their productions - Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015). His third film with the banner was supposed to be Shekhar Kapurs ambitious directorial venture Paani. However, the project got stalled after YRF reportedly backed out. Meanwhile, Sushants family is converting his childhood home in Patna to a memorial, which will have his personal memorabilia and belongings including thousands of his books, telescope and flight-simulator. Sushant started his career on television and made the switch to films in 2013 with Kai Po Che! His final film, Dil Bechara, will be released on Disney+ Hotstar on July 24. As a tribute to the late actor, the streaming platform has decided to make it available to subscribers as well as non-subscribers. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918 Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON During the 24-hour lockdown in Saudi Arabia in April, Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh enlisted the expertise of International SOS Al Rushaid to help create a health secure environment for local healthcare workers involved in the national response to Covid-19. Within 48 hours, International SOS Al Rushaid completed a full review of the hotel, implemented new protocols and training programs, and provided onsite medical support to enable a safely-zoned facility for local healthcare workers, as well as staff and guests. Guenter Gebhard, General Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, said: International SOS Al Rushaids end-to-end medical support enabled us to maintain full business operations while providing a significant humanitarian contribution to the national fight against this pandemic. The new medical capability includes full-time medical staff, 24/7 screening services and regular health and hygiene inspections. International SOS Al Rushaid is also providing continuous training to all hotel staff and ongoing management services to ensure the medical professionals on-site have the right experience and skills to ensure of safety of Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh facilities and operations. Dr Dick Hooper, Global Health Advisor and Medical Director, Saudi Arabia, commented: It was a real privilege to have been invited by Four Seasons to work on this incredibly important project. This project highlights the dynamic partnership between Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh and International SOS Al Rushaid. We formed a joint working group and brought our different areas of expertise together to develop a sustainable and adaptable plan, enabling continued operations as we combat Covid-19. This significant undertaking was led by International SOS Al Rushaid senior management, Joerg C. Buenzel, General Manager Saudi Arabia, with the medical lead provided by Dr. Dick Hooper, Global Health Advisor and Medical Director, Saudi Arabia and Dr. Rudolph De Wet, Senior Medical Advisor, Saudi Arabia. - TradeArabia News Service Seriously? #DefundTheABC has been trending on Twitter this week, in the aftermath of the government budget cuts, a sign that the madness of Trumpism attack the quality media and dumb things down so the mob will believe anything is further taking hold in our own brown and pleasant land. The broad theme of the defund the ABC movement is that we the people get nothing for our money. Seriously! To reprise a theme, the truth is that never has the ABC proved its value more than during the last two crises of the bushfires and The Plague where for Australians across the country it was the most trusted source for up-to-date and frequently life-saving information. Under attack: The ABC in Sydney on Wednesday. Credit:Steven Siewert And to re-reprise another theme, you only need to look to Four Corners, for value. It costs about $5 million a year. Since 2016, its stories have seen royal commissions called for everything from youth detention practices in the Northern Territory, to water theft in the Murray Darling Basin, to the rapacious behaviour of the big banks, to the appalling treatment of the elderly in aged care, all while the likes of Louise Milligan was doing her ground-breaking work on George Arthur Pell, which helped changed the approach of an entire church towards its victims. You get the drift. Can I invite critics of the ABC, particularly you commentators, to compare the value of your work to its? Right now, frail and elderly people all around Australia in nursing homes are being treated better than they would have been simply because of Four Corners, just as Australians are being treated better by the banks, the Murray and Darling are flowing a little freer than they otherwise would have . . . children lie safer in their beds, sexual abuse victims are better compensated and so forth. All for $5 million a year! And your own contribution, beyond whipping up the mob, is what? MCC deal: Uncertainty over payment of US$ 10 million By Anthony David Experts committee chairman says issue not mentioned in report but development is 'curious' View(s): View(s): Colombo and Washington were locked in a controversy yesterday over claims that Sri Lanka had obtained ten million US dollars as a prelude to the US$ 480 million Millennium Challenge Compact deal. The Presidential Secretariat, in a statement on Thursday on the report of the Experts Committee, declared that although US dollars 7.4 million and US dollars 2.6 million had been granted under the two stages, no account details are to be found anywhere. The Presidents Office was quoting from the final report of the Experts Committee that carried out a six month study on the compact, which is now increasingly unlikely to be accepted. However, the United States Embassy strongly denied the claim that there was funding. No MCC funds were ever transferred under the current US$ 480 million grant. Funds for preparatory activities have been cancelled or indefinitely postponed pending the governments decision whether to proceed with the grant, a spokesperson said. Reacting to these remarks, Experts Committee Chairman Prof. Lalithsiri Gunaruwan told the Sunday Times, We have not mentioned in our report whether the grant money came or not. Pointing out we do not know either way, he said in the process of examining the compact, we came across two preparatory agreements which were signed in 2017 and 2018. Insisting that he was not pointing fingers at anyone, Prof. Gunaruwan added that this development is curious. Commenting on the developments, Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told the Sunday Times that he had asked his ministry officials to give him a full report on the matter. Until then, he said he would not be in a position to clearly state what the exact position was. I have been told there are no documents but I have sought a full report, he declared. Other sources said it was not clear whether the Expert Committee had obtained details of the preparatory agreements from the External Resources Division of the Finance Ministry. The two-fold MCC compact seeks to assist the Sri Lanka government to improve inadequate transport logistics infrastructure and planning. The other is a land project for agriculture, the services sector and industrial investors. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told the Sunday Times that he would place the final report of the committee before the Cabinet next week. It is not immediately clear whether a decision on the matter would be made thereafter or time would be given for ministers to study the report. The decision of whether or not to accept the US$ 480 million dollar grant from the people of the United States rests with the Government of Sri Lanka, a US Embassy spokesperson said yesterday. Israeli Blog Says Images Confirm Mystery Iran Blast Was In Missile Industries Factory Radio Farda June 27, 2020 In a tweet on Friday Intelli Times, an online Israeli intelligence blog, said they could confirm from satellite images that the blast in Tehran on Thursday occurred at a facility at Khojir in the southeast of the capital. Images posted by Intelli Times on Twitter show a building, probably a gas power unit, in the northeastern corner of Hemmat Missile Industries Factory of Khojir, responsible for developing ballistic missiles. The facilities also assist the Hezbollah of Lebanon with the technology for precision missile projects in Syria and Lebanon, another tweet by Intelli Times on June 26 said and claimed that the explosion has apparently paralyzed the complex's gas facility. However, another Twitter user has pointed out under the post that in the image provided with the tweet, the roof of the building appears intact despite the explosion. The massive bright orange light from the blast was seen by residents of the capital and reported on social media almost immediately. The flash, as seen in videos, was followed by a large plume of smoke but the blast sound was not heard too strongly according to those who reported seeing the light flash. Iran's Defense Ministry on Friday said the explosion had happened at a gas-storage facility in the "public area" of Parchin, a military complex about 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Tehran and to the south of Khojir. Observers have linked the explosion to Revolutionary Guard facilities in the area that might be either nuclear research or missile assembly sites. The Revolutionary Guard has massive underground tunnels in Khojir area for assembling and storing missiles which it unveiled in October 2019. Iran is also suspected of unreported nuclear activities at nearby Parchin and has barred IAEA access to the site. Footage of the explosion site aired by the state-run television showed a small pipe that had burst open and exploded and blackened gas cylinders. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/israeli-blog -says-images-confirm-mystery-iran-blast-was-in -missile-industries-factory/30693892.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 incident took place in Delhi's Seemapuri when constable Amod Bhadana returned to the police station after completing his beat duty New Delhi: A Delhi Police constable allegedly fired at his colleague after a heated argument inside the Seemapuri police station in northeast Delhi, officials said on Saturday. The incident took place Friday night when constable Amod Bhadana returned to the police station after completing his beat duty, they said. While Bhadana was having dinner, another constable Ravindar Nagar entered the room at around 10.30 pm. They had an argument over some issue, following which Nagar took out his service pistol and fired at Bhadana, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Amit Sharma said. The bullet hit Bhadana in the chest and he fell down. He was rushed to Swami Dayanand Hospital from where he was referred to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, police said. He is undergoing treatment there, they added. Nagar was arrested and a case under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against him, police said, adding further investigation on. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 14:16:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and another injured on Saturday night in a shooting incident during a protest in the U.S. city of Louisville, Kentucky, local authorities said. Reports of shots fired at Jefferson Square Park came in around 9 p.m. local time (0100 GMT on Sunday), after which Jefferson County Sheriff's Department personnel arrived at the site and found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Police were performing life-saving measures on the man who later died at the scene. The second victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The park has been the epicenter of protest over the death of 26-year-old emergency medical technician Breonna Taylor, an African American woman who was shot dead by police in March. Enditem Multiple groups led by Native American activists plan to protest President Trumps July 3 Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, AP reports. Why it matters: Activists believe the monument is a desecration of land stolen from Native Americans used to celebrate leaders who were hostile to Indigenous people. The planned protest and the heightened attention on Mount Rushmore come during a national reckoning over the symbolism of monuments. Some Native American activists believe the memorial is as reprehensible as the Confederate monuments being removed or torn down around the country. What they're saying: Oglala Sioux president Julian Bear Runner told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader that Trump failed to consult tribal leaders about his visit to the Black Hills, which the Oglala Sioux consider part of their Great Sioux Reservation and land that was never formally ceded to the United States. Bear Runner said he also believes Mount Rushmore should be "removed." "I don't believe it should be blown up, because it would cause more damage to the land," he said. "Removed but not blown up." South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) tweeted last week that "The men on Mt. Rushmore helped make America the greatest country in history. They weren't perfect; nobody is. But we should learn from their example and work together to accomplish their dreams for our country." Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives last week that would prohibit federal funds from being used to alter the faces of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, according to the Leader. The big picture: Noem pushed for the return of an Independence Day fireworks display for Trump's visit. It will be the first pyrotechnical display at the site since 2009. The top court said that the petitioner has not referred to even a single instance in the deficiency of facilities or flouting of any protocol specified by the Central or state government in any examination centre, whilst conducting such examination during the COVID-19 pandemic. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Sunday in an urgent hearing dismissed a plea seeking cancellation of the remaining two Class 10 examinations scheduled to be held on 29-30 June, to be conducted by the board of secondary education of Rajasthan. The top court said that the petitioner has not referred to even a single instance in the deficiency of facilities or flouting of any protocol specified by the Central or state government in any examination centre, whilst conducting such examination during the COVID-19 pandemic. A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna, in an urgent hearing conducted on Sunday evening through video-conferencing, dismissed the plea filed by one Maghi Devi. "We find no infirmity in the view expressed by the High Court. The petitioner has not referred to even a single instance in this Special Leave Petition to highlight the deficiency of facilities or for that matter flouting of any protocol specified by the central government or state government in any examination centre, whilst conducting such examination during the COVID-19 pandemic situation," the bench said. The top court said that the High Court, while dismissing the contempt petition, had taken note of the fact that the examinations had commenced from 18 June. It said that as per the schedule published in the official website of the Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan, Ajmer, the examination proceeded even on 19 and 20 June, and from 22 June to 27 June on every day. "Despite this, not even a solitary instance has been brought to our notice where complaint about inappropriate facilities or the possibility of exposure of the students due to breach of standard operating procedure, as the case may be," the bench said, while dismissing the appeal for cancellation of remaining examination. During the hearing, senior advocate Manish Singhvi appearing for the state government referred to the 17 June order of the apex court in which it has refused to interfere with the High Court order allowing Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination in Karnataka due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The apex court was hearing an appeal filed by Devi, mother of an examinee of the Class 10 board, against the 29 May order of the Rajasthan High Court which had dismissed a plea seeking cancellation of the remaining examinations conducted by the state's board of secondary education. The appeal said that the board of secondary education of Rajasthan had passed a direction for conducting the remaining two papers of Class 10 on 29 June and 30 June and 11,86,418 students are likely to appear. It said the board had conducted the last exam on 18 March and thereafter the examinations were deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown. The appeal further contended that around 120 schools, which have been earmarked as examination centres, had been used to quarantine migrant workers during transit to their native places. The appeal also referred to the 26 June order of the top court with regard to remaining examinations of Class 10 and Class 12 of CBSE board as well as of ICSE board. The appeal had sought an interim stay on the remaining examinations to be conducted on Monday and Tuesday. The petitioner before the High Court had also sought cancellation of remaining examinations to be conducted by CBSE due to COVID-19. On 26 June , the top court had approved the schemes of CBSE and ICSE for cancellations of remaining board examinations scheduled from 1 to 15 July due to the COVID-19 pandemic and approved their formula for assessment of examinees. The top court had permitted the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to issue the notification forthwith, with regard to cancellation of the remaining board examinations of Class 10 and 12 and assessment of marks, while the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) said it would upload the notification within a week on its website. The apex court's order had come on a batch of pleas seeking relief, including scrapping of remaining exams of Class 12 scheduled from 1-15 July, in view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. Similar relief was sought for the ICSE Board as well. The CBSE class 12 exams had started on 15 February and were to conclude on 3 April. The class 10 exams had started on 21 February and were to end on 29 March. The ICSE Board had postponed its class 10 and 12 examinations due to a coronavirus outbreak and they were to end on March 31. However, the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic came into force from 25March. Pence at First Baptist Dallas: Americas foundation is freedom, freedoms foundation is faith Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Vice President Mike Pence was the special guest speaker at the annual Celebrate Freedom Sunday at First Baptist Church Dallas, where told congregants that Christians need to hold fast to freedom and faith in these challenging times. It is good to be back in church, Pence told the congregation before sharing a quote by President Donald Trump who recently said, We will never stop fighting for the sacred values that bind us together as America. Trump, he added, also said, 'faith and family, and not the bureaucracy and government, is the true way of life,' and the 'we live by the words of our national motto: In God we trust.' Pence continued, The foundation of America is freedom, and the foundation of freedom is faith." "From day one, President Trump has protected the freedom of all Americans. Only the nations that have the Lord as their God are blessed," he said. "In these challenging times, lets hold fast to freedom and to faith. Lets start praying for America again," he encouraged Christians before saying, "the greatest honor of my life is to be your vice president." Dr. Ben Carson, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who also spoke at the service, said Christians should stand for what they believe in. Lets not look to somebody else to solve our problems, he told the congregants. We all have a sphere of influence. Within that sphere of influence, we can determine how were going to act, how we are going to treat our fellow men, he explained. Were the ones who can push godly principles of loving your fellow men, caring about your neighbor, developing your God-given talents to the utmost so that you should become valuable to the people around you; you have values and principles that govern your life. And if we do that, not only will we be a great nation, but we will have one nation under God, he concluded. Before introducing Pence, Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress, a member of President Donald Trumps Evangelical Advisory Board and White House Faith Initiative, praised the Administration for enacting the most pro-life, pre-religious liberty, pro-Israel, pro-conservative judiciary in the history of America. Pence, the pastor added, is a man of deep faith. He believes in the power of prayer despite being ridiculed for his faith." He also hailed the vice president for being "a champion of religious liberty in our country and around the world. Some had criticized Pence for speaking at an in-person service at a time when the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has been rising in Dallas and other areas across the nation following a month of protests and the lifting of lockdown orders. A reporter with NBC News' Dallas affiliate WFAA asked Jeffress to respond to those who believe masks infringe on their freedom. I tell them thats ludicrous, the pastor said. Theres nothing political about wearing a mask, Jeffress added. Its a medical issue. I think people who have common sense realize a mask doesnt only protect them, but it protects those around them as well. And as Christians especially, were supposed to be concerned not just for ourselves but the well-being of our weaker brother. In this case those who might be more susceptible to the virus. The church had encouraged everyone to wear face masks, practice social distancing, and use the hand sanitizer stations set up throughout the church's campus. Those vulnerable to illness had been advised to stay home and watch online. The church also said it would not go beyond about 2,200 people inside the main sanctuary where Pence spoke. When Pence arrived in Dallas Sunday morning, he was greeted by Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Speaker Dennis Bonnen at Love Field Airport. Pence and the others were seen wearing masks. After leaving the church, Pence joined Abbott, Carson, Dr. Deborah Birx, Sen. John Cornyn, and other health experts at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for a closed-door briefing on COVID-19. 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Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 Offering students who continue their pursuit for academic aspirations a great opportunity to study and brainstorm on projects in calm and clean study spaces, The Ascott Limited has introduced a students work-from-home promo at its properties across the Middle East & Turkey. The offer, which includes complimentary bites and beverages, is part of the brands endeavour to reach out to the community and caters to the popularising work-from-home trend with a serene and safe environment for complete peace of mind. Those looking for study spaces in Al Khobar, Dubai, Istanbul, Jeddah, Manama, Muscat and Riyadh, can make their daily or monthly reservations. - TradeArabia News Service Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. So I have played RuneScape before. Is your new version bad? It looks like I only RuneScape gold ever hear talk of people playing with old school RuneScape. I rather like the concept of gathering ore and smithing equipment to sell to people. Is that actually feasible, or is RuneScape game at a point where that a thing? Its not actually a thing in OSRS. You can do it but it will not be"rewarding". You would be making cannonballs for gain. I guess if you like to role play creating armor and weapons then but RS3 might be better if you would like to create some form of profit. RS3 reworked its smithing and smithing so if thats what you want attempt RS3 best in slot armor actually makes the ending game. The new variant (rather: original version that's been upgraded) is not'poor', it is actually quite enjoyable. The two games only have quite different design philosophies. OSRS is paced in every facet: slower to level, slower to travel, slower to kill creatures. OSRS is more about the journey, although it still has things to do at endgame. RS3 is more about getting you to endgame fast enjoy a MMO. Some people enjoy that, some don't. But don't get me wrong, it's going to take you a while to get to endgame at RS3, longer than any MMO that is contemporary nowhere near as long as OSRS. OSRS and RS3 also disagree on combat systems, OSRS being more like cookie clicker and RS3 being more like wow. However the combat systems are both basically the same - you can still turn your brain off, watch cartoons and acquiring phat loot. The reason people don't talk about RS3 is because of the large bad boogeyman - micro-transactions. You are able to essentially buy maximum level in case you're willing to fall over 10 grand. You can purchase gold in both matches, like wow tokens. It is viable, you will turn a profit, but not ideal. It is actually more viable in RS3 because of the mining and smithing rework. RS3, the"primary" game is merely so-so. OSRS is the sport that is more popular, and it deserves it too since it is more fun imo. Collecting ore and smithing the equipment isn't a way to generate money unless you're in free to perform with, then smithing rune swords to buy old school rs gold is a good money maker. It is often seen as not feasible as the grind to obtain the levels is long and there are far better choices. Collecting ore is a rewarding method by itself. You are able to smith cannonballs however, xp/hr and the gp/hr is not great. But it's afk, therefore some folks like it. Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not think he is asking if it's profitable or not. I believe he saying if there's a market for really gathering ore, subsequently especially selling gear such as how it used to work, to individuals outside of exchange that is grand. But since Grand Exchange is currently a thing, of course that is no longer an alternative. As for RS3, it's really great. Better in a lot of ways than OSRS. But racial disparities in health care are nothing new, as study after study has shown. Black women are six times more likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions and are less likely to have good heart health while pregnant. Black and Latina women report more pain postpartum than white women, but receive less opioid medication to treat it. The National Women's Council of Ireland says it is really disappointed that just four of the 15 cabinet ministers appointed are women. Yesterday, Micheal Martin was made Taoiseach and he named the members of the 33rd Dails Cabinet. Of the 15 members, the four women who have been given portfolios are: Fine Gaels Helen McEntee - Minister for Justice Fianna Fails Norma Foley - Minister for Education Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys - Minister for Social Protection and Rural Affairs Green Partys Catherine Martin - Minister for Culture, Arts, Media, Tourism and Sport Director of the Council, Orla O'Connor, says Fianna Fail and Fine Gael did not give female candidates a fair shake. It is really disappointing that in 2020 we will still only have four women as Cabinet Ministers," said Ms O'Connor. "The current makeup of the Cabinet is a direct result of the missed opportunity by the two main political parties to run sufficient numbers of women on electable seats during the last general election. "Four women do not even meet the current quota of 30% where we can begin to address gender balance, let alone the desired 50/50 split that has been achieved in many other countries across the world. It will be crucial now that all Ministers promote womens equality over the next Dail term. The decisions they make in both appointments to senior decision-making bodies and the policies they implement must show a renewed commitment to advancing womens rights. "Women cannot afford to wait for equality. With just 30.6% of elected Senators being women and only 22.5% women in the Dail, progress to date has been shamefully slow. "Women also remain severely underrepresented at local level. Councillors are often the pool of people that political parties recruit from for their candidates for the Oireachtas. "NWCI is calling on the new Government to pass legislation for a gender quota for the local elections in 2023 and to increase support for initiatives that support women to run for political office at all levels. Pippa Hackett, from the Green Party, has been made a super junior minister as has Fine Gaels Hildegarde Naughton. Ms Hackett will be a Junior Minister for Agriculture with responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity. Ms Naughton will be a Junior Minister for Transport, Aviation, Maritime Transport. As for the new Taoiseachs Read More: Former Fine Gael Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty will be the Leader of the upper house. Everyone stand up and applaud this Karim Benzema assist, please. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Real Madrid seized control of the La Liga title race on Sunday thanks mainly to Karim Benzemas continued magic. Benzema used a no-look backheel nutmeg to set up Casemiro on a silver platter and produce the only goal in Real Madrids 1-0 win over Espanyol. Check this out (via beIN Sports): Was it intentional, and not just Benzema playing the ball into a dangerous area however he could? With the form hes in, were betting he meant it. Benzema has scored three times since La Liga return and Real Madrid has won all five of its matches. He certainly seemed cognizant of Casemiros run centrally as he chased down the 50/50 ball. Real Madrid is now two points clear of Barcelona, which stumbled again in a draw vs. Celta Vigo on Saturday, with six matches to play. More from Yahoo Sports: The internationally recognised president urges southern separatists to honour Riyadh pact to end conflict in the south. Yemens president has called on southern separatists to stop the bloodshed and abide by a power-sharing agreement in his first public comments since the secessionists declared autonomy in April. The conflict between the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi constitutes a second front in Yemen, already split by a war between government loyalists and Houthi rebels. The STC, which declared self-rule on April 26, has made a series of military gains, the latest this month when it seized the strategic Indian Ocean island of Socotra. I call on the so-called Southern Transitional Council to return to the path of the Riyadh Agreement and stop the bloodshed, Hadi said during a meeting on Saturday with high-level government officials, referring to a power-sharing deal for the south struck last November that quickly became defunct. The Riyadh accord The Riyadh accords implementation has long faltered due to continuous escalatory activities, including the announcement of self-rule and the rebellion witnessed in Socotra, Hadi said, who has been living in the Saudi capital following the takeover of Sanaa and large parts of Yemen by the Houthis in 2014. Resorting to arms and force for personal gains will not be accepted, he added. The agreement, which was signed in May 2019, includes the unification of all military formations under the authority of the ministries of interior and defence, as well as the formation of an efficient government made up equally between the north and south of Yemen. Fighters loyal to the STC gather at the front line during clashes with pro-government forces for control of Zinjibar, the capital of the southern Abyan province [File: Nabil Hasan/AFP] Located off the southern coast of Aden, the interim seat of the Yemeni government, Socotra is near strategic shipping lanes and is famed for its biodiversity. Tensions have escalated over the last several months since the separatists declared self-rule in Aden and other southern provinces. War within a war This prompted Yemens government in May to launch a military offensive in Abyan aimed at ousting the separatists from Aden. The southern separatists and the Yemeni government are technically allies in the fight against the Houthis, but the rift between them represents a damaging war within a war in the Arabian Peninsulas poorest country. Earlier this week, a Saudi-led military coalition backing the government against the Houthis said it had deployed observers to monitor a ceasefire between pro-government troops and southern separatists announced two days earlier. Saudi forces arrived on Wednesday in Shaqra and Sheikh Salem, two flashpoints in southern Yemens Abyan province, to monitor that truce, military sources said. A collapse of the ceasefire in the south would again complicate efforts by the government to repel the Houthis, who are believed to be aligned with Saudis regional foe Iran. The separatists and the government are due to hold further talks in Saudi Arabia to discuss the truce, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said this week. Since the Saudi-led coalition launched a military offensive in 2015, tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced in Yemen, in what the United Nations calls the worlds worst humanitarian disaster. Family members are mourning the death of a Birmingham man killed in an industrial incident that happened less than two years after his sister was killed in an equally tragic accident. Reginald Delorain Cook, 25, died Thursday night while working on machinery at Barber Dairies in Homewood. Authorities said Cook became pinned between machinery. He was discovered by a co-worker at 5:17 p.m. and rushed to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. Just minutes before his death, Cook had spoken by phone with his wife of six years, Blair. I talked to him at 5:11 p.m. He called and asked me what the kids were doing and was going to call me right back,' Blair said. I didnt even want to get off the phone with him. The call from Reginald never came and instead Blair started getting multiple calls from her husbands co-workers, some of whom werent even on the job at the time. It was then she learned Reginald had been killed. I dropped everything and went straight to Barbers,' she said. Nobody wont tell us what happened. We just want to know. Reginald and Blair met and began dating on Aug. 11, 2009 when they were in the eighth grade at Wenonah. Almost immediately they got rings made with their names and a heart and began to plan for a future together. We were so ready to get grown, and have kids and get a house,' Blair said. We did everything we said we were going to do. The couple married on Aug. 11, 2014 and had their first son several months later. Reginald went to work at Barbers Dairies five years ago and loved his job. He was dedicated. He didnt ever want to be late,' Blair said. He always put his job first. The family prayed together every day before Reginald left for work, but Blair said it never occurred to them that he would be killed on the job. I cant even wrap my mind around this,' she said. We were doing everything right and were supposed to grow old together. Both Blair and Reginalds mom, Christine Cook, said Reginald was a homebody and a family man. He was the best dad in the world. He loved me, he loved his kids, he loved his mom and his sisters and brothers,' Blair said. He was about us. He took care of everybody. He was one of five children. One of his sisters, 35-year-old Kristi Venise Cook, was killed in December 2018 when she and her boyfriends vehicle was struck by an Amtrack train at 17th Street S.W. and 17th Place in west Birmingham. Both were ejected from the vehicle upon impact and pronounced dead at the scene. Christine said she cant describe what its like to lose two of her children in such bizarre accidents. Its so hard for me to even think about the things that have happened,' Christine said. But were putting our trust in God Almighty and lifting our hearts up in prayer. Reginald was my baby,' she said. Ill just miss everything about him. Blair said their 5-year-old son keeps waiting on his dad to come home to play Fortnite. I dont even know what to say to him,' she said. Reginald would give their 8-month-old son a bottle every night when he got home from work. He doesnt know whats going on, but he feels it,' she said. She said Reginald always had a smile on his face. You never saw him in a bad mood,' she said. He had a heart of gold. He would give you the shirt off his back and he didnt even have to know you to help you. 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 BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2020 / CloutMedia Marketing, a Brisbane-based social media marketing and development company that works to help clients grow their social media accounts, is providing educational content related to the potential and power of social media reach and engagement today. With recent studies confirming that social media has become largely pervasive not only in everyday life, but in also shaping mass media rhetoric, and therefore, our thoughts, CloutMedia underlined that through social media, brands can completely change their customer engagement metrics. "Interaction with customers is one of the best ways to build relationships and trust, and thus returning customers," said Elijiah Pitman, founder of @funnysgod and CEO of CloutMedia Marketing. "Social media is perfect for this, and it's relatively easy to get started." As the 'social media phenomenon' spreads around the world, it is now understood that these social apps can significantly impact a firm's reputation, sales, and even survival. Leveraging the power of conversation, identity, sharing, presence, reputation, grouping, and relationships, social media is able to take internet information, and embed it as part of someone's personal fabric. While this phenomenon takes root, some of the following benefits are witnessed for all participating brands and businesses: - Increased overall brand awareness: billions of people are on social media every single day looking for content that reaffirms their personal wants and beliefs. Simply being on social media makes it easier for these potential buyers to find a business. - Brand humanization: today's consumers do not trust a brand until they see real-world proof that the brand is actually keeping its promises. - Thought leader publication: social media provides businesses with a way to establish themselves as "thought leaders" in their particular niche. Since 63% of people trust technical experts, whereas only 42% trust businesses, positioning a brand as an expert will change the trajectory of the company. - Increased web traffic: Social media posts, fleeting content, boosted posts, and advertisements are all excellent ways to drive traffic to a website. Sharing blogs, participating in social chats, like the weekly HootChat on Twitter, and offering free downloadable content will increase website sales. - Influencer partnerships: the world of influencer marketing is here to stay, considering that 20 to 50% of purchases are driven by word of mouth marketing today. Social media is the best place to leverage influencers that can recommend a brand or product. "It's possible to work with startup businesses and reap the benefits of a social media presence, with proven results," said Pitman. "All business owners who feel scared or intimidated by the world of social media need to embrace it this year. That's where CloutMedia can help." For more information, please contact Company: CloutMedia Marketing Contact: Elijiah Pitman E-mail: cloutmediainternational@gmail.com Telephone: +61 423 839 499 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Elijiahp/ Website: https://cloutmedia.shop/ SOURCE: CloutMedia Marketing View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/595496/CloutMedia-Marketing-Underscores-Importance-of-Social-Media-Marketing-Today Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 05:47:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KHARTOUM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government on Sunday decided to extend the full curfew in Khartoum State for one more week starting Tuesday to prevent the COVID-19 spread, the Higher Committee for Health Emergencies announced. The government also decided to extend the closure of airports for domestic and international passenger flights until July 12. The Sudanese government imposed a three-week full curfew on Khartoum State on April 18. The full curfew has since been extended for four times. Sudan has so far reported 9,257 COVID-19 cases, including 572 deaths and 4,014 recoveries. China has been offering help to Sudan in its fight against COVID-19. On June 18, the Chinese government provided a new batch of medical supplies to Sudan to boost its efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 11, a Chinese team of medical experts concluded a two-week mission of supporting Sudan's fight against COVID-19 through sharing China's experiences in controlling and treating the infectious disease. Enditem Planned Parenthood sues church, pastors for holding worship service outside abortion clinic Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The nation's largest abortion provider has filed a lawsuit against a church that meets outside one of its clinics in eastern Washington state as a "prophetic statement" against what's going on inside. Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho is taking legal action against The Church at Planned Parenthood, which regularly worships outside the Spokane clinic, The Spokesman-Review reported earlier this week. Named as defendants in the suit are state Rep. Matt Shea; Pastors Ken Peters, Gabe Blomgren, and Seth Haberman; Clay Roy, director of TCAPP; along with Covenant Church and Covenant Christian School. "Planned Parenthood is not worried about patient care. We have service once a month, in the evening after their business hours. They seek to silence our message," Peters said in an interview with The Christian Post on Thursday. "They are scared of our prayers and our worship. We arent there to bother them, we are there to touch Heaven and be a light to the world. We are there to be a prophetic statement that 'we, the church, dont approve of killing life inside the womb.'" The abortion giant hates that message, he said, and is attempting to silence the church. "Right now they are suing us for psychological damages to their staff and patients after hours. Im sorry, but they do much more damage to these women and children than our singing," Peters added. Attorneys for the abortion giant have said that the Christian gatherings, which sometimes draw hundreds of people, interfere with the clinic's operations and have intimidated patients and the clinic staff. These are not protesters they are bullies who are trying to take away care from young women, men, the LGBTQ community and black, indigenous, people of color in Spokane, Karl Eastlund, chief executive of the regional Planned Parenthood organization, said in a statement. The lawsuit is seeking damages and a permanent injunction to halt TCAPP from assembling outside the Planned Parenthood office located on E. Indiana Avenue in Spokane. The Church at Planned Parenthood describes itself on its website as "NOT a protest." "Its a worship service at the gates of Hell. The Church at Planned Parenthood is a gathering of Christians for the worship of God and the corporate prayer for repentance for this nation, repentance for the apathetic church, and repentance of our blood-guiltiness in this abortion holocaust," the website adds. TCAPP has been gathering outside the local Planned Parenthood building to pray and worship since 2018. Planned Parenthood has maintained that TCAPP's activities violate the city noise ordinance and a state law that prohibits disruptions at healthcare facilities. It also says that local police are refusing to enforce those regulations. Earlier this year, the Spokane City Council voted 6-1 to pass an additional ordinance with the same effect as the state law. "We are making the temple of Satan angry. This isnt a political war or an earthly battle. It is spiritual," Peters added. "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty. Planned Parenthood is proving that by their response to us. Prayer, praise, giving and preaching the Gospel just works. They can sue Gods people if they wish, but God will avenge us. God sees our heart for His creation. Planned Parenthood isnt attacking us, they are attacking God." Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 15:52:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Passenger trips on trains reached 26.78 million during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday travel rush, official data showed Sunday. From June 24 to 27, average daily railway passenger trips hit 6.7 million, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. A total of 7.53 million passenger trips were made on trains Thursday, a record daily number after this year's Spring Festival travel rush, the state-owned railway company said. From June 25 to June 27, commercial airlines in the country made around 2.68 million trips and the number of road trips was 56.73 million, according to the Ministry of Transport estimates. Enditem Annexation of occupied territory such as West Bank is a major breach of international law, making planned move illegal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will begin to annex one third of the already illegally occupied West Bank, including parts of the strategic Jordan Valley, in line with US President Donald Trumps controversial so-called Middle East plan. The plan, announced in January, proposes to establish a demilitarised Palestinian state on a patchwork of disjointed parts of the Palestinian territories. This does not include occupied East Jerusalem, which the Palestinian Authority (PA) claims as the capital of a state it seeks. Trumps Middle East plan has been largely met with scepticism and was rejected by Palestinian leaders, but Israel has taken it as a show of support for its plans to seize and extend its sovereignty over the occupied land. What does annexation mean? Annexation is a term used when a state unilaterally incorporates another territory within its borders. Annexing the Jordan Valley would mean that Israel would officially consider it part of its state. UN experts say the annexation of occupied territory is a serious violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions, and contrary to the fundamental rule affirmed many times by the UN Security Council and General Assembly that the acquisition of territory by war or force is inadmissible. Annexation is illegal. Period, Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement on Monday. Any annexation. Whether it is 30 percent of the West Bank, or 5 percent. According to international law, all settlements in the West Bank are illegal. The US, however, has rejected the consensus that Israeli settlements on Palestinian land are illegal. Decisions about Israelis extending sovereignty to those places are decisions for the Israelis to make, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters last week. What has the international reaction been? The UN and the European Union say the plans threaten the possibility of reaching a peace agreement in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Arab countries have also warned the planned annexation could affect security in the region. What are the consequences? The planned Israeli annexation would deprive Palestinians of key agricultural land and water resources, especially in the Jordan Valley region. It would also effectively kill the two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that was based on the idea of land for peace. But many Palestinians would argue that the annexation is merely a formality for what has already been happening on the ground in the West Bank for years. Increased settlement construction over the past years, along with Jewish-settler-only roads that connect to Israel, have carved the territory up, resulting in non-contiguous Palestinian cities, towns and villages that now exist in cantons. How has Palestinian leadership reacted? Mohammad Shtayyeh, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), called the annexation plans an existential threat and said Palestinians will respond with their own measures. In May 2019, the PA said it will cancel all bilateral agreements with Israel and the US. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki warned any annexation would be a crime and lead to immediate and tangible repercussions. The Gaza-based Hamas government has called for unity among Palestinians and popular acts of resistance against Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank. A survey by Kaspersky shows that parents in the Asia Pacific region (APAC) are more worried about their kids (and spouses) seeing their online activity and private data than they are worried about cyber criminals. Kids often hide their online activity from their parents, but it seems that parents do the same thing. In fact, a survey by Kaspersky shows that parents in the Asia Pacific region (APAC) are more worried about their kids (and spouses) seeing their online activity and private data than they are worried about cyber criminals. The survey was conducted over the first two months of 2020 and the data was compiled in a report called Defending digital privacy: Taking personal protection to the next level. The survey asked respondents who they were most afraid to give access to their private information to. The highest percent of respondents, 10.3%, said it was their children, followed by 9.9% for partner or spouse and 9.1% for parents. Ironically, online users in APAC are more concerned of having their blood relatives or relationship partners seeing or accessing their private data online way more than malicious actors. In fact, our survey showed cybercriminals is their least concern with only 3.1%, comments Stephan Neumeier, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky. This truth is really alarming in the sense that these virtual criminals are actively riding the current chaos, urgently looking for new preys to loot money or information. The lack of awareness and the needed fear to keep their hands off our data can put our online assets and reputation at risk, Neumeier added. Whom are you afraid of seeing or having access to your private information? Here's what the Kaspersky survey revealed. (Kaspersky) Dr. Joel Yang, Clinical Psychologist at Mind what Matters in Singapore noted that the statistics can be viewed through a cultural lens given that the region is largely constituted with more collectivistic societies. Collectivistic attitudes typically encourage the correctness of social relationships and such ideals emphasise hierarchy in family structure. It is key to the social harmony that each member understands and plays their role. In the family unit, this means that children are expected to show respect to their parents without question. This perpetuates the behaviour of parents not disclosing any private matters to children which may bring any question to the authority of the parent, Yang said. Another interesting finding in this survey is that parents in APAC are not as worried about cybercriminals accessing their private information as others globally are. Through the same cultural lens, people place more trust in the governing bodies and believe that their interests will generally be taken care of, he added. Another research done by Kaspersky revealed that parents care about their kids online safety but do not spend enough time to educate their kids about it. More than half (58%) of the surveyed respondents admitted speaking to their children about the subject for less than 30 minutes. Trust is important to keep the familial bond intact. Parents should establish openness through constant communication, discuss both the physical and online lives of their children. As guardians, moms and dads should show their kids that they are allies on the internet and their mutual enemy are cybercriminals. From there, they can build on educating the young and themselves about the best online habits, adds Neumeier. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, June 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athabasca University, Canadas online university, and the Commonwealth of Learning will host the 10th Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF10) in Calgary in September 2022, marking the first time the international event will be held in Canada. The Forum, which is held every three years, is one of the worlds leading international forums in open, distance, and technology-enabled learning, attracting hundreds of delegates from across the Commonwealth and beyond. Since 1999, the Forum has been held in Brunei Darussalam, Jamaica, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. PCF10 is designed to promote discussion and develop recommendations for common action to widen education access and bridge the digital divide. The 2022 theme, Mainstreaming Open Learning for Recovery, Real Change, and Resilience, will focus on improving access to quality education to help advance the social and economic development of communities and nations across the Commonwealth in the face of global challenges. The Pan-Commonwealth Forum has travelled the world, and we are excited to bring it to Canada. This is an important milestone in our joint work with Athabasca University and an opportunity to lead the change in how we teach and learn. Professor Asha S. Kanwar, President and CEO, Commonwealth of Learning We are thrilled to be co-hosting such a prestigious event with colleagues from around the globe to look at the future of online education at this pivotal time in history. We need global cooperation to broaden access to education and overcome technological and economic barriers that exist in many parts of the world. Dr. Neil Fassina, President of Athabasca University The conference includes the presentation of the Commonwealth of Learnings Excellence in Distance Education Awards to those who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in open, distance, and technology-enhanced education. Story continues About the Commonwealth of Learning Created by Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1987, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) helps Member States and institutions harness the potential of distance learning and technologies to expand access to education and training and address the education challenges of today. For COL, learning is the key to sustainable development and must lead to opportunities for economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental conservation. Visit www.col.org for more details. About Athabasca University Athabasca University (AU), Canadas online university, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. AU has a long history of being a leader and innovator in distributed learning. Today, AU is one of the worlds fastest-growing digital education institutions, serving more than 43,000 students worldwide. AU offers more than 950 courses at the undergraduate, graduate, diploma, and certificate program levels in addition to online professional development. Disciplines include arts, business, health, education, and science. Committed to advancing research, AU is home to Canadas only UNESCO Chair in Open Education, four Canada Research Chairs, and two Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chairs. As one of the worlds first online universities, AUs flexibility, openness, and accessibility give learners control over their educational journeys. AU removes barriers that restrict access to and success in university-level study no matter where they may be located. Visit AthabascaU.ca. Carole Stevenson-Roy, MBA Athabasca University 780-887-9100 communications@athabascau.ca Natalia Angheli-Zaicenco, DPhil Commonwealth of Learning 604-775-8263 NZaicenco@col.org Denzel Washington recounts being filled with the Holy Ghost: 'It scared me' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington sat down for an Instagram Live with his pastor friend, A.R. Bernard, on Thursday and recounted the moment he was filled with the Holy Spirit and how it impacted his life and even his childrens lives. During the 30-minute discussion, Washington told the senior pastor of Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., that he gave his life to Jesus three times and on one of those occasions he had a supernatural encounter with God. "I was filled with the Holy Ghost and it scared me. I said, 'Wait a minute, I didn't want to go this deep, I want to party,' Washington admitted. The moment happened at Bishop Charles E. Blakes West Angeles Church of God in Christ in the 80s. I went to church with Robert Townsend and when it came time to come down to the altar I said, 'You know this time, I'm just going to go down there and give it up and see what happens.' I went in the prayer room and gave it up and let go and experienced something I've never experienced in my life, the Fences actor explained. I remember calling my mother afterwards and asking her, I said, 'Well, you know it felt like I was going up in the air, and my cheeks were filled' and she said, 'Oh no, that's the devil you're purging. "It was a supernatural, once in this lifetime experience that I couldn't completely understand at the time. It would take years before the entertainer fully dedicated his life to God. In a 2017 interview with The Christian Post, Washington shared his testimony. "I speak now and I'm doing what God told me to do from the beginning," he testified. "It was prophesied that I would travel the world and preach to millions of people. It was prophesied when I was 20. I thought it was through my work and it has been." "My mother said to me when I was 59, she said, 'Denzel, you do a lot of good. You have to do good the right way and you know what I'm talking about.' I don't drink anymore, I don't do any of those things. I'm all about the message to the degree that I know it, and I'm unashamed and unafraid to share it! In his new discussion with Bernard, Washington explained that his experience with the Holy Spirit kept him throughout all the years of his fame and success. "It kept me grounded in spite of myself; I mean, I accepted it, I definitely experienced it, but I wasn't ready to live it. I don't know how old I was then but I wasn't ready to live it then. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's gone through that kind of experience, Washington told his spiritual mentor. The actor also wanted people to know that having a moment with God like his doesnt mean that life would now go his way. "You have that moment ... But it doesn't mean that the rest of your life is going to go the way it should. It's not like 'Oh, I had this moment, I'm filled with the Holy Spirit and now everything's going to be pretty, not going to be perfect. The next day I'm ready to save everybody. I'm in charge of saving people. Bernard mentioned that Washington called him the day his own son, John David Washington, experienced a similar infilling with the Holy Spirit. "He's a very talented and spiritual young man, Washington said of his oldest son who has followed in his fathers acting footsteps. We are happy about his success but we are equally excited about the example he's setting for his brothers and sisters, as a man of God and their sibling being an example of that and being unashamed of it. I dont put value in monetary and all of those things. What happened with one of our sons, we pray, happen to all of our children. I've tried everything else and it doesnt pay off. Concerning what he sees in the world today, Washington said hes empowered and inspired by the young people black, white, male or female. During the conversation, Washington also shared his thoughts on racial injustice and the move for equality still happening long after the civil rights movement. "I'm 65, not 15 [now], that's different. I'm looking at it from a different perspective, he noted. Some of the underlying issues obviously are still the same. The platforms that young people or people have now to express their opinions are obviously, there are ... so many more of them and there's so much more of an opportunity. "In a sense, part of Martin Luther King's dream has come true. He talked black and whites walking hand in hand. Well, that's actually the case. They are walking down the streets by the thousands, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands. They are not yet seeing 'Free at last, Free at last, thank God almighty I'm free last' because they're not. But they are together. So he was and is a prophet. It is changing, we are in the middle of it. Where it's going to go, we will see. The popular actor concluded his time with Bernard by saying, After all is said and done, I want to be in that number! I just want to be in that number when the saints go marching in. I want more than anything else in my life to be in that number. Recently, Salman Khans Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap accused the superstar for using his non profit organisation Being Human as a mean of money laundering. Now, Salmans brother Arbaaz Khan revealed that the family has decided to undertake legal action against the film maker.Arbaaz recently was interviewed by a leading daily where he was asked about the controversy. During the interview, Arbaaz revealed, . We would like to go that way, not interested in fighting this any other way... We are doing what we think is the best way to address this. Abhinav Kashyap also recently made a post on social media explaining exactly how the idea of charity is misused. He wrote, Salim Khans biggest idea is Being Human. The charity being done by Being Human is just a show-off. Five cycles used to be distributed in front of my eyes during the shooting of Dabangg, next day the newspapers would print that the generous Salman Khan has donated 5000 cycles to the poor. It was all an effort to cleanse Salman Khans image so that the media and the judges were kind to them in his criminal court cases.Since there is legal action underway, we only will be able to reveal more once an investigation on the same is undertaken. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday the entire country is paying tributes to the valour and bravery of soldiers who were killed in Ladakh and is indebted to them during his Mann Ki Baat programme. Twenty Indian soldiers, including the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar Regiment, were killed on June 15 during the hours-long violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley. Just like their family members, every Indian is grieving the loss of the soldiers. The price in the sacrifices and the feeling for the country is the real strength of the country, the Prime Minister said. The proud parents of those soldiers killed in Ladakh, he said, also want their other sons and children to join the armed forces. Also read: 2020 a year of challenges, need to continue our march, says PM Modi on Mann ki Baat Martyr Kundan Kumars father from Bihar said that he will send his grandsons to armed forces to protect the country. This is the spirit of every martyrs family. The sacrifice of these families is worth worshipping, he said Every Indian should make it their lifes goal the same resolve with which our soldiers sacrificed their lives. Our efforts should be in that direction to make the country stronger, more capable and self-reliant, he added. This will be the real tribute to our martyrs. This is the 66th episode of the Prime Ministers Mann Ki Baat, the monthly radio programme. Ninh Binh launches new helicopter tour on Trang An complex Visitors to the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh will now have a chance to enjoy the stunning scenic views of the UNESCO-recognised site from above, thanks to a new helicopter tour officially launched on June 26. Staff from the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company prepare to welcome tourists on board at Trang An pier. (Photo: NDO/Le Hong) The tour is offered by the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company in collaboration with Xuan Truong Enterprise and Ninh Binh Department of Tourism on a Bell 505 helicopter. On the first day of the tour, the new tourism product proved its attractiveness with about 400 visitors registering. A representative from the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company said that the Bell 505 helicopter, imported from the United States, was built in 2019. This is a light-duty helicopter with four seats specialising in travel and sightseeing. The cabin is designed with transparent glass, allowing visitors to enjoy the entire majestic natural landscape. The 10-minute flight allows a maximum of four passengers per trip. The experienced pilots will operate flexible flights at different altitudes, making it convenient for visitors to enjoy the complex. Chief pilot Le Hai Dang of the VN8650 Bell 505 helicopter said that after departing at the pier in Trang An Ecological Tourism Area, visitors will fly at different altitudes, the highest being over 210 m above the terrain. The route will bypass the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist site, Bai Dinh Pagoda and the Hoa Lu ancient capital area. The majestic natural landscape of the Trang An scenic complex as viewed from above. It is part of the stimulating solutions offered by the Ninh Binh tourism industry to recover after the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as preparing new forms of tourism products in order to attract domestic and international tourists and welcome the 2021 National Tourism year as hosted by Ninh Binh province. Producers of the new James Bond film want Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to attend the Los Angeles premiere - a week after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to attend the London launch. No Time To Die - set to be Daniel Craig's last film in the Bond franchise - was due to premiere in April but was pushed back to November because of the coronavirus pandemic. For its star-studded launch, producers are hoping to snag the Sussexes as guests of honour, reports suggest. But Prince William and Kate could attend London's screening of the film just one week before, leading one source to question whether the potential clash will put the Cambridges off from attending at all. Producers of the new James Bond film want Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (pictured at the Lion King premiere in 2019) to attend the Los Angeles premiere - a week after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to attend the London launch The source told The Sun: 'The team have recently adjusted the release date in the US to put it within a week of the UK's so they can have massive premieres in LA and London. 'For the Hollywood premiere they have signalled they want Harry and Meghan as guests of honour. 'It poses an interesting question over whether William and Kate will attend the London premiere.' No Time To Die - set to be Daniel Craig's last film in the Bond franchise (a still from the film, pictured) - was due to premiere in April but was pushed back to November because of the coronavirus pandemic William and Kate attended the London premiere of the last Bond film Spectre in 2015 with Prince Harry. In the new film Bond is shown enjoying retirement in Jamaica, having hung up his Walther PPK pistol in favour of a quiet life. No Time To Die is set five years after the last Bond film, Spectre, which saw the secret agent fall in love with Dr Swann, a French psychologist. For its star-studded launch, producers are hoping to snag the Sussexes as guests of honour, reports suggest. But Prince William and Kate could attend London's screening of the film just one week before, leading one source to question whether the potential clash will put the Cambridges off from attending at all Spectre ends with Bond driving off with her into the sunset in his old Aston Martin DB5. The insider said: Without giving too much away, the new film is filled with twists. 'Bond appears to be happy in his new domestic life but then, of course, he gets dragged back in to save the world. No Time To Die opens with new Bond villain, Safin, played by Oscar-winner Rami Malek, chasing a girl across an ice-covered lake in Norway. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 23:36:45|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close A woman wearing a face mask walks on a street in downtown Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2020. Amid increasing infections and fatalities over COVID-19 pandemic, after partial removal of lockdown, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday said that wearing face masks in public areas will become mandatory from next week. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua) TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Amid increasing infections and fatalities over COVID-19 pandemic, after partial removal of lockdown, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday said that wearing face masks in public areas will become mandatory from next week. "From July 5, wearing masks in all public areas will be compulsory for two weeks," Rouhani said at a meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus. If necessary, the new decision will remain in force for the next month, he was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency. He also said those who fail to observe the health measures and regulation will be penalized. According to Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, the use of mask and respect to social distancing are "a must" in the provinces which are in high-risk condition. Disrespect to social distancing and disregard of health protocols are the main reasons for the resurgence of the pandemic in some of the cities in the country, Harirchi was quoted as saying by IRNA. Also, services will not be given to those without masks in areas such as government organizations and shopping malls, he said. Rouhani said on Sunday that the health ministry has provided a list of spaces and gatherings which are regarded as high-risk areas. The use of masks and protective gears has been optional in most areas in Iran. Iranian officials have hinted that they may reimpose restrictive measures. Rouhani also said on Sunday that the current year is the hard year for Iran as the country is grappled with economic pressures, due to the U.S. sanctions, as well as the outburst and endurance of novel coronavirus disease. But, the Islamic republic will hopefully overcome this tough situation in unity, he stressed. Iran reported its first COVID-19 cases on Feb. 19. It imposed restrictions late in the month and started to gradually ease the restrictions from April. Iran's confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 222,669 on Sunday after an overnight registration of 2,489 new infections, IRNA reported. Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said at her daily briefing that out of the new cases in the past 24 hours, 1,406 have been hospitalized. The pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 10,508 Iranians, up by 144 in the past 24 hours. Besides, 183,310 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals while 2,946 remain in critical condition. According to Lari, 1,610,869 lab tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in Iran as of Sunday. The Iranian health official said that five provinces are still in high-risk condition. 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 to China. In return, China has delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On Feb. 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic. Meghan Markle has finally cut ties with her bestie Jessica Mulroney. This came after the Canadian fashion stylist and marketing consultant was caught in a war of words with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter. Earlier this month, the 40-year-old Mulroney allegedly threatened to take legal action against the social media influencer after she was accused of "textbook white privilege." For what it's worth, Exeter publicized their feud. What made matters worse, however, was the fact that Mulroney brought up her connection with the Duchess of Sussex. This action reportedly led to Meghan ending her friendship with Mulroney. Meghan Markle "Done" With Jessica Mulroney A source told Us Weekly that the former "Suits" star considers her association with her lifetime friend "to be done." "Meghan could not get over that Jessica brought up her relationship with Meghan when she commented about her 'closest friend' in the discourse with Sasha," the source revealed. "That was hugely offensive to Meghan and the deciding factor for her. Meghan considers the relationship to be done." In more Meghan Markle news, a different source claimed that their friendship was over even before the scandal was exposed, as the Duchess of Sussex has been "distancing herself" from the Canadian stylist for good. "Especially now that Meghan is in L.A. and it's a sensitive time, Meghan is being very cautious with her affiliations," the source added. Meghan's Best Pal Axed On Reality Show Unfortunately for Mulroney, she did not only receive backlash from the public because of her feud with Exeter. According to reports, she was also axed from her television gigs, with CTV announcing that they would remove Jessica from the reality show "I Do, Redo." To recall, tExeter, who is behind the lifestyle website "So Sasha," claimed that Mulorney took offense after she called out social media personalities to use their platform for a good cause and to speak out against racism. In her lengthy Instagram post alongside a 12-minute video, Exeter detailed her "Amy Cooper" experience -- in reference to the white woman in New York Central Park who called the police on a Black man who was bird-watching. "I've been silent. Not anymore!" she wrote as she went on and shared her problem with Mulroney. "I'm opening up about something that has been haunting me for the last week. I have felt like a complete fraud fighting for racial equality and using my voice openly here while letting a white woman silence mine behind closed doors." The Canadian stylist, later on, apologized to Exeter and vowed to "continue to learn and listen on how I can use my privilege to elevate and support black voices." She went on and admitted that she should know better after she "lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where the race was front and center." However, it was too late for her because her actions have affected her career and friendship with Duchess Meghan. Mulroney and the former royal have been friends since Meghan's days in the hit legal television series "Suits." As cited by Cosmopolitan, royal expert Katie Nicholl revealed that the two had a connection when they first met during a yoga and pilates session in 2011. READ MORE: TikTok Star Dead At 16 -- REAL Cause Of Death Revealed! Trump signs executive order to strengthen foster care, bolster faith-based partnerships Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to strengthen the nations foster care system which calls on states and cities to work with faith-based and other charities at a time when organizations that uphold traditional views of marriage are facing increasing hostility from Democratic lawmakers and left-leaning groups. Trumps order signed Wednesday highlights several areas of concern where the president is calling for more research and improvement by federal and state agencies, such as the need to bolster robust partnerships between community organizations, improve access to resources for caregivers, and improve federal oversight on welfare requirements. Although the number of children in foster care in the U.S. has declined in recent years, there are still more than 430,000 children in foster care nationwide and over 124,000 eligible for adoption. The president stressed that too many children in the foster care system have to wait years before finding a permanent family. In recent years, approximately 20,000 young people have aged out of foster care each year in the United States, the order states. Research has shown that young people who age out of the foster care system are likely to experience significant, and significantly increased, life challenges. According to the order, 40% of people who age out of foster care experience homelessness and 50% are unemployed by the age of 24. The president called these unacceptable outcomes. Several factors have contributed to the number of children who wait in foster care for extended periods. First, state and local child welfare agencies often do not have robust partnerships with private community organizations, including faith-based organizations, the order stressed. Second, those who step up to be resource families for children in foster care including kin, guardians, foster parents, and adoptive parents may lack adequate support. A third reason, the order adds, is that the processes and systems meant to help children and families in crisis have instead created bureaucratic barriers that make it more difficult for these children and families to get the help they need. Section 2 of the order calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to encourage robust partnerships between state agencies and public, private, as well as faith-based community organizations. The orders urge the HHS secretary to require states to report on their strategies for coordinating with nongovernmental organizations, including faith-based and community organizations, to recruit and support foster and adoptive families. Within one year of the date of this order, the secretary shall issue guidance to federal, state, and local agencies on partnering with nongovernmental organizations, the order explains. This guidance shall include best practices for information sharing, providing needed services to families to support prevention of children entering foster care, family preservation, foster and adoptive home recruitment and retention, respite care, post-placement family support, and support for older youth. The orders call for the secretarys guidance to make clear that faith-based organizations are eligible for partnerships under title IV-E of the Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.), on an equal basis, consistent with the First Amendment to the Constitution. The order comes as some states and localities in the past decade-plus have ended partnerships with Christian and church-backed foster care agencies because they do not place children in the homes of same-sex couples and refer such parents to other adoption and foster care agencies. The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh a case brought on behalf of foster care parents who sued the city of Philadelphia last fall. The case dates back to 2018 when city officials stopped the placement of children with Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia because the organization upholds Church teachings on marriage and sexuality and does not place children in the homes of lesbian, gay or transgender couples. The Trump Justice Department filed a brief to the Supreme Court in favor of protecting the ability of tax-funded faith groups to turn away and refer same-sex couples to other organizations. The Justice Department contends that turning away religious organizations from foster care programs based on their beliefs is religious discrimination. Although Trumps new order doesn't specifically touch on whether cities and states should work with groups that uphold policies influenced by traditional teachings on marriage, the Trump administration has in the last three years issued several orders and guidance specifically on religious freedom rights. In October 2017, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued guidance stating that the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment protects businesses, churches and religious organizations no matter if they are affiliated with any level of government. The order calls on agencies not to "second-guess the reasonableness of a religious belief." In addition to foster relationships with charities, Trumps executive order calls on the HHS to equip caregivers and those in care to meet their unique challenges. The order notes that many caregivers lack access to private, faith-based and community services. The order also calls on the HHS secretary to issue guidance within six months on the use of federal funds to support and encourage high-quality legal representation for parents and children, including pre-petition representation. Increased representation would be part of efforts to prevent the removal of children from their families, safely reunify children and parents, finalize permanency, and ensure that their voices are heard and their rights are protected. Among other things, the executive order calls for the publishing of data to aid in the recruitment of community support and collect data to preserve sibling connections. In a tweet, HHS Secretary Alex Azar called the executive order part of the administrations historic commitment to promoting adoption. In a statement, the foster and adoption care organization Bethany Christian Services applauded the executive order, stressing that it underscores the need for all facets of our nation to work better together for the sake of vulnerable children: governments, states, nonprofit partners, faith communities, and families. "Children do best in families, and unfortunately, thousands of kids in America don't have a safe, stable family to grow up in, the BCS statement reads. We must improve equitable outcomes within our child welfare system through child and family-centric innovative solutions and a collaborative all hands on deck approach. One sector of society can't meet this need on its own; it will take all of us working together. Leslie Cooper, the deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Unions LGBT & HIV Project, called Trumps executive order a hypocrisy. While the Trump administration talks about the need for more foster parents, it is making arguments at the Supreme Court and authorizing discrimination in federally funded foster care programs that could result in many prospective parents being turned away by agencies for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability to care for a child, Cooper said. Cooper argues that religion is not a license to discriminate. Agencies providing child welfare services on behalf of the government must put the needs of children first, she contends. Turning away prospective foster families because of their sexual orientation, faith, or any other reason unrelated to the ability to support a child limits the families available for children. https://www.aish.com/ci/s/The-Unsung-Black-Female-Soldiers-of-WWII.html African American women of the 6888th Battalion delivered millions of pieces of mail during World War II. No mail, low morale. That was the slogan of one of the most remarkable military battalions to serve during the Second World War. At a time when the US Army was rigorously segregated, and when Black soldiers and female soldiers were barred from virtually all important roles, a remarkable battalion of 855 African American servicewomen was given a crucial job: clear a chaotic backlog of tens of millions of pieces of mail that was lying unorganized in rodent-infested buildings, and allow American troops to receive morale-boosting letters from home for the first time in months. The Six Triple Eight its official name was the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was given just six months to complete this mammoth job. Working in the midst of bombing and fighting in England and northern France, they completed their job in half the time. A few years earlier, the thought that hundreds of Black women wearing the uniform of the US Army and operating in a warzone would have seemed ludicrous. Even though the US Army had a female Nurse Corps since 1901, the women who served in it didnt have the same rank, pay or benefits as male soldiers. That changed in 1941 when Representative Edith Rogers, the 6th American woman to serve in the US Congress and the first to be elected from Massachusetts, introduced legislation allowing women to join the US Army. She had the support of General George Marshall, the US Armys Chief of Staff. After Pearl Harbor, he wrote to Congress stressing the need to recruit women quickly to help support the war effort: It is important that as quickly as possible we have a declared national policy in this matter Women certainly must be employed in the overall effort of this nation. President Roosevelt signed legislation a few months later creating the Womens Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC), allowing up to 150,000 women to enlist. Their role would be limited to essential services such as cooking and clerical work. They would receive room and board and pay but they wouldnt have some of the benefits male service members enjoyed, including health and life insurance and prisoner of war status in the case of being captured. Despite these limitations, women clamored to join the WAAC: over 30,000 applied to join the first officer training class of 440 volunteers. Remarkably, given the rampant discrimination in the US Army at the time, fully 10% of the WAAC was reserved for Black women reflecting the share of the US population that was Black at the time. That was partly due to lobbying efforts by Mary McLeod Bethune, the founder of the National Council for Negro Women, and a passionate advocate for the advancement of Black women in American society. Once the green light was given for Black women to join the WAAC, Mrs. Bethune went to work recruiting women to join, placing ads in Black newspapers and sending mailings to women living in African American neighborhoods. Private First Class Elizabeth Barker Johnson was working as a housekeeper when she saw a pamphlet for the WAAC on her doorstep in Elkin, North Carolina. There was a picture of Uncle Sam on the pamphlet, she recalled, and he was pointing a finger. It said, Uncle Sam wants you. So I picked it up and looked at it. I read some of the information and after Id finished reading, I said, Well, maybe you just got me. Pvt. Johnson became one of over 6,500 African American women to join the WAAC, and ultimately worked in the Six Triple Eight. Cpl. Annie Braceful sorting mail.Credit... While most of these women were of enlisted ranks, two Black women became Majors during World War II. The first to achieve that office was Maj. Charity Adams (later Earley), who would go on to lead the Six Triple Eight Unit. Her drive to prove herself and to expand opportunities for Black American women wound up contributing enormously to the Allied war effort. When the WAAC was created, Maj. Charity Adams was a 23-year-old high school math teacher working in South Carolina. Unusual for many Black women in the American south at the time, shed had the chance to go to college, studying math and physics, and was also studying part time for a graduate degree in Psychology. She enlisted in 1942 and was sent to Fort Des Moines in Iowa as a member of the first WAAC Training Center and Officer Candidate School. The site was historically significant: in 1917, during World War I, Fort Des Moines was the site of the first officer training center in the US Army for Black servicemen. The Six Triple Eight and civilian postal employees sorting mail in France in November 1945, two months after the war ended. Even though the women officer candidates had developed a camaraderie on the journey to Fort Des Moines, institutional racism soon divided the soldiers. After their first meal together, the officer candidates assembled in a reception area, where a young second lieutenant ordered all the colored girls to move to one side. The soldiers were shocked, but the few African American soldiers who were present duly complied. For a time in Des Moines, the Black soldiers ate and slept in separate quarters from their white colleagues. Mary McLeod Bethune intervened and called on her influential friends for help, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The WAAC officer training program was finally integrated, one of the only integrated spaces in the entire US Armed Forces at the time. Life wasnt easy for the WAAC servicewomen. Army Military Intelligence had to investigate malicious rumors spread by male soldiers that WAAC soldiers were loose women of ill repute (they found nothing of the sort). For Black soldiers, life was even more difficult: white women were given the most appealing jobs; Black recruits were often left with menial and cleaning jobs to do, even when they were more qualified than their white counterparts. That began to change somewhat in 1943 when pressing military shortages spurred President Roosevelt to upgrade the WAAC to the Womens Army Corps (WAC), which gave female soldiers military ranks on a par with men. Members of the Six Triple Eight at a mess hall in England. By then, Maj. Charity Adams was in charge of training Black recruits at Fort Des Moines. She pushed for greater opportunities for Black female soldiers and oversaw the development of the first Black womens band in US army history. Developing the band wasnt easy, and Maj. Adams fought both entrenched sexism and racism within the army at every turn. With the all-female, all-African American military band up and running and a huge success, other officers noted that Maj. Adams was a woman who could cut through red tape and get things done. Soon shed be tasked with work that was even more consequential to the war effort. On December 16, German forces launched a major offensive aimed at halting the Allies advance to retake Western Europe, in what became known as the Battle of Bulge. Over 80,000 Allied soldiers died. Fighting was fierce and military commanders realized it was crucial to keep soldiers morale up. Yet there was a huge problem: the US Militarys postal system had been in disarray for years. For two years, many soldiers hadnt received any letters or packages from home and the problem was getting worse. The lack of mail from loved ones was lowering morale. It was time to bring in someone to reorganize the entire mail system in the European war theater, someone who was used to getting things done and wouldnt let difficult circumstances stand in their way. Someone a lot like Maj. Adams, a woman whod been battling sexism and racism her entire life and won. Maj. Charity Adams and Capt. Abbie N. Campbell inspect the first African-American members of the WAC, somewhere in England. In January 1945, Maj. Adams was ordered to board a cargo plane bound for England on a classified mission: she was given a letter with the word Secret stamped on it and told to open it only once she was in the air. At 26, she was the first Black Female commanding officer in the US military to be deployed in a theater of war. Her orders only told her to report for duty at a military outpost in Birmingham, England. There, on the outskirts of the much-bombed city, a bizarre sight greeted her. In the empty airplane hangars were mountains of letters and packages in complete disarray and infested with rodents. Many of the items lacked complete addresses; many were missing soldiers serial numbers, which were required in order to deliver mail. Thousands of the letters contained duplicate names. (For instance, there were over 7,500 soldiers named Robert Smith serving in Europe.) In the end, Maj. Adams and her battalion would distribute over 17 million pieces of mail. It was a gargantuan task. As Maj. Adams gazed at the mess, a battalion of Black American servicewomen was en route to handle the mail and eliminate the backlog under her command. The group, which eventually numbered 855 soldiers, was given six months to complete the job. Maj. Adams, left The servicewomen came by ship: an eleven day journey during which they were shot at by German U-boats and narrowly escaped being torpedoed. When the soldiers finally arrived in Birmingham they were exhausted but thrilled to be making history. They were now the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only African American female battalion deployed overseas, and they began work immediately. Maj. Adams divided her battalion into five companies working a rotation of three shifts. Working round the clock, seven days a week, a third of the women sorted mail at a time, while a third slept and a third did other work on the base. Their accommodations were Spartan; they slept in an abandoned school building with no heat, and the airport hangars they worked in had poor lighting and ventilation. Birmingham was bombed heavily by Nazi troops and work was often interrupted by air raids. The soldiers quickly came up with novel bookkeeping systems to keep track of seven million soldiers across Europe. They pieced together incomplete addresses, cross checked soldiers names on databases, and returned mail to families of soldiers whod been killed in action. Soon, the Six Triple Eight was the fastest and most efficient mail depot in the entire European theater, processing millions of letters and packages in just a few weeks. Racism and sexism were never far away. When an American general turned up at the airfield one day to visit, all available personnel assembled to greet him. Enraged that more soldiers didnt assemble, the general complained to Maj. Adams. When she explained that according to her strict schedule one third of her soldiers had to be working in the mail rooms and one third must be sleeping at any given time, the general responded, Im going to send a white first lieutenant down here to show you how to run this unit. Maj. Adams replied, Over my dead body, sir. The general accused her of insubordination and even began court-martial paperwork to have Maj. Adams prosecuted, but later dropped the case. Maj. Adams also stood up to racist officials at the American Red Cross Club. Black servicewomen werent allowed to enter the Red Cross military social clubs, and when the American Red Cross Club arranged for a getaway for American servicewomen stationed in England to visit London for a few days, they insisted that the Black soldiers of the Six Triple Eight Battalion stay in a separate hotel that would have only Black clientele. Maj. Adams refused their offer and made her own arrangements; her servicewomen did visit London, but they stayed in ordinary hotels like any other guests. Local English people in and around Birmingham were much friendlier and often invited the women of the 6888th Battalion over for tea. Denied entry to the US Armys social clubs, the Six Triple Eight soldiers forged friendships with British civilian families instead. They completed their task to clear the 17 million pieces of mail in three months. In June 1945, after the surrender of Germany, the Six Triple Eight was transferred to Rouen, France, to sort out a backlog of US military mail there. In October 1945 they moved on to Paris to oversee the distribution of mail from there to troops. They finished their assignment and returned home to the US in March 1946. The servicewomen of the Six Triple Eight received no formal recognition of their work and little thanks. One surviving service member recently recalled, We were never made to feel like anything wed done was special We just went home to our families. In 2019 the US Army belatedly awarded the Six Triple Eight the Meritorious Unit Commendation. Maj. Adams stayed in the Army for a time, becoming the first African American woman Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. She later returned to civilian life, went back to graduate school, married, and worked at the Veterans Administration as a college dean. She also became a tireless advocate for civil rights in Dayton, Ohio, where she and her husband Dr. Stanley Earley Jr., settled. When she died in 2002, her children requested a military honor guard to honor her years as an officer in the US Army the Army at first turned them down, and only reversed their decision when some high ranking old timers remembered her path-breaking service. Maj. Adams leadership and the work of the hundreds of soldiers in the Six Triple Eight, succeeded in keeping up American morale during some of the darkest hours of World War II. Their legacy deserves to be remembered. Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of betraying American families Saturday. It came following a report that the president knew in March of intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants if they killed U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Biden called the revelation of alleged inaction on the part of Trump 'shocking' as he claimed that Trump's 'entire presidency has been a gift to Putin'. The former vice president's criticism came just before the White House vehemently denied that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence, as was reported in the New York Times Friday. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany fiercely denied the president had known for months, stating that 'neither the president nor the vice president were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence'. Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of betraying American families Saturday after a New York Times report claimed the president had for months failed to act on intelligence of Russian bounties offered to the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan Biden said Trump's 'entire presidency has been a gift to Putin'. Pictured Trump, right, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019 Trump allegedly knew in March of intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants if they killed U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan But she added: 'This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter.' That left open the possibility such intelligence does exist. 'The United States receives thousands of intelligence reports a day and they are subject to strict scrutiny,' said McEnany's statement. 'While the White House does not routinely comment on alleged intelligence or internal deliberations, the CIA director, National Security Advisor, and the Chief of Staff can all confirm that neither the President nor the Vice President were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence.' Biden, however, took the opportunity to blast Trump on the report as he spoke at a town hall on Saturday afternoon. He said that, if true, it contains a 'truly shocking revelation' about the commander in chief and his failure to protect U.S. troops in Afghanistan and stand up to Russia. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany fiercely denied the president had known of the intelligence but did not say that there was no merit to the report of Russian bounties to Taliban forces McEnany said Vice President Mike Pence, pictured, had also not been briefed in March 'The truly shocking revelation that if the Times report is true, and I emphasize that again, is that President Trump, the commander in chief of American troops serving in a dangerous theater of war, has known about this for months, according to the Times, and done worse than nothing,' Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said during the virtual town hall. 'Not only has he failed to sanction and impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law, Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin,' the former vice president added. 'He has had this information, according to the Times, and yet he offered to host Putin in the United States and sought to invite Russia to rejoin the G7.' Biden called it a 'betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation - to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm's way'. He said Americans who serve in the military put their life on the line. 'I think about this as a Dad, a father who sent his son to serve in harm's way for a year in the Middle East and in Iraq and Im disgusted on behalf of those families whose loved ones are serving today,' Biden said. Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden blasted the president Saturday over his potential inaction 'When your child volunteers to serve theyre putting their life on the line for the country. They take risks known and unknown for this nation but they should never, never, never ever face a threat like this with their commander in chief turning a blind eye to a foreign power putting a bounty on their heads. 'I'm quite frankly outraged by the report,' Biden continued He promised that if he is elected, 'Putin will be confronted and well impose serious costs on Russia.' The New York Times reported Friday that American intelligence officials concluded months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The report said the Russians offered rewards for successful attacks last year, at a time when the U.S. and Taliban were holding talks to end the long-running war. Twenty Americans were killed last year in the bloody Afghan war, which began in 2001, but it was not clear if any of these deaths were under suspicion. According to the paper, U.S. policy members developed a 'menu' of options, from a diplomatic slap to further increases in U.S. sanctions or other unnamed responses. But officials said the White House has taken no response to date and no explanation for the delay was given. The information was reportedly kept a closely guarded secret until the administration began expanding briefings this week. They also shared intelligence with the British government whose troops are said to be among those targeted. The news hit the Trump Administration as it was already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic and as Trump hoped that a peace deal with the Taliban would end the Afghanistan War in the last few months of his re-election campaign. Trump is currently withdrawing troops, meeting one of the militants' key demands as he attempts to end America's longest war. The Taliban have denied the report, reiterating that it was committed to an accord signed with Washington in February that paves the way for withdrawing all foreign forces from Afghanistan by next year. The militants also said homemade explosives account for most fatalities among US forces. 'The nineteen-year jihad of the Islamic Emirate is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country,' the Taliban said in a statement issued in Kabul. The Taliban said home-made explosives accounted for most of the casualties among US forces It came as Trump hoped that a peace deal with the Taliban would end the Afghanistan War in the last few months of his re-election campaign. Pictured Afghan Taliban fighters and villagers celebrate the peace deal signed between U.S. and Taliban in February The group, widely believed to have received years of support from Pakistani intelligence, also denied previous US accusations it was given arms by Russia. 'The Islamic Emirate has made use of weapons, facilities and tools ... that were already present in Afghanistan or are war spoils frequently seized from the opposition in battles,' it said. Russia has also denounced the report, with its embassy in Washington tweeting that the 'baseless and anonymous accusations' in the Times story had 'already led to direct threats to the life of employees' at its embassies in Washington and London. 'Stop producing #fakenews that provoke life threats, @nytimes,' it added in a later tweet. Russia has a tortured history in Afghanistan, where the former Soviet Union in its final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamist guerrillas, then backed by Washington. The Russian embassy in the United States fiercely denied the allegations in a Twitter thread on Friday night The U.S. has already sanctioned Russia following the country's interference in the U.S. elections, which prosecutors connected to President Vladimir Putin. The Trump administration took no action to retaliate for the bounties, according to the report The New York Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban attacks, including a desire to keep Washington bogged down in war. It said that the Russian unit may also be seeking revenge over the US killing of Russian mercenaries in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad. According to the newspaper, the Taliban operation was led by a unit known as the G.R.U., which has been blamed in numerous international incidents including a 2018 chemical weapons attack in Britain that nearly killed Russian-born double agent Sergei Skripal. In recent years, the unit has been linked to assassination attempts or revenge plots aimed at destabilizing the West. Yet it would be the first time that it was known to have initiated attacks on Western troops, a major escalation of force against the U.S. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 03:32:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PRAGUE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Czech Republic detected 260 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, but the surge is not a sign of a second wave in the country, said Health Minister Adam Vojtech on Sunday. The number is very high, but the new outbreaks are confined to certain regions of the country, Vojtech explained to local media. As of Sunday morning, the country has 11,306 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with Saturday seeing the biggest daily spike since April. The rise in cases is mainly due to a massive testing operation in the Moravian-Silesian region, according to the minister. On whether the disease flared outside of this region, Vojtech explained that although new cases were confirmed across the country, this should not be taken as a sign of a serious escalation. Enditem Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 When Indian Accent, London, announced its closure a couple of weeks ago because it could not afford the loss of clientele as a result of the social distancing norms being enforced in restaurants globally, I mourned its loss. News of the Spice Lab Tokyo, reopening a few days ago, reassured the growing fan club of this creative interpretation of the Indian dining experience, practised in varying degrees by leading Indian chefs across the world, from KN Vinod in Washington DC, and Vineet Bhatia in London to Gaggan Anand in Bangkok and Manish Mehrotra in New Delhi and New York, would not be the next victim of the Covid-19 pandemic. When the 15,000-yen-per-head restaurant reopened, I got talking to Ravitej Nath, who has spent three years, together with his protege Tejas Sovani, translating the vision of the its creators Sunandan Kapur, vice-chairman of the automotive components conglomerate, Krishna Group, and his wife Priya. Spice Lab Tokyo (Photo: Facebook) Opening an Indian fine-dining restaurant, its prices pegged at Michelin-star levels, that too in Ginza, which is among the most expensive swathes of real estate in the world, is a brave decision to take. For the Kapurs, it was a leap of faith. Their brief to Ravitej was that they wanted their Japanese friends to start seeing Indian food in a different light. The only Indian-inspired dish of note in Japan, invented by the revolutionary, Rash Behari Bose, is the Chicken (Katsu) Indo Karii served with rice and pickled vegetables at Nakamuraya restaurant in Tokyos Shinjuku district. Nepalese nationals are the custodians of Indian food in Japan and the average bill at the establishments they run add up to not more than a tenth of what the 14-course menus at the Spice Lab start at. To the Japanese, obsessed with the integrity of ingredients and plating of food, Indian cuisine is a procession of chilli-hot curries spiked with spices. Changing this mindset and getting Japanese patronage were two challenges, but Spice Lab succeeded on the second front. It has done so with its minimalist interiors, visually winsome presentations, and intelligent melding of Indian flavours with Japanese spices. The Japanese dont easily warm up to the marriage of their spices with foreign flavours, but the Spice Lab team did not ruffle feathers with its damame and blue cheese kulcha, or tomato crab rasam and curry leaf poached lobster with udon noodles, or its kombu-wrapped wagyu sirloin kombu being edible sea algae that sushi are wrapped in, which also go into making kombu dashi served with soramame, or boiled broad beans, and black pepper sauce. Spice Lab marks the beginning of a new generation of Indian cuisine. (Courtesy of Mail Today) Also read: Some good news from hospitality sector in the time of gloom Texas Medical Center hospitals stopped updating key metrics showing the stress rising numbers of COVID-19 patients were placing on their facilities for more than three days, rattling policymakers and residents who have relied on the information to gauge the spread of the coronavirus. The institutions which together constitute the worlds largest medical complex reported Thursday that their base intensive care capacity had hit 100 percent for the first time during the pandemic and was on pace to exceed an unsustainable surge capacity of intensive care beds by July 6. Then, after reporting numerous charts and graphs almost daily for three months, the organization posted no updates until around 9 p.m. Saturday, sowing confusion about the hospitals ability to withstand a massive spike in cases that has followed Gov. Greg Abbotts May decisions to lift restrictions intended to slow the virus. When the charts reappeared, eight of the 17 original slides had been deleted including any reference to hospital capacity or projections of future capacity. The TMC later called that update incomplete. Following a Houston Chronicle story highlighting the missing charts, the TMC at 6 p.m. Sunday posted updated data featuring most of the original information with a few cosmetic changes, as well as some additional slides attempting to better explain the hospitals capacity. Houston Methodist CEO Dr. Marc Boom stressed that the new data was not reinvented all the figures and projection models are the same but was simply reformatted in an effort to make clear that reaching 100 percent of capacity in an ICU is a moving target. TMC hospitals have a combined 373 beds, for instance, that can become ICU beds with a challenging but doable amount of effort, Boom said, with the reassignment of trained staff and equipment. Doing so would take the TMC facilities combined 93 percent ICU capacity as of the Sunday report down to 72 percent, the chart shows. Boom said he and his peers knew as the pandemic wore on that the measurement of ICU capacity the slides displayed was imperfect and did not convey the way they are run, but did not revisit the charts as quickly as they should have. This is just trying to be clear. We want to be as helpful as we possibly can, Boom said. Obviously, this got delayed a couple days because its complicated you put 11 or so institutions together all trying to figure out something this complicated and trying to figure out how we express it a little bit more accurately it took a while, a little longer than any of us would have liked, but simply because its complicated. I like what we came up with. The executives are working closely with Gov. Greg Abbott, Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Lina Hidalgo, TMC CEO Bill McKeon said when sharing the new information with the local government officials Sunday night. They have all encouraged us to bring the most comprehensive, real-time information forward to help them make the most informed decisions as we all navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, McKeon said. The changes capped a week dominated by concerns over hospital capacity. Abbott had expressed displeasure to hospital executives with negative headlines about ICU capacity, sources familiar with the talks said. Abbott spokesman John Wittman said any insinuation that the governor suggested the executives publish less data is false. The governors office believes all hospitals should be reporting accurate data to the state and to the public as often as possible, Wittman said Sunday morning. We demanded more information to share, not less. Last Wednesday, 11 TMC leaders issued a statement warning that an alarming increase in hospitalizations soon could overwhelm their systems. The next morning, Abbott issued an order restricting elective procedures at hospitals in Harris and Texas three other largest counties, saying he wanted to ensure the facilities retained enough beds to deal with the surge of cases. Shortly after, four of the 11 TMC CEOs held a video press conference to tone down the concern they had expressed in the letter just 18 hours before. Hospital leaders wound up unintentionally sounding an alarm bell too loudly, Houston Methodist CEO Dr. Marc Boom said. Boom and his three peers Dr. David Callender of Memorial Hermann, Mark Wallace of Texas Childrens Hospital and Dr. Doug Lawson of CHI St. Lukes said their systems were not in imminent danger of turning away patients and had plans to accommodate the surge. On Friday morning, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo moved the county to the highest threat level, however, warning that the current hospitalization rate is on pace to overwhelm the hospitals in the near future. Elective procedures, which can require patients to recover from surgeries in ICU beds, reduce the ability of hospitals to absorb critically ill COVID-19 patients. Hospital revenues had plunged after Abbott last restricted elective procedures in late March. In April when the roughly monthlong ban was in effect Houstons health care sector shed nearly 33,000 jobs; Methodist and CHI St. Lukes in mid-May said they had seen huge drops in outpatient surgeries and ER visits, and Memorial Hermann said a shift from elective procedures to COVID-19 care had reduced revenues and increased costs so drastically that $92 million in federal COVID-19 relief did not cover the systems losses. The CEOs also have said such restrictions impair their ability to provide needed care to other patients, warning that there will be long-term negative consequences for the community if conditions such as cancer, heart disease and other conditions dont receive ongoing treatment. The most significant change between the old and new slides essentially, the gap between the Thursday and Sunday reports is how the hospital systems describe how COVID-19 patients may burden ICU capacity in coming weeks. An old early warning slide reported base ICU capacity had reached 100 percent, and was marked with a red dot signifying a warning. The new slide no longer discussed ICU capacity but instead intensive care census growth, and was marked with an orange dot signifying moderate concern. The item acknowledged rising numbers of ICU COVID-19 patients but stated, Currently TMC institutions are able to serve all patients requiring intensive care. An old slide that had projected the TMC facilities would exceed an unsustainable surge capacity of intensive care beds by July 6 while its new version night predicted the hospitals would not enter that zone now called Phase 3 but functionally identical for at least two weeks. Boom said the new datas less urgent tone is not driven by a change in the model that projects future ICU admissions but in the data that feeds it. Abbotts elective procedure restrictions have left fewer non-COVID patients in intensive care, he said, and the virus-positive patients now being hospitalized are younger and less likely to require ICU care than those admitted earlier in the year. In Methodists first peak of cases on April 10, Boom said, 47 percent of admitted COVID patients needed ICU care. On Sunday, 25 percent of the hospitals ICU patients had COVID. Todd Ackerman and Lisa Gray contributed to this report. mike.morris@chron.com zach.despart@chron.com Seafarers no longer allowed to fly in to join ships at Lankas ports View(s): Suspension just days after shipping agents thwart move by Avant Garde Maritime Services (AGMS) and Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Ltd (RALL) to monopolise transfer of seafarers between vessels, hotels ports and airports The Government has temporarily blocked seafarers from coming in by commercial flight to join ships at any of Sri Lankas ports after several recent arrivals from India were found to be infected with COVID-19. The suspension comes just days after shipping agents thwarted a move by Avant Garde Maritime Services (AGMS) and Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Ltd (RALL) to monopolise the lucrative business that involves the transfer of seafarers between vessels, hotels, ports and airports. Seafarers are no longer allowed to fly in by air unless on a chartered flight that sees all passengers on board immediately joining their ship. Small groups flying commercial are not permitted. However, crew coming by sea at any Sri Lankan port may still disembark and leave the country by air. Twenty-nine seafarers on an incoming flight from Mumbai tested positive for the virus. They were subjected to PCR tests 72 hours before departure and cleared. But results of tests carried out in Sri Lanka found them to be infected. Its a bit strange that they were cleared in India but found to have contracted the illness upon landing here, just 72 hours later, a shipping agent said. The director of the Indian company that arranged the crews air passages was quoted in Indian media as saying, Everything went well till Sri Lanka decided to give contract for COVID-19 to a private lab. First time they did the job and said 29 seafarers were COVID positive. All the crew did the test and had negative reports filed with Sri Lanka and then flew from Mumbai. Crew changeswhere seafarers finishing their contract leave ships and fly out while new crews fly in and embark the vesselonly restarted here at the beginning of June. Since then, local shipping agents had actively promoted Sri Lanka as a safe destination, especially to the Indian market which was badly hit by the pandemic. The agents had hoped to gain advantage from opening up before other countries did. Indian crews, in particular, had been languishing on vessels despite finishing their contracts. In the meantime, the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) also fended off an attempt to grant sole control over parts of the business to a joint venture that had backing from the Presidents office. In May, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave permission for a public-private partnership between AGMS and RALL to run isolation centres during the pandemic. They were to also take over the transport of ships crews between various destinations. But CASA protested, saying the business must be shared among industry players and not monopolised. This led to the earlier status quo being restored under strict guidelines. AGMS, too, is free to carry out the business if it so wishes. Thus far the law fare strategy has not worked and given capture of certain key institutions by the political establishment, it is best for them not fight over spilt milk but harness the domestic goodwill that they enjoy across the country. They have supporters throughout the country and can easily turn that political capital into financial capital that will take them to the next stage in their quest for a new Zimbabwe, Mare said.However, Maxwell Saungweme is of the view that Chamisas problems were of his own making after he bungled his ascension to power following Tsvangirais demise. DECEASED IRA chief Bobby Storey sanctioned the setting up of an armed vigilante group behind post-ceasefire murders of drug dealers in nationalist areas of Belfast. Action Against Drugs (AAD) was loaned Provo-owned Glock pistols imported from America by millionaire stockbroker turned IRA gunrunner Mike Logan after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. The gang was allegedly led by Roy McAuley, a relative of Storey who denies being a paramilitary. Unlike other armed republican gangs, AAD has never targeted the security forces and is supportive of Sinn Fein's political strategy. One of only two people convicted by a court of involvement in the vigilante group's crimes, 42-year-old Finbarr Kelly, was at the time an employee at the Tar Isteach charity for former IRA prisoners in north Belfast. He was caught with an imitation firearm and a statement from a group threatening a number of people. AAD, along with the Provisional IRA, was linked by police to the 2015 revenge murder of republican Kevin McGuigan (right), who had been accused of shooting dead the Provo's Belfast commander Jock Davison three months earlier. IRA director of intelligence Storey, who Provos credit with helping guide the organisation through the peace process, was arrested in connection with the McGuigan killing but later freed without charge. Republican sources say the 64-year-old, who died last weekend after a failed double lung transplant in England, reluctantly backed the decision to kill the dad-of-nine despite knowing it would damage Sinn Fein politically. Ex-Provo friends of Davison pulled the trigger, but the targeting of McGuigan was carried out by AAD. What republicans say Storey was more supportive of was the decision to arm the group and for it to attack drug dealers in nationalist areas of Belfast. Expand Close Roy McAuley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Roy McAuley In its first publicity picture, taken in 2014, masked AAD members made the mistake of posing with Glock pistols identical to those smuggled from the US by the Provos and which were held back from decommissioning. "AAD is a Provo proxy gang, make no mistake about it, and it was set up with the blessing of Storey, who at the time was the IRA's director of intelligence," a republican source explained. "He didn't have a hands-on role in AAD but was briefed about its activities. The link between it and the Provos is an open secret in republican areas." AAD carried out its first murder in 2012, gunning down small-time drug dealer Danny McKay in his Newtownabbey home. Court papers show that Roy McAuley was arrested in connection with the killing before being released without charge. He denies any involvement. AAD went on to murder west Belfast heroin dealers Dan Murray and Joe Reilly in 2016 and 2017. It has also maimed more than a dozen other individuals, including Harry 'O' McMahon, who survived being shot in the head in 2015. Like Roy McAuley, he was questioned by police about the killing of Danny McKay, before being freed without charge. The Provisional IRA's nurturing of AAD, while Sinn Fein publicly condemned the gang, highlights the duplicity of the 'on-ceasefire' paramilitary organisation. At the heart of this chicanery was Storey, an enormously popular figure among those who stayed loyal to the party's strategy. According to Provo insiders, he was constantly gathering intelligence on dissident republicans, whom he regarded with contempt. Expand Close Bobby Storey and Gerry Adams / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bobby Storey and Gerry Adams Despite claims to the contrary, dissidents feared Storey and his reputation for ruthlessness. He served more than 20 years in prison and masterminded what the Provos regarded as their biggest successes, including the 1983 Maze escape, the 2002 Castlereagh break-in and the 2004 Northern Bank robbery, which netted the IRA 26.5million. In the months prior to his death, the west Belfast man was pictured looking frail and gaunt with senior Sinn Fein figures Gerry Adams and Martina Anderson. Noticeable in the striking image were the tubes running into his nose, pumping life-giving air into his failing lungs. He had been in poor health for some time and, after more than a year on an NHS waiting list, flew to England last week for a double lung transplant Storey suffered complications from the invasive and dangerous procedure, ultimately dying last Sunday. The irony of a republican icon passing away alone in England, in the so-called 'belly of the beast', was not lost on Storey's friends Expand Close Guard of honour for Bobby Storey PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Guard of honour for Bobby Storey The body of the veteran IRA man was returned to west Belfast on Friday ahead of his funeral this Tuesday morning. Thousands of republicans from across Ireland are set to attend and line the route from Storey's home in the Andersonstown area to St Agnes Church for the 11am funeral service, followed by his burial in the republican plot at the nearby Milltown Cemetery. Senior republicans have been urged to make sure social distancing measures are respected. It is understood that Sinn Fein Policing Board member Gerry Kelly has met with the PSNI to discuss arrangements. Hundreds of people flocked to Storey's wake yesterday at his west Belfast home. The wake is open to mourners again today and tomorrow. Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams described his friend's death as "a huge political blow", saying he was "loved and respected" by those who knew him. The party's deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill added: "Bobby Storey was a lifelong republican activist, former IRA prisoner and escapee and long-standing member of Sinn Fein who played a vital role in developing the peace and political process over the past two decades. "He was a committed, selfless comrade whose contribution to the struggle for national liberation earned him the full respect of his generation." Lebanon's President Michel Aoun meets with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea at the presidential palace in Baabda - Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS A Lebanese judge on Saturday banned US ambassador Dorothy Shea from being interviewed by local and foreign press for a year, after she criticised Hizbollah in a TV interview, reflecting rising tensions between the US and the powerful paramilitary group. Speaking to Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath, Ms Shea said that Washington has great concerns over Hizbollahs role in the Lebanese government. The Iran-backed Shiite group and its allies are dominant in parliament and it backs the current government. The ambassador accused Hizbollah of siphoning off government funds for its own benefit and destabilising the countrys economic recovery. With the Lebanese lira losing almost 80 per cent of its value since October, the country is grappling with its biggest threat to stability since the 1975-1990 civil war, as its economic crisis continues to spiral out of control. Judge Mohamad Mazeh in the southern city of Tyre said he acted after receiving a complaint from a citizen that Ms Sheas comments were insulting to the Lebanese people. Mr Mazeh said the comments incited sectarian strife and threatened social peace. While the judge cannot ban Ambassador Shea from speaking, he said he can ban press from interviewing her. I think it is a distraction. I wish people would spend their time and attention trying to solve the problems facing the country, Ms Shea told Lebanese news station MTV on Sunday morning. The US Embassy will not be silenced, she said, adding that the Lebanese government had already apologised to her for the ruling. Hizbollah is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and UK, but the US continues to be one of the largest donors to the Lebanese army, making for a complicated diplomatic balancing act. Lebanon is currently in talks with the International Monetary Fund, hoping to secure a bailout, though infighting in the Lebanese government has given little hope for an immediate breakthrough. It breaks my heart, IMFs managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday. Lebanon is a country that has some entrepreneurial people. Its a country that has been doing service to the world by hosting refugees. It is clear what needs to be done but... the unity... [is] what we need to still work on, she said. By Trend As many as 2,489 people have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry. According to Sadat Lari, 144 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Sadat Lari added that the condition of 2,946 people is critical. The official said that situation was dire in Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Hormozgan and West Azerbaijan provinces. So far, more than 1.61 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 222,600 people have been infected, 10,508 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 183,300 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. --- A man was shot dead and four others injured in California on Saturday afternoon after a man with an 'AR-type weapon' opened fire at a Walmart distribution center. Authorities also fatally shot the suspect, 31, who allegedly drove into the distribution center south of Red Bluff and started firing a semi-automatic weapon at people. His victim has been named as 45-year-old Martin Haro-Lozano of Oroville, California. Haro-Lozano was an employee at the facility. A white car was driven into the building around the time of the shooting, pictured Multiple people were shot at around 3.30pm Saturday at the Walmart distribution center near Red Bluff, California. The gunman was reportedly shot by police by 3.45pm Smashed glass in a car in the parking lot of a Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff, California, where at least two were left dead and four injured in a shooting Saturday afternoon The identity of the shooter is being withheld pending notification of relatives. He is said to have a history with the workplace but a motive is still to be determined. There were about 200 workers inside the facility, some of whom locked themselves in a room, employees at the center told the KHSL TV station. An eyewitness told the New York Times that he heard 50 to 60 shots fired as he and other employees fled the building. Early reports state at least four other people have been injured. Those injured are said to be in a fair condition. The four injured people were treated at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff. It is not clear if there are others being treated at different hospitals. A man reported his leg getting run over when the shooter rammed a vehicle into the store but he wasn't sure whether he'd been shot. Another was reportedly bleeding after jumping over a barbed-wire fence to escape. The shooting started about 3.30 p.m. at the Walmart distribution center. The suspect was described as being in a white vehicle that had wedged into the building, the Sacramento Bee reported. Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said deputies have determined the shooter circled the parking lot four times before crashing into the building and opening fire with a semiautomatic long gun. The scene surrounding the crashed car remained closed as dispatchers cleared the building Emergency services received multiple calls about an active shooter at 3.30pm Saturday Chief Kyle Sanders said Saturday night that the officers fired at the suspect after he first fired at them 'multiple times'. The two officers who fired the shots have now been placed on paid administrative leave pending a routine investigation into the shooting of the suspect, Sanders said. Officials were initially concerned the shooting was related to one earlier in the day in nearby Shingletown, California, that reportedly killed three. When dispatchers arrived, a fire in the shooter's vehicle had broken out, preventing emergency responders from entering the building. The fire is not believed to have been significant. He had been shot in the chest by about 3.45 p.m., 15 minutes after the shooting started. A witness said the suspect entered through 'asset protection doors'. A deputy interviews someone outside the Red Bluff Walmart distribution center after a shooting on Saturday. Two people were left dead and at least four injured Deputies put out signs marking evidence from the shooting at the Red Bluff Walmart distribution center in California on Saturday afternoon in which two were left dead Scott Thammakhanty, an employee at the facilitys receiving center, said he heard the shooter fire from a semi-automatic weapon. 'It went on and on - I dont even know how many times he fired,' Thammakhanty said. 'I just know it was a lot.' Thammakhanty and others started running for their lives, and he saw people lying on the ground as he went, he said. He told the newspaper that he didn't know the shooter's identity but that he looked familiar. Another witness told NBC that they had seen the vehicle drive into the building and burst into flames. 'I was only worried about the people that were injured by the car into the building,' said. 'I went to help a lady that was kind of trapped at the beginning and at that point, I started hearing gunfire and then, went down to the office and there was more gunfire. I hit the panic alarm and called 911 as soon as I could.' A heavy police presence was still at the scene Saturday evening ensuring the building is clear Fellow employee, Franklin Lister, 51, told the New York Times he had just started work when a coworker ran down the hallway shouting: 'Active gunfire! Active shooter!' Vince Krick told Record Searchlight that the shooting started just as a group of workers was scheduled to start their shift. He says that his son and wife work in the center and he had been arriving to pick them up when he saw the fire. Neither were reported injured. 'It was real crazy, because, you know, you cant do nothing,' Krick said. Red Bluff is a city of about 14,000 people about 131 miles north of Sacramento, California. A heavy police presence was still at the scene as of 5pm local time Saturday and ensuring the building is clear. Walmart spokesman Scott Pope told the Record-Searchlight that the company is 'aware of the situation' and working with law enforcement. 'We dont have any additional information to share at this time,' Pope said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 18:40:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LILONGWE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Malawi opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera has emerged as the winner in the highly contested Tuesday fresh presidential election, beating incumbent president Peter Mutharika. Chakwera won with 58 percent of the votes. Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Chifundo Kachale made the declaration Saturday night after scrutiny of all the counted votes from 28 districts comprising 193 constituencies and 5,002 polling centers. Chakwera, who is Malawi congress Party (MCP) leader, assumes the country's presidency with Malawi vice president and leader for the United Transformation Movement (UTM), Saulos Chilima, as his vice president following the alliance which the two leaders entered into with seven other political parties. The MCP's president comes into power 26 years since the United Democratic Front (UDF) ousted Kamuzu Banda, politically remembered as father and founder of Malawi, who took power from the British colonial masters and ruled Malawi for over 30 years under MCP. Local observers have described the fresh poll as the most credible election without serious anomalies. "This has been the most credible election we have ever seen in recent times: everything has been done transparently," said Marcel Chisi, representative for local observers. On the other hand, the outgoing president, Peter Mutharika, has described the election as "not a true reflection of the people of Malawi", saying there were a lot of irregularities including violence, beating and abduction of the Mutharika's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) monitors during Tuesday election. Mutharika, however, called upon Malawians to remain calm upon the announcement of the official results of the fresh poll. "I wish to ask all Malawians to be peaceful when the results are announced: Let us respect the presidency and let us be peace-loving Malawians," said Mutharika Saturday evening before the official announcement of the results. Swearing in of the president-elect is scheduled for Sunday in the capital city, Lilongwe, while cerebrations for the new government will take place on the country's Republic Day, July 6, in Lilongwe. Born on April 5, 1955, Chakwera served as president for Malawi Assemblies of God Church for 24 years (from 1989 to 2013) before he came onto the political scene in August 2013 when he was elected as the President of the MCP at the party's convention. He contested in the 2014 presidential election against Peter Mutharika who stood on the DPP ticket after the demise of his brother Bingu wa Mutharika in office as president in April 2012. The new Malawi leader lost to Peter Mutharika and came second in a fiercely contested presidential race which placed incumbent president Joyce Banda on the third position. In May 2019, Chakwera contested again and he polled about 1.8 million votes, trailing behind Mutharika who amassed more than 1.9 million votes while Vice President, Saulos Chilima polled 1 million votes. However, on Feb. 3, the Malawi high court, sitting as constitutional court, nullified the May 2019 presidential poll following unprecedented lengthy legal tussle where Chakwera and Chilima challenged Mutharika's victory. The court ordered a fresh election in 150 days which would expire on July 2. Entitem Emily Ratajkowski has been enjoying some SoCal sun after ignoring CDC travel advisories to relocate to Los Angeles amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Inamorata founder recently returned home to New York City with husband Sebastian Bear-McClard and their dog Colombo. She rocked a fun printed dress Sunday, as she walked the Husky-German Shepherd mix through her neighborhood of TriBeCa. Puppy love: Emily Ratajkowski rocked a fun printed dress Sunday, as she walked her dog Colombo through her New York City neighborhood of TriBeCa The 29-year-old put on a leggy display in the sleeveless dress, featuring space-themed greeting cards. She finished the look with a pair of black cat-eye sunglasses, a grey polka-dotted face mask and white sneakers. Ratajkowski also showed off her new surfer girl chic blonde look, after recently partnering with Kerastase. Out of this world: The 29-year-old put on a leggy display in the sleeveless dress, featuring space-themed greeting cards Blonde ambition: Ratajkowski also showed off her new surfer girl chic blonde look, after recently partnering with Kerastase She later took to her Instagram story with a sexy photo from behind of herself sporting a sexy white wrap bikini by a pool. It comes after the Gone Girl actress and Bear-McClard, 38, spent the majority of their quarantine in their Los Angeles home. They previously caught a flight out of JFK in April, shortly after the CDC issued an advisory, asking 'residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.' Bikini babe: She later took to her Instagram story with a sexy photo from behind of herself sporting a sexy white wrap bikini by a pool She previously told British GQ: 'You know, [my husband and I] have been a little bit on the fence. My parents are in California, but as we know the responsible thing is to not travel right now. 'But eventually we would like to make it out there just because, well, New York is the epicenter, although my bodega is still open. I live in Tribeca and it is already very quiet.' Ratajkowski and her hubby returned Wednesday to the Big Apple, as they were spotted arriving at JFK. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 21:15:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COTONOU, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank will provide Benin with 50 million U.S. dollars to cope with socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, according to statement reaching Xinhua on Sunday in the economic capital Cotonou. Approved by the World Bank Board of Directors on June 26 in Washington, the financial package is to "help Benin mitigate the impact of the coronavirus health crisis in the socio-economic recovery phase", the statement reads. "This support will help bridge the gap in budgetary resources to meet basic social and productive sector needs," said Atou Seck, World Bank Country Manager for Benin. "The spread of the coronavirus has led to a decline in economic activities, the country's economic growth but also the state's revenues while it has to meet pressing needs," he also said. The support is drawn from International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank fund for the poorest. It brougth the total amount allocated by the World Bank to Benin to address the coronavirus health crisis to about 90 million U.S. dollars. So far, Benin has reported 1,124 confirmed COVID-19 cases of which 815 patients under treatment, 295 that have recovered and a total death toll of 14, since it declared its first case on March 16. Enditem The Congress has asked its leaders and workers to pull bullock carts, ride cycles, interview taxi drivers and post their comments on social media during the week-long nationwide agitation from Monday against the unprecedented and continuous increase in petrol and diesel prices. In a circular, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal asked them to register a strong protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre through demonstrations against the extortionate increase in fuel rates when people face unprecedented economic challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prices of petrol have been increased by 9.12 paise per litre and diesel by 11.01 a litre since June 7. The price revision was paused for a day on Wednesday after the 17th rate increase in a row. The next day, the price was raised by 16 paise per litre. Petrol is now selling in Delhi at 80.38 per litre and diesel at 80.40 a litre. Retail rates of auto fuels differ from city to city across the country due to variations in local levies. The Congress has been attacking the government over the continuous increase in petrol and diesel prices since the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were relaxed this month. It is highly desired that innovative and captivating events like pulling bullock carts, riding bicycles, etc can be held at some of the places in states and Union territories, Venugopal said in the circular, a copy of which HT has seen. According to the Indian Oil Companys website, total taxes on petrol and diesel are more than their basic rates. The basic rate of petrol in Delhi was 22.11 a litre on June 16. Taxes on the fuel (both central excise and state levies) were 50.69 a litre of which central taxes accounted for 32.98. Similarly, the basic price of diesel was 22.93 per litre, but total taxes levied on the fuel were 49.43 per litre, with central taxes accounting for 31.83. Almost all states have raised the value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel since mid-March. CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Federal Aviation Administration are set to begin key flight tests of Boeing Co.'s (BA)737 MAX on Monday, according to media reports, citing person familiar with the details. In March 2019, President Donald Trump and FAA issued an order grounding all Boeing 737 Max jets in the United States after two fatal crashes killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia. The reports stated that the certification flight test is scheduled to last three days, mark a long awaited milestone for getting the MAX fleet back in the air. If all goes well, the FAA would then need to approve new pilot training procedures, and would not likely approve the plane's ungrounding until September, the reports added. Boeing and the FAA declined to comment. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Megyn Kelly has mocked her former employer NBC for canceling her show due to a discussion about blackface, after a fourth show on the network was singled out for featuring the offensive makeup. Kelly, 49, had her NBC show Megyn Kelly Today canceled in 2019 following her remarks surrounding the appropriateness of blackface during Halloween. On Friday Netflix announced that it was pulling an episode of NBC's sitcom Community after they realized it featured blackface. NBC has also withdrawn episodes of 30 Rock for depicting the same racially insensitive practice. Saturday Night Live and Scrubs have also featured blackface, and on June 1 Jimmy Fallon made an emotional apology for donning blackface on SNL. Kelly tweeted on Friday, in response to questions over the four shows: 'Turns out NBC loves blackface!' Megyn Kelly on Friday mocked her former employer, saying that NBC 'loves blackface!' Megyn Kelly has taken aim at her former employer's hypocrisy with a scathing tweet She then listed the names of those who had performed in the makeup - Jimmy Fallon, Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, Ted Danson, Jane Krakowski, John Hamm, Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Ken Jeong, and Julianne Hough. Ted Danson was among those singled out by Kelly in her Friday tweet Kelly's brief career at NBC ended in the wake of her comments defending reality TV star Luann de Lesseps' use of blackface to dress like Diana Ross for Halloween. The journalist said on her show: 'When I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up as like a character'. Despite later apologizing for the remarks, her show was canceled three days later. Kelly's contract with NBC was terminated January 11, 2019. And the former lawyer seemed to be enjoying the controversy this week. Three days prior, on Tuesday, she tweeted in response to news about 30 Rock: 'Wait - what network aired those episodes again? Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon have apologized for the use of blackface on their shows Fallon has apologized for his 2000 skit dressing up as Chris Rock on SNL Ken Jeong's blackface episode of Community has been removed from Netflix Fallon painted himself to look like Chris Rock in a 2000 skit on Saturday Night Live. On June 1 he apologized, and used his show to discuss issues of race and racism with Derrick Johnson, the president and chief executive of the NAACP, the CNN anchor Don Lemon and the anti-racism educator Jane Elliott. 'I had to really examine myself in the mirror this week because a story came out about me on SNL doing an impression of Chris Rock in blackface,' he said. 'And I was horrified. Not of people trying to 'cancel' me or cancel this show, which is scary enough. 'The thing that haunted me the most was, how do I say I love this person? 'I respect this guy more than I respect most humans. I'm not a racist. I don't feel this way.' Kelly's tweet comes after Tina Fey along with her 30 Rock co-creator Robert Carlock and NBCUniversal requested to remove four episodes of the comedy series because they feature the use of blackface. Vulture first reported that the episodes were being removed from Hulu and Amazon Prime, and they weren't available to purchase on iTunes or Google Play. Fey addressed the episodes' removal in a letter sent to streaming platforms and obtained by Variety. 'As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation,' she wrote. 'I understand now that 'intent' is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for pain they have caused. 'Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness. I thank NBCUniversal for honoring this request,' she concluded. Kelly mocked the network earlier in the week when it was forced to pull episodes of 30 Rock Kelly's brief career at NBC ended in the wake of her comments defending blackface as a child In addition to disappearing from streaming services and digital rental outlets, the offending episodes will no longer be broadcast on television. Two of the episodes, season three's Believe In The Stars and season five's Christmas Attack Zone, feature the character Jenna Maroney, played by Jane Krakowski, darkening her face. In the former, she puts on blackface while her co-star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) lightens his skin and dresses as a woman to determine if white women or Black men face greater struggles in society. In the latter episode, Jenna wore blackface to dress as former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann, while her boyfriend (guest star Will Forte) dressed as Natalie Portman in a spoof of her film Black Swan. In one episode of 30 Rock, Jane Krakowski wore blackface to dress as former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann, while her boyfriend (guest star Will Forte) dressed as Natalie Portman in a spoof of her film Black Swan In another episode, regular guest star Jon Hamm blackened his skin in a sketch critiquing the racist television series and radio show Amos 'n' Andy Though Hollywood and its stars are trying to stamp out blackface depictions, 30 Rock's uses of blackface received a mix of praise and criticism at the time. In 2010, journalist and cultural critic Toure commended Christmas Attack Zone in Mediaite for 'not using blackface as a simplistic visual way of turning a white person Black but as a complex tool that makes a multi-layered joke at the character's expense.' Journalist Jamil Smith was less forgiving of Hamm's Amos 'n' Andy spoof in 2012. 'And #30Rock has Jon Hamm in almost-kinda-yeah-actually-it's-Blackface,' he tweet disapprovingly at the time. I think it is important to be realistic about the situation we are facing, that school will still not look like it did when we started last year and that there are many details we have to work out, SD113 Superintendent Bruce Law said in a letter to parents posted on the districts website. President Donald Trump and his allies have continually railed about how the "Deep State" of unelected national security bureaucrats has quietly worked to undermine the Trump presidency. But the new allegations in a book by former national security adviser John Bolton turn that formulation on its head. If Bolton is to be believed Trump calls him a liar plenty of career diplomats, soldiers and spies kept quiet as they watched Trump abuse his office. In Bolton's telling, members of the so-called deep state, including senior intelligence and defense officials, knew about actions by Trump that were unethical, if not illegal, and said nothing. That would mean the press, the public and House impeachment investigators were kept in the dark. The reason more insiders didn't speak out are complex, according to a former senior national security official who served for years in the Trump administration and faced the choice on a near daily basis. But broadly, the official said, unelected national security bureaucrats tend to give great deference to the president's policy choices, and the line between bad decisions and abuse of office is not a clear one. "Sometimes you ask yourself: Is that malfeasance, or is that just something so dumb that you know it's not going to happen?" the former official said. The American system of government "has developed to give the president tremendous leeway to set policy," said John Gans, author of a book about the White House National Security Council. "Those in the executive branch are expected to kind of nod their heads and say, 'OK.' There really isn't a whistleblower system at the White House." Officials senior enough to be in meetings with the president don't tend to use formal whistleblower channels anyway. Such people have long deployed anonymous leaks to the news media to flag decisions or behavior they deemed problematic. Story continues During the Trump administration, many current and former government officials have anonymously recounted startling episodes to journalists and authors, such as Trump providing classified information to Russian officials in the Oval Office or his calling military leaders "losers" in reference to the war in Afghanistan. Once-senior officials, including former chief of staff John Kelly and former Defense Secretary James Mattis, have recently publicly questioned the president's fitness for office, though their decisions to do so came long after they departed. But Bolton makes a very specific case, alleging a pattern of behavior by Trump to use his presidential power in foreign affairs to further his private interests exactly the charges in an impeachment proceeding narrowly focused on Ukraine. Bolton says the pattern went well beyond one country. During face-to-face meetings, Trump asked the Chinese president to help get him re-elected, Bolton writes, and promised the Turkish president that he would "take care of" a Justice Department investigation deemed harmful to Turkey when he could replace Obama-appointed prosecutors with "his people." If those exchanges happened, Bolton could not have been the only official aware of them. (Trump and one of the officials present at the summit with Chinese President Xi JinPing, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, dispute Bolton's account.) Bolton says Trump was willing to waive penalties on a Chinese firm, ZTE, to help with trade talks he believed would help him politically. He writes of briefing Attorney General William Barr on Trump's "penchant to, in effect, give personal favors to dictators he liked." Trump hasn't spoken to the specifics, but he has denied exploiting his office for personal gain. Bolton also asserts people across the government knew the central premise of the impeachment case against Trump was true that the president indeed had conditioned aid to Ukraine on that government's willingness to do him a political favor by announcing an investigation into his opponent, an allegation of quid pro quo that Trump denies. "I think Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo understood," Bolton told ABC News this week. "I think the Pentagon understood. I think the intelligence community understood. I think people in the White House understood." Yet in the end, only a handful of national security officials were willing to testify to that during impeachment proceedings. Only one the whistleblower came forward voluntarily, before the process began. Spokespersons for the CIA, director of National Intelligence and State Department declined to comment. In his book, Bolton faults House impeachment managers for failing to investigate Trump's "ham-handed involvement in other matters criminal and civil, international and domestic that should not properly be subject to manipulation by a president for personal reasons (political, economic, or any other)." He calls that "impeachment malpractice." That criticism sidesteps the fact that the impeachment inquiry kicked off when a lone junior CIA officer decided to file a written complaint to an inspector general about Trump's alleged extortion of Ukraine. No similar whistleblowing efforts have come to light about Trump's conduct with China or Turkey. Bolton himself kept quiet for nearly two years, declining to testify in the impeachment hearing. He seeks to justify that by arguing that Democrats mishandled impeachment proceedings and that his testimony in the Senate wouldn't have changed anything. Critics are unconvinced. "I think what Bolton did was shameful," said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. "He sat on this information for two years so he could write a book." Image: John Bolton (Kevin Lamarque / Reuters file) If others besides Bolton are uncomfortable with what they have witnessed inside the Trump White House, why havent they come forward with specifics? Look no further than what has happened to the few who have done so, experts say. Lawyers for the CIA whistleblower said publicly that he had to be protected by a security detail after the president and his Republican allies called him a traitor and a spy. Trump allies in Congress sought to put his name into the public record. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified against Trump during the impeachment hearings, was dismissed from his job at the White House and has found his promotion to full colonel in limbo as the Pentagon worries the White House will oppose it, two defense officials told NBC News. "You see what happens to the people who speak up," the former senior national security official said. "This whistleblower followed the law every step of the way and look at what they got for it," said Liz Hempowicz, director of public policy at the Project on Government Oversight, a good-government advocacy group. Hempowicz said the already weak federal whistleblower system has disintegrated under Trump, noting the board that rules on employee disputes with management has never had enough members to make such rulings during the Trump administration. But even for those with courage enough to brave the personal repercussions, there often is another dilemma: whether they can do more good by truth-telling or remaining in their jobs. "Clearly people made calculations: Do you want to keep serving a president and keep our institutions intact? Or does behavior that's so outlandish cause you to resign and report it?" said Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired CIA officer who served in senior agency roles during the first part of the Trump administration. "There was a lot of angst about POTUS interactions with any head of state foreign visits or phone calls," he said. CIA Director Gina Haspel, for one, is seen by former colleagues and congressional observers as someone who is trying at all costs to remain at the helm of a powerful spy agency that she believes could suffer severe damage in the wrong hands. "Thankfully, CIA has remained stable in this and that will be Gina's legacy," Polymeropoulos said. Haspel was criticized for failing to speak out when Trump was bashing the CIA's Ukraine whistleblower. But she appears to have helped defuse what has been an extremely contentious relationship between Trump and the intelligence community. "Haspel has figured out how to not to piss off the president and keep the agency from running off the rails," added a congressional aide who works on intelligence matters. "Everyone recognizes it's a very difficult position she is in." Haspel's general counsel made what she believed was a criminal referral after the CIA whistleblower brought his complaints to her, but the agency avoided becoming entangled in the impeachment proceedings. That's in part because Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the Intelligence Committee chair who presided over impeachment in the House, believed it was important to keep the intelligence agencies away, as much as possible, from what turned into a vicious partisan battle, according to a person familiar with his thinking. He wanted to keep the focus on the president's alleged abuse of office, the person said. But if Bolton is correct that Trump broadly sought to leverage foreign policy for political gain, it's hard to imagine the intelligence agency leaders did not become aware of it. They not only sit in high-level White House meetings, but they also spy on foreign officials who discuss what the American government is saying and doing. "If the CIA learns of something that is an illegal act by a government official, it has an obligation to forward that information to the Department of Justice," said former CIA Director John Brennan, an NBC News contributor. "If it's an issue of ethics and appropriateness and one's moral compass, then it's more of a personal choice. Fortunately, as director, I never had to make this choice." It's difficult from the outside to judge how senior officials are dealing with the turmoil inside the Trump administration, said John McLaughlin, a former deputy CIA director who served under former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. "What you're going to get when this administration is over is a tidal wave of memoirs, the theme of which will be, 'You don't know how much worse it would have been if I hadn't been there,'" he said. "The question is, at what point are you enabling it more so than preventing bad things from happening?" CORRECTION (July 3, 2020, 6:07 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the last name of a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He is Brian Katulis, not Katullis. Maharashtra has recorded the highest single day Covid 19 spike for the fourth straight day with 5,493 new cases reported on Sunday, according to the state health department. The total number of coronavirus infections in the state has now reached 1,64,626 including 7,429 casualties, 156 of those were reported in the last 24 hours. A total of 86,575 have recovered so far including 2,330 on Sunday. The state has also conducted 9,23,502 tests to detect coronavirus patients. Maharashtra has been setting a new record for daily cases for since Thursday, when 4,841 new Covid-19 cases were recorded. The figures on Friday-5,024 infectionsovertook Thursday tally and on Saturday the state created a new grim record by registering 5318 new infections. The cases in Mumbai, however have registered a marginal decline over the last two days. 1, 287 new cases were reported in the Maximum City taking the cumulative toll to 75,539 including 4,371 deaths. 87 casualties were recorded in the last 24 hours, the health bulletin said. On Saturday, Mumbai had posted 1,402 new cases. Maharashtra Police adds 150 new Covid-19 cases in 48 hours, another cop dies Earlier today, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had hinted at providing more relaxations in the restrictions after June 30, when the fifth phase of lockdown and the first phase of Unlock 1 ends. However, he ruled out complete withdrawal of lockdown restrictions. He even pointed out incidents of violations of restrictions in some of the worst-hit cities by the virus and said the implementation of lockdown measures was largely dependent on people. I have been getting requests from a few civic authorities for the permission for imposing stricter lockdown owing to the rising numbers. There are cases of violations of the curbs in some cities like Mumbai, Pune and even in rural areas, Thackeray said during his live cast on Facebook. For Coronavirus Live Updates He said unless the residents abided by the current norms and curbs, the state will be left with little choice but to go for a stricter lockdown again to contain the rise of coronavirus cases. Thackeray also predicted a spike in infections in the next few weeks more activities are allowed and added that the state government was ready to meet the challenge by having augmented its health infrastructure, which he claimed was at par with national and international levels. Maharashtra government has received permission for the use of remdesivir and favipiravin, the antiviral drugs, and they will be made available to people free of cost once the adequate stock has been procured, he added. Activists of the RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch on Saturday burnt Chinese products in East Delhi's Laxmi Nagar in a protest against killing of Indian soldiers in a violent face-off with troops of the neighbouring country in Galwan Valley last week. "This protest is a symbolic homage to the martyrs and we appeal the people to boycott Made in China items," said Vikas Chaudhary, co-convener of Delhi unit of the Manch. "We want to hit China economically to make it realise that it will not be spared by Indians for killing our soldiers while earning money through its goods," Chaudhary said. Shopkeeprs, Vyapar Mandal members and Yuva Morcha activists, including its president Sundar Chaudhary, joined the protest. Twenty Indian Army personnel, including an officer, were killed in the violent clash with Chinese armymen along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A $1 million reward is being offered for information relating to a deliberately lit fire which killed a young boy. Arthur Haines, 13, was staying at a friend's house in Sydney's Waterloo when a fire ripped through the home at about 10.30pm on Thursday April 9, 1998. The teenager suffered serious injuries and was rushed to The Childrens Hospital at Westmead, but sadly he died 11 weeks later. His mother Julie Szabo has been left heartbroken as no one has ever been charged over the fatal fire. Arthur Haines, 13, was staying at a friend's house in Sydney's Waterloo when a fire ripped through the home at about 10.30pm on Thursday April 9, 1998 Julie Szabo, the mother of Arthur Haines, who died in a house fire in 1998 holds a photograph of her son as she speaks to the media during an appeal for information in 2018 The New South Wales Government has now increased the reward from $100,000 to $1 million. Arthur had been sleeping in a room on the top floor of the home on Walker Street when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the building. He was trapped on the top floor of the three-storey terrace as the fire began engulfing the home. He had to run through the fire to escape and suffered burns to 60 per cent of his body. Julie Szabo is comforted by Police officer Angela Cook after speaking to the media during an appeal for information There were about six other people at the home at the time but they managed to escape uninjured. When fire crews alive the ground floor had been destroyed. In 2001, an inquest into the death heard how there were tensions between neighbours on Walker Street in the months before the explosive was thrown but no one was ever charged. The matter underwent a formal review and in January this year the case was referred to detectives from the State Crime Commands Homicide Squad to re-investigate under Strike Force Belemba II. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 13:08:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, June 27 (Xinhua) -- An airlift program carrying medical supplies from China to Mexico was extended this week after completing the first planned flights as the North American country is grappling with surging COVID-19 cases. A plane, which arrived Thursday night in Mexico City from Shanghai, has become the 21st flight completed since April 7. The air bridge has been made possible due to an agreement between the two countries to cooperate in fighting the pandemic. "(It is) an important act of symbolism with a new milestone of cooperation during the difficult times we are living in," said Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs Martha Delgado, who received the supplies at the airport. Initially, 20 flights were planned for the transportation of supplies and medical equipment, but Mexico announced that the mission would be expanded after the original project was completed on June 19. The first 20 flights carried tons of materials that Mexico had acquired from Chinese companies, while the second cycle began with a delivery of donations from China to the Mexican people. Chinese companies like China Meheco delivered supplies for Mexican health personnel battling the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when medical supplies were in high global demand. "As an international company dedicated to the health sector, China Meheco maintains with conviction the concept of appreciating life, caring for health, and it is our mission and responsibility to make contributions in the fight against this pandemic worldwide," Zhang Shichun, the company's representative in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, has said. According to the Mexican government, four flights during the first cycle transported ventilators for intensive care units, one of the most difficult products to obtain under the current circumstance. Other flights carried supplies such as masks, gloves and glasses. The Chinese ambassador to Mexico, Zhu Qingqiao, said during the delivery of supplies that the Chinese government stand firm with the Mexican side in the fight against the pandemic. COVID-19 knows no borders, and all countries are part of the community with a shared future, which requires unity and cooperation in both facing the pandemic and supporting economic recovery, Zhu added. The Mexican deputy foreign minister said in an interview with Xinhua that Mexico has found China a very supportive friend, which has facilitated the delivery of supplies when production chains have broken down in the country and the global market has collapsed due to high demand. "For us, it was crucial because we had the opportunity to have personal protective equipment and medical equipment that was indispensable ... While the rest of the world attended to their own domestic problems, immediate support from China was very important," she added. To date, Mexico has reported more than 200,000 cases with 25,000 deaths from COVID-19. Enditem 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 Hanoi should become one of East Asian centres by 2045: PM By 2045, when Vietnam becomes a developed country, Hanoi must have developed into one of the political, economic and cultural centres in East Asia, according to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. He made the remark on June 27 while addressing the Hanoi 2020 Investment & Development Cooperation conference that aimed to promote post-COVID-19 economic recovery and development in the capital city. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses the Hanoi 2020 Investment & Development Cooperation conference on June 27 (Photo: VNA) Opening the event, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue said the conference looked to press on with administrative reforms and stronger improvement of the local business climate and competitiveness so that Hanoi can achieve as high as possible socio-economic results, with its gross regional domestic product growth 1.3 times faster than the whole countrys gross domestic product expansion, and the budget revenue target of VND285 trillion (nearly USD12.3 billion) this year. In his speech, PM Phuc said Hanoi authorities have actively dialogued with and created optimal conditions for all economic sectors to develop, noting that thanks to their dynamism, the city has attracted a number of foreign-invested and large-scaled projects. With its new stature, Hanoi now should not merely be the political, economic and cultural centre of Vietnam but one of the centres in Southeast Asia, and by 2045, among such hubs in East Asia, he said, adding that the target for Hanoi at present is no longer to compete with other Vietnamese localities but with other cities in the region like Bangkok, Jakarta, Shanghai, and Manila. To do so, the PM noted, Hanoi needs to have good institutional quality and capitalise on existing special mechanisms for it, especially the National Assemblys recent resolution on piloting some specific financial and budgetary mechanisms and policies for the capital. The city should also make full use of opportunities and be more proactive to seek new development models and engage in global value chains. Besides, it needs to maximise the geo-political and economic advantages of Vietnam and the Capital Region, while cooperating with other localities and consider them partners for common development as each of them has specific advantages, according to PM Phuc. The Government leader noted that Hanoi needs to have its own strategic shareholders, good businesses, rich people, talented people, especially sci-tech companies and high-quality human resources. He also asked the city to create a competitive and institutionally efficient and effective economy and become a liveable capital city. Local per capita income has approximated 5,500 USD each year, and if the average annual growth rate of 9 percent is sustained, Hanoi will be able to become a high-income locality by 2030, 15 years ahead of the similar target for Vietnam, the PM added. At the conference, Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung announced 282 projects worth VND483.1 trillion that his city is inviting investment to. Authorities also presented investment certificates to 229 projects worth VND405.57 trillion . A car that crashed in Texas killing seven of the ten people on board was involved in human smuggling, officials have confirmed. The vehicle collided with a trailer around 2.15am Thursday while fleeing at speed from Border Patrol agents. At least three of those involved were illegal immigrants and being smuggled into the US, Chief Patrol Agent of the El Paso, Texas Sector, Gloria Chavez, said in an update on Saturday. Four of those killed in the crash were El Paso residents - the 18-year-old driver, two women and one man. Police have not released their identities. A Mexican man, as well as a man and a woman who have not been identified were also killed. Those injured were Guatemalan national Wilbur Gomez, 25; Mexico native Omar Garcia Hernandez, 18; and a 16-year-old from Mexico - who was not named. A damaged silver four-door vehicle is transported after being involved in a crash involving 10 people Thursday in El Paso, Texas. Authorities say seven people were killed and three others were injured after a car being pursued by the Border Patrol smashed into a semi-trailer next to a building An 18-year-old male from Texas, a Mexican male and five other individuals died after the car they were traveling in crashed into a parked semi-trailer Thursday in El Paso, Texas U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said in a statement that Border Patrol agents from the Santa Teresa Station had responded to sensor activity in Sunland Park, New Mexico, near the border of Mexico. The agents noticed a vehicle leaving the area, known for alien smuggling, and initiated a vehicle stop. The victims were all inside a four-door car when the 18-year-old driver accelerated at a higher speed east bound from New Mexico into El Paso. An agent relayed information via radio about the car registration. Agents from the El Paso Sector later spotted the vehicle and activated emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop but the driver fled, ignoring traffic signals and speed limits. Border Patrol claim that at the request of a supervisor, they stopped the chase 'almost as soon as it began' due to the dangerous speed. Investigators at the scene of Thursday morning's deadly crash that killed an 18-year-old male in El Paso, Texas, along with six other people, including a Mexican male. CBP said Border Patrol agents near the border with Mexico noticed suspicious activity and ordered the 18-year-old to stop his vehicle before he crossed from New Mexico to Texas A woman who police confirmed is the mother of one of the occupants of a vehicle involved in a fatal crash is comforted by an unidentified man Thursday in El Paso El Paso Police Sgt. Robert Gomez, right, walks on the scene of a car crash on Thursday They later found the car crashed into a trailer located on private property. Agents say they immediately requested emergency medical services and tried to save the lives of the people inside the wreck, pictured by KFOX-TV. The El Paso Police Department said that teen driver lost control of the vehicle at a curve at the 700 block of W. Paisano and subsequently veered across the west bound lanes and struck The vehicle crashed near a building, killing himself and six others, including a Mexican male. 'All preliminary information collected thus far indicates that it was indeed a human smuggling event,' Chavez said in a statement on Saturday. 'I cannot stress enough how Transnational Criminal Organizations continue to exploit human beings and manipulate the youth in our communities by recruiting them to be their mules and their smugglers. 'Human smuggling is as lucrative as drug smuggling, if not more, and our youth are being targeted.' The Border Patrol said in a statement that the agency is cooperating with the police investigation and that the crash was also under review by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility. Operation Hope and Perches Funeral Home is assisting two of the families with arrangements. Welcome, DISH customer! Please note that we cannot save your viewing history due to an arrangement with DISH. Watchlist and resume progress features have been disabled. ACCEPT Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub has received acclaim as a character actor in a range of roles, most recently playing the Dalit leader Nishad in Article 15 last year. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub drew mass attention when he starred as the loyal Murari in the Hindi film Raanjhanaa in 2013. He has received acclaim as a character actor in a range of roles, most recently playing the Dalit leader Nishad in Article 15 last year. Ayyub has also been an outspoken critic of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), police action against Jamia Millia Islamia students and other establishment moves. In this interview, he reflects on life as an Indian Muslim at a time when "even a pandemic can be communalised" and why he still has hope. Excerpts: What does it feel to be a Muslim in India in 2020? I am privileged in this context. I was not born into financial privilege but I got the best of education, and after I went to college everything was smooth. Now Im also financially secure. Those who face problems are mainly the under-privileged irrespective of religious community, and in India the last person in the line is the Dalit woman. That said, I have never in my life been as aware about my Muslim identity as I have been since December 2019. Dalits have always been in a terrible state and have always been targeted, but the new thing they are doing, the specific witch-hunting of Muslims, helps you understand that while it is true I am privileged, it is not a big deal they will lodge an FIR against me too, they can arrest me any time too. I have been made to realise in 2020 that my name and Muslim identity put me at risk. If my name comes from Arabic, my life and dignity are in danger. Bollywood was at one time seen as being free of the Hindu-Muslim tensions pervading India. Was this a facade? Because in the past 6 years in Bollywood too people have come forward to support a particular kind of politics. This is a complex matter. Most of these people are just businesspersons. Among those who are speaking up vocally, first let us set aside the rubbish people who have done no worthwhile work and so are irrelevant. Then there are those like Anupam Kher who probably have political ambitions. It is a peculiar characteristic of the right wing that they celebrate mediocrity and reward it. And because of the feudal mentality in our DNA, people actually like to have a person before whom they can bend they find it reassuring, they enjoy it. And this person is throwing crumbs their way, distributing Padma Shris and other things to all sorts of people such that the credibility of these awards has been destroyed. These people are the biggest hypocrites they will change their tune in 6 months if this party goes out of power, they are only opportunists and they are the most dangerous. Are you saying the earlier impression that Bollywood is secular was correct, that there was actually acceptance and tolerance in this industry? There was secularism earlier too and now too the industry has not become particularly communal. Let us talk about the so-called three Khans who are constantly referenced. Their films are not doing as well as they used to, and this time would have naturally come anyway since they are all 54-55 it was bound to happen that they would start doing character roles, Aamir has already adapted, gradually Shah Rukh sir will do so too, Salman too will change his way of cinema. Now when they dont need these three any more, when they have actors with non-Muslim names and the government is such that if you speak ill of Muslims they will favour you, then why would they not? These are business people, so to say of them that they were earlier secular and now have become communal is false. They are neither secular nor communal. They will do what benefits them. If this government were to change and a revolution comes in India where we start making Dalit icons, these people will start worshipping Dalits. What do you think of the Indian medias coverage of the coronavirus pandemic? From the sections of the media who are propagating Islamophobia through the coronavirus, I think this was expected. But the way people have reacted is disheartening. You understand they have managed to infect Indias entire body with the communal virus. Islamophobia has reached every cell of our bodies. They? The government, the media, the entire right-wing propaganda machinery, their IT Cell, media houses, they have placed some of their own people in courts too, even the police in some places, though fortunately there have been instances where the police, primarily from UP, called out fake news by Zee News, ANI, Sudarshan News. Friends have been telling me that now even in small villages where earlier they never bothered with such things, such talk has begun at a basic level about Muslims. At the time of the last elections, people were like, Okay our lot has not improved, but at least this government has shown these Muslims their place so we are happy for that. Think about it: if even a pandemic can be communalised, it shows that we have been corrupted as a nation from the inside. You said Islamophobia has reached every cell of our bodies." Is there a cure? It might sound pessimistic to say this but I dont see an immediate improvement happening, because it has spread so much. These peoples goal with Islamophobia was polarisation, and that has happened. If the situation changes and from tomorrow we start trying to restore our nations secular fabric, it will take us till 2050 to return to what India was in 2013. The only way to achieve even that would be through education so that an entire generation is influenced. We have to start changing a new generation, start with them as little children. That way, when my childrens children get to 17 or 18, to that age when all children should start questioning their parents and calling their thoughts orthodox, then the remnants of their parents orthodoxy that still lingers in them gets back to the level that we were at in 2012-13. At least then we will return to that point where it was not considered a good thing to say to a persons face that because of your religion we will not give you work, food etc. So what is your state of mind right now? I have been disheartened for a while, but there is still hope inside me. We will keep fighting. Why have you not given up hope? Because one gets to see incidents here and there, where people are helping each other without thinking of religion or caste. When one hears of such incidents or some statement somewhere, it gives you hope that we are not in complete darkness, that there are lights shining here and there. If you combine all these lights, they will form a large flame and we will be able to fight. Are you afraid? If I were afraid, I would not be doing a lot of things I am doing. Occasionally I used to feel fear and had to control it. But for the past few months I have felt no fear. And why? Because we are on the last leg. Earlier there was still some pretence things would be condemned, even if four days after the fact. There would be a half-hearted statement, No, we should all live in harmony. There was a mask, a facade. Now the facade is gone. For the past few months, especially the way the CAA-NRC protests were treated, the kind of name calling we saw, the way it was communalised, the witch hunting and arrests of people, the illegal things that were done, the way it was all justified, judges being transferred with everything, a clear statement was made that this is how they intend to do things. If even after this one is afraid, then all you can do is be completely silent, go to work, come back home, eat, sleep and kill your dreams. But if you want to be alive, you have to speak. What has been the change in peoples attitude to Muslims since your childhood? There is an interesting story about Rahi Masoom Raza Saab. When he wrote the screenplay and dialogues of BR Chopras Mahabharat, he and Chopra got a lot of hate mail when people learnt that the writer is Muslim. Why did you get a Muslim to write it? ... Are all Hindu writers dead? etc. He started getting mails of praise too in large numbers. Someone asked Raza about a massive pile of letters lying near him. Raza said it was mail praising him. So the person inquired about a small pile nearby. Raza said: that is hate mail from people saying a Muslim cannot write the screenplay, letters with abuse and hatred. So he was asked why he preserved those letters. He replied: I want to keep reminding myself that that pile is much smaller than this one. In my view the big change now is that the sizes of the piles have been interchanged. It is not that you dont get support you do, and that support has given me confidence but the numbers of hate-filled hordes have increased. That is how I would explain it: the piles have changed. This situation makes it difficult for the liberal Muslim to speak up about reform within Islam. Anyone critiquing Islam, even saying something as simple as masjid mat jaao during the lockdown, and any feminist commenting is automatically assumed to be Islamophobic. This too is a problem, is it not, when a community is so beleaguered and so persecuted that members of that community are unable to speak to their own people about the need for reform among them? Are you facing this as a Muslim liberal? Exactly. For instance, when the lockdown started I had tweeted asking people to do their namaaz at home, and some people got upset with me. It definitely becomes difficult. Do you hold back because of that? I think you need to do it intelligently. Now if I were to come out at this point and tell Muslims outright, ban this, ban that, I would be thrown out. Then I cannot effect any reform. You have to do it one step at a time. The community is being targeted unrelentingly so they are already disturbed, vulnerable. They are like a wounded animal if you pounce on it, it will attack because it is on its guard. You have to be strategic when you speak. I made that mistake too in the beginning, I went in all guns blazing. We have to set aside our high-browness to connect with the people. They are ready that someone should come and speak to us, guide us, because they are definitely feeling lost. I am not saying we are in a position to guide because we are educated, the community does have good leaders, but we can at least let it be known that we are there and can guide you towards reform. We have to be inclusive in our approach though, instead of being exclusive, abusing them and fighting with them. Reform has become difficult because of this polarisation, but I think it is possible. Much of the reason for Islamophobia has been segregation. Most non-Muslim Indians grow up never having had a Muslim neighbour. The majority community blames Muslims for not wanting assimilation in the larger population, but we also know most non-Muslims dont rent their homes to Muslims. Where does the truth lie? I think it is both. Let me give you the example of Okhla in Delhi. You know of course that Hindus dont like to give their homes to Muslims on rent. We are all fighting against this attitude of the majority to the minority. If I were to speak of the minoritys attitude to the majority, it is a chicken and egg situation and I dont know which came first so I would prefer to focus on the present. Okhla is a settlement of immigrants. Since the late 1980s, there has been a lot of migration from Afghanistan and the Middle East. Okhla Vihar had a lot of Bangladeshi immigrants. Refugees tend to want to stay with their own people, the code language was what I consider entertaining. Just like the code for this society doesnt want to sell houses to Muslims is non-veg is not allowed, in the same way, there is code on the other side: the house should be near a masjid, it should be within walking distance from a masjid. They will not say live only in a Muslim ghetto with ones own people. What does this mean? (He laughs) If every person targets only houses within walking distance of a masjid, then it means mostly Muslims stay nearby. This desire to stay with your own people can be explained by fear and so wanting to be together. This is why ghettos have emerged, but because of this, for instance I spoke to some people from back then and they said, There was really nothing but one used to feel scared to go to Muslim localities I have heard this even from Leftist friends. They say at that time the atmosphere was like this, that there was a lot of hooliganism, so people stayed away from those areas, so they continued to be ghettoes. My point is, what can I do about what happened in the 1990s? The truth is, maximum Hindus do not want to stay with Muslims and maximum Muslims dont want to stay with Hindus or any other community. Ghettoisation has happened from both sides just as polarisation has happened from both sides. Maulana Azad said in his book India Wins Freedom that Partition caused great harm to Muslims who stayed on in India, making them objects of resentment. When seen in that context, does Hindu-Muslim animosity in India seem unsolvable? If it is considered unsolvable then all hope is lost. Communal amity could definitely be brought back because in most places it was already there. It can happen, though not with the present political parties. And it will be difficult unless we get rid of the madness of religious frenzy. Before the Rath Yatra (in 1990) I dont think we had seen such an aggressive act of religious revivalism post-Partition that drove people into a frenzy. On the other side the same thing was achieved with the Shah Bano case. It is possible to restore Hindu-Muslim amity when we end this madness and these displays of strength. In recent years every religious festival has become bigger, Ganpati, Chhat Puja, Shab-e-baraat, Chaand Raat we are having problems because of this desire to make aggressive displays of strength and from that you can see why a game like PubG becomes a hit in India, from that you can understand how peoples mentality is being shaped. A marker of the arrival of the right wing is that mediocrity in the arts starts being celebrated. The art you were serving people from around 2000, 2003, was a preparation to make the India of 2020. You were serving people aggression in cinema and that aggression was used by these political parties who have now done what they have done to the country. Indias bestselling writer is not worthy of being called a writer and it is shameful for the country that he is. The same applies to Indias most popular news anchor. These examples explain where the country is headed. Do you think Uri was a hit because it was a good film? I have not seen it, but people said that craftwise it is good I am sure it was, but that is not why it was a hit. Uri was a hit because it sells jingoism. The trailer had a terrible dialogue about 72 virgins by Vicky Kaushals character, a line that was anti-Islam, not anti-terrorism. And that line from the film, yeh naya Hindustan hai, yeh ghar mein ghusega bhi aur marega bhi (this new India will not just barge into your house, it will kill you too) was sold in this age of PubG when people are in a frame of mind that they will land somewhere, kill people and have a chicken dinner at night. This links back to our earlier discussion on opportunism. Artists need to start speaking through their art. The position that some artists take, our art and politics are separate, is rubbish. You have to learn from Chetan Bhagat that this is the era of 20-20, people want to buy a book and read it within a couple of hours you need to find ways of catering to that audience. We have to get off our high horse. I am not asking you to compromise on your art, but you need to try to reach a larger audience and make your art more accessible. Anubhav Sinha managed to crack that with Article 15 and Mulk. In a language that is accessible to the masses he managed to make films on crucial issues with solid content yet entertain the masses. The problem is, there is too much of a distance between high art and the masses now, and we have increased that distance in the last couple of decades. We must get out of our echo chambers, stop aiming only for the appreciation of like-minded people. And we must keep repeating our point again and again and again. If we do that, I think it is completely achievable that we can once again create a harmonious society. It is possible. Ford Motor Company has announced plans to achieve carbon neutrality globally by 2050, while setting interim targets to more urgently address climate change challenges. The company announced that ambition as it issued its 21st annual Sustainability Report. Ford is the only full line US automaker committed to doing its part to reduce CO2 emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Carbon neutrality refers to achieving zero carbon emissions by balancing such emissions with carbon removal. To achieve its goal, Ford will focus initially on three areas that account for approximately 95 percent of its CO2 emissions vehicle use, its supply base and the companys facilities. Ford said it is setting the 2050 goal fully aware of challenges, including customer acceptance, government regulations, economic conditions and the availability of renewable, carbon-neutral electricity and renewable fuels. We can develop and make great vehicles, sustain and grow a strong business and protect our planet at the same time in fact, those ideals complement each other, said Bob Holycross, Vice President, Chief Sustainability, Environment and Safety Officer. We dont have all the answers yet but are determined to work with all of our global and local partners and stakeholders to get there. Ford also is working to develop goals approved and defined by the Science Based Targets initiative for its Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from company-owned or -controlled sources, while Scope 2 addresses indirect emissions from generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by Ford. Scope 3 emissions speak to in-use emissions from vehicles that Ford sells and emissions from its supply base, among others. The 2050 commitment represents Ford continuing to ratchet up more environmentally friendly performance for its products and operations. In 2019, the company expanded its climate strategy to find more effective ways to integrate the wants and needs of people and its business, along with the possibilities of technology, by applying human-centered, design-thinking. A cross-functional Ford team from around the world including the U.S., Europe and China developed the companys carbon-neutral approach after analyzing information on the environment, customers, technology, legislation, energy, competitive approaches, life-cycle assessments and other trends. Meeting the challenge of climate change is a key responsibility and a strategic priority for Ford. This includes helping limit the global temperature increase in keeping with the Paris Agreement. Mindy Lubber, CEO and president of the sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres, hailed Fords long-term goal and encouraged other companies to follow suit. We congratulate Ford on its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050, she said. Ford recognises the urgency to address climate change, and we urge every company to take action and commit to science-based targets within their global enterprises. Ford is investing more than $11.5 billion in electric vehicles through 2022, introducing zero-emission versions of some of its most popular nameplates are on the way, including the Mustang Mach-E, which starts arriving in dealerships this year, as well as a Transit Commercial EV and fully electric F-150 coming within 24 months. The company previously announced its plan to use 100-percent locally sourced renewable energy for all its manufacturing plants globally by 2035. That means energy would come only from sources that naturally replenish such as hydropower, geothermal, wind or solar. - TradeArabia News Service Earlier this week, Jenna Marbles, 33, announced to her over 20million subscribers on YouTube that she was quitting the platform amid blackface backlash. And fellow YouTube star PewDiePie, 30, came to her defense in a statement published to his YouTube channel on Friday. PewDiePie - born Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg - described Jenna as 'one of the most genuinely good people on this platform' and found it disgraceful that she got 'bullied off the site by mistakes that happened 8-10 years ago.' 'Who cares? These actions reflect in no way who she is and the content she makes today, anyone who watches her can see that,' he wrote. Defense: Fellow YouTube star PewDiePie, 30, came to Jenna Marbles defense in a statement published to his YouTube channel on Friday Marbles uploaded a video titled 'A Message' on Thursday, where she addressed her highly criticized past transgressions, which included a 2011 blackface skit, shaming women and a racist rap. PewDiePie continued: 'Some things were more [lenient] a few years ago - that's not to say it was right, but where the line is drawn from the past and today seems non existent. He took major issue with online 'cancel culture' and urged people to allowed others to 'learn from [their] mistakes.' 'I thought the point was to learn from your mistakes and do better? We all have problems in our past, no one in the world is perfect.' PewDiePie fears that YouTube 'will be filled with nothing but douchetubers who don't care,' if content creators like Marbles 'who do [care]' get 'pushed out.' Taking issue: PewDiePie - born Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg - described Jenna as 'one of the most genuinely good people on this platform' and found it disgraceful that she got 'bullied off the site by mistakes that happened 8-10 years ago'; PewDiePie pictured in 2015 A Message: Earlier this week, Jenna, 33, announced to her over 20million subscribers on YouTube that she was quitting the platform amid blackface backlash 'So disappointed with the internet and how far things have gotten. And of course these are the headlines as well,' concluded the social media sensation, who included a screenshot of various news headlines pertaining to Marbles. PewDiePie - who boasts 105million subscribers on YouTube - faced backlash of his own in 2017 for dropping the N-word during a video game livestream. In Jenna's 11-minute video she began by stating that she 'can't exist on [her] channel' and that she wants to 'hold [herself] accountable, and its painful to do it.' 'Im ashamed of things Ive done and said in my past - but, its important. 'I think I'm just going to move on from this channel for now. I don't know if that's forever. I don't know how long it's going to be... I'm just going to stop for now.' Marbles said it was time to take a step back from the channel amid a pileup of questions about the routines. The latest: Jenna Marbles, 33, says she will no longer post to her YouTube channel amid scrutiny of older videos she did that contained racist content including a blackface skit In an 11-minute clip titled 'A Message,' the Rochester, New York native, 33, acknowledged her past transgressions, which included a 2011 blackface skit (pictured), shaming women and a racist rap She specifically addressed the blackface skit, a video featuring a rap which made a joke about Asian people, and another in which she hit out at women who 'slept around'. The rap song included the line: 'Hey Ching Chong Wing Wong, shake your King Kong ding dong.' She described the video as 'awful' and 'inexcusable'. In the blackface video she dons a pink wig and skintight blue outfit and jokes that Minaj has different personalities. At one point in the video she is seen with dark paint or a face mask on her face while talking about 'kinky' sex. 'I get it,' she said. 'I've definitely done things in the past that weren't great. I'm not completely unproblematic. I've tried my best to grow up.' Marbles is seen wearing a shiny skin-tight outfit and a pink wig during her Nicki Minaj impersonation Admitting wrongdoing: Marbles acknowledged she had past done a skit in blackface trying to lampoon Nicki Minaj Marbles, whose real name is Jenna Nicole Mourey, admits she's gradually switched the older clips to private amid 'a time where we are purging ourselves of anything and everything toxic'. 'Yeah there [are] things in my past I'm not proud of and I'm getting a lot of tweets from people saying, "Why have you privated all these old videos?" and I have spent a lot of the last few days privating almost all of my old content. 'I'm sorry if any of that holds any nostalgia for you but I'm literally not trying to put out negative things into the world.' Marbles said she was 'unbelievably sorry' specifically in regards to the blackface skit, and wishes 'it wasnt part of [her] past.' She added of the bit: 'I do just want to tell you that it was not my intention to do blackface. 'I don't know how else to say this but it doesn't matter because all that matters is that people were offended and it hurt them... this isn't okay and it hasn't existed on the Internet for a long time because it's not okay.' Purge: Marbles, whose real name is Jenna Nicole Mourey, admits she's gradually switched the older clips to private amid 'a time where we are purging ourselves of anything and everything toxic' As for her other offensive content, Marbles said 'it doesn't need to exist' and she was 'embarrassed that [she] ever made' it. Marbles said she saw no value in leaving the offensive content up, as she doesn't 'want to contribute to' strife amid a time where racism is at the forefront of the national discussion. 'If that's the case where people will watch something and be offended now, I don't want it to exist,' she said. 'So I probably deleted a lot of my old content because I just don't want anyone to feel upset about anything.' Marbles said she had no problem taking the heat for her past transgressions to align with the social values she and her fans hold dear. 'I'm happy to do that,' she said, 'because what I want from the people that I support and that I like is to have accountability and to know that I am supporting someone whose morals and values align with my own.' Marbles said that while she cannot erase the past, she can be her best self moving forward. 'As someone clearly with their own past that they're not proud of, I do just try to see people for who they are right now, today and that they're not defined by their pasts - and I understand,' she said. 'I'm trying to do the same thing that you are and support and be friends of people that I'm proud of and that I love and I just know that I'm doing my best.' UN Warns of Risk to Civilians in Libya By Namo Abdulla June 27, 2020 The United Nations has warned of a looming risk to the lives of tens of thousands of civilians in a coastal Libyan city, calling on the United States to play a more active diplomatic role to prevent further conflict in the oil-rich country. "There are 60,000 civilians in harm's way in the city of Sirte right now," Stephanie T. Williams, acting special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for Libya, said Thursday. Sirte is a strategic Libyan city along the Mediterranean Sea that the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, has vowed to retake from General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). The city has been the scene of some bloody conflicts over the past nine years. In February 2015, the Islamic State terror group seized and maintained control of Sirte for more than a year. In 2016, the GNA retook the city from the jihadists but then lost it to Haftar's forces. In January, Turkey began deploying troops to Libya and turned the tide of the conflict in favor of the GNA. Since then, the GNA has achieved a series of major territorial victories against the LNA and now has eyes on retaking Sirte. "We want to really spare Sirte and its people from further trauma," Williams said during a webinar hosted by the Arab Center in Washington, D.C. 'Regional escalation' In recent days, the risk of the Libyan crisis turning into a regional conflict has reportedly increased with neighboring Egypt threatening to use military force to prevent the GNA from crossing a "redline" by pushing to retake Sirte. Egypt, along with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Russia, backs the eastern-based LNA. Europe is divided on the conflict, with France also on the side of the LNA. Turkey and France have, in recent days, traded harsh words over Libya. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey of playing a "dangerous game," prompting a response from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accusing France of attempting to restore old "colonial rule" over Libya. The U.S. has largely remained on the sidelines over the fate of the war-torn African nation, according to experts. On Thursday, the U.N. envoy said it was time for the U.S. to take a more active diplomatic role. "Libyans, it's not a secret, are desperate for U.S. role: a small investment on the part of the U.S., and particularly in this need to herd the cats internationally," Williams said. She added the situation had deteriorated to a point in which she was "genuinely worried about regional escalation and miscalculation." Experts say Egypt, under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, views the Islamist-rooted GNA as being part of the global Muslim Brotherhood movement, an organization designated as a terrorist group in the country. Egyptian cease-fire "Egypt is sending messages to Turkey, and it's sending messages to the GNA that Egypt will not allow itself to be humiliated by a move all the way to the eastern border," Jonathan M. Winer, former U.S. special envoy for Libya, said, adding that Egypt had "legitimate" security concerns near its eastern border. Earlier this month, the GNA rejected an Egypt-proposed cease-fire with the LNA. But following the recent Egyptian threats, the GNA appears more reluctant to retake Sirte. On Thursday, Turkey said the withdrawal of the LNA from Sirte was a precondition for the GNA to accept a cease-fire with the militia group that has established its own House of Representatives in the eastern city of Tobruk, according to the Turkish media. Earlier this a month, the U.N. reported the discovery of at least eight mass graves in the Libyan city of Tarhuna shortly after the GNA retook it from Haftar's forces. The U.N. also reported an increase in the number of civilian casualties in recent months. Since April, it has documented at least 250 civilian casualties, including 82 deaths. "I think [the U.S.] should look at now what is happening and realizing that security of the southern Mediterranean is at risk, and that has all sort of implications for U.S. national security. I hope that the call is heard," Williams said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address She's been spending California's COVID-19 lockdown with her director boyfriend of one year, Charlie McDowell. And Lily Collins opted for a rare appearance without her beau as she stocked up on groceries in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones actress, 31, put on a casual display while keeping safe in a protective face mask during her solo errand run. Off she goes: Lily Collins looked typically chic as she stocked up on groceries in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon Nailing low-key style, the screen star was dressed in an oversized white shirt, paired with slightly distressed straight-leg jeans. The media personality flashed a hint of her English rose tattoo as she strolled across the streets of the city in grey sandals. Dark shades and a single gold bangle were styled with her outfit, while light strokes of make-up complemented her naturally stunning features. Dressed down: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones actress, 31, put on a casual display while keeping safe in a protective face mask during her solo errand run Nailing low-key style: The media personality was dressed in an oversized white shirt, paired with slightly distressed straight-leg jeans The brunette beauty and filmmaker Charlie, 36, confirmed their budding relationship in August 2019, putting an end to months of speculation. Late last year, the pair took their relationship to the next level as they adopted their rescue dog. Lily is the latest in a long line of A-List partners for Charlie, who directed The One I Love and The Discovery. Going strong: The brunette beauty has been spending California's COVID-19 lockdown with her director boyfriend of a year, Charlie McDowell (pictured in January) The LA-born writer has dated several high-profile actresses, including Emilia Clarke, 33, Hilary Duff, 32, and Rooney Mara, 35. Lily has also had her fair share of headline-grabbing relationships, featuring a brief romance with her Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile co-star Zac Efron, 32, in 2012, and a five-year relationship with British actor Jamie Campbell Bower, 31, which ended in 2018. The loved-up couple both have famous parents in common; Lily's dad is British musician Phil Collins, while Charlie is the son of actor Malcolm McDowell and actress Mary Steenburgen. Puppy love: Late last year, the pair took their relationship to the next level as they adopted their rescue dog (pictured in December) 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. Donald Trump has been accused of failing to respond to Russian threats to US troops in Afghanistan for months: Mandel NganAFP via Getty Images Donald Trump has praised great people in footage he shared of furious protesters clashing over his presidency outside a Florida retirement home, in which one apparent supporter repeatedly shouts white power from a golf buggy. The only black Republican senator Tim Scott urged him to remove the indefensible footage, which he later did. The White House claimed he did not hear the racist chant. A White House spokesperson claimed that the president "did not hear the one statement made on the video" and that "what he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters." While the president was on the golf course for a second consecutive day, this time with Senator Lindsey Graham, the administration faced intense scrutiny over allegations that it was warned about Russian bounties placed on US troops in Afghanistan in an alleged secret deal between Russian intelligence services and Taliban militias. The White House was warned by intelligence officials as early as January about the threat, according to reports. Joe Biden accused the president of betraying the most sacred duty we bear as a nation after reports suggested he had been briefed months ago yet did worse than nothing in response. Mr Trump denied having been briefed or "told about" the reports, crying fake news, while the Kremlin dismissed the allegations as nonsense. The president's former national security adviser John Bolton said the allegations are among "the most serious matters that has arisen in the Trump administration" and was "puzzled" by the president's apparent inaction and denial, as he pivoted to attacks on his Democratic opponent. "What would motivate the president to do that?" Mr Bolton told CNN. "Because it looks bad if Russians are paying to kill Americans and we're not doing anything about it. So what is the presidential reaction? It's to say 'it's not my responsibility, nobody told me about it.' And therefore to duck any complaints that he hasn't acted effectively." While the president Covid-19 infections soared by more than 40,000 for the third consecutive day. Vice president Mike Pence has been forced to call off upcoming campaign events in Florida and Arizona amid coronavirus spikes in the Republican-governed states, which have pushed to abandon lockdowns in order to restart the economy. But he appeared at a Texas megachurch on Sunday to announced that "each day we are one day closer to putting this pandemic in the past" despite climbing case rates. Follow live coverage as it happened Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load Read more Trump accused of abusing power for sharing wanted posters Pelosi strikes Trump on Russian bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan Trump shares video of 'great people' shouting 'white power' at protest Rolling Stones threaten Trump with legal action over music use White House denies Trump briefed on alleged Russia plot to kill troops 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. 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Digital Editor Her collaborative makeup collection with her older sister Kendall Jenner for Kylie Cosmetics sold out in record time yesterday morning. And Kylie Jenner was clearly feeling the highs of success on Saturday afternoon when she took to Instagram to share a glamorous self-portrait with her 182million followers. '[S]hes back,' captioned the 22-year-old makeup mogul, who posed atop her bed. Blondie: Kylie Jenner took to Instagram on Saturday afternoon to share a glamorous self-portrait with her 182million followers Jenner completely switched up her usual look for her impromptu photoshoot by sporting a platinum blonde wig that flowed down to her chest. She wore the same wig multiple times this week on Instagram and during a night out in Beverly Hills. Kylie slipped her toned and tanned physique into a sultry pink slip dress that featured yellow lace detailing. She rested her chin delicately in her manicured hand as she laid chest down on her lush bedding. Personal favorite: She wore the same wig multiple times this week on Instagram and during a night out in Beverly Hills; Kylie pictured on Instagram on Tuesday The Kylie Cosmetics founder rocked her go-to eye look, which often includes a generous amount of brown eyeshadow in the crease, a soft winged liner, and a pair of wispy false lashes. Her eyebrows were neatly drawn on and a generous amount of nude toned lipstick was applied to her famous pout. Earlier the day, Kylie used her Instagram to honor her older sister Khloe Kardashian on her 36th birthday. 'happy birthday to the most special soul! to know you is to love you [Khloe Kardashian],' wrote Jenner. Birthday girl: Earlier the day, Kylie used her Instagram to honor her older sister Khloe Kardashian on her 36th birthday Most special: 'happy birthday to the most special soul! to know you is to love you [Khloe Kardashian],' wrote Jenner She also described Khloe as 'the most selfless, strong, beautiful human' and admitted that her 'world wouldn't be the same with out [her].' Kylie made sure to share plenty of snapshots and videos of Khloe and herself taken through the years. On Friday morning, the highly anticipated Kendall x Kylie collection for Kylie Cosmetics was made available to the public. And nearly eight-hours later, Kylie announced that the entire collection had officially 'sold out' on the brand's web store. High opinion: She also described Khloe as 'the most selfless, strong, beautiful human' and admitted that her 'world wouldn't be the same with out [her]' Memory lane: Kylie made sure to share plenty of snapshots and videos of Khloe and herself taken through the years 'Kendall x Kylie collection sold out so fast thank you all so much for your love and support. I cant wait for everyone to receive their orders,' wrote the mother-of-one in a post shared to her Instagram Story. The Instagram account for Kylie Cosmetics also celebrated the collection's success by sharing an image of the famous sisters and a sentiment that mirrored Kylie's. The Kendall-inspired collection - which was unveiled last Saturday - features a unique, multi-toned eyeshadow palette, a signature Kylie Lip Kit, a berry gloss, all over face gloss, a blotting powder, and face sticks to bronze, highlight and add blush. Upon unveiling the collection, Kylie gushed over how 'excited' and that she and her older sister had 'been working so hard on.' Sold out: On Friday morning, the highly anticipated Kendall x Kylie collection for Kylie Cosmetics was made available to the public and sold out in nearly eight-hours 'I've been so excited to finally collaborate with my sister. So yeah, with everything going on, it's been pushed back a lot. So I'm very happy to finally be showing you guys,' wrote Kylie, who has officially made a makeup collaboration with each of her four sisters. When Kylie is not busy cultivating new makeup collections or getting glam indoors, she is often spending quality time with her two-year-old daughter Stormi. The mother-daughter duo have been quarantining at their lavish home in Calabasas, California Kylie shares her darling daughter with rapper ex Travis Scott, 29. FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A global fundraising meeting on Saturday raised 6.15 billion euros ($6.9 billion) from the United States, the European Commission and numerous countries to fight COVID-19, with many participants stressing that an eventual vaccine should be available to anyone who needs it. The pledging summit, part of a joint initiative by the EU executive and advocacy group Global Citizen, also included a globally televised and streamed fundraising concert featuring Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Chloe X Halle, Usher and others. The Commission together with the European Investment Bank pledged 4.9 billion euros ($5.50 billion), the United States $545 million, Germany 383 million euros, Canada C$300 million ($219 million)and Qatar $10 million. Forty governments took part in the summit. The money will be used for COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines, and also to support the worlds poorest and most marginalised communities. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was crucial that everyone who needed it should have access to a vaccine. "I am trying to convince high-income countries to reserve vaccines not only for themselves but also for low- and middle income countries. This is a stress test for solidarity," she said. British Premier Boris Johnson concurred. "If and when an effective vaccine is found, then we as world leaders have moral duty to ensure that it is truly available to all," he said. French President Emmanuel Macron was adamant about pooling efforts together. "Let's refuse an every man for himself approach, let's continue to move forward together," he said. Italy, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, echoed his sentiment. The EU is championing global cooperation in efforts to control and end the pandemic, in contrast to the United States and China's focus on national initiatives. ($1 = 0.8915 euros) ($1 = 1.3688 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Frances Kerry) The casting director was summoned to investigate the possibility of professional reasons that could have pushed the actor to end his life Mumbai: A week after the Yash Raj Films (YRF) submitted the contract documents signed by actor Sushant Singh Rajput before his untimely demise, the Bandra police are questioning the production houses casting director in connection with the suicide. The officials said that the casting director was summoned to investigate the possibility of professional reasons that could have pushed the actor to end his life. The casting director, identified as Shanoo Sharma, arrived at the Bandra police station on Saturday afternoon and she was being questioned till late in the evening. The police grilled on the nuances of the contractual clauses and the upcoming venture of YRF Paani, featuring Rajput, from which the production house allegedly exited before the actor ended his life. The angles of professional favours, rivalry and personal grudges are all being probed. Casting directors of other production houses will also be questioned in connection with the suicide, said a police officer. The casting director being grilled by the police is a known name in the fraternity having spotted several talented actors for YRF. The investigators have recorded statements of at least 24 persons including Rajputs friends Rhea Chakravarty and Mukesh Chhabra along with other friends and colleagues and those working for several production houses. On June 20, police had sent a notice to YRF seeking copies of their contracts with Rajput and the same was submitted on June 21. Rajput (34) hung himself to death at his Bandra residence, while some of his friends were present in another room. The actor had tried contacting his friend and actor Rhea Chakravarty and Mukesh Chhabra sometime before committing suicide. The benchmark equity indices - Sensex and Nifty - managed to end the week with a 1 per cent gain, even as coronavirus and India-China border tensions have kept the volatility on the higher side. While the Sensex closed at 35,171, Nifty ended the week at 10,383. The share market is up 38 per cent from the lows of March. The coming week would be watched closely by the investors due to June PMI data, auto sales numbers, coronavirus updates and development in the India-China border row. Here are 5 things the investors would look forward to in the coming week: Auto sales data: The data for automobile sales in June month will be released Wednesday onwards. After recording poor numbers in April and May, sales are expected to show recovery in June. PMI data: Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data will be released on June 1, while Services PMI will be out on June 3. India-China border row: Further updates on India-China border tensions would be watched closely by the analysts and investors. "In the coming week, we believe global cues will continue to dictate the market trend, in the absence of any major domestic event. Besides, macroeconomic data and auto sales figures will also be on the participants' radar. Needless to say, they would continue to keep a close eye on the India-China border dispute and any news of fresh escalation might not go well with the markets," said Ajit Mishra, VP Research, Religare Broking. Coronavirus cases: COVID-19 cases are constantly rising in the country. On Sunday, India reported 19,906 new cases to take the tally to 5,29,889, according to the Health Ministry. The experts are of the view that any steep rise in the cases would only add to the existing volatility in the markets. FOMC minutes: The investors will also watch for the US Federal Open Market Committee Meeting (FOMC) minutes for the June 9-10 meeting. The minutes will be released on Wednesday night. Technical insights "The short term trend of Nifty has turned into positive, after the minor weakness from the highs. There is a possibility of further upside in the early next week and one may expect Nifty to retest the overhead resistance of 10550-600 levels in the mid to later part of the coming week. Immediate support is placed at 10280," said Nagaraj Shetti, Technical Research Analyst, HDFC. "Markets are still going to be significantly influenced by updates on India-Sino standoff and US-Sino trade talks. While these influences might only be sentimental but if FPIs start selling, markets can really fall from the cliff as they have already bounced back 38% which statistically is a good number for markets to start drifting lower. All the positives, if any, are discounted, however any negative surprises may take markets lower. Investors are advised to be cautious, conserve cash and wait on the sidelines. Nifty50 closed the week at 10,383.00, up by 1.35%," said Jimeet Modi, Founder & CEO, SAMCO Securities. "We see a good bounce back in a few large cap stocks, which are trading at very good support levels. Downside support for Nifty is seen at 10,200 points while upside resistance comes at 10400 level," said Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director, Choice Broking. Also read: Facebook boycott continues; Coca-Cola pausing all social media ads from July 1 Also read: India will win both the battles: Amit Shah on coronavirus, Chinese aggression One policeman succumbed to the infectious Covid-19 disease in the last 48 hours, taking the death toll in the Maharashtra Police to 57, officials said on Sunday. With 150 new coronavirus infections detected in the force over a period of two days, the number of Covid-19 positive cases in Maharashtra Police has risen to 4,666 and is inching closer to the 5,000-mark. Barely three days ago, on Thursday, three more Maharashtra Police personnel had died of the infectious disease. ALSO READ | 3 more cops die of Covid-19 in Maharashtra, forces death toll climbs to 54 Till date, nearly 3,400 police personnel have been cured and discharged and another 900-odd more security personnel are undergoing treatment for the pathogen. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced on Saturday that bravery awards will be given to policemen working in the frontline of the battle against Covid-19, during a visit to Solapur district. The minister was reviewing the law and order situation in the district in view of the Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations next week. The Maharashtra Police have done a good job working in the frontline. They will be given bravery awards for their work, Deshmukh, who was accompanied by state health minister Rajesh Tope, said. ALSO READ | In highest single-day surge, Punes coronavirus count crosses 20,000-mark Deshmukh also indicated that families of police personnel dying of the deadly pathogen will get Rs 65 lakh assistance and they can stay in their official quarters till the deceaseds date of retirement in the normal course. He said there are dedicated Covid Care hospitals in each district for police personnel. State health minister Rajesh Tope said the government will also conduct antigen tests, which give results in an hour, giving priority to frontline Covid-19 workers. The Maharashtra government has also decided to undertake rapid antibody tests, which will help find out whether a person has contracted Covid-19, the minister said. Tope added the district administration has been asked to increase the number of isolation beds in most districts. 100% Website idsc.gov.eg uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap and Asp.Net. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 220797 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 246911 bytes (241.12 kb uncompressed) and 54028 bytes (52.76 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-10-23, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 04:43:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ROME, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Italian Health Ministry said Saturday that 97 COVID-19 patients are in the ICU, of whom almost half, or 43 patients, are in the northern Lombardy region. Eight people succumbed to the virus over the past 24 hours (compared to 30 victims on Friday), pushing the overall death toll to 34,716. Also on Saturday, Italian health officials recorded 175 fresh cases of infection from the novel coronavirus, down from 259 new cases on Friday, and there were 16,836 total active infections across the country. Of these active cases, 1,260 people were hospitalized with symptoms and 15,479 were quarantined at home because they are asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms. A total of 188,584 patients have recovered, the ministry said. The northern, densely populated and highly industrialized Lombardy region still had the lion's share of cases among Italy's 20 regions, with 10,992 active cases, 16,626 deaths, and over 66,000 recoveries. The region with the least cases was Valle d'Aosta, which is located in the Alps mountains and borders France and Switzerland, with four active infections and 146 deaths. Lombardy had just over 10 million inhabitants and Valle d'Aosta had almost 126,000 residents as of Jan. 1 last year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). The overall number of COVID-19 infections, fatalities, and recoveries rose to 240,136 cases over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said. In a medical bulletin issued on Saturday, the national institute for infectious disease at Rome's Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital (INMI Lazzaro Spallanzani) said that 106 patients are currently hospitalized within its facility, of whom 47 have tested positive for the coronavirus and four are in the ICU. Another way to track the status of the pandemic in Italy is by looking at what scientists call the Rt index, which measures the rate of contagiousness of the coronavirus in the wake of countrywide prevention measures put in place by the government. The latest weekly monitoring report issued by the Ministry of Health showed that during the week of June 15-21, the Rt index in Italy's 20 regions ranged from a high of 1.24 in the central Lazio region whose capital is Rome to a low of 0.27 in Sardinia, which is an island in the Mediterranean. Both numbers were up from the week of June 8-14, when Sardinia had an Rt index of 0.03 and Lazio came in at 1.12. The Rt index is being closely watched by health authorities after the last remaining restrictions on domestic travel were lifted on June 3. Also according to data released by the Ministry of Health on June 26, a total of 7,356 people had contracted the coronavirus over the past 30 days, including 399 health care workers. In an interview with Il Messaggero newspaper on Saturday, Civil Protection Department Director Agostino Miozzo, who also heads up the Technical and Scientific Committee advising the government on how to handle the pandemic, said that "the virus is still circulating" in Italy. "We are very concerned over (media) images of young people crowding together in public," said Miozzo. On the economic front, a new report by the Association of Artisans and Small Businesses (CGIA) based in Mestre, near Venice, said that between March 17 and June 25, a total of 715,776 small and medium businesses (SMEs) applied for a total of 41 billion euros (46 billion U.S. dollars) in economic aid under the government's various packages to shore up the country's industrial and manufacturing sector during the coronavirus crisis. This made up just 13 percent of the 5.46 million small businesses that qualified for the government-guaranteed coronavirus crisis financing, according to the CGIA report. Enditem Facing an overmatched field, a stinging rain and a 'sloppy' surface, freshman sensation Sister Sledge kept her 'A' game under wraps and fashioned a workman-like win in her three-year-old debut in the $53,528 Arden Downs at The Meadows on Saturday (June 27). The stake for three-year-old trotting fillies, known as the Ned McCarr, was contested over two divisions, with 49-1 bomb Dazzling Diva pulling off the shocker in the other split. Sister Sledge won her first seven races at two, banked more than $500,000, swept the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes and finished second to Ramona Hill in Dan Patch Award voting. Under ordinary circumstances, the daughter of Father Patrick-Behindclosedoors would have had several starts by this time. But with so many stakes canceled or rescheduled due to COVID-19, trainer Ron Burke found that he needed a race for his budding superstar. The Ned McCarr, usually offered as part of Adios Week, fit the bill. Dave Palone idled with Sister Sledge before the pair seized the lead past the quarter. Sister Sledge then drew away as she pleased and scored in 1:55.3 under a Palone stranglehold. Cocktails N Dreams finished four-and-a-half lengths back in second with Perth Angel De Vie third. Shes like all the great ones, Palone said. Not only is she blessed with ridiculous speed, but her manners and her intelligence are what make her a great horse. Theyll put her in the right spot every week. Shes one you remember for sure. Burke Racing Stable, Jason Melillo, J&T Silva-Purnel&Libby and Weaver Bruscemi LLC own Sister Sledge, whose career bankroll now stands at $569,195. Her next start is tentatively set for the Currier & Ives at The Meadows on July 4. The other McCarr split was hardly as formful as 1-2 favourite Dune Hill lost stride while on a clear lead up the backside. Dazzling Diva, an eight-race maiden entering the stake, already was out and moving and was able to reach the point and open daylight on the field. Yet it wasnt a spot that winning driver Dan Rawlings coveted. She dehydrated really badly last year, Rawlings said. She followed the best fillies in the state, and she was wrapped up doing it. But in both qualifiers this year, when she cleared, she pulled up. I was trying to race hard and drop to the two hole, to be honest. When I cleared, I thought, its all or nothing now. I kept screaming at her, and she kept going. The daughter of Cantab Hall-Hustle Heart persevered and downed Sentebale by three-quarter lengths in 1:56. Ginger Tree Bren earned show. Norm Parker trains the winner for Jacobs Creek Racing, George Romanoff, Martin Garey and Jon Erdner. Mike Wilder and Palone each collected three wins on the 14-race card. Live racing at The Meadows resumes Monday (June 29) when the program features a $5,000 total-pool guarantee for the Early Pick 4 (Race 3) and a $3,295.59 carryover in the final-race Super Hi-5. First post is 12:45 p.m (EDT). (The Meadows) 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... Gabon: African Development Bank approves 100.5 mn Euros budget support for COVID-19 by Godfrey Ivudria June 28,2020 | Source: EABW News The loan will support the central African nations Budget Support Programme in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis or PABURC, which aims to strengthen the health system. The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved a 100.5 million euros loan to the government of Gabon as budget support to mitigate against the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. The loan will support the central African nations Budget Support Programme in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis or PABURC, which aims to strengthen the health system and mitigate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic on households and businesses. The response is focusing on containing the spread of the virus, increasing public resources allocated to the health sector, and boosting the resilience of the most vulnerable communities, as well as to maintain livelihoods and shore up domestic business and industry in order to maintain the production system and pave the way for rapid recovery, said Abdoulaye Coulibaly, Bank Director, Governance and Public Financial Management. The novel coronavirus is exerting strong pressure on a national health system that is not equipped to deal with major pandemics. Faced with a high risk of community transmission and the re-emergence of infectious and parasitic communicable diseases, health facilities in Gabon are insufficient. The country has four recently constructed hospital centres, 9 regional hospitals, 47 departmental hospitals, 34 health centres, 413 dispensaries and 157 health huts, but only has 58 intensive care beds. The drop in global demand and the sharp fall in oil prices has hit the oil-rich nation, contributing to a sharp deterioration in Gabons terms of trade and a significant drop in budget revenues. Given the limited budgetary margins, and the insufficient human and financial resources allocated to health, the country faces a crisis. The national social security system and family benefits scheme, which has been mobilized to respond to the crisis, requires improvement. Bank analysts warn that Gabon, like much of the globe and the rest of the continent, could fall into recession in 2020, and estimate a negative real GDP growth rate of -1.7% for the country, due to the pandemic. Gabon recorded its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on 12 March 2020. As of 24 June 2020, the number of cases stood at 4,849, with 39 deaths and 2,107 recoveries. The hotspot of the pandemic remains the capital Grand Libreville and Port-Gentil. 2019 EABW Digital Theme(s): Others. There have been so many reports surrounding the alleged infighting within the royal family that it can be hard to tell whats what. But a new book promises to provide a definitive account of what really happened behind the doors of Buckingham Palace. Titled Royals at War, the book will reportedly chronicle the fallout between Prince William and Prince Harry starting from the moment the brothers started clashing. Prince William and Prince Harry at an event in November 2019 | Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images More on Royals at War The book, written by Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett, is set to come out on Tuesday, June 30. It claims that Prince William and Prince Harrys relationship grew tense after the Duke of Cambridge pulled his brother aside and started prodding into his romance with Markle. At one point, he allegedly asked (via Express): Is she the right one? The alleged confrontation came shortly after Prince Harry started seeing the Suits actress in 2016, according to sources. The book says his alleged remarks were made from a well-intentioned place, but Prince Harry reportedly took it as a slight and accused his brother of trying to derail the relationship. The conversation is said to have marked the beginning of the drama between the brothers that seemingly continues today. Royal fans know this isnt exactly new information. Sources have long said that the rumored feud began when Prince William expressed his concern about the speed of Prince Harrys relationship with Markle. But it offers insight about what was allegedly said at that moment. (L-R) Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry at an event in 2018 | Stephen Pond/Getty Images RELATED: Meghan Markle Described How She Felt When She Met Prince William and Kate Middleton for the First Time Prince Harrys relationship with Meghan Markle took off Kensington Palace confirmed that Prince Harry and Markle were dating in November 2016 about four months after they were introduced by mutual friends. The couple got engaged a year later in November 2017 and married in a lavish ceremony at Windsor Castle in May 2018. They soon became pregnant and welcomed a son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on May 6, 2019. RELATED: Prince Harry Got Meghan Markle the Most Romantic Gift for Their Second Anniversary Throughout their relationship, the couple faced many negative headlines, including ones about a fallout with the Cambridges. Prince Harry went on to confirm the feud in the October 2019 documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, attributing it to the pressures of royal life. Part of this role and part of this job and this family being under the pressure that its under inevitably, you know, stuff happens, he explained. But, look, were brothers. Well always be brothers. Were certainly on different paths at the moment but I will always be there for him and, as I know, he will always be there for me. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have since distanced themselves from royal life The couple announced in January that they would be stepping back from their senior roles within the royal family. They left the United Kingdom in March and moved to Canada before relocating to Los Angeles later that month. They are said to be living in one of Tyler Perrys houses until they can find a property of their own. Read more about their rumored dream home here. The U.S. justice department has announced charges against four men accused of damaging a statue of President Andrew Jackson near the White House, as Donald Trump retweeted a series of 'wanted' posters for 15 people accused of vandalism. The four people were charged with destruction of federal property in connection with their alleged effort to tear down Jackson's statue in Lafayette Square on June 22. The bronze statue has stood there since 1853. Jackson, a populist who admirers say reformed Washington DC, is a hero of Trump's, and Trump chose his portrait to hang in the Oval Office. Jackson's detractors point out that he was a slave owner who championed the 'Trail of Tears' policy of forcing Native Americans west of the Mississippi. The four are Lee Michael Cantrell, 47, of Virginia; Connor Matthew Judd, 20, of Washington, D.C.; Ryan Lane, 37, of Maryland; and Graham Lloyd, 37, of Maine. Protesters on Monday night are pictured attempting to pull down the statue of Trump's hero Demonstrators used chains to try and topple the bronze statue, which was placed there in 1853 Judd was arrested on Friday and appeared in Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Saturday. The complaint, which was unsealed Saturday, states that on June 22, the four men participated in damaging the statue alongside other protesters, while also being captured on video 'attempting to pry the statue off its base with a wooden board and trying to pull the statue down with the aid of a yellow strap.' It also claims there is video evidence showing 'Lloyd as he breaks off and destroys the wheels of cannons located at the base of the statue.' The document states: 'Lloyd is then captured on video pulling on ropes in an effort to topple the statue and handing a hammer to an unidentified individual involved in the incident.' Lafayette Square, in front of the White House, has been the site of protests in the aftermath of George Floyd's May 25 death while in police custody in Minneapolis. Protesters on Monday night once again congregated in Lafayette Square in Washington DC A large crowd chanted outside the White House on Monday, demanding justice for Floyd 'This office remains steadfast in its commitment to protect the sacred First Amendment right of individuals to peacefully protest, but these charges should serve as a warning to those who choose to desecrate the statues and monuments that adorn our nation's capital,' said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin. In the demonstration on Monday, protesters scrawled 'killer scum' on the statue's pedestal, fastened ropes and cords around the sculpted heads of both Jackson and his horse and doused the marble base with yellow paint before the crowd began trying to yank the statute from its base. Dozens of law enforcement officers, led by U.S. Park Police, stormed into the square and scattered the protesters. The movement to topple or deface monuments of Confederate war heroes and U.S. presidents with poor civil rights records has angered the president. Donald Trump tweeted a series of 'wanted' posters seeking information about vandals The posters asked anyone who knew those pictured to inform the authorities The president on Friday signed an executive order aimed at protecting statues On Friday Trump signed an executive order aimed at protecting monuments and statues, making the issue a priority for the Justice Department. 'I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials and Statues and combating recent Criminal Violence,' Trump announced on Twitter. 'Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country.' Trump has long derided efforts to bring down monuments, often calling them 'foolish.' 'I think many of the people that are knocking down the statues don't even have any idea what the statue is, what it means, who it is when they knocked down,' he said on Wednesday. 'Now they are looking at Jesus Christ, they are looking at George Washington, they're looking at Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson. 'Not going to happen, not going to happen while I'm here.' A woman in Los Angeles has been caught on camera yelling at staff in a Trader Joe's after she was asked to wear a face mask. The unnamed woman had stood in line around 5.30pm Friday with other shoppers on the opening day of the new store in North Hollywood. She was said by another shopper, John Conroy, to be wearing a mask in the line. When she entered the store, however, Conroy said she took it off. 'I watched her take the mask off after she entered the store; I was on line for the register so was looking around, and she was very ostentatious about it,' Conroy told DailyMail.com. 'I presume she had it on the whole time outside because of all the signs.' He said she was acting 'unhinged'. The unnamed woman was caught on camera on Friday afternoon ranting about face masks Actor D. Giles caught the incident on camera and posted it to social media Face masks were made mandatory in California in public spaces on June 18. People with breathing conditions are exempt, however. The store had a sign outside informing all customers they must wear a mask. The woman was confronted by another shopper and exploded with rage, drawing the attention of managers who asked her to leave. 'You f****** Democrat pigs,' she yelled at the staff and other customers, calling them 'sheep'. She continued: 'That man harassed me for not wearing a face mask. I have a breathing problem. My doctor would not let me wear a mask. 'So anyone harassing me to wear a mask, you guys are violating federal law. 'Do you get that?' The incident was caught on camera by actor D. Giles. Trader Joe's told all customers that they had to wear a mask to enter the store The incident began when the woman was asked by employees to wear a mask or leave She screamed at the employees who explained that she needed to get out of the store The woman is then asked to leave the store, and had to be asked multiple times. Conroy, a film producer and director, told DailyMail.com he was sure it was a deliberate provocation. 'I was on line to check out in the middle of the store and noticed when she came in because she took her mask off and held her phone up to start recording video of everyone in the store,' he told DailyMail.com. 'Then I saw her grab the basket and start shopping but was really just moving around to get close to people. 'A few minutes later the screaming started in the frozen aisle behind me, at least two employees were already with her and she was yelling this man harassed me and youre telling me to leave? 'She was wildly indicating an older man who was shaking his head. 'The employees were kind of circled around her at that point, remaining calm and asking her to leave and she kept screaming about this man harassed me about masks! 'And then just started shouting profanity, her rights are being violated and so on.' John Conroy, an LA-based producer, writer and director, witnessed the whole incident Trader Joe's has not responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment. 'I believe 100 per cent that she went there solely to start a confrontation,' he said. 'Her basket remained empty, she was super obvious about the way she was trying to instigate someone to say something. 'Which didnt take long, especially since Trader Joes is known for being super buttoned on their safety policies - like masks, distancing, limits on customers - they preceded the local government on all that stuff. 'As soon as someone told her to put a mask on she flipped out because she was there for it.' He added: 'Because she took her camera out and recorded the crowd right after taking off her mask, I got the impression afterward that it was set up and meant to be for the QAnon/conspiracy crowd, as a way of saying: Check this out Ill show you how oppressed we are.' (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Is the global monetary order ready for another reboot? In the 1960s, Japan and Europe exported their way to post-World War II prosperity under the fixed exchange rates of the Bretton Woods agreement. The U.S. went off the gold standard in 1971, but the established way of doing things didnt collapse. Thirty years later, China essayed the role of being the world economys periphery and selling cheap widgets to a revamped core the West and Japan with the help of an undervalued exchange rate. This, as economists Michael P. Dooley, David Folkerts-Landau and Peter M. Garber noted in an influential 2003 essay, was Bretton Woods revived. The China phase, they said, would play out over 10 to 20 years as the world economy absorbed 200 million surplus rural Chinese workers at the rate of 10 million to 20 million a year. To that end, Beijing would acquire vast quantities of foreign-exchange reserves regardless of cost. And when China was done, India would take its place. Will it? One clue may lie in official reserves. By purchasing the public debt of a profligate center, a hardworking fringe signals its reliability; any threat to Western business investments, and the peripherys holdings of U.S. Treasuries and other safe assets could get cancelled. (Far-fetched as it may sound, the idea did get discussed recently when President Donald Trump's administration was contemplating punishing China for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.) By the time Dooley et al got down to writing, The Revived Bretton Woods Systems First Decade in 2014, Chinas reserves were peaking, at about $4 trillion, from under $300 billion at the time of their original study. Just recently, Indias foreign-exchange stockpile crossed the $500 billion mark. In 1990, the country only had enough dollars to pay foreign suppliers for half a month. Now the reserves cover two years of imports. Yet the domestic political discourse is harking back to a protectionist past. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants self-reliance. Other officials are coaxing Indians to buy local even if means paying more. It doesnt look like India sees itself as the worlds next factory, which requires openness. Emboldened by its recent free trade agreement with the European Union, Vietnam may be more suited to playing that role, even though the Southeast Asian nation of fewer than 100 million people lacks Indias labor power. Story continues Some of Indias retreat may be tactical and temporary. The U.S. is still coping with Chinas rise, and not in a mood to let another 200 million workers latch on to its customers. Industrialization of the periphery requires a fundamental restructuring of the labor force in the core, as the authors of Bretton Woods 2.0 warned. No country has found a workable way to compensate its own losers. The Western companies that chose China as a manufacturing location became vocal supporters of its developmental strategy and shielded it from politicians and labor unions in their home countries. This global businesses elite is no longer as powerful amid a rising anti-globalization tide almost everywhere. The threat of being branded a currency manipulator by the U.S. Treasury also limits the extent to which the Reserve Bank of India can intervene in the foreign-exchange market. Then theres Covid-19, and the worst global recession since the Great Depression. While a rapidly deteriorating relationship with Beijing impels Washington to draw the only other billion-plus-people country deeper into Americas embrace, massive unemployment in an election year makes it impossible to grant concessions. India understands the compulsions. When President Donald Trump recently ordered a freeze on H1-B visas used by technology workers through the end of this year, there was disappointment in the countrys outsourcing industry, but no sense of doom. India has its own constraints. After its Himalayan border with China witnessed the deadliest conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors in 45 years, theres little prospect for deeper economic engagement between the two. Indias trade with China is $50 billion in deficit, while that with the U.S. is $22 billion in surplus. The talk of self-reliance in New Delhi may simply be code for weaning the economy off Chinese goods and capital. Hundreds of millions of pandemic-hit Indian workers need jobs, even if that means making things like solar panels that China can supply far more competitively. The Western tech industry, which remains broadly excluded from China, will probably advocate for India. Even here, though, Indias powerful local business lobby will seek to define the rules of engagement. After investing billions of dollars in the country, Amazon.com Inc. still cant maintain its own e-commerce inventory. Facebook Inc. has waited for two years for approval for its popular messaging service WhatsApp to send and receive payments. Eventually, investment banks will enable joint ventures and compromises. Indian tycoons wealth is tied to stocks traded in Mumbai. However, if they could float their businesses in New York just as worried Chinese companies leave to seek listings closer to home they would happily support an artificially low rupee. That would give them an export advantage while enabling them to be counted among the global rich. Bretton Woods could yet reload. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies and financial services. He previously was a columnist for Reuters Breakingviews. He has also worked for the Straits Times, ET NOW and Bloomberg News. 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. Emart24's logistics center in Gyeongsang Province. / Courtesy of Emart24 Emart24 worker at warehouse tests positive By Kim Jae-heun A 20-something worker at a logistic center for Shinsegae's convenience store brand Emart24 tested positive for COVID-19, Friday. The staff member had worked at the warehouse for storing grocery stock at room temperature in the Cheoin District of Gyeonggi Province. Immediately after he was confirmed infected, Emart24 closed the facility. The convenience store brand also closed the warehouse to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 among its workers in the area. The infected man had worked at the center until last Thursday and was showing no symptoms when he had his body temperature checked on arrival. Quarantine authorities and the logistics center disinfected the whole building twice times on Friday and Saturday. They are now carrying out epidemiological investigation to check with who the worker was in contact there. Other staff at the logistics center have been told to stay home and undergo a COVID-19 test. Eighty-four people staffed the room-temperature warehouse while 50 people worked at a low-temperature storage facility nearby. Emart24 said it would use other logistics centers in Namyangju, Pyeongtaek, Hwaseong and Yongin in Gyeonggi Province to make up for supplies from the logistics center in Cheoin-gu. The logistics center is shared by other firms including Ottogi, one of the country's largest food manufacturers, and they have all halted their services there. Meanwhile, concern over the spread of COVID-19 at domestic retailers' distribution centers is increasing as more cases appear. On June 17, a man in his 60s working at a Lotte Conectionery logistics center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province tested positive. After confirmation of the infection, the distribution center closed immediately, but eight more people have tested positive. Lotte Confectionery's logistics center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, also shut down temporarily after a worker there came in contact with the wife of a worker, 66, at Lotte Confectionery's logistics center in Uiwang. "We will faithfully follow the guidelines given by the health authorities for the time being," a Lotte Confectionery official said. "Our logistics centers in Uiwang and Suwon will remain closed for a while." The country's largest online retailer Coupang is also still in trouble as a third case of COVID-19 was confirmed at its logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, followed by a massive cluster infection at its facilities in Bucheon and Goyang in the same province. She fractured her pelvis and hip after falling off a horse last week. But not even broken bones could stop Roxy Jacenko from enjoying a trip to the zoo with her husband Oliver Curtis, 35, and their two children, Pixie, eight and Hunter, six, on Sunday. The recently-retired PR maven, 40, attended the official opening of the African Savannah Precinct at Taronga Zoo in Sydney while on crutches. Nothing stopping her! Roxy Jacenko, 40, walked on crutches while visiting Taronga Zoo with her husband Oliver Curtis and their children on Sunday Roxy kept warm in black tight pants, a matching coloured jumper and a pair of white sneakers as she hobbled around. She styled her blonde hair straight, and opted to wear a neutral palette of makeup to the event. Designer-loving Roxy also wore a Louis Vuitton cross-body bag and a pair of chic sunglasses. Family: She kept warm in black trousers, a matching coloured jumper and a pair of white sneakers as she posed with her family. Pictured with Oliver Curtis, 35, (back) and their children, Pixie, eight (right) and Hunter, six (left) Oliver also kept warm in a black jumper, puffer vest, and white hat as he posed with Roxy, who sat in a wheelchair, and their two children. Last week, Roxy was hospitalised for two days after falling off a horse. The PR maven fractured her pelvis and hip during the fall, despite initially believing she had only sustained minor injuries. Accident: Last week, Roxy was hospitalised for two days after falling off a horse 'I am okay, I have a fractured pelvis and hip after a saddle slip accident when I was riding last week,' Roxy told Daily Mail Australia. She added: 'Spent two days at St Vincent's [Hospital] however no surgery. The team were remarkable in both Emergency and CCU.' 'My Orthopaedic Surgeon is confident that over the course of the next six weeks the areas will heal themselves with bed rest, non-weight bearing movements on the left leg hence the use of crutches for any movement.' Roxy also explained she would be taking anti-inflammatory medicines and Clexane injections daily. Hyderabad: MyGate, the app-based security management company, has attempted to address data privacy issues regarding its app that regulates entry of visitors and delivery personnel at gated communities, but doubts persist. Over 9,000 gated communities use the app. As reported by Deccan Chronicle in January, chief among the concerns, according to many residents and activists, was the scale of user data collected by MyGate, and its possible misuse. Since then, MyGate has allowed users to exit data-sharing agreements with apps such as Swiggy and Dunzo for pre-approving entry of delivery personnel. The app no longer mandates visitors to submit their mobile numbers at the gate if they are to be granted entry. Also, the company will mandatorily delete the visitors log after 180 days, with options for early deletion. MyGate has been voluntarily implementing the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines, considered the most comprehensive set of regulations for data privacy. GDPR compliance is not necessary for companies operating within India. Due to the absence of Indian laws on the same, many companies have implemented it for consumer satisfaction. Users still remain wary of the amount of data available with MyGate. Swetha, a resident who lives in a society with MyGate in Ashoknagar, notes: MyGate knows everything about me: who visits me, what food I order, what vehicle I own, the number of people in my house and even the help I employ. If someone ever stole this information, my privacy would end instantly. Even if it isnt stolen, some worry that MyGate could monetise this data. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, MyGate CEO and co-founder Vijay Arisetty said: Nobody in the system has any access to user information. We have put in a lot of checks. MyGate cannot access personal information of any user, other than the decision makers in a society, he said. MyGate has been criticised for making it difficult for visitors to get their data deleted. If a visitor submits his name and mobile number at the entrance but later wants it deleted, she has to write to MyGate. MyGate will seek consent from the housing society. Most visitors are not aware of this process. Arisetty admitted this is a cumbersome process from a users perspective. This is why we are telling visitors to not enter their details unless they want to do so. Visitors can call the resident they are visiting to take them along, without giving any details at the gate, he said. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. 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 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) Barangay officials are in hot water after photos showing residents performing a festival parade in Basak San Nicolas, a clear violation of the enhanced community quarantine in Cebu City, surfaced online. Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella issued a show cause order to barangay officials of Basak San Nicolas on Sunday. "It is apparent from the occurrence that the barangay has been too complacent in implementing the clear mandate of the law and has been negligent in its duty to enforce the Executive Order," the show cause order said. "This office sternly warns you that these violations are not taken lightly and we will be referring these acts to the appropriate authorities who can impose the sanctions that may be called for after due investigation," it added. According to the local government, Basak San Nicolas is considered a COVID-19 hotspot, with at least 90 confirmed cases. The officials have 24 hours from receipt of the notice to explain why they should not be held administratively liable for gross negligence and dereliction of duty. Basak San Nicolas barangay captain Norman Navarro said he was not aware that Sitio Alumnos held festivities on Saturday afternoon. The festival was held in honor of the Holy Child Jesus. Navarro and the barangay council said they were against the activity, adding that they did not give their approval for the event. The village chairman said Sunday they summoned the organizers of the festival parade to question them regarding violations committed during the enhanced community quarantine. Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella said he has also instructed the City Attorneys Office to conduct a probe into the incident. He added that he might advise City Attorney Rey Gealon to coordinate with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police, which is likewise looking into the violation. Cebu City Councilor Edu Rama, meanwhile, described the incident as "completely unacceptable." Rama said further he wanted the organizers charged because the event led to the crowding of people in Alumnos, putting everyone present at risk. Photos of the festival have been circulating on social media since Saturday, showing people in a street parade with the image of the Santo Nino and several others on bicycles. The photos showed there were festival dancers donning Filipiniana outfits dancing to the Sinulog, and people crowding on the sides of the interior roads in Alumnos watching the procession. Netizens and residents of Alumnos said there were no police personnel in the area that prevented the parade. Cebu stringer Dale Israel contributed to this report. And normally when we are going towards regional or international meetings, we are accused of human rights abuses. For example, why would the Government abduct Dr Peter Magombeyi, a junior doctor for that matter? What has he done? What does he have? About 4 000 health workers were engaged by Government recently to assist in the fight against the spread of Covid-19. Some havent received their first salary and are already striking. Why allow to be used by other people? You are an essential service and it affects the lives of ordinary people, Dr Moyo said. New Delhi: In prompt response to a request by a woman, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday directed Indian Embassy in Washington to give visa to an Indian to attend his fatheras last rites despite the the mission being closed for two days for Vijaya Dashmi and Moharram. Swarajas directive to the Embassy came after one Sarita Takru, a resident of Karnal, appealed to the External Affairs Minister on twitter to give visa to her US-based son Abhai Kaul so he can attend his fatheras cremation. aOur Embassy in US is closed for Vijaya Dashmi and Moharram. I have sent a message. We will open the Embassy and give visa to your son,a Swaraj tweeted. I am sorry to know about the sad demise of your husband. Just wait - I will help you. https://t.co/KSvgSZtq8R a Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) October 11, 2016 Soon after Swarajas instruction, the Indian Embassy asked Takru to share Kaulas contact details with it so that visa can be granted expeditiously. Takru said her husband died yesterday and she had expressed anguish after knowing that the embassy will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. a...Canat get Indian visa before Local Thursday. Is this human?a aThis dreadful wait must end. Please give my son Indian visa in US so his father may be cremated. Please support. Need empathy,a Takru tweeted. To this, Swaraj responded, saying, aI am sorry to know about the sad demise of your husband. Just wait - I will help you.a The External Affairs Minister is known for her prompt response to Indians in distress abroad. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A new way of paying for parking in downtown Birmingham will be available next month. The City of Birmingham has announced that the ParkMobile app will be available at almost 4,000 meters in the citys downtown area by Wednesday, July 1. Back in February, the City Council approved parking ordinance modifications and a service agreement allowing for pay-by-app parking. Now, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the app is taking on a new emphasis as it allows for contact-free paying. In coming days, city workers will install signs and decals at metered parking locations. ParkMobile is a free app available for both iPhone and Android devices. To pay for parking with the app, a user enters the zone number posted on stickers and signs around the meter, selects the amount of time needed and touches the Start Parking button to begin the session. The user can also extend the time of the parking session on their mobile device, without having to go back to the meter. In the ParkMobile app, users can add their debit or credit card information. Then, by following the instructions on the parking meter sticker, enter their vehicle tag number and submit a payment. The app can also be used to pay for parking in other places where ParkMobile is accepted in the U.S. There is one big change, however. Where drivers could in the past park in spaces with broken meters for free, drivers will now need to pay using the app, even if the meter appears out of order. If a driver for some reason is unable to use the app, the driver still has the option to relocate to a different space with a functioning meter, city officials said. ParkMobile is currently being used in Montgomery and Mobile, and in other states such as Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and others. It currently has more than 600,000 monthly users in the Southeast. In a statement, Mayor Randall Woodfin said the app not only modernizes parking but also will limit commuters contact with parking meters thats a big plus in this age of social distancing. The citys revenue from parking meters has been declining. City officials said earlier this year that they believe theyre only collecting about one-quarter of the revenue they should be collecting from the citys 3,945 parking meters. They estimate the move to an app will increase the citys parking meter revenue 30 to 50 percent. Please register or log in to keep reading Stay logged in to skip the surveys. Henry County School Board member Teddy Martin II is serving as part of Gov. Ralph Northams working group on education that is planning how best to reopen public schools. This group is comprised of representatives from Virginias public and private early childhood, K-12 and higher education systems, a release from the governors office said, and it includes teachers, superintendents, parents, college presidents, state agency personnel, special education advocates, museum directors and student perspectives. Martin is one of some 37 members of the task force not counting cabinet-level officials on the steering committee and is a regional chair for the Virginia School Boards Association . This group has been working since April 23 to develop recommendations to align policies across all levels of education, the release said. This group will use their expertise to guide our approach and help ensure that all voices are heard and all recommendations are made through the lens of equity, Secretary of Education Atif Qarni, its chair, said in the release. Sovah-Martinsville now allowing limited visitors Sovah Health announced this week that it will allow limited visitors as it also resumes elective and non-urgent cases and services at its Martinsville campus. Projections continue to indicate a lower-than-expected volume of COVID-19 in the region, a release from the hospital said, and some patients now will be allowed to have one visitor or support person per day. We continue to monitor closely the prevalence of the virus in our community as we adapt our operations to safely care for and support our patients, and we feel confident that it is safe to begin allowing limited visitors again at this time, Sovah-Martinsville CEO Dale Alward said in the release. Some patients are now limited to one well visitor per day for the telemetry and medical/surgical areas, one support person for obstetric patients and one parent or guardian for pediatric patients. All visitors must be 18 years of age or older, will be screened upon entry and are required to bring and wear a mask and an armband while in the facility. Visitors who do not meet screening criteria at entry will be asked to reschedule their visit until they are symptom-free. Visitors are not allowed for patients who are high-risk (located in the Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department and Behavioral Health), in isolation, are immunocompromised or patients who are under observation or test positive for COVID-19. UNC Rockingham relaxes visitor policy UNC Rockingham Health Care in Eden, N.C., will ease some restrictions for visitors starting Monday. Patients in most areas will be permitted to have one designated visitor for the duration of their stay. This excludes COVID-19 and suspected COVID-19 patients, and patients in the Emergency Department. Pediatric patients in the Emergency Department will be allowed one companion. Visitors under the age of 18 will not be permitted, and those over 65, pregnant or immunocompromised are discouraged from visiting. Part of U.S. 58 closed after truck fire Drivers should expect lane closures starting Monday on a section of eastbound U.S. 58 near its intersection with Midway Road after an intense tractor-trailer fire on Wednesday. This fire occurred about eight miles east of Patrick Springs and six miles west of Spencer, and right eastbound lane of U.S. 58 in the area is closed. Workers will repave in the eastbound right and left lanes of U.S. 58 and the right turn lane at Midway Road. Route 697. Motorists should expect alternating lane closures during daytime hours. Weather permitting, repairs are expected to be completed before the July 4th holiday. Other Road projects Spot paving is under way at various locations on Route 57. Flagging operations will be in place. This project is expected to be completed by Nov. 20. Barrows Mill Road in Henry County will be closed to through traffic between Teakwood Lane and Winter Hawk Road to allow for two pipe replacements. Detours and signs will be in place. Weather permitting the project should be completed this week. Parts of U.S. 220 Business in Martinsville, at its intersection with Church Street, will be closed starting this week to allow for construction of traffic islands that prevent left turns and to add a U-turn lane south of the intersection. The crossover and median on U.S. 220 at this intersection will be closed during daytime hours. There will be no left turns out of Church Street onto U.S. 220 and no left turns towards southbound U.S 220. This work is scheduled to be completed this week. HCPSA will be installing new water line and service along Dale Avenue that can require periodic road closures. Detours will be in place during daytime hours only. The work is expected to be completed in early September. Installation continues for two emergency pipe replacements on U.S. 220 Business, at three hundredths of a mile north Speedway Road and on U.S. 58/220 at Greensboro Road and William F. Stone Highway. Drivers can expect lane closures at both locations. The completion date is scheduled for August. Work continues in the turn lane for U.S. 220 South/U.S. 58 East Bypass began work, and drivers may experience brief periods of flagging on Route 877 to unload equipment and materials. A temporary right lane will be in place during the working hours of 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Estimated completion is August. Work is underway on U.S. 220 East to include trench widening and the addition of rumble strips and guardrails from Dyer Street to the Franklin County Line. Work is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 23. Lee Elgin Road and Belchers Mount Road in Patrick County are closed until further notice because of a slide from the recent rainfall and flooding. VDOT is currently assessing for repairs and more information will be forthcoming. A date to reopen the road is not yet available. Drivers will need to seek alternate routes. Do NOT go around barricades. Paving is underway on both lanes of Route 661 between mile markers 5 and 10 in Patrick County. There will be lanes closed and flag operations in the work zone. The expected completion is Nov. 20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao remained on the forefront of raising his voice against injustice as he paid tribute to the Congress leader on his birth anniversary. In his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said Rao joined the freedom movement in his teens and began to raise his voice against injustice from an early age. He left no stone unturned to raise his voice, the Prime Minister said. Narasimha Rao also understood history very well. His rise from a very simple background, his emphasis on education, his tendency to learn, and, with all this, his leadership ability - everything is memorable, he said. I urge that, in the birth centenary year of Narasimha Rao, all of you, try to know as much as possible about his life and thoughts. I once again pay my tribute to him, he added. This is not the first time that PM Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have paid tribute to PV Narasimha Rao. The BJP has repeatedly raised the issue of Rao not being given due honour by the Congress party after his death. Remembering Shri PV Narasimha Rao Ji on his birth anniversary. A great scholar and veteran administrator, he led the nation at a crucial juncture of our history. He will be remembered for taking pioneering steps that contributed to national progress, PM Modi had tweeted last year when he was in Japan for the G-20 Summit. The Congress on its part had accused the BJP of indulging in divisive politics. On Sunday, tributes poured on social media for the former PM known for ushering in the policy of economic liberalisation in 1991. Remembering former Prime Minister, Shri P V Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary today. A pioneer of economic reforms which set India firmly on the path of economic recovery. He was an astute administrator and a multifaceted personalitya scholar, writer & polyglot, vice president M Venkaiah Naidu tweeted. He had translated famous Telugu novel, Veyyipadagalu into Hindi. He promoted mother tongue as a medium of instruction upto college level. He will always be remembered for his invaluable contribution to the countrys growth and development, he also said. The Congress party also paid tribute. We honour P. V. Narsimha Rao, a visionary leader who oversaw major economic transformations of the Indian economy. His contributions to the nation shall never be forgotten, it posted on Twitter. In the Theater of the Absurd that passes today for Western culture, the issue of complexion is paramount. It now appears that white is bad, pale skin a sign of endemic bigotry, race hatred and colonial violence. Iconoclasm has become all the rage, quite literally. Statues and representations that connote the alabaster heresy have become anathema and must be torn down, toppled or replaced by more acceptable versions of cultural appropriateness and politically correct convictions. Cultural, political and religious emblems and symbols that betoken whiteness must be rinsed clean of their chromatic aberrations or cast into the wells of oblivion. The chorus of righteous vituperation against the existence of a white Jesus is only the latest instance of such prejudice. No less an arbiter of religious taste than the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has just joined the campaign to scour and sublimate effigies of Jesus long in place in the interests of universal justice. The Daily Mail has a fairly good coverage of his comments that he would be reviewing statues at Canterbury Cathedral, urging the West to reconsider its prevailing mindset that Jesus was white, and determining whether all the monuments should be there. The statues need[ ] to be put in context. Some will have to come down. According to a spokesperson for Canterbury Cathedral, All of the Cathedral's items are being reviewed to ensure that any connected with slavery, colonialism or contentious figures from other historic periods are presented in a way that avoids any sense of aggrandisement. This would go some way to acknowledging any associated oppression, exploitation, injustice and suffering connected with these objects. Such monuments would thus be cleansed of their destructive impact and allow aggrieved and dissenting voices to be heard. Interestingly, Nelson Mandelas widow Graca Machel is all for keeping the statues in place, saying And of course you have to see who are the architects of the past. But I believe even it might be much more positive to keep them because you are going to tell generations to come this is how it started and this is how it should never be. With such allies, who needs adversaries. My wife Janice Fiamengo, formerly a professor of English and Canadian Literature at the University of Ottawa, explains the disingenuousness of Machels tainted gift by referring to a story by the Canadian writer Margaret Laurence, titled The Merchant of Heaven. Laurence wrote disapprovingly of a white missionary in Ghana who rejected a painting by a Ghanaian artist depicting Jesus as black. Following St. Paul in suggesting that the gospel should be spread using the heart language of the people to whom one is ministering, the author depicted the white missionary as racist for rejecting a black Jesus. Janice notes the superficiality of Laurences -- and by implication, Machels -- disclaimer. If Jesus has indeed been inaccurately depicted as white, was it not an example of the gospel being spread in the heart language of the people? The heart language is infinitely variable and the heart language of Europe and America expresses itself in the paintings, statues and monuments of its people and heritage. As Janice concludes, The destruction of art in the name of contemporary anti-white racial animus is a sad precedent. I believe the entire controversy is utterly preposterous. We might as well skirmish over the color of Christs robe. Was it white, as it is often painted? Heaven forfend! It must have been brown, more in keeping with desert terrain -- and revisionary vehemence. But at the crucifixion, Matthew says it was scarlet and Mark says that Jesus was clothed in purple. The eschatology of garments may pose an insoluble problem for scholars of racial iconography. Representation is always debatable and protean. Jehovah Witness calendars depict Jesus as light-skinned, blue-eyed and golden-haired. Ethiopian renderings show Jesus as black. The Daily Mail prints a reproduction of a 9th century painting of Jesus from China portraying him as Chinese. The Word as representation is conveyed in the heart language of many different places and cultures. But there are certain facts which cannot honestly be discounted. Jesus was not born in Ethiopia or China but in the Middle East, which makes him in his earthly manifestation as a Galilean Semite a man of Caucasian descent. As for skin colour, this is another question. Born of those living for millennia in the Fertile Crescent, he may have been neither black nor white but cinnamon with a hint of sienna, or perhaps a mix of hazel, sepia and umber. Some may conceive of his native hue as a kind of terra-cotta varnished with a patina of bister. Some might even argue for something between tan and smokey topaz, or perhaps russet with a pinch of taupe. Its hard to say. I would imagine Jesus as desert sand verging on ecru, though in his more celestial moments, most likely somewhat ashen with a striking tinge of the spectral. In any event, the entire debate strikes me as uselessly iconolatric, but hey! since white is a combination of all the colours in the spectrum, why not go with that? Photo credit: Public domain David Solways latest book is Notes from a Derelict Culture, Black House Publishing, 2019, London. A CD of his original songs, Partial to Cain, appeared in 2019. 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. Washington's Hong Kong bill slammed People's Daily Online (China Daily) 09:18, June 27, 2020 Solidarity demonstrated in support of national security legislation for the SAR The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Friday expressed strong opposition to the passage of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act by the United States Senate. "We urge the US Congress to immediately stop interfering in the HKSAR's internal matters. The act and the so-called 'sanctions' are totally unacceptable and will only harm the relations and common interests between Hong Kong and the US," a government spokesman said. "Any 'sanctions' imposed under the act will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law. We, however, urge the US to act responsibly by refraining from taking measures that may potentially affect the normal operations of financial institutions and the vast number of customers they serve," the spokesman said. Academics and residents in Hong Kong also lambasted what they called the latest move by the US to meddle in the city's internal affairs. The chorus of condemnation came in response to the US Senate passing the act, which requires the sanctioning of individuals and companies, including SAR government officials, for enforcing the pending national security law and police officers for stopping protests. To become law, the act must also pass the US House of Representatives and be signed by US President Donald Trump. On China's part, this is regarded as a move by Washington to push back against the decision of China's top legislature to tailor a national security law for the HKSAR. Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, a leading think tank on Hong Kong affairs, said the US is less likely to actually take strong actions against Hong Kong, considering its own enormous economic interests in the city. "Up to now the US government has not imposed any sanctions on Hong Kong or the mainland because it's also concerned about counter sanctions from Beijing," said Lau, who described US politicians' remarks targeting China's Hong Kong policy as "empty rhetoric and empty threats". The sociology professor expected rising hostility from US politicians against China in the run up to the upcoming US congressional and presidential elections. "The US government already has a lot of legal weapons against Hong Kong. One more act does not make much difference." Tian Feilong, executive director of the Center for Legal Studies in One Country Two Systems at Beihang University in Beijing, said the move clearly illustrates the logic of hegemony in US diplomacy, as well as its attempt to interfere in another country's domestic affairs. "American enterprises in Hong Kong will suffer if the act is passed in the end as the sanctions for sure will strike a blow to their business," Tian said. More than 1,300 US companies now have offices or regional headquarters in the city. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the largest party in the city's legislature, denounced the act as an escalation of US meddling in the affairs of the Hong Kong SAR. Hong Kong lawmaker Holden Chow Ho-ding of the alliance said the US has applied double standards when meddling in China's national security legislation, which is designed to protect Hong Kong residents and safeguard national interests. Top US officials have repeatedly stressed that the nation's tough handling of racism-related riots in its own backyard was intended to protect the safety of its citizens, Chow said. The Hong Kong party strongly urged the US government to give up on such "fatuous acts that harm both sides". Dozens of Hong Kong residents on Friday protested against the bill at the US consulate general in Hong Kong. They condemned the US for placing politics over law and acting against international norms by attempting to derail China's own security legislation for Hong Kong. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address LONDON A teenager who admitted he attempted to kill a 6-year-old boy by pushing him from a 10th-floor viewing platform in a shocking attack at the Tate Modern museum last year was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison by a British court Friday. Jonty Bravery, 18, from Ealing in west London, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder in December, avoiding a potentially lengthy trial, and at that time detailed his intent to kill the child, a stranger to him, in order to appear on the news. At the sentencing Friday, Judge Maura McGowan said that although Bravery was sentenced to 15 years, he may never be released. You are and will remain a danger to the public, McGowan said as Bravery listened to the verdict by video, adding that he had a very serious mental disorder and a personality disorder. Deanna Heer, a prosecutor, told the court Thursday that Bravery had been planning to attack someone for months preferably a woman or a child and his web browser history showed that he had been researching ways to kill. The prosecution told the court that on Aug. 4, Bravery left the care house he lived in and traveled to the Tate Modern, where he spotted the child and quickly scooped him up and threw him over the railings without any hesitation. Heer said that Bravery did this to prove a point to those who said he did not have a mental health problem, and that he wanted it to be on the news so that everyone, especially his parents, could see what a mistake it was not putting him in hospital. Bravery, who was present in the court via a video link, at one point pulled his white T-shirt up to his eyes, hiding his face behind it as the prosecution described his actions. Dr. Joanna Dow, a forensic psychiatrist who works at Broadmoor Hospital in southeastern England, where Bravery is being held, said that he has a number of defining features of psychopathy, and has autistic spectrum and personality disorders. The viewing platform at Tate Modern, an art museum on the south bank of the River Thames, is a popular tourist attraction, drawing in visitors eager to see a 360-degree panorama of London. After the episode, the museum was briefly put on lockdown. The victim of the attack, a French boy who was vacationing with his family in London, survived after landing on the fifth-floor roof of the museum, but he suffered life-changing injuries, including several broken bones and a brain injury. The act committed by this individual is unthinkable, the boys parents said in a statement that was read to the court Thursday. Prosecutor Emma V. Jones, speaking in December, said the devastating and shocking incident had changed the lives of Braverys young victim and his family forever. That the child had survived the fall, she said, was extraordinary. The boy remains in the hospital more than nine months after the attack but is making progress, his parents said last month in a message posted on a GoFundMe page for his medical costs. Our child has only his two boot-shaped splints now, and a splint on his left arm that he wears only at night, the message read, and detailed how he spends his days sitting in a shape-molded seat on his wheelchair. Hes also talking, syllable by syllable. We dont always understand everything he says, especially when hes tired but he expresses himself more and more, they added. There is still a long way to go but we are holding on. On Friday, McGowan, the judge, said the injuries Bravery had caused were horrific. You almost killed a 6-year-old boy, she said. His life will never be the same. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. MANILA, Philippines Philippine officials say authorities in a central village may face criminal or administrative complaints for allowing a street parade and dance amid a strict coronavirus lockdown. Mayor Edgar Labella of Cebu city said officials of Basak village have been ordered to explain why the religious fiesta gathering in honor of St. John the Baptist was held Saturday despite a quarantine prohibition against public gatherings. Performers in native wear and face masks danced during the night procession, which drew a large crowd. While the Philippines has eased quarantine restrictions in most regions to revive its contracting economy, officials placed Cebu city back under a strict lockdown this month and deployed more policemen to enforce restrictions following a spike in infections. The Philippines remains a Southeast Asian coronavirus hotspot with more than 35,000 confirmed infections, including 1,244 deaths. ___ SEOUL, South Korea South Korea has reported 42 new infections of COVID-19 as infections steadily climb in the greater capital area, forcing authorities to consider stronger social restrictions. The figures announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday brought the national caseload to 12,757, including 282 deaths. Twenty-four of the new cases were reported from capital Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas, which have been at the center of a virus resurgence since late May. At least 12 of the new cases were linked to international arrivals as the virus continues to strengthen its hold in southern Asia, the United States and beyond. South Korea was reporting hundreds of new cases a day in late February and early March following a major surge surrounding the southeast city of Daegu, where the majority of infections were linked to a single church congregation with thousands of members. But while health authorities had used aggressive testing and contact tracing to contain the outbreak in that region, they are having a much harder time tracking recent transmissions in the Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of the countrys 51 million people live. With people increasingly venturing out in the public, new clusters are popping out from just about everywhere, including nightspots, churches, restaurants, warehouses and among door-to-door salespeople. Story continues Health Minister Park Neung-hoo during a briefing Sunday afternoon announced that the government is prepared to implement stronger social distancing measures if the epidemic continues to grow. He said the strongest measures -- including banning all gatherings of more than 10 people, shutting schools, halting professional sports, and restricting operations of non-essential businesses -- will be enforced if the daily increase in infections doubles more than two times during a span of a week. ___ BEIJING China on Monday reported a further decline in new confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a total of just 12, including seven cases of domestic transmission in Beijing, where nearly 8.3 million people have now undergone testing in recent weeks. The number of new cases in the city was down by half from the day before, the National Health Commission reported. No new deaths were reported Monday, leaving the total at 4,634 among 83,512 confirmed cases of COVID-19, . Currently 418 patients are in treatment, and another 112 are under observation for being suspected cases or for testing positive without showing any symptoms. Beijing temporarily shut a huge wholesale food market where the virus spread widely earlier this month, re-closed schools and locked down some neighborhoods. Anyone leaving Beijing is required to have a negative virus test result procured within the previous seven days. About 7.69 million results on people tested in Beijing have been returned, city official Zhang Qiang said Sunday. Beijing has more than 20 million people but authorities have focused so far on high risk groups such as people working in the food and salon industry and those living in areas where cases have been discovered. ___ SANTA FE, N.M. -- Health officials in New Mexico reported 192 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday with one additional death. That raises the states totals to 11,809 confirmed cases with at least 492 known deaths. The bulk of the reported additional cases were in Bernalillo County (45) San Juan County (34), McKinley County (28) and Dona Ana County (27). ___ MELBOURNE, Australia Health authorities are using what they describe as a world-first saliva test for coronavirus in Australias second-largest city where the disease is spreading at an alarming rate. Officials say 49 people tested positive to COVID-19 in Melbourne on Sunday and only four cases were detected elsewhere in Australia. Australian Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth told Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday the saliva tests was being rolled out in Victoria state, where Melbourne is the capital, and its effectiveness was still being tested. Coatsworth said the less-comfortable nasal test remained the preferred option and may be more accurate, but the saliva test will be great, particularly for kids. Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said authorities were close to losing control of the spread while pandemic restrictions were easing elsewhere in Australia. l think its a genuine challenge now. I think were right at the edge in terms of being able to manage it, Sutton said. We know that as three-quarters of the country goes back to normal way of living, it becomes even more challenging to tell people that its not the same here and that theyve got to go on with a more constrained life, Sutton added. Melbourne and Sydney, Australias largest city, began with the largest numbers of cases because of the large numbers of international travelers they receive, Sutton said. Melbournes colder weather during the current Southern Hemisphere winter might also play a part in the citys great community transmission, he said.Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said on Monday that 75 people had tested positive in the state in the latest 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 2,099. She said the salvia test developed by Melbournes Doherty Institute was first used in a Melbourne suburban hotspot on Sunday. Doherty Institute director Sharon Lewin said research indicated that the saliva tests were only 87% as accurate as the nasal swab because saliva contained less virus than the throat. ___ MIAMI More Florida beaches will be closing again to avoid further spread of the new coronavirus as officials try to tamp down on large gatherings amid a spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Sunday in Pensacola that interactions among young people are driving the surge. Meanwhile in Broward County, home to Fort Lauderdale, authorities said they would be closing beaches during the busy Fourth of July weekend following the decision of Miami-Dade County to close theirs between July 3 and July 7. The Florida Department of Health reported on Sunday more than 8,500 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 29 deaths in a day. New hospitalizations are also ticking upward, although not as dramatically as the new cases. State officials on Friday announced a ban on alcohol consumption at bars, and DeSantis explained Sunday there was widespread non-compliance. Several restaurants were shut down over the weekend in Broward County for not following rules restricting capacity and mandating the use of masks. It has invariably been because they packed so many people in and created a type of environment that we are trying to avoid, DeSantis said. Caution was thrown to the wind and so we are where we are. ___ ROME Another tragic milestone was passed Sunday in the coronavirus pandemic: 500,000 deaths worldwide. The reported tally comes from Johns Hopkins University researchers. About 1 in 4 of those deaths more than 125,000 have been reported in the U.S. The country with the next highest death toll is Brazil, with more than 57,000, or about 1 in 9. The true death toll from the virus, which first emerged in China late last year, is widely believed to be significantly higher. Experts say that especially early on, many victims died of COVID-19 without being tested for it. To date, more than 10 million confirmed cases have been reported globally. About a quarter of them have been reported in the U.S. ___ ATLANTA Georgia reported more than 2,200 additional COVID-19 cases Sunday, a new high of daily reported cases as confirmed infections continue to rise. The number of reported cases Sunday eclipsed the previous highest daily total of 1,990 reported on Saturday and brings Georgias total confirmed cases to more than 77,000. Since the pandemic began, the state has seen nearly 2,800 deaths from the virus. Coronavirus infections in Georgia have been rising throughout June. The surge in infections comes about two months after Georgia began lifting restrictions April 24 on hair salons, gyms, bowling alleys and other businesses that had been forced to close to slow the virus. Restaurants, retail stores and bars have since reopened as well. ___ DALLAS Both Vice President Mike Pence and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged Sunday that there has been a rapid rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the state in recent weeks after Abbott begin allowing businesses to start reopening in early May. Covid 19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks, said Abbott, who on Friday again shut down bars and limited restaurant dining, a day after Texas reported a record high confirmed positive tests of 5,996. Abbott has also banned elective surgeries in the states largest counties. Pence praised Abbott for his decisions both to reopen the state, then to roll back the reopening plans. He also encouraged the wearing of face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Wear a mask, where ever its indicated or where ever youre not able to practice the kind of social distancing that would prevent the spread of the coronavirus, said Pence, who along with Abbott wore face masks as they entered and left the room, taking them off while speaking to reporters. ___ GENEVA - The World Health Organization has announced another daily record in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the world - topping over 189,000 in a single 24-hour period. The tally Sunday from the U.N. health agency eclipses the previous record a week earlier at over 183,000 cases, showing case counts continue to progress worldwide. Brazil recorded the most new cases over the one-day span at more than 46,800, followed by the U.S. at over 44,400. India had nearly 20,000. Overall the U.S. still has far and away the most total cases. At more than 2,450,000 - roughly twice that of Brazil. The number of actual cases worldwide is much higher. ___ HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK: Virus cases worldwide hit 10 million Businesses weigh reopening - or close again - as reported virus cases rise Experts look to set expectations on any virus vaccine Experts see no proof of child-abuse surge amid pandemic A divided Poland holds presidential vote delayed by pandemic, while France holds municipal elections. Nurses, doctors feel strain as virus races through Arizona The pandemic means that millions of women in Africa and other developing regions could lose years of success in contributing to household incomes, asserting their independence and expanding financial inclusion. ___ Follow all of AP's pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: PRISTINA, Kosovo The prime minister of Kosovo is warning that officials may have to reinstate lockdown measures if things dont improve after a recent surge in reported coronavirus cases. Avdullah Hoti said Sunday that hes worried the hospital system will be overwhelmed. Kosovo has seen a steep daily increase of the virus cases following containment measures from March to May. This past week, there were 517 new confirmed cases and 12 deaths. Hoti urged residents to wear masks, follow social distancing protocols and wash their hands. He says those are simple measures to protect ourselves, our children, parents and co-workers or co-travelers in the bus or taxi, or the next person at the restaurant. Kosovo has eased all restrictions except for those on mass gatherings, or fans at sport or cultural events. As of Sunday, Kosovo has reported at least 2,590 confirmed cases and 48 deaths. While the tourist season begins in September, few travellers are expected as the country grapples with the highest number of coronavirus cases in Africa. South Africa has eased lockdown restrictions to restart businesses and revive its economy. The tourism sector is among the worst affected. While the tourist season kicks off only in September, few travellers are expected as the country grapples with the highest number of coronavirus cases in Africa. Al Jazeeras Fahmida Miller reports from Tiffindell Ski Resort, the only ski resort in the country. 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe The federal and NSW governments will spend $1billion on fixing roads and easing congestion in the country's most populous state. Prime Minister Scott Morrison will today announce the cash splash which includes $398million to make country roads safer and $382million for local councils to upgrade roads. Another $240million will go towards reducing congestion in Sydney at 11 'pinch points'. The projects are expected to provide 5,450 jobs as governments try to boost the economy following the coronavirus-caused downturn. The announcement comes as Mr Morrison reviews the JobSeeker welfare payment, which doubled to $550 a week in March as 1.3million Aussies lost their job during lockdown. The Prime Minister wants to bring the rate down to encourage people back into work - but the Gratton Institute released a report today demanding the original amount of $275 a week should be increased by $100. The federal and NSW governments will spend $1billion on fixing roads and easing congestion in the country's most populous state. Pictured: PM Scott Morrison Mr Morrison announced his road infrastructure funding plan with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday. 'Partnering with state and territory governments to invest in more major infrastructure projects across Australia is a key part of our JobMaker plan to rebuild our economy and create more jobs,' the Prime Minister said. The NSW government is contributing $569 million in funding, with the federal government making up the rest. Ms Berejiklian said building infrastructure would be key to the state's economic recovery. 'Projects equal jobs and fast-tracking these infrastructure projects are more important than ever as the economy recovers from the pandemic,' she said. What is funding being spent on? $240 million to fix 11 congestion hotspots around Sydney, supporting 1,000 direct and indirect jobs; Bus Priority Improvements Macquarie Park Lane Cove Road and Waterloo Road Intersection Bus Priority Improvements Macquarie Park Epping Road and Herring Road Intersection Improvements Showground Road and Carrington Road Intersection Upgrades Intersection Improvements Pacific Highway and Finlay Road Intersection Improvements Devlin Street, Blaxland Road and Parkes Street Intersection Improvements Parramatta Road and Woodville Road Intersection Improvements Georges River Road and Milton Street Intersection Improvements King Georges Road and Canterbury Road Install Traffic Signals Wentworth Avenue and Baker Street Corridor Upgrades Oxford Street (Bondi Junction) Corridor Optimisation and Cycleway Centennial Park to Kingsford via Doncaster Avenue $120 million $240 million $382 million to help local councils upgrade roads across regional NSW, supporting 3,500 direct and indirect jobs; and $398 million for road safety projects in regional areas, supporting 950 direct and indirect jobs. Advertisement Earlier this month Mr Morrison announced he will fast-track 15 huge infrastructure projects worth $72billion to provide 66,000 jobs. The Prime Minister, who wants $180billion worth of infrastructure built over the next ten years, will bring the projects forward to boost the economy after the pandemic left 1.3million Australians out of work. Mr Morrison is prioritising 15 projects for fast-tracked approval across the transport, energy, defence and telecommunications sectors. Scott Morrison will fast-track 15 huge infrastructure projects worth $72billion to provide 66,000 jobs. Pictured: Building work for Sydney's light rail in 2018 This is an artist's impression of what the new Western Sydney metro line will look like when opened in 2026. Mr Morrison has already provided extra funding for the project Think tanks says JobSeeker should be increased by $100 a week A think-tank has argued that unemployment benefits should increase by at least $100 a week and households should receive direct cash cheques. The Grattan Institute has warned against withdrawing fiscal support too soon, echoing an early caution from the International Monetary Fund. Instead, the institute has recommended the federal government spend between $70 billion and $90 billion on extra economic stimulus measures. The Melbourne-based think-tank said the JobSeeker allowance should not 'snap back' to its pre-coronavirus level of $40 a day. It wants access broadened and the payment benchmarked to wages. Grattan also encouraged the government to introduce a higher, simpler means-tested childcare subsidy that would cover 95 per cent of costs for low-income families and boost female workforce participation. It wants JobKeeper wage subsidies extended into next year and ineligble arts, university and tourism workers to be included. The institute called for direct cash payments for households to boost spending and for governments to spend between $20 billion and $40 billion on services, small infrastructure projects and social housing. Labor jumped on the report, saying it was yet another warning against the government's current plan to withdraw economic support in September. Advertisement The projects include the inland railway line from Melbourne to Brisbane, the Marinus Link to take electricity from Tasmania to Victoria, an extension of BHP's copper mine at Olympic Dam in South Australia, emergency town water projects in New South Wales, and road, rail and iron ore projects in Western Australia. Daily Mail Australia understands the government will list all 15 projects in the coming weeks. In total, they are worth $72billion in public and private investment and will support 66,000 direct and indirect jobs. 'As we come out of the COVID crisis, infrastructure can give us the edge that many countries don't have,' the Prime Minister told the National Press Club in Canberra on 15 June. 'This isn't just the roads and rail that get us to work and school. 'It is dams that improve water security and underpin an expansion of high-value agriculture. An aerial view of the Olympic Dam uranium mine, located 560 km north of Adelaide, near the opal mining center of Andamooka Machinery at work to build the Western Sydney Airport Rail Link which is due to open in 2026 'The telecommunications services that keep us connected. 'The poles and wires which are critical to removing bottlenecks in our electricity grid, improving competition and driving down prices. 'Defence assets which keep our nation secure. 'Our investments span everything from major projects that will transform how our industries operate, to the small projects that deliver big benefits to families every day.' Infrastructure can give us the edge that many countries don't have Prime Minister Scott Morrison The government wants the 15 projects to be approved in 21 months rather than the 3.5 years it usually takes for approval. The announcement may alarm some environmental activists who fear strict regulations to protect land and endangered species may be pushed aside. The government is reviewing the 1999 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The Prime Minister will need the co-operation of state and territory leaders to get the projects under way. 'We need to bring the same common sense and cooperation we showed fighting COVID-19 to unlocking infrastructure investment in the recovery,' he will say. 'Many states have already cut approval times. 'And I've asked them all to lift their ambition further, and work with us through the National Cabinet to make deregulation a focus of Australia's economic recovery.' The Prime Minister (pictured in 2018) wants to bring 15 projects forward to boost the economy The Prime Minister also announced that he is bringing forward $1.5 billion in funding for smaller infrastructure projects to start straight away. Some $500million of that is for projects to improve road safety such as new bridges, street lighting, tunnels, and heavy vehicle rest areas. Since November the government has brought forward $9.3billion in infrastructure investment. This includes $1.75 billion of additional funding for a new metro line linking the under-construction Western Sydney Airport to the CBD. Initial construction on the $11billion rail line begins this year and the major works will start in 2021. The metro line will run from St Marys train station to the airport's north, via Luddenham and Orchard Hills. When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? Mankhurd police station, as well as the building where it is located, have been declared a containment zone, after two residents staying there were tested positive on Friday. However, the police station will remain functional as they offer essential services. The police personnel also claimed that all precautionary measures are being taken, and the police station premises is being disinfected multiples times a day. Both the residents were shifted to a Covid care centre for treatment. As a precautionary measure, the BMC [Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation] officials declared the building a containment zone and sprayed disinfectants in the building as well as around the locality, inspector Kishor Kharat from Mankhurd police station said. There are around 250 residents staying in the ground-plus-seven-storey building, located at Lallubhai compound. Thirty rooms in the structure are allotted for the police station on the first, second and third floors. According to the police the stairwell from the third floor is closed and residents are asked not to step out without valid reasons, or else they would face police action. Only one member of each family is permitted to step out to purchase milk, vegetables, medicines or other essential items. The police also assured residents with all help in getting the essential items. Earlier on June 20, four accused who were arrested and kept in the police stations lockup in a murder case were also tested positive for Covid-19. An officer from Mankhurd police station said, 20-year-old Shera Rahmat Ali Shaikh was assaulted by some people after they suspected him to be a thief in the intervening night of June 7 and 8 at Mohite Patil Nagar area. After he died, the accused dumped his body between two cars at a parking lot near a public toilet in Dr Zakir Hussain Nagar of Mankhurd. The police first registered an accidental death report but based on the post-mortem report, later filed a murder case, following which nine people were arrested. According to protocol, the accused were sent to a government hospital for Covid-19 test and on June 20, the police found four of the nine accused positive. The four accused are undergoing treatment at Shivaji Nagar isolation centre and are asymptomatic, an officer said. The expendables. Photo: Go Nakamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images Were committed to keeping our readers informed. Weve removed our paywall from essential coronavirus news stories. Become a subscriber to support our journalists. Subscribe now. A week ago, President Trump and his campaign held a controversial mid-pandemic indoor rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the hopes of rebooting his struggling reelection bid against the advice of the top two infectious-disease experts on the White House coronavirus task force and countless other public-health experts, including the head of the Tulsa Public Health Department. Instead, the Trump team repeatedly dismissed the risks of holding the rally (despite a surge of coronavirus infections in Oklahoma, Tulsa, and numerous states around the country); made attendees waive their right to sue the campaign should they catch the coronavirus there; and refused to mandate face masks or social distancing at the venue even after the campaign announced, just before the rally, that several members of its advance team had tested positive for COVID-19. And according to Billboard and the Washington Post, the Trump campaign didnt just fail to require or encourage social distancing at the Tulsa rally it took action to prevent it. On Friday, Billboard reported that Trump campaign staff methodically removed Do Not Sit Here Please! stickers, which arena staff had stuck to thousands of seats in the venue as part of a safety (and liability) protocol meant to facilitate social distancing by encouraging rally attendees to remain at least one seat apart from each other. While arena staff, as seen in this local news photograph, were affixing the three-inch square stickers to every other seat in the venue before the start of the event, Trump campaign staff contacted an executive at ASM Global, the company which manages the arena, and asked them to stop. The work continued. Then, according to ASM Global VP Doug Thornton, Trump campaign staff went through the stadium and removed the stickers themselves. And theres video of it: Washington Post: The Trump campaign removed thousands of Do Not Sit Here, Please! social distancing stickers before his poorly attended Tulsa rally. The removal violated specific instructions from the BOK Center. @StevenReyCristo pic.twitter.com/KjgKh6KVtK Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) June 27, 2020 The Washington Post captions: [T]wo men one in a suit and one wearing a badge and a face mask can be seen pulling stickers off seats in a section of the arena. It is unclear who those two men are. When Trump took the stage on Saturday evening, the crowd was clustered together and attendees were not leaving empty seats between themselves. [The Trump campaign] also told us that they didnt want any signs posted saying we should social distance in the venue, Thornton explained to Billboard. The stickers, he said, were a mandatory component of a new safety protocol called VenueShield that ASM developed with public-health experts to limit the potential transmission of the coronavirus at the hundreds of venues the company manages around the world. (The company also installed plexiglass barriers and social-distance-indicating floor stickers to protect arena vendors.) The Trump campaign has since denied asking to remove the seat stickers, telling the Post in a statement that there were signs posted and we are not aware of any campaign staff asking that they be removed, while Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh insisted that the Tulsa rally was in full compliance with local requirements. and that every rally attendee received a temperature check prior to admission, was given a face mask, and provided ample access to hand sanitizer. (It handed out Make America Great Again 2020branded sanitizer bottles.) Thornton also insisted ASM Global was convinced it had no legal standing to turn down or cancel the event, since the BOK Center is a publicly owned stadium and the rally was allowed under the states reopening plan and approved and given the legal go-ahead, at full capacity, by Oklahomas Republican governor, the states Supreme Court, and Tulsas Republican mayor, G.T. Bynum. Indeed, those easy green lights are one of the main reasons the Trump campaign chose Tulsa for the rally in the first place. (Mayor Bynum later claimed that he would have supported ASM if it had chosen to cancel the rally, but that appears to have been retroactive posturing according to one of Bynums aides, Jack Graham, who resigned in protest afterward telling Billboard that the mayors lack of leadership could have killed someone, thats a red line for me. On Thursday, amid Tulsa Countys 835 percent increase in confirmed coronavirus cases in a matter of weeks, Bynum said he was considering a face-mask mandate and ban on indoor events with more than 250 people.) So it seems that ASM Global may have been reluctant to host Trumps Tulsa rally after all, but believed it had no choice and then tried to make it safer, only to have its efforts not just thwarted but reversed by the Trump campaign. Furthermore, per Billboard: The sticker episode concluded an anxiety-filled week for BOK Center staff wherein hundreds of Trump campaign workers inside the building inconsistently followed basic safety protocols like wearing masks and social distancing. Several days before the event, ASM asked the campaign to submit a safety plan in writing, but the campaign never fulfilled the request. Two Secret Service agents and at least six Trump campaign workers later tested positive for the coronavirus, including two who worked the rally. On Saturday, ASM Global offered free testing to all of its staff in Tulsa whether they worked the rally or not, but its not yet clear if any of them or any attendees contracted it there. What is clear is that an unknown number of people who worked on or attended the rally were undoubtedly exposed to the virus because of the event, as were Trump campaign workers who, along with current Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale and dozens of Secret Service agents, have all been in quarantine since the rally, the Daily Beast reported Thursday. On Friday, Oklahoma Watch reporter Paul Monies announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the rally, noting that he was surprised by the result since he has felt no symptoms. Also on Friday, Bloomberg reported that according to an analysis of mobile-phone location data, 75 percent of the more than six thousand people who came to the rally had traveled from counties in Oklahoma and 12 other states where there had been recent coronavirus spikes. Only a small percentage of attendees could be seen wearing masks at the event, and there was, as the campaign apparently intended, little sign of social distancing. In his speech at the rally, Trump ridiculed media coverage warning of the transmission risk at the event, mocked the the coronavirus as sniffles, and said he had asked his staff to slow the testing down because he thought the increasing numbers of newly discovered COVID-19 infections were making him look bad. Ahead of the event, he boasted that there wouldnt be an empty seat in the 19,000-person-capacity arena. Luckily, as the campaign definitely hadnt intended, only a fraction of the expected crowd showed up for the rally, which is part of why the event was a very public political disaster for Trump and his campaign. But despite the weak turnout, the rally was still the largest mass indoor gathering of people in the U.S. since the pandemic began, and how much of a public-health disaster the event will ultimately prove to be remains to be seen. Indeed, it may be difficult to determine the full COVID-19 impact of the event. If there was transmission at the event, it may have been followed by additional community transmission if attendees didnt immediately quarantine themselves after returning home. And with coronavirus infections spiking amid a new onslaught of community transmission across much of the country without adequate test and contact-tracing systems in place figuring out which cases are linked to the Tulsa rally may not be possible. The current surge in #COVID19 cases in the USA is the largest day-on-day increase America, or any other country, has experienced since the #coronavirus crisis started in Wuhan in December. MORE pic.twitter.com/xSdHsQcxh4 Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) June 27, 2020 Its long been clear that the self-obsessed Trump and many in his administration and campaign are more concerned about his reelection than the pandemic that has killed 125,000 Americans and will undoubtedly kill many, many more. Its also now clear that Trumps campaign is not just willing to risk the health and lives of the presidents most loyal supporters as well, but actively undo even modest efforts to protect them. Come July 15, building plan approvals can be sought online in Chandigarh. While the process currently takes several months, the new online facility is expected to cut the approval time to 25 days. It will also simplify the process, which is currently marred by repeated visits to the estate office in Sector 17. All building plans new construction and modification in the old, will be submitted on the web portal www.obps.chd.gov.in. Only architects empanelled with the UT administration will be able to submit the applications. Chandigarh Smart City Ltd (CSCL) is implementing the project, which was awarded to a private consultancy firm in November last year. The testing of the online module has been completed, but user trials are underway. Along with the users, architects are being trained on how to use the website, said a senior UT official, privy to the development. The project is part of the e-governance project under which 28 services will be taken online. These include 14 government-to-citizen services and 14 internal processes of the municipal corporation. UTs previous attempt to start the online plan approval system in October 2018 failed within one year of its launch. Thereafter, it decided to hand over the work to CSCL, which floated the tender for providing online services to the estate office also. ONLINE ASSESSMENT AND NOC After architects upload applications on the website, the online system will scrutinise the plans based on citys building rules and zoning plans. It will either accept the application and forward it to the dealing branch or will reject it for re-submission. All decisions regarding an application will be communicated through SMS and can also be tracked online, the official said. Officials will have to provide reasons for rejection of an application or delay in its processing, the official added. CSCL also plans to launch a mobile app after analysing the websites performance. Other approval services like permit for advertisement, road cut permit, completion and occupation certificates, and date and birth certificates will be put online in the coming months, the official said. HOW IT WILL WORK Architects will submit old and new building plans on www.obps.chd.gov.in Online system will scrutinise the applications and issue a scrutiny report via SMS Scrutiny report will decide next step to resubmit or pay the fee online Application will be sent to officer/branch concerned Applicant will be able to track the file online and get SMS at each stage. Any objections will be communicated through SMS NOC will be issued online. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Critics not on board with airlines' decision to relax in-flight physical distancing during COVID-19 The decision by Canada's two biggest airlines to relax on-board physical distancing policies next month is under fire from those who worry about the health implications of doing so amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Canada and WestJet announced on Friday they would begin selling tickets for adjacent seats as of July 1, after blocking access to those seats for the past few months to allow passengers to maintain a safe distance from each other. "We definitely feel like we've had the rug pulled out from underneath us," said Sarah Antonio, a Toronto resident with a ticket for a WestJet flight to Vancouver on July 8. "I just thought that they would want to take our safety more seriously." Antonio said she and her husband are going on a business trip they were supposed to take in March but chose to delay because of the pandemic. She said the main reason they felt comfortable booking the flight now was because WestJet said explicitly during the ticket-booking process that the middle seat would be empty. Sarah Antonio/Submitted "We took some comfort in this option," she said. "Seeing that me and my husband are from the same household, we thought, 'Oh that's great. We're going to have a row to ourselves.'" Antonio said she was upset when she found out that the middle seat could be filled from a tweet sent by her friend, not from the airline. "You're selling us something that you're not providing," she said. In a statement to CBC News, WestJet spokesperson Morgan Bell said the safety of its customers is a top priority and that the company's protocols are consistent with industry best practices. "In the instance a guest is not comfortable on board, we suggest that they discuss seating arrangements with our crew, as they will continue to accommodate should there be space," Bell said. "In the rare instance a guest wants to disembark prior to the cabin door being closed, they would be provided with the opportunity to board the next available flight." Story continues WATCH: Airlines face backlash by resuming to sell middle seats: Physical distancing on flights Relaxing physical distancing on flights by making every seat available for purchase is in line with recommendations from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade organization for the world's major airlines. The IATA says the need for physical distancing on flights is obviated by requirements for face coverings and the use of HEPA air filtration systems that are equivalent to those at hospital operating theatres. The IATA says these measures make the risk of passing on COVID-19 from one passenger to another very low. The UN's International Civil Aviation Organization recommends airlines implement physical distancing measures between passengers and separate seating arrangements when occupancy allows it. The ICAO's guidance says that resuming higher volumes of passenger air travel will depend on public health agency guidelines and governmental restrictions, among other factors. Both Air Canada and WestJet reverted to IATA's health recommendations, even though Transport Canada listed physical distancing among the "key points" in preventing the spread of the virus as part of a guide issued to the aviation industry in April. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press "Operators should develop guidance for spacing passengers aboard aircraft when possible to optimize social distancing," the document states. While that advice has not changed, a spokesperson for Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the on-board spacing requirement is a recommendation only and therefore not mandatory. "Other considerations such as aircraft configuration, passenger needs and aviation safety must be taken into account when spacing passengers aboard an aircraft," communications director Amy Butcher said. Canadian airlines have taken a number of steps beyond physical distancing on flights to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They must conduct pre-boarding temperature checks and require masks on board for crew and passengers. They have also implemented enhanced aircraft cleaning and scaled back their in-flight service in late March, cutting out hot drinks, hot meals and fresh food. Ottawa should make physical distancing mandatory: NDP NDP MP Niki Ashton said the same physical distancing rules that apply throughout Canada should also apply on airplanes. "This really speaks to the profit-driven agenda of the airlines," she said. "The Canadian government should be doing a lot more than encouraging or shrugging its shoulders." Air Canada and WestJet are not alone in promoting the IATA recommendations against in-flight physical distancing. Budget carrier Flair Airlines never adopted a no-middle-seat policy, CEO Jim Scott said in an interview. "It was really easy to have space between passengers because, until two weeks ago, we didn't have any passengers," he said. Scott said as more tickets have been booked in the past 14 days, the airline faced a choice: block off middle seats and raise all fares by up to 40 per cent or find another way. Flair chose to allow passengers who book flights in a specific section of a plane to pay a $49 fee to ensure the seat beside them remains vacant. Other Canadian airlines, including Air Transat and Porter Airlines, have suspended flights until mid to late July. Air Transat said when it returns to flying on July 23, middle seats won't be blocked off. "We will, however, to the best of our ability, apply distanced seating when possible ... [for example] when the load factor allows it," Air Transat spokesperson Christophe Hennebelle said. British negotiators fear a compromise plan mooted by UK Ministers and EU capitals will lead to 'rolling trade talks with Brussels forever', The Mail on Sunday has learnt. Intensified negotiations between London and the EU are due to start Sunday evening as both sides hope to inject momentum into the talks about the UK's future trade relationship with the bloc. For the first time since the Covid-19 crisis, the talks will take place face-to-face in Brussels, with a team of 20 British negotiators due to arrive. Britain's Brexit boss David Frost (pictured left with EU negotiator Michel Barnier) has been tasked with 'strangling' a new compromise trade plan, as the latest round of negotiations between London and the EU start on Sunday In the latest round of talks, Britain's Brexit boss David Frost has been tasked with 'strangling' a fledgling plan that would see Britain 'stand still' on current EU rules and red tape but have to negotiate tariffs on certain goods in the future if the UK wishes to diverge away from the Brussels rules. EU chiefs and leaders are determined to bind Britain to so-called 'level playing field' measures to dampen a competitive edge after we leave the EU Single Market and Customs Union on December 31 amid fears deregulation from Brussels rules will make the UK more attractive to international business. However, the UK has repeatedly refused to engage on this idea in talks so far and publicly ruled any such measures. But Ministers at odds with No 10 believe some compromise will have to be found to avoid talks collapsing. This new compromise idea has been discussed in both Whitehall and other EU capitals, but it is feared the fiendishly complex notion would see the UK stuck in endless rolling negotiations with the EU in perpetuity. Mr Frost took to social media last week to distance London from the idea, despite Government sources admitting the plan had been studied in recent weeks. Boris Johnson (pictured during a video conference call with EU officials) said on Saturday that 'there is the basis of a deal' with the EU. But this came after he warned Britain would walk away without a trade deal unless Brussels shifts in a phone call He wrote: 'I want to be clear that the Government will not agree to ideas like the one currently circulating giving the EU a new right to retaliate with tariffs if we chose to make laws suiting our interests. 'We could not leave ourselves open to such unforeseeable economic risk.' However, last night sources within Mr Frost's Taskforce Europe team accepted that Brussels may formally table the plan during talks, and it would have to be 'seen off' in official talks. One Government source said: 'They can try but we are not having any of it.' The traditional eve-of-talks sabre rattling began in earnest this weekend, with Angela Merkel hitting out on Friday, saying that Britain must accept the consequences of walking away from the EU. The German Chancellor said the UK will 'have to live with the consequences, of course, that is to say with a less closely interconnected economy'. On Saturday, Mr Johnson hit back in a phone call with his Polish counterpart, warning Britain would walk away without a trade deal in place unless Brussels shifts. Angela Merkel (above) hit out on Friday, before the next round of trade talks, saying that Britain must accept the consequences of walking away from the EU And Saturday night, Boris Johnson told The Mail on Sunday he hoped for a swift resolution, adding: 'There is the basis of a deal there.' The PM added: 'One of the great things about Brexit is that we can do things differently, including an opportunity for us to sell more of our amazing products around the world. The reality is that our friends understand that we are absolutely serious on justice, level playing field and fish.' Last night, Mr Frost warned that movement was needed swiftly, after his counterpart Michel Barnier hinted that Brussels may hold out until the autumn for a breakthrough. He said: 'Negotiations over the next few weeks won't be easy. There are still fundamental differences between our positions and a new process in itself isn't enough to breach the gap. 'Any deal must reflect our well-established position on difficult issues such as the so-called 'level playing field' and fisheries that is, as an independent country we will have control over our laws and our waters. 'Our sovereignty will never be up for negotiation.' WASHINGTON Kentucky won't have final results of last week's state primary until Tuesday. New York could take twice as long. In Pennsylvania, the state's largest city, Philadelphia, was still tallying mail-in ballots nearly two weeks after its June 2 primary. The unprecedented volume of mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic has produced hiccups in some state primaries and operated smoothly in others. But one thing is constant: States have shattered turnout records for primaries because of the deluge of mail-in ballots, forcing election officials to need days, even weeks, to count all the votes. Fast-forward to the Nov. 3 presidential election, when all 50 states and the District of Columbia will vote the same day. Many states are expected to turn to mass mail-in voting again but this time for a presidential race that will draw significantly greater turnout than primaries. More: 'A substantial challenge': What Kentucky, New York tell us about voting in a pandemic come November A worker processes mail-in ballots at the Bucks County Board of Elections office ahead of the primary election in Doylestown, Pa., May 27. In the race between President Donald Trump and Democratic presumptive nominee Joe Biden, down to races for Congress and even local contests, voting experts have a warning: Unless there's a clear and decisive winner, brace for an election week or weeks, not an election night. "I think 'weeks' is potentially being generous," said Joe Burns, a Republican election attorney for the Lawyers Democracy Fund. Burns, a former election official with the New York State Board of Elections, said it can already takes weeks to count mail-in ballots in states where just 5% vote absentee. "Well, if you go and increase the absentee ballots by a factor of 10, you would think it would take that much longer." He added: "If you're a candidate, if you're an election lawyer, don't make too many plans post election." Worries about a 'post-election crisis' The media likes to crown presidential winners as soon as a candidate clears the 270-delegate threshold. Television networks projected Trump the winner of the 2016 election around 2:45 a.m. ET. Barack Obama was declared the winner on election nights in both his victories, around 11 p.m. ET in 2008 and 11:20 p.m. ET in 2012. Story continues The most drawn-out and controversial election in U.S. history was in 2000, when television networks declared George W. Bush the winner on election night, only to revert to "too close to call" as votes trickled in from Florida. The contest effectively ended five weeks later on Dec. 12 when the U.S. Supreme Court halted a vote recount in Florida. More: 'Nonsense': Election experts reject Trump's claim that foreign countries could counterfeit millions of mail-in ballots Election experts worry a prolonged outcome this year could set the stage for greater controversial potentially attempts by candidates to invalidate the results because of the raging fight over vote-by-mail. Trump has accused Democrats of seeking to "rig" and "steal" the election by supporting expanded vote-by-mail during the pandemic, which he has slammed without evidence as fraudulent. A campaign fundraising email last week called Democrats "thieves." Biden said he has wondered whether Trump would willingly leave the White House if he loses and that his "single greatest concern" is that Trump will "steal the election" by limiting voter access. "It is extremely unlikely we're going to have final results on election night," said Lawrence Norden, director of the Election Reform Program for the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York School of Law. He called it a "different kind of election this year" that could mean at least several days to count all the votes. President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall on June 23, 2020, in San Luis. More: Biden and Trump each warn that other side may 'steal' the election as fight over mail voting rages "This is a real concern because there's so much disinformation around the election that people will use that to delegitimize the count. It's why I think it's so important (for) people to know ahead of time that's going to be the reality. It doesn't mean that there's anything in wrong. It means that we're doing our jobs to make sure the votes are counted accurately." Larry Diamond, a political science professor at Stanford University and fellow at the Hoover Institution, said a close election and the public not understanding that it might take days or more to count mail-in ballots could lead to an election fight like the U.S. has never seen. Weve really got significant scope for an unprecedented post-election crisis in the United States, Diamond said. How all mail-in election states handle the load Thirty-four states and Washington, D.C., already allowed all registered voters to vote by mail without an excuse before the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirteen states took action to send mail-ballot applications in primaries this year and in some cases for the November election. In several of the 16 states where voters must provide an excuse to receive an absentee ballot being over 65 years old, out of town during Election Day or in the military, for example concerns about the coronavirus now qualify as a reason. Most states made the change only for primary elections and are waiting to see whether to extend to November. Five states Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington conduct elections entirely by mail by sending ballots to all registered voters. California will do the same for the November election. "My concern is it's going to take probably the entire month of November for most states to count their mail-in or absentee ballots, and we may not know the results of the election until the end of November," said Kim Wyman, Republican secretary of state of Washington, which has conducted elections by mail since the 1991. More: 'Do-or-die moment' to boost vote-by-mail for November election. But the politics is getting harder By state law, Washington can start processing mail-in ballots 10 days before Election Day, giving counties a head-start to go through several time-consuming steps to verify authenticity. Early mail ballots typically account for half the overall vote in Washington. The early results are announced after voting ends. But because votes postmarked on or near Election Day can arrive days later, it's normal for vote-by-mail elections to take longer. Wyman said she's worried about the additional burden on states where absentee voting isn't as widespread historically. These states will still be required to maintain in-person voting while building capacity for mail-in voting with more equipment and personnel. This includes having enough scanners, ballot sorters and signature verification machines, as well as space to count the ballots. "They are going to need to ramp this up," Wyman said, calling on Congress to allocate more money for elections. "And now we're down to four months." Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives to speak at an event about affordable healthcare at the Lancaster Recreation Center on June 25, 2020 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. State law changes key for timely results Amber McReynolds, CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, said having enough equipment won't help much with producing timely results unless states rewrite laws allowing them to begin processing mail-in ballots ahead of Election Day. Presidential battlegrounds such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan are among states considering legislation that would allow election officials to get a head start on processing absentee ballots. "By not allowing that processing in advance they're also creating a backlog and a stress on in-person voting that really isn't necessary," said McReynolds, who previously served as director of elections in Denver, where elections are conducted entirely by mail. "If they want to make sure their states aren't the ones being waited on for results, they should make that adjustment as soon as possible." In Pennsylvania, 1.5 million people voted by mail for its June 2 primary nearly 18 times the 84,000 who did in 2016, accounting for more than half the overall vote. It was the state's first statewide election with no-excuse absentee voting. Historically, only 4% of Pennsylvanians vote by mail. A state auditor race wasn't decided until 10 days after the election as counties tallied all the mail ballots. All Pennsylvania voters will again be allowed to vote by mail in November. More: Trump trails Biden in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Arizona, poll finds Complicating Pennsylvania's ability to finish counting votes in the primary, according to Wanda Murren, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Secretary of State office, six counties, including Philadelphia County, were granted an extra week to count and report mail-in votes because of protests over police brutality. The state also had a spike in provisional ballots from voters who arrived at a polling site after they had previously requested mail ballots. "We're looking real closely at where things went most smoothly and where they didn't, and what was the difference," Murren said. "We already know the equipment makes a huge difference, the amount of staffing makes a huge difference." Public awareness seen as crucial In the coming months, vote-by-mail advocates want to build public awareness on the potential elongated election timeline. "I know we like instant gratification, but we need to come to terms with the fact that if the election is close we will not have results on Election Day this year and that's okay," said former Republican Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who now co-chairs SafeVote, a nonprofit that is advocating for vote-by-mail expansion. "We should expect an election week rather than Election Day." Others believe more help is needed nationally for voter confidence if the outcome is in doubt for days or weeks. William Galston, a senior fellow for the Brookings Institutions Governance Studies Program, said in the "best of all possible worlds" an election with a large share of mail-in ballots will have a substantial gap between Election Day and the final results. "What you need is not just better mechanics, but also a very substantial bipartisan leadership consensus declaring itself in advance opposed to any efforts to delegitimate the election by either side." He suggested assembling a panel with the likes of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, former Democratic Majority Leader Tom Daschle and even former presidents. "We're going to need an overall canopy of legitimization in order to prevent a worst case scenario," Galston said. Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election 2020: Vote by mail could mean 'Election Week' not Election Day Prosecutors are seeking a "substantial" sentence in federal prison for Wayne Wilkerson, the leader of the "Cream Scheme" multi-million-dollar healthcare fraud. Perry Piper and Franklin Clark said the sentence should be "in or near the advisory guideline range," saying it "best captures the harm caused by Wilkerson and accomplishes the stated goals of sentencing." His guideline range is 235-293 months. Florida attorneys for Wilkerson are asking for a period of home confinement followed by probation. Wilkerson is set to be sentenced on July 28 by Judge Sandy Mattice, who presided over the lengthy trial. The loss amount attributed to him is $35 million. Prosecutors said Wilkerson made over $14 million from the scheme. which prosecutors said "involved billing insurance companies outrageous amounts for creams that were, in virtually all cases, unwanted and unneeded." Prosecutors said, "Virtually everyone who ordered creams was informed that there would be no cost to the customer. Almost all of them were told that they would be reimbursed for the study, or would otherwise be compensated. Some individuals were just told they would receive money: Kim and Rich Terry profited over $100,000; Dawn and Nelson Steele made $5,000. Dawn and Nelson Steele were told they had 'an opportunity for us to help little Wayne, and he was starting up a pharmacy company, and that they wanted us to try these creams.' They also said, "This was an extensive scheme, it had numerous moving parts and players, was nationwide in its scope, and was lucrative. The ongoing fraud which Wilkerson devised and participated in took place over a period of at least two years, victimized numerous insurance companies, involved dozens of people to implement (counting all of the downlinks), had a nationwide effect, and involved millions of dollars. Contrary to Wilkersons protestations regarding his naivete and his suggestion that he was trying to run a legitimate enterprise, this scheme involved rank fraud. "The defendant used his previous medical training and experiences; he manipulated and concealed his activities in order to avoid safeguards designed to prevent fraud. The defendants actions were calculated and premeditated. The scheme evolved through several different types of victims: private insurance, the Tricare, then Hamilton County Schools. "What is more troubling, there is no indication that he intended to stop or reform his ways. The industry evolved and ultimately foreclosed his cream scheme options. Only the diligence of federal investigators (FDA and DOD) revealed the true scope of the fraud. Those investigators put thousands of person-hours into this investigation. The proof at trial showed that the investigators, through their group effort, reviewed tens of thousands of documents and interviewed numerous witnesses. The cost of the investigation was extraordinary." The NHS will not be able to return to normal for as long as four years due to the treatment backlog caused by the coronavirus crisis, hospital bosses warned. Some hospitals will only be able to provide 40 per cent of the care they delivered before the crisis began due to their drive to remain infection-free. The waiting list for operations could rise from 4.2 million people to 10 million by the end of this year, experts believe. Hospitals are closing beds and surgeons are carrying out fewer procedures because they need to wear protective clothing, The Observer reported. Some hospitals will only be able to provide 40 per cent of the care they delivered before the crisis began due to their drive to remain infection-free Group chief executive of Warwick hospital, George Eliot hospital in Nuneaton and County hospital in Hereford Glen Burley said: 'It could be four years before waiting times get back to pre-Covid levels. We could see that. Its certainly years, not months.' Many normal services were reduced so that hospitals could focus on tackling coronavirus. They are now under pressure from ministers and health charities to resume care for patients with conditions such as cancer and obesity. Chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health service trusts, Niall Dickson told The Observer: 'With social distancing and the need for personal protective equipment it is simply not possible in many services to deliver as much care as would have been possible in the past. 'Some services will not manage much more than 40% productivity.' Tumours have spread when surgery was postponed and also have gone undetected. 2.1 million patients are awaiting crucial screening for breast, cervical and bowel cancer, Cancer Research UK said at the end of May. Another 290,000 have missed out on urgent referrals to confirm or rule out tumours. And at least 21,600 patients have had surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy postponed in the past nine weeks. Hospital bosses said they are doing everything they can to restore services before the extra pressure of next winter. Hospital bosses said they are doing everything they can to restore services before the extra pressure of next winter A potential second wave of coronavirus could force care to be suspended again, so hospital bosses plan to increase the number of beds and treat as many patients as they can. Some hospital trusts have split their hospitals, using one to treat emergency cases and coronavirus patients, with another for planned procedures. On Friday surgeons called for same-day coronavirus testing so hospitals could start clearing the backlog of NHS operations. One in three surgeons said they can't restart routine ops, such as hip and knee replacements - despite pressure to resume normal services. More than half of people waiting for tests in England had been waiting for six weeks or more by April. In February just 2.8 per cent of people booked in for tests had to wait for six weeks, but this had soared to 55 per cent by April because of the pandemic. A surge in coronavirus that has seen record numbers of new U.S. cases in recent days is likely to continue for weeks after states moved too soon to reopen their economies, two of the countrys leading public health experts said Sunday. The warnings by Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control from 2009 to 2017, and Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, came as a new poll showed confidence in how the U.S. is dealing with Covid-19 has fallen.In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Frieden said the virus continued to have the upper hand, even as he acknowledged Americans had become tired of the restrictions needed to contain it.Were all sick and tired of staying home. But you know what? The virus is not tired of making us sick, he said. We are moving too fast, Frieden said of states that remained eager to continue phased re-openings as cases continue to rise. Its like leaning into a left hook. You are going to get hit hard. And thats what is happening. 2.5 Million Cases US coronavirus cases now exceed 2.5 million, with over 125,000 reported fatalities -- in both cases the worlds highest. The countrys inability to control the spread of the virus seems likely to result in US citizens being banned from traveling to Europe, for example, where cases are down in some cases 90% from their peak. A move by the EU to restrict travel from the US was the inevitable result of the continuing spread in America, Gottlieb said. Growing restrictions on travel within the US could come next, he said. A CBS poll released on Sunday showed 62% of those surveyed said US efforts to deal with the virus are going badly, up from 57% in early June. The percentage who said President Donald Trump was doing a good job on the virus was 41%, the lowest of five polls taken since late March. The survey of 2,009 US adults was taken June 23-26. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. Alex Azar, the US Health and Human Services Secretary, said on CNNs State of the Union that the window is closing to control the spread of the virus. This is a very, very serious situation, Azar said, a downbeat assessment contradicted by Vice President Mike Pence in a later interview. Much Better Place Pence, whos visiting Texas on Sunday, played down the current surge in states, stressing that it affected just 4% of US counties and had been caused by more cases in young people, who were less likely to suffer serious health consequences. Were in a much better place to respond to these outbreaks than we were four months ago, Pence told CBSs Face the Nation, noting that the nation is testing about 500,000 people a day and has a greater capacity for surveillance and community testing. Weve also expanded our health-care capacity across the country, literally seeing delivered billions in personal protective equipment, ventilators, he said. And most importantly in this moment is weve seen the development and distribution of therapeutics that have literally been saving lives around the country. Pence also dismissed concerns that the increase in new infections had been driven by the rapid easing of public health restrictions and the Trump administrations push to reopen the economy rapidly with Novembers election in mind. Simplest Intervention Theres a temptation to associate the new cases in the Sunbelt with reopening, but its important to remember that states including Florida and Texas actually began to open up in early May and avoided a spike in infections for the better part of six weeks, he said. Also on Face the Nation, Gottlieb said the spread of the virus was likely to continue growing in the absence of requirements for the universal masking of people in affected states. Requiring people to wear masks is the simplest intervention that we could take to stop the spread of the virus, Gottlieb said. Polls, including the CBS survey, show the issue of wearing masks has become highly politicized in the US While the virus has ebbed in the Northeast, states like Florida, Texas and Arizona have seen virus cases spike in recent days. Other measures, including hospitalizations and deaths, havent risen as much. On Sunday, Florida officials said the states coronavirus cases rose 6.4% from a day earlier. Cumulative hospitalizations of Florida residents rose 0.8%. Cases in Arizona jumped by 5.5%, above the states average of a 4.4% daily increase over the past week. The current record rates of newly reported cases at 40,000 or more in recent days likely reflected a far bigger outbreak, Gottlieb said. Encouraging Signs By the CDCs own reckoning, the real number of infections was 5 to 10 times that being reported, Gottlieb said, and that meant the real rate of new infections was likely to be a quarter-million each day. Frieden said that while there were potentially encouraging signs in the growing share of younger people -- who are less likely to suffer severe complications -- among new reported cases, that shouldnt be a reason to grow complacent. What starts in the young doesnt stay in the young, he said, since younger people, often asymptomatic, can spread the coronavirus to more-vulnerable individuals including family members and co-workers. It was false to dismiss the recent surge in daily cases as a function of a ramping up in testing, Frieden said. A lower death rate was also potentially misleading, he said, with reported deaths likely to lag a surge in cases by about a month. (Frieden is currently chief executive of Resolve to Save Lives, which is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, whose founder, Michael Bloomberg, is also founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP.) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Central Office in Quezon City will be closed for disinfection on Monday, June 29. This came after one of its 313 personnel, who underwent COVID-19 rapid testing last week, tested positive for the virus. Along with the suspension of operations in the main office, the LTFRB said there will also be some delay in the delivery of administrative services and transactions, including: - 24/7 Public Assistance Complaints Desk 1342 - Inquiries on legal matters - New Application for CPC - Application for Extension of Validity - Petition for Dropping and Substitution of Units - Petition for Dropping of Units - Petition for Installation of Advertising Sign - Application for Consolidation of Cases - Petition for Change Venue of Registration - Petition for Adoption of Trade Name - Petition for Storage of Unit Plate - Petition for Upgrading/Downgrading of Units - Petition for Cancellation of Franchise - Petition for Withdrawal of Application - Petition for Adoption of Color Scheme - Application for Change of Party Applicant - Request for Garage and Unit Inspection - Surrender of Plates - Clearance of Account - Assessment of Fees - Re- Assessment of Fees - Releasing of Assessment of fees - Issuance of Special Permit - Clearance and Releasing of Impounded Vehicles Meanwhile, stakeholders are advised to use online transactions for the following: - Request for Special Permit - Correction of Typographical Error - Request for Confirmation of Unit/s - Request for Franchise Verification - Request for Issuance or Extension Provisional Authority - Legal Concerns/Query on Hearing Schedule, Status The agency added that it will continue to offer its services in the Metro Manila area through the Public Transport Online Processing System. 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Lee will remain in place in Richmond, the former capital of the American Confederacy at least temporarily. On June 18, a judge extended an injunction barring the removal of the Confederate generals statue, stating that the monument is the property of the people, not the state of Virginia, which seeks its removal. In early June Gov. Ralph Northam vowed to dismantle the prominent Lee statue in Richmond, the state capital, following sustained, nationwide protests over police brutality and racism. That plan was blocked by a 10-day court injunction now extended through late July based on the petition of a man whose ancestor, Otway Allen, gave Virginia the land the sculpture sits on. In his petition, William C. Gregory claimed that dismantling the Lee statue would violate the conditions of his great-grandfathers 1890 land deed, which says Virginia will faithfully guard it and affectionately protect it. Richmond isnt the only Virginia city where a centuries-old land deed is a legal hurdle in removing monuments to men that many see as defenders of white supremacy. Charlottesville has faced similar questions about the intentions of the philanthropist who donated its contested Robert E. Lee statue. Richmonds Lee sculpture sits atop a pedestal on a traffic circle at the gateway to Monument Avenue, an architectural paean to white Richmonders long tradition of gracious, segregated living. The land was a gift to the state from real estate investor Otway S. Allen and his sisters, Bettie F. Allen Gregory and Martha Allen Wilson. The donors hoped that putting the monument on the tree-lined boulevard would hasten development of the prestigious, whites-only residential neighborhood planned for the area. Back in the 19th century, the Lee monument was on the outskirts of the city. Over the next 40 years, four more Confederate monuments were erected along the avenue, which traverses what is now central Richmond. In his injunction request, Gregory claimed that removing the statue would cause irreparable harm because his family has taken pride for 130 years in this statue resting upon land belonging to his family. To many locals, especially black Richmond residents, the sculptures have always been colossal reminders of the Souths history of enslavement and the violence wrought on black lives. The governor and city leaders now seemingly agree, saying that monuments glorifying the regions white supremacist history should not displayed on public land. Nevertheless, Richmonds Lee statue still has its defenders. On June 15, six Monument Avenue homeowners filed their own separate lawsuit to block its removal, claiming that dismantling the priceless work of art would lead to the degradation of the internationally recognized avenue on which they reside. An hour away in Charlottesville, another Robert E. Lee statue has been embroiled in legal challenges since 2017, when a city council vote for its removal triggered a deadly white supremacist rally. Charlottesvilles statue was a gift of a prominent local philanthropist, Paul Goodloe McIntire. McIntire, born during the Civil War, was the son of the Charlottesvilles mayor when the city surrendered to General Custers Union troops in 1865. McIntire made his money on the stock exchanges in Chicago and New York before returning to Charlottesville, a city shaped by his philanthropy. Funding Charlottesvilles first library and building an amphitheater for the University of Virginia, McIntire earned the sobriquet princely giver of gifts. In 1918, McIntire donated land to the city for use as a public park, to be called Lee Park. The deed stipulated that a sculpture of the Virginia-born Confederate general, commissioned and paid for by McIntire, would be installed and maintained. Among other objections to the statues removal, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Monument Fund and a small group of local citizens cited this land deed in their successful March 2017 legal complaint. They claimed that removing the statue would violate the terms and conditions of McIntires gift. Both Virginia lawsuits argue that the land donors original wishes are inviolable. But my legal research on charitable gifts shows that donor wishes are not always set in stone, so to speak. Under state law, Virginias included, courts can modify gift conditions when fulfilling them is no longer possible or practicable. Gifts with problematic racial restrictions and segregationist intentions have troubled many American institutions, from nursing homes established by donors to benefit elderly, white Presbyterians to church scholarships mandated to fund white students only. In such cases, judges have often declined to preserve the outdated wishes of long-dead donors, allowing discriminatory gift conditions to be eliminated. That renders the gifts usable in the modern era. Rice University, for example, was founded in 1912 with a charitable bequest on the condition that the school educate only the white inhabitants of Houston, and the state of Texas. In 1963, seeking to integrate the university, Rice trustees filed a motion to modify the racial restrictions. Despite opposition by a group of alumni who sought to keep the school segregated, the court concluded that strict adherence to the donors racial restrictions was no longer practicable and that the terms of Rices charter could be modified to admit black students. On July 23, a Richmond court is expected to hold a new hearing to determine whether land given to Richmond by a private citizen making a very public statement about Southern racial inequality can instead be used to celebrate new and different histories. Allison Anna Tait is a professor of law at the University of Richmond. This commentary originally appeared in The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Leading industry figures including John Williams, executive chef of the Ritz, pictured with Prince Charles in 2004, have sent a letter to Downing Street demanding the high standards of British farming and produce are upheld as part of any post-Brexit deal Top chefs from the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts have thrown their support behind the campaign to protect Britain's food standards from inferior foreign imports. The organisation, which represents 300 of Britain's best chefs and restaurants, urged Boris Johnson and senior Ministers to ban low-standard imports in trade talks with the US, amid fears that the UK will be flooded with chlorinated chicken and beef pumped full of hormones. Leading industry figures including John Williams, executive chef of the Ritz, and TV chef Brian Turner have sent a letter to Downing Street demanding that the high standards of British farming and produce are upheld as part of any post-Brexit deal. 'Our UK farmers and food producer partners work to high environmental and animal welfare standards which this Government boasts are world-leading,' it says. 'They should not be forced to compete against cheap imports that would be illegal to produce or sell here but global trading laws will make it difficult, if not impossible, to avoid.' The academy, whose patron is Prince Charles, said top restaurants are 'not willing to lower the quality of food they serve', adding that diners 'expect that these standards are integral to the meals they enjoy and would not accept any lowering of current rules'. Ministers say they will not undermine animal welfare, environmental and food standards with low-quality imports as they thrash out a deal with US negotiators, but farmers and environmental campaigners were furious last month when a bid to enshrine the promise into law as part of its new Agriculture Bill was defeated. Environment Secretary George Eustice has previously called animal welfare law in the US 'woefully deficient'. A petition launched by the National Farmers' Union and backed by The Mail on Sunday to demand that food be produced to world leading standards has attracted more than one million signatures. In America, tens of thousands of cows are housed in dusty outdoor pens and most US states allow pregnant pigs to be housed in metal 'sow stalls'. Slaughtered chickens are sometimes washed in chlorine and US cattle farmers can use steroid hormones to speed growth by up to 20 per cent a practice banned across the EU since 1989. Environment Secretary George Eustice, pictured at Downing Street last month, has previously called animal welfare law in the US 'woefully deficient' The RACA letter says: 'We are dismayed that the UK Government is close to missing a critical opportunity to uphold our high food ethics in its new Agriculture Bill by not banning low standard imports. 'This risks exposing us all to poor quality food, produced cheaply by cutting corners in food safety, animal welfare (including unnecessary use of prophylactic antibiotics; hormones etc) and their unsustainable environmental impact.' Mr Williams said: 'It is so important to support our British farmers and their fantastic products. 'The standards and quality of British food is among the best in the world and we must protect that at all costs.' Mr Turner added: 'I have been in this business for 55 years and have seen British standards come from absolute rubbish to the best in the world. 'We can't throw all of that hard work away.' 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 To recall, Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family were reportedly blindsided by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell decision to leave the monarchy. Earlier this year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they will be stepping down as senior members of the family and live independently outside the U.K. with their now 1-year-old son Archie Harrison. It was mentioned that the couple never consulted any royal about the surprising decision, which left Queen Elizabeth II deeply "hurt." In their official statement, the pair said they plan to split their time between the U.K. and North America, as they "continue to honor our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages". Sandringham Summit Controversy Meanwhile, in the latest royal family news, one expert claimed that Duchess Meghan wanted to intervene in the discussion about their self-imposed exile before Her Majesty the Queen stopped it. Based on previous reports, members of the royal family had an urgent meeting, dubbed as "Sandringham summit." to discuss the planned exit of the controversial couple. During the important gathering attended by the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry, the 38-year-old former "Suits" star was in Canada and wanted to join over the phone as they discuss the "complicated issues" surrounding the Sussexes' decision. However, Channel 5's documentary "William and Kate: Too Good to be True" revealed that the 94-year-old monarch wanted the 35-year-old Duke to "face" the issue on his own. "Apparently Meghan was going to be on speakerphone. Well, the Queen put paid to that. So Harry had to face the music on his own," Fox News royal reporter Neil Sean mentioned. The Queen Approves "Megxit" For what it's worth, the monarchy has taken a hard-line stance in the Sandringham summit. While Queen Elizabeth II expressed her understanding about Prince Harry and Meghan's decision to resign from their roles in The Firm, it didn't mean she would grant the two with exactly what they want. Instead of allowing the Sussexes to work part-time, the royal family reportedly emphasized they can only be in or out. "The decision was made if you want to go we are desperately sad about that, but you are out," royal author Anna Pasternak confirmed, per Express U.K. Meanwhile, after the stressful family meeting, multiple reports claimed that Prince William was "unhappy" with how the situation was handled. As cited by the Express, the Duke of Cambridge was "upset" that Duchess Meghan had to be vocal about their decision to quit the monarchy. The future King of England wanted the crisis to be handled in a more silent and different way. Furthermore, royal expert Richard Kay pointed out that the crisis meeting was an opportunity for Prince William to show he prioritized his royal duties ahead of his loyalties to his brother. "You could not be, in William's view, a member of the Royal Family dipping in and out. You were either in or out." READ MORE: Princess Diana Caught NUDE While Sunbathing -- FULL STORY Korea Foundation (KF) President Lee Geun speaks to The Korea Times during a joint interview with KF Special Representative for Health Diplomacy Jee Young-mee at the KF Seoul office, June 17. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk This is the first in a five-part series on Korea's response to COVID-19, produced in collaboration with the Korea Foundation. ED. By Yi Whan-woo Since taking office in September 2019, Korea Foundation (KF) President Lee Geun has underlined that Korea is more advanced in the world than Korean people think and its public diplomacy should emphasize this. Lee says Korea's response to the COVID-19 crisis has dramatically opened up an opportunity to drive this point home, as Korea has been more successful than most countries in keeping the virus under control. The KF's latest moves to realize Lee's vision include organizing or sponsoring a series of international webinars on Korea's coronavirus response and creating a special representative post for health diplomacy on April 24. Jee Young-mee, a visiting professor at Seoul National University's Graduate School of Public Administration, who is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Emergency Committee and the WHO Research and Development (R&D) Blueprint Scientific Advisory Group, has been appointed to the post. Jee Young-mee, a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Emergency Committee and the KF special representative for health diplomacy, speaks during a joint interview with KF President Lee Geun at the KF Seoul office, June 17. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk "The COVID-19 pandemic has turned from disaster to opportunity for Korean public diplomacy," Lee recently told The Korea Times during a joint interview with Jee in Seoul. The foundation, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is tasked with promoting Korea by communicating directly with the people of other countries through lectures, conferences, exhibitions and outdoor events, among others. Lee is a former international relations professor at Seoul National University and the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security. He said Korean public diplomacy for a long time has categorized the country as developing. "I've been stressing a need to shift our public diplomacy to being on par with that of advanced countries even before joining the KF and, in that regard, the coronavirus is becoming a turning point to do so," Lee said. He views that a few years down the road, public health and quarantine measures are likely to account for "a significant portion" of public diplomacy, adding to the list of Korea's future-oriented public diplomacy. Among those areas are information technology, including smartphone applications, quick-delivery services, virtual K-pop concerts and a mature civic society. "While public health and pandemic had little existence in public diplomacy before the virus, this will change and they will help expand our diplomatic horizon," Lee said. He believes Korea's emergence as a model in combating the pandemic will appeal, with other countries seeing it as a more secure investment and business destination, along with three other factors economic development, democratization and the Korean wave or hallyu. "Pandemics will become a key factor to consider in daily life," Lee said. "And our pandemic model can be seen as favorable in addition to the three other models that secure Korea's image as a free economy, a safe society and a creativity power." The KF was one of the first among the ministries and government-affiliated organizations to designate a special representative to promote the country's health policies abroad. Professor Jee was appointed based on her 15-year experience at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare and seven years at the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office. "It (the appointment) will bring the country a better chance to address our expertise on pandemic more actively and accurately on the international stage," Jee said. She also mentioned that a large number of confirmed cases detected by extensive testing adopted from an early stage of the outbreak in Korea was misinterpreted to the world as if Korea was not efficiently handling this crisis. Rather, Korea' strategy of extensive testing should be considered positively. The number of people who have recovered from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has exceeded that of active cases by more than a lakh, the Union health ministry data showed on Sunday. There were 13,832 patients who were sent home in the last 24 hours pushing the number of recovered to 309,712, according to health ministry data. The countrys recovery rate, the ratio of the number of patients recovered to the number of patients infected, now has climbed to 58.56%. The recoveries have been more than the active Covid-19 cases since June 10 when 135,205 patients were declared cured and 133,632 people were infected with Sars-Cov-2, which causes the coronavirus disease. The top 10 states in terms of absolute numbers of Covid-19 recoveries are Maharashtra with 84,245, Delhi with 49,301, Tamil Nadu with 44,094, Gujarat with 22409, Uttar Pradesh with 14,215, Rajasthan with 13,367, West Bengal with 10,789, Madhya Pradesh with 9,971, Haryana with 8,472 and Karnataka with 7,287. This comes on a day India recorded another biggest single-day jump in Covid-19 cases with 19,906 infections in the last 24 hours, pushing the tally to 528,859. The health ministrys data showed 410 patients succumbed to the disease between Saturday and Sunday morning, pushing the death toll to 16,095. Report: Russian Military Intelligence Paid Afghan Militants To Target U.S. Troops By RFE/RL June 27, 2020 U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Russian military intelligence offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, The New York Times reported. The newspaper, citing anonymous U.S. officials briefed on the matter, reported on June 26 that a secret unit of Russia's GRU military intelligence linked to assassination attempts in Europe and other activities offered rewards for successful attacks last year. The Russian Embassy in Washington immediately slammed what it called "baseless and anonymous accusations." A spokesman for the Taliban leadership said on June 27 that the group "strongly reject" the allegation. It insisted the Taliban "is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country and neither is the [Taliban leadership] in need of anyone in specifying objectives." Spokesmen for the National Security Council, the Pentagon, and the CIA declined to comment on the allegations that were later also reported by The Washington Post. The New York Times reported U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed on the intelligence in March, but the administration has not yet decided how to respond. The Times said Taliban-linked militants, or "armed criminal elements closely associated with them," collected some of the money. But it reported that it was not clear whether the alleged payments are linked to any of the 20 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan last year. It claimed the intelligence was based partially on interrogations of captured Afghan militants and criminals. The allegations come as the United States seeks to advance a nascent peace process in Afghanistan after signing a deal with the Taliban in February that could see U.S. troops leave the country next year. In its statement, the Taliban alleged that "these rumors are being circulated to create hurdles for the departure of American troops," among other goals. The Times reported that U.S. officials were not sure how high in the Russian government the covert operation had been approved and what its goal could be. The three reporters who wrote the story "obviously lack information on cooperation between Russia and #US on the Afghan peace process, on Syrian, North Korean, Venezuelan, Iranian agendas," the Russian Embassy tweeted. Some U.S. officials speculated that Russia may seek to retaliate for a 2018 fight in Syria in which the U.S. military killed Russian mercenaries. Another idea is that maybe Russia intended to bog down American forces in Afghanistan. During the Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the United States backed Afghan and foreign militants that bogged down Russian soldiers. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-bounty-in-afghanistan -to-kill-us-troops/30693455.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 Mexico Citys security chief, who was caught in a deadly ambush Friday, is doing well after his surgery, according to Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum. Omar Garcia Harfuch, head of public security, was shot three times when at least two dozen hit-men with high-caliber weapons opened fire in a leafy, upscale neighborhood of Mexicos capital on Friday morning. Two people in Garcia Harfuchs security detail died, along with a woman who was driving to work, the mayor said. Garcia Harfuch was rushed into surgery after being shot in the shoulder, collarbone and knee. He was recovering Saturday, with more energy than ever, Sheinbaum said in a briefing Saturday on her Twitter account. She later posted a photo of him smiling from his hospital bed. A powerful drug cartel has been accused of trying to assassinate the citys top cop, marking a new escalation in the years-long war between the government and organized crime. Garcia Harfuch also said in a tweet hes recovering well and urged the city to continue working to maintain security and peace. The bloody confrontation turned the normally quiet street into a war zone, with shattered glass littering the ground and an SUV riddled with bullet holes. As police tried to make sense of exactly what happened, details emerged adding to the mystery, including that the attack may have been foretold in intercepted phone calls and a recent newspaper column. Federal Public Security Minister Alfonso Durazo confirmed that threats had been made and said in a press conference that initial information points to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The Jalisco cartel has become public enemy No. 1, said Falko Ernst, a researcher at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based NGO for conflict resolution. This administration didnt want to engage in open warfare, but it isnt being left up to them. Garcia Harfuch was attacked by as many as 28 gunmen, and sniper rifles and grenades were confiscated on the scene, said Ulises Lara, a spokesman for the citys Attorney Generals Office. Authorities arrested 12 suspects shortly after the attack and a total of 19 people were detained by the end of the day, including the intellectual authors, Sheinbaum said. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is facing increased pressure to change his national security policies to crack down on worsening violence. The president, who is known as AMLO, emphasizes economic development over heavy-handed law enforcement as the only long-term solution. But hes also been criticized for militarizing the countrys policing through the newly created National Guard without a plan to deal with underlying corruption. On Saturday, Lopez Obrador said he would not declare war on anyone in response to the attack. Were not going to violate human rights. Were not going to permit massacres, he said in a video posted to Twitter. But were going to act and prevent these attacks from being committed, and were not going to make any agreements with organized crime like before. Brookings Institution security expert Vanda Felbab-Brown said the attack represented a massive tactical failure by the government given that officials had been threatened. She compared the attack in the capital, which had been off limits before in the countrys drug war, to when Colombias kingpins took on the government with targeted assassinations. This is going to be a wake up call to get serious about violent crime, Felbab-Brown said. It may be too late. El Universal columnist Raul Rodriguez Cortes wrote last week that the government had intercepted calls by organized crime groups, which said they were planning to target a top official. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed the calls were legitimate, Cortes said. Mexico then beefed up the security on four top officials that the cartel had reason to target, including Garcia Harfuch, Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard, head of the Financial Intelligence Unit Santiago Nieto and Durazo. Jalisco New Generation, known by its Spanish acronym CJNG, is infamous for extreme violence and was responsible for one of the nations deadliest attacks on security forces, when 15 police officers were killed in an ambush in 2015. The U.S. has offered a $10 million bounty on information leading to the capture of the groups leader, Nemesio Oseguera Ramos -- better known by his alias El Mencho. Military-Style Ambushes While military-style ambushes and gunfights are common throughout Mexico, its rare that the bloodshed spills over into the capital city. Cartels have been escalating their attacks in recent months and some experts point to the extradition of El Menchos son to the U.S. in February as one catalyst. This week, a car loaded with explosives was seized by authorities in the vicinity of a refinery in the central state of Guanajuato. Earlier this month, a federal judge and his wife were killed in the state of Colima. In October, Mexican Forces were overpowered by members of Sinaloa Cartel as they attempted to take in the son of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, the worlds most notorious drug lord. And in November, at least nine members of a Mormon family, all U.S. citizens, were killed in northern Mexico in a suspected attack by cartels. Three police officers were wounded in Fridays confrontation, which broke out in the neighborhood of Lomas de Chapultepec at a little past 6:30 a.m. and was caught on cameras. Residents reported hearing rapid-fire shots that lasted almost a full minute. The attackers arrived in trucks, including one that bore the Grupo Carso logo. Carso, a Mexican conglomerate founded by billionaire Carlos Slim, said in a statement that the truck didnt belong to the company. Cross-Country Tour On Friday, AMLO was wrapping up a cross-country tour that started June 1 and held his morning press conference in Morelia, in Michoacan state. AMLO often travels and goes to events without security. The president has decided to operate under a model of no security, Durazo said in the press conference. We are trying to look after his safety, regardless of his tours. According to researchers at InSight Crime, the cartel is rapidly expanding and has contacts throughout the U.S. and Latin America. It primarily sells marijuana, cocaine and synthetic drugs. Morning AMLO: Homicides Rise 8% in April From Year Earlier This comes after a wave of other concerning attacks that weve seen since last year, said Maureen Meyer, Mexico director at the think tank Washington Office on Latin America. Recent attacks suggest Lopez Obradors strategy hasnt put a dent in the violence. (Updates with presidents comments in 10th and 11th paragraphs) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Carlisle Community Action Network isnt resting after being recognized for its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, its using the relationships and trust its built among leaders and organizations to launch new efforts to rebuild the community and address issues revealed during the crisis. The network, known as Carlisle CAN, grew out of breakfast meetings of about 25 leaders from across the community that started about three years ago at Dickinson College President Margee Ensigns house. Attendance grew during the pandemic to include between 45 and 92 participants on Zoom calls, Ensign said. Ensign said the network is unlike anything shes seen before in that it brings together the towns three major higher education institutionsU.S. Army War College, Dickinson College and Penn State Dickinson Lawtogether with leaders from politics, faith, nonprofits and business. I think its amazing whats been accomplished. The groups involved are extraordinary, and its a platform now for doing all sorts of things, she said. When problems or issues arose throughout the pandemic, Ensign said members of the network volunteered to take on the challenges, whether it was finding bottles for hand sanitizer being made by Hook & Flask Still Works, finding ways to make sure summer camps happened, helping businesses fill out grant applications or more. Its always, Yes and how can we help, not Yes, but Im busy, Ensign said. Honor The work done by the network was recently honored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. The council presented the network, Ensign and Jennifer Love, Ensigns assistant chief of staff, with a Pennsylvania Heart & Soul Hero award. Lindsay Varner, community outreach director at the Cumberland County Historical Society, said the council launched an initiative during the lockdown as a way to highlight the good works that were being done in the community during the crisis. They wanted to show some positive community aspects across the state, Varner said. They were specifically focusing on some of the Heart & Soul communities in the area. As a past director of Greater Carlisle Heart & Soul, Varner was asked to nominate someone who embodied the spirit of the Heart & Soul project. Carlisle CAN came to mind immediately. I was just amazed at the Community Action Networks ability to bring people together, she said. It was incredible to see the positivity coming out of this group. The network projected a can-do attitude that developed a sense that the community would get through the crisis and get through it together, Varner said. Its allowed network members to think outside the box about ways to improve the community. Theres going to be a lot of good momentum going forward in what this group can do and how we can work with the community, she said. Carlisle CAN is still working on issues, discussing, for instance, how it can help with contact tracing to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Alongside its work related to COVID-19, Ensign said the network is beginning to turn its focus to anti-racist issues by committing to asking how the community can be made more just by making sure Black people are getting access to education, health care and criminal justice. The network is also continuing to look at the issues they were discussing before the pandemic began; issues like housing, food security, addiction issues and livable wages. Through their work, Carlisle CAN has become aware not only of the issues in the community but also the resources that are there to solve them, Ensign said. Its members have also been able to develop a level of trust and strong relationships that will guide it through its work. With what the countrys going through, I believe this is how we rebuildlocal communities with groups getting together. We have political perspectives all over the map on that group, but were solving problems, Ensign said. Email Tammie at tgitt@cumberlink.com. Follow her on Twitter @TammieGitt. In just 7 months, 10 million coronavirus cases and 500,000 deaths The world has surpassed 10 million confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard, with one quarter of all cases coming from the United States. That pattern also applies to global deaths resulting from the virus. Of the half-million worldwide deaths, the U.S. accounts for more than 125,000. Brazil is the next closest country with more than 1.3 million confirmed cases. The U.S. is also continuing to see record single-day increases and the growth in cases isn't because of an increase in testing, health officials say. Face coverings have also become a national flash point, with the Americans with Disabilities Act website warning of "fraudulent facemask flyers," despite recommendations from health experts that they stem the rate of transmission. In California, a woman shopping without a mask at Trader Joe's caused a scene Friday, calling employees "Democratic pigs" and screaming profanities. The woman said her doctor said she couldn't wear a mask because she has "a breathing problem." In Oregon, a man was briefly jailed for contempt after he refused to wear a mask and walked out of the courtroom where he was scheduled to appear for a harassment charge and a traffic violation. Meanwhile, as Texas joins numerous states in pausing or rolling back reopenings, Gov. Greg Abbott said he regrets reopening bars quickly as the state now believes bars are "one of the most dangerous spreaders of COVID-19." And surging numbers of new coronavirus cases in Florida have many wary of flocking to beaches, with many staying home and most spreading out from one another. In better news: New York state reported its lowest number of coronavirus deaths since March 15, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, and just 616 of New York's almost 62,000 tests Saturday resulted in positive diagnoses. At least one person killed in Louisville park where Black Lives Matter protests are held Story continues A man, Tyler Gerth, was killed in a shooting at Jefferson Square Park Saturday night in Louisville, Kentucky the site of the ongoing Breonna Taylor demonstrations. Another person, the accused shooter, was hospitalized after also having been shot and is currently in police custody. The shooting took place at 9 p.m. following a peaceful morning and afternoon at the park. Police announced early Sunday that the tents were being torn down and people would no longer be able to stay overnight in the park, though protesters vowed to return. Gerth was a 27-year-old Louisville man who had become a vocal supporter of ongoing protests against racism and police brutality. The LMPD blocked off the scene of a shooting at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Ky. on June 27, 2020. Shooting suspect at California Walmart distribution center was fired in 2019, authorities say At least two people are dead, including the suspect, and four are injured after a shooting at a northern California Walmart distribution center, authorities confirmed Saturday. Tehama County officials said the suspect, Louis Lane, was fired from the center last year. Lane, 31, showed up at the distribution center at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday and crashed his sport-utility vehicle into the employee entrance to the building, officials said. After the SUV caught fire, Lane got out and opened fire. The victim killed an employee at the facility has been identified as Martin Haro-Lozano, 45, of Orland, California. Real quick Trump denies knowing of intelligence report regarding bounty on US troops President Donald Trump denied knowledge Sunday of an intelligence report that concluded Russia had paid a bounty to the Taliban to kill American troops serving in Afghanistan. Facing strong criticism from Democrats, Trump said on Twitter that neither he nor Vice President Mike Pence had been briefed on the classified assessment. He also tried to cast doubt on a New York Times report that said he had been told about the matter. The Times reported Friday that the U.S. concluded months ago that a Russian unit linked to assassination attempts and other covert operations in Europe had secretly offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill American troops and other coalition forces in Afghanistan. "I don't know what the Russians have on the president": Pelosi decries Trump over report of bounty on troops. "This is as bad as it gets, and yet the president will not confront the Russians on this score, denies being briefed," she said. In food recalls... Fresh Express salad mixes potentially linked to intestinal illness Health officials warn of a growing outbreak of Cyclospora infections as more garden salad mixes have been recalled, leading to 206 reported cases and 23 hospitalizations. All of the recalled salads were manufactured by a Fresh Express production facility in Streamwood, Illinois, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The Fresh Express recall includes salads with a product code Z178 or a lower number and were distributed to select retail stores between June 6 and 26 in 31 states. Nearly 60k pounds of chicken nuggets recalled for possible rubber contamination Pilgrims Pride Corporation, of Waco, Texas, is recalling 4-pound bags of "Pilgrim's Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Nuggets" that were produced May 6 and distributed to stores in Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, and Texas. The frozen ready-to-eat nuggets have a "Best-By date" of May 6, 2021 and lot code of 0127 and establishment number P-20728 printed on the retail package. Teenagers reflect on growing up Black in Tamir Rice's America Tamir Rice would have turned 18 years old this past week. We talked to Black teenagers who are turning 18 this year as they reflect on growing up Black in America and experiencing the systemic racism that lead to Rice's death. Tamir's mother, Samaria Rice, also reflects on the life her son should have had. Listen to their stories on today's 5 Things podcast. P.S. Like this round up of stories? We send it to inboxes every afternoon. Sign up for "The Short List" newsletter here. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus, President Trump, Louisville, Walmart, food recall: The weekend's biggest news Russian Tu-142MK Aircraft Escorted by US and Norwegian Fighters Over Arctic and Pacific Oceans Sputnik News 16:53 GMT 27.06.2020(updated 17:11 GMT 27.06.2020) Three of the Russian bombers were performing a scheduled mission over the Barents and Norwegian Seas, while another four planes flew over the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defence Ministry said, stressing that the flights were conducted in strict compliance with international regulations. Russian anti-submarine Tu-142MK aircraft have conducted flights over the Barents and Norwegian seas, as well as over the Pacific Ocean, and were escorted by fighters from the United States and Norway, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday. According to the ministry, Norway scrambled F-16 fighters to escort the Russian bombers over the neutral waters of the Norwegian sea. US F-22 fighters escorted Tu-142MKs as they were flying over the neutral waters of the Northern Pacific. Russian officials stressed that the flights were conducted in strict compliance with international regulations and that the aircraft did not violate the borders of other nations. Last week, the Defence Ministry stated that four Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers had been escorted by US F-22 fighters at certain stages of their scheduled flight at the border between the countries. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Exclusive: What Fugitive Iran Judge Told A Court In Romania Before His Mysterious Death Radio Farda June 27, 2020 The fugitive Iranian judge Gholamreza Mansouri who was found dead in suspicious circumstances at a Bucharest hotel on June 19, had told an extradition hearing in Romania that the corruption charges against him had been a "bogus scenario". Mansouri was wanted in Iran for corruption and in Germany for human rights violations. Iranian authorities filed a case for his extradition on June 11 for complicity in setting up a criminal group and taking bribes. The news about Mansouri's presence in Europe earlier this month prompted Iranian human rights activists and Amnesty International to demand his arrest for detaining, torturing and jailing dozens of Iranian journalists. He was arrested in Romania and an extradition hearing was held in court. According to the minutes of the hearing regarding Mansouri's extradition held on June 12 in Bucharest that has been provided exclusively to Radio Farda, Mansouri told the court that he had been a judge for thirty years, performed his duties with diligence and a bogus scenario had been prepared by the authorities against him after his retirement last year. Gholamreza Mansouri was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court by the ex-Chief Justice Sadeq Amoli-Larijani before he retired. The corruption case is highly damaging to the ex-Chief Justice who now heads the very influential Expediency Council appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Mansouri did not offer details about the "scenario" but the court-appointed lawyer who represented Mansouri and also acted as his translator said the corruption charges brought against Mansouri were "unfounded" and "political" in nature. The prime suspect in the corruption case is former Deputy Chief Justice Akbar Tabari. Mansouri's court-appointed lawyer said the main charge brought against him was receiving bribes to make favorable rulings for individuals later implicated in a major corruption case in Iran. The lawyer claimed that judge Mansouri had no authority to do so and "simply implemented the verdicts of another judge" who was not named in the hearing. In the trial in Iran there has been no mention of any other judges in conjunction with Mansouri's alleged crimes. Mansouri allegedly received a half million euro bribe (about $560,000) from one of the defendants in the corruption case to ensure that he was acquitted. The said defendant escaped the country last year and is considered a fugitive now. In total, eight defendants fled Iran including Mansouri. Another defendant in the case who personally delivered the money to Mansouri in several installments said Mansouri had demanded that in the corruption trial he should say the money was paid to him as a loan. Mansouri's lawyer argued that there were serious grounds to believe extradition would not meet the conditions provided by law and that there was no danger if he was released considering that he voluntarily showed up at the Iranian embassy when he found out about being prosecuted in Iran and would continue to work with the criminal investigation bodies. According to the lawyer, medical records in the file showed that Mansouri had suffered some convulsive seizures the previous night and was also afraid not only for his own life but also for his family back in Iran. Mansouri also stated that he was in possession of evidence in Romania about his innocence and would prepare it for presentation to the next session of the court if he was not held in detention. The court decided that while Mansouri could be extradited in principle, Iranian authorities had not offered sufficient evidence and ruled against pre-trial detention but required that he remain in Romania under judicial control and supervision for a period of 30 days to prevent him from evading the extradition trial. He was released and stayed in the Duke Hotel, where he mysteriously fell from height and died on June 19. With assistance from the Romanian Service of RFE/RL Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/what-fugitive -iran-judge-told-a-court-in-romania-before- his-mysterious-death/30693672.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 Pakistan's national airline moves to assuage concern over pilots' licences FILE PHOTO: A Pakistan International Airlines plane prepares to land at Islamabad airport in Islamabad By Asif Shahzad and and Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD/KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's national airline has written to foreign missions and global regulatory and safety bodies, assuring them it has grounded all 141 pilots suspected of obtaining licences through unfair means, the carrier's spokesman said on Saturday. The move looks to assuage concerns after Pakistan's Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Friday the government had asked various commercial airlines, flying clubs and charter companies to ground a total of 262 pilots until investigations into their qualifications were completed. Pakistan Air Line Pilots Association on Saturday questioned the authenticity of the list and called on the judiciary to intervene and investigate the matter instead of the government to ensure transparency. Global safety and transport bodies expressed concern about the alleged "dubious" licences and said they were looking into the matter. PIA flies a number of international routes, including to the United States, Britain and Europe. The letter, signed by PIA Chief Executive Arshad Malik, promised the airline would remain compliant with all international aviation safety and regulatory standards. "It is also ensured that all pilots flying PIA flights are having genuine licences endorsed by the government of Pakistan," said a copy of the letter sent to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad seen by Reuters. PIA's spokesman said the letter had been sent to all heads of foreign missions in Pakistan as well as international aviation regulators and safety monitoring agencies. Aviation Minister Khan had said the move to ground the pilots would help allay global concerns and show wrongdoing had been corrected. He said five officials from the aviation authority had been suspended for abetting the suspected pilots. In a joint statement, The International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations and the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations called for the crash probe to be conducted along international standards, urging against "premature conclusions" based on incomplete or speculative information. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Writing by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by David Holmes and Alison Williams) Coronavirus has now infected more than 10million people around the world in the most devastating pandemic in a century. The number of confirmed infections passed the staggering milestone today, Sunday June 28, according to an online map run by Johns Hopkins University in the US. Data collected from governments around the world showed that 10,015,904 people had been infected with the disease by today and 499,486 had died. The US has borne the brunt of the global outbreak's numbers, recording more than 2.5million confirmed cases - a quarter of the total - followed by 1.3m in Brazil, 633,000 in Russia and 311,000 in the UK. Sir Jeremy Farrar, a leading scientist advising politicians in Britain, said even these harrowing figures are 'in reality both underestimates'. The World Health Organization said the number of Covid-19 cases is more than double the number of severe flu cases the world would see in a normal year. Covid-19 first appeared in China in January and has since spread to almost every country on Earth on people travelling internationally while infected. Data collected from governments around the world by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the US shows that the coronavirus has spread to almost every corner of the globe Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of British research charity the Wellcome Trust, and a member of government advisory group SAGE, said in a tweet that the figures were 'sobering'. He wrote: 'More than 10 million confirmed cases and 500,000 deaths globally directly attributed to COVID19 in ~6 months. In reality both underestimates. 'Highly populated regions of [Central and South] America, South Asia, Africa not yet experienced full impact of 1st wave. Globally accelerating.' The grim milestone comes as many hard-hit countries, including Britain, Italy and Spain, are easing lockdowns. But they must embrace a new normal as they do this, with strict social distancing, working from home and restricted social lives in places for months more. As much of the Western world appears to be recovering from the worst of the pandemic, other, poorer, nations are in the grip of fast accelerating outbreaks. Brazil, Russia and India, which seemed to be spared disaster in the outbreak's early days are all now at the mercy of the fast-spreading virus and have seen cases spiral out of control in recent weeks. In Brazil and India cases have tripled in a month. WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE HAD THE MOST CORONAVIRUS CASES? The true number of people to have been infected with the coronavirus is a mystery because many countries only test people who are seriously ill or have symptoms - many never realise they are ill or cannot get tested. These are how official records show the coronavirus spread around the world: USA (2,511,725 confirmed cases) Brazil (1,313,667) Russia (633,542) India (528,859) UK (311,739) Peru (275,989) Chile (267,766) Spain (248,469) Italy (240,136) Iran (222,669) Mexico (212,802) Pakistan (202,955) France (199,473) Turkey (195,883) Germany (194,693) Saudi Arabia (182,493) Bangladesh (137,787) South Africa (131,800) Canada (104,878) Qatar (94,413) Data from Johns Hopkins University, accessed 4.30pm, June 28. Advertisement Brazil, a South American country home to 210million people, is now experiencing arguably the worst outbreak in the world after the total number of people to have had Covid-19 rocketed from 411,821 on May 28 to more than 1.31million today. In India, cases soared from 158,333 a month ago to 528,859 today, according to the Our World in Data project. Health services in New Delhi are on the cusp of being completely overwhelmed because of the pandemic and patients with other conditions are being turned away, The Telegraph reports. And in Russia the number of Covid-19 cases surged from 370,680 in May to 627,646 this week. The US remains the worst-hit nation in the world and there have now been 2,511,725 cases and 125,559 deaths, Johns Hopkins' data shows. The US's Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, has warned 'the window is closing' for the US to take action to effectively curb the coronavirus. Mr Azar pointed to a recent spike in infections, particularly in the South. He says people have 'to act responsibly' by social distancing and wearing face masks especially 'in these hot zones.' Mr Azar argued that the US is in a better position than two months ago in fighting the virus because it is conducting more testing and has treatments available. But he acknowledged that hospitalisations and deaths could increase in the next few weeks. Texas and Florida reversed course on parts of their reopening and clamped down on bars on Friday as the daily number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the US surged to an all-time high of 40,000. Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into 2021. North America, Latin America and Europe each account for around 25 per cent of cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11 per cent and nine per cent respectively, according to Reuters. The total number of cases continued to increase at a rate of between 1-2 per cent a day in the past week, down from rates above 10 per cent in March. Countries including China, New Zealand and Australia have seen new outbreaks in the past month, despite largely quashing local transmission. In Beijing, where hundreds of new cases were linked to an agricultural market, testing capacity has been ramped up to 300,000 a day. The United States, which has reported the most cases of any country at more than 2.5 million, managed to slow the spread of the virus in May, only to see it expand in recent weeks to rural areas and other places that were previously unaffected. In some countries with limited testing capabilities, case numbers reflect a small proportion of total infections. Roughly half of reported infections are known to have recovered. A family who lost three of their children after an alleged drunk drivers car fatally hit them earlier this year have posted a tribute to their eldest son on Facebook to celebrate his birthday. On what would have been Antony Abdallahs 14th birthday, the family has shared a heartbreaking video on the social media page dedicated to him, his two sisters Angelina, 12, Sienna, 8 and their 11-year-old cousin, Veronique Sakr, who were killed in the Oatlands tragedy, in Sydneys northwest, which happened on February 1. A video containing private family photos of Antony and his siblings was posted on The Four Angels Facebook page on Friday. Antony Abdallah (left) pictured with his mother, Leila Geagea Abdallah (right). Source: Facebook Happy 14th Birthday my sweetheart. I love you more than words can describe, the post began. You are celebrating today with God, Angelina, Sienna and Veronique. I am sure you are very happy and you feel extra special. Antony, you are my saint. We are separated for a short time only on this earth and well be united in Heaven forever. Some of the family photos from the tribute video posted by Antony's parents Danny and Leila. Source: Facebook Three of the victims' mother Leila Geagea (right) pauses near flowers placed at the scene where seven children were hit on a footpath by a four-wheel-drive in Oatlands. Source: AAP Image/Joel Carrett. The Facebook post was flooded with words of support for the family. Happy Birthday beautiful young boy, one person wrote. This post only makes you realise that nothing is more important than our family and children. We could have the best of everything but when one big part of you is missing then all those things dont matter, another person said. Till today I still cant believe what happened to these beautiful children it breaks my heart! cant imagine losing so many family members, a third person said. Following their childrens deaths, thousands attended the funeral. Their parents sat in front of three small white caskets and comforted their remaining children. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. A Texas sheriff who is running for a seat in the US House of Representatives claims that surveillance video shows a postal worker dumping a bundle of his campaign fliers into a trash receptacle. Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls is facing off against fellow Republican Kathaleen Wall in a party primary runoff election to vie for a House seat representing the Lone Star States 22nd Congressional District. Nehls released a video on Twitter showing a postal worker in the suburban Houston region walking toward a dumpster where she threw an unseen object in the trash. A US Postal worker was just caught on video throwing a stack of my campaign mailers in a dumpster, Nehls tweeted on Friday. Nehls shared video surveillance showing a US Postal Service worker walking toward a dumpster in suburban Houston earlier this week Nehls claimed that this was the bundle of mailers that was thrown out by the postal worker Some patriots nearby heard a noise when she tossed them in & went to investigate. They found a stack of them and called me. No wonder people are skeptical of mail in voting. Mail-in voting has become a contentious political issue, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Democrats want to expand options for mail-in voting, citing the pandemic and the dangers of crowds gathering in public. Republicans, chief among them President Trump, have argued that mail-in voting is vulnerable to fraud. Nehls told KPRC-TV that he plans to speak to the US Postal inspector about launching an investigation. Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls alleges that surveillance video shows a US Postal Service worker dumped a stack of his campaign mailers into the trash earlier this week The postal worker is seen entering the dumpster and then leaving shortly afterward I said to myself: How sad? How sad it is to see? Nehls said. We have the federal government, the postal service, throwing away political mailers. A sad day. The runoff election is scheduled to be held on July 14. The winner will advance to the general election, which will take place on Election Day - November 3. Pete Olson, the Republican incumbent, announced he would not seek re-election. The 22nd congressional district has long been thought of as a safe Republican seat, but this year's election is expected to be more competitive, according to political analysts. The US Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request by Texas Democrats to allow all of the state's 16 million registered voters to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. The denial is not the end of the ongoing battle over mail-in voting in Texas, but it remains a loss for Democrats who made the emergency ruling request while the original case is tied up at the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals. Justice Sonia Sotomayor urged the lower court to consider the case 'well in advance of the November election.' Voting by mail in Texas is generally limited to those 65 or older or those with a 'sickness or physical condition' that prevents voting in person. Nehls is facing fellow Republican Kathaleen Wall (right) in a July 14 runoff primary. The winner will face the Democratic nominee For months, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has fought expanding mail-in balloting during the pandemic, saying fear of contracting the virus is an insufficient reason. A federal judge in Texas sided with Democrats in May, but that decision is on hold pending appeal. Early voting in Texas begins Monday for primary runoff elections that had been postponed to July over coronavirus fears, but Texas is now one of the nation's coronavirus hotspots as confirmed cases reach record levels and Governor Greg Abbott reimposes restrictions. Indias Covid-19 tally crossed the five lakh mark on Saturday and it stands at 5,08,953, with the death toll at 15,685 according to Union health ministry. On the other hand, Delhi has 28,329 active cases with the total count reaching 80,188 and 2,558 deaths. In this regard, medical experts told ANI that the rise in cases in India is still not high as compared to other countries but said that people should follow Covid-19 guidelines such as wearing face masks. Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital said that urban mobility is a likely cause in the spike in cases. Also read: Eight states account for 87% of Covid-19 deaths, 85% active cases I think as the numbers are rising, protection is must and we must follow the guidelines by the government wholeheartedly. There is a lot of urban mobility, especially in Delhi and Mumbai which may be a cause for the spike. The population density increases the chances of spreading the infection further. However, our recovery rate is also steadily rising which is encouraging, Dr Kumar said. Dr SP Byotra, Chairman, Department of Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said, We are yet to reach the optimum number of cases. However, there has been flouting of rules by people. We have been continuously insisting that wearing masks is of foremost importance and mandatory. We should be more responsible as a nation until there is specific treatment/vaccination available. Also read: The science behind Delhis five-pronged fight against Covid-19 In addition, Dr Byotra said, One more important factor is testing. Now, almost 20,000 tests are being conducted which is helping in the detection of cases and ascertain whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic. The Delhi government, in its media bulletin, stated that 19,180 tests were conducted on Saturday taking the total tests to 4,78,336. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), told ANI, Rise in cases in India is still not as high as compared to other countries. In the United States, there have been almost 40,000 cases per day in the last two days. Compared to that, our numbers are not that high. Cases per million population continues to be low and we still have low mortality. Considering the size of our population, the number of cases will be large in absolute terms. But if we are able to keep mortality down, it will be a big success for the country, he said. Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that the Covid-19 recovery rate has surged over 58% in India with around three lakh cured and discharged patients. Home Minister Amit Shah said Rahul Gandhi should introspect that his hashtag of 'Surender Modi' is being encouraged by Pakistan and China New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of doing "ochhi rajniti" (shallow minded politics) and making remarks "liked by" China and Pakistan during border tensions with China and asserted that the government was prepared for a debate in Parliament from 1962 war onwards till now. In an interview with ANI, Home Minister Amit Shah said Rahul Gandhi should introspect that his hashtag of 'Surender Modi' is being encouraged by Pakistan and China. He said that the government was fully capable of handling anti-India propaganda but it was painful when a former President of such a big political party indulges in shallow minded politics at a time of crisis. "Yes we are fully capable of handling anti-India propaganda but it does pain when a former President of such a big political party does "ochi rajiniti (shallow minded politics) at a time of problems. It is a matter of self-introspection for him and Congress that his hashtag is being taken forward by Pakistan and China. It is not for me. It is a matter of concern for Congress that hashtag of their leader is being encouraged by Pakistan and China. You say what China and Pakistan like. And at this time of crisis," added Amit Shah. He was asked about a hashtag going viral last week about `Surender Modi' remarks of Gandhi and it gaining traction in China and Pakistan. Sidestepping a pointed question asked by ANI, if at present there were Chinese troops on Indian soil, Home Minister Amit Shah said that it was not the appropriate time to comment on the situation at the LAC and that "briefings were on going and if the need arose, he would answer." The Minister added that he wished to limit the scope of this interview to Delhi's battle with Covid, wherein measures taken by Centre and Delhi Government were highlighted to ease any "panic" that could have risen in the city due to rise in cases. Amit Shah, however, responded to tweets made by Rahul Gandhi that were critical of the Government's response to the situation at the LAC with China. "If you want to discuss, we will. Let all be discussed from 1962 to today. No one is afraid of discussion. But when the soldiers of the country are making efforts, the government is taking solid steps after taking a stand. At that time, making statements that please Pakistan and China, this should not be done," he said. Asked about Congress accusing BJP of lack of democracy over its attack on the party on Emergency, Amit Shah asked if there has been any Congress president from outside Gandhi family after Indira Gandhi and asked what democracy does Congress talk of. "Democracy is a very comprehensive word. Discipline and independence also have their value. Beyond all this, I want to say one thing. I want to ask you. After Advaniji, Rajnathji, Nitinji, Rajnathji again, I became (party president) and now Naddaji. Is there a member of the same family? After Indiraji, tell me a Congress President who is outside the Gandhi family. What democracy they talk about?" said Shah. Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly targeting the government over the stand-off with China even as most other her opposition parties have backed the government's stance in the face-off with China in Eastern Ladakh. On Friday, Gandhi posted a video and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should tell "the truth" as several accounts were saying that China has made incursions in Eastern Ladakh. In his tweets, Gandhi has accused Prime Minister of "publicly supporting" China's claim, termed him as "Surender Modi" and alleged that "PM has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression". Singhvi alleged that the PM-CARES fund is not even subjected to audit by any public authority, including the CAG. New Delhi: Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Sunday said that the PM-CARES Fund has received donations from Chinese companies which is "alarming for the national security". "...What is most worrying and alarming for national security is the fact of donations received by Prime Minister Modi from Chinese companies in his (seemingly personal) PM CARES Fund. No one knows the constitution or the operational framework of the PM CARES Fund. No one knows how it is controlled or money given to it utilised," Singhvi said in a statement. Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM -CARES Fund) has been set up following the COVID-19 pandemic in India, to undertake and support relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency or any other kind of emergency, calamity or distress etc. The prime minister is the ex-officio Chairman of the PM-CARES Fund and Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Finance, Government of India are ex-officio Trustees of the Fund. Singhvi alleged that the fund is not even subjected to audit by any public authority, including the CAG. "The PMO has gone to the extent of saying this fund is not a public authority. PM CARES Fund is not even subject to RTI. All in all, the fund appears to be solely run by the prime minister in an opaque and secret fashion with zero transparency and zero accountability," said Singhvi. "Reports suggest that as on 20 May, Modi has received Rs 9678 crores in the controversial fund. The shocking part is that though Chinese forces have transgressed into our territory, the prime minister has received money in the Fund from Chinese companies," he said. "A delusional Modi government continues to sidestep the brazen Chinese transgressions and occupation of our territory by the Chinese forces in Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso Lake area, Hot Springs and Depsang Plains upto Y-Junction," Singhvi alleged. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi unashamedly misleads the nation and serves the sinister agenda of the Chinese by claiming that China has never intruded into the Indian territory, nor is it in occupation of any territory. This is the greatest disservice to the nation," he added. Singhvi said that every time the central government is questioned on the Chinese transgressions of our territory, in four different places, i.e. Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso Lake Area, Hot Springs and Depsang Plains, a "deceptive Modi government and a paranoid BJP resorts to diversionary tactics and disinformation." "Let them know, that the Congress party will keep asking these questions in national interest. As we all know the Prime Minister has a special soft spot for China. Even as Chief Minister of Gujarat, we saw his close association in his four Chinese visits. He is the only Prime Minister who has visited China 5 times," Singhvi said. "If Prime Minister of India will compromise his position by accepting donations of hundreds of crores from Chinese companies in the controversial and opaque fund, how will he defend the country against the Chinese aggression?" asked Singhvi. They've spent June enjoying the sunshine and some quality time together on her father's 28m yacht in Croatia. And Jay Rutland made sure his wife Tamara Ecclestone's birthday got off to a good start on Sunday by sharing a sweet of snap of them with their daughter Sophia, six. The doting husband posted a stunning image of his family in front of a sunset in Hvar Town, alongside the caption: 'Happy birthday Tamara, we love you very much.' Happy birthday! Jay Rutland, 39, shared a sweet family snap to celebrate his wife Tamara Ecclestone turning 36 on Sunday while they are in Croatia with their daughter Sophia Businessman Jay opted for a laid-back ensemble in the sun-soaked snap, donning a white t-shirt and navy shorts. While birthday girl Tamara cut a fashionable figure in a blue polkadot dress which plunged at the front and boasted puff-sleeves. Their little girl Sophia, who is also called Fifi by her family, looked sweet in a pink sundress with orange fruits all over it. For the past month Tamara and her family have been spending time on her father Bernie's yacht. Mother and daughter: Tamara and her mini-me daughter Sophia were full of smiles as they enjoyed a day on the water in matching swimming costumes Quality time: Jay and Sophia donned life jackets as they had fun playing in the water on Sunday Festivities: Tamara was treated to a chocolate cake at a family meal on her special day Fun day: The famous family posed up in Croatia's famous blue cave in a lovely snap During their time abroad they have shared several snaps of Sophia enjoying a dip in the sea and them exploring Croatia together. However it has not all been plain sailing and the family have had to deal with Bernie facing criticism for comments he made about black people which later sparked controversy with F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton. And earlier this month, the star hit out at her critics after being slammed for taking her family to Croatia amid the coronavirus pandemic. Throwback: Jay also shared a picture of Tamara from when she was a child with F1 legend Aryton Senna, who drove for McLaren and Williams Racing before his death in 1994 Happy times: The couple, who married in 2013, have been enjoying lots of family time during lockdown The heiress arrived in her mother's native country alongside her husband, daughter Sophia, her sister Petra, 31, Petra's fiance Sam Palmer and her four children. Since the family were seen luxuriating on the sisters' father Bernie's 28m yacht, Tamara's social media has seen a surge of criticism - leading to her staunch defence in a lengthy Instagram post. Tamara, Jay and Sophia have been joined by Petra, Sam, Petra's daughter Lavinia, seven, and twin boys Andrew and James, five, who she shares with her ex-husband James Stunt, and her and Sam's newborn daughter. The duo were lucky enough to have their father's yacht at their disposal. The 176ft yacht, which boasts six cabins, is named Petara - after Bernie's daughters - with her name being an amalgamation of the Petra and Tamara's name. Having fun: Tamara (pictured with her little girl Sophia) spent the final weeks of being 35 on her father Bernie's 28m yacht Defending: Since they went to the yacht, Tamara's social media has seen a surge of criticism - leading to her staunch defense in a lengthy Instagram post It appears Tamara has been met with wrongly-placed criticism for taking Sophia out of school, endangering the public - leading to her clarification. Tamara penned a lengthy caption reading: 'Clearly this virus hasn't changed some people for the better which is a bit of a shame. For those of you that are confused or just bitter. I didn't leave the house at all during lockdown... 'I didn't even go to the park or exercise. I am half-Croatian so decided it would be best, safest to come here, which is not forbidden and I am now following the rules in Croatia. As for the home school questions, a return to school was option... 'We chose to continue to home school Fifi she is doing better than ever and has gone up two reading bands. If I am not mistaken no on is obliged to follow me so you know what to do.' Last month, Krunoslav Capak, the director of Croatia's Institute of Public Health, said there would be 'no bans, just precautions' on the country's beaches. New York Police Department officers responding to a shooting in Manhattan were met with large crowd hurling bottles and blocking the intersection - as a surge in gun violence grips the city. The New York City Police Benevolent Association on Sunday shared a clip of NYPD officers being met with resistance while dispatched to a 'shots fired' call in Harlem. The 'shots fired' call was one of several made across the city's five boroughs as New York Post reports 11 people were shot in just 24 hours - amplifying debates on policing and the role of law enforcement. Footage shows an NYPD cruiser edging into an intersection that is crowded with dozens of residents and littered objects on the ground. The cruiser's wail and flashing lights do little to move the crowd, who begin dancing as music is blasts from a speaker off screen. A New York Police Department cruiser was reportedly responding to a 'shots fired' call when residents in Harlem tossed glass bottles and other objects at the vehicle (pictured) Suddenly, a glass bottle launches from inside the crowd towards the NYPD cruiser and stops a few feet before the front bumper. This prompts a barrage of glass bottles and other items to be hurled at the cruiser while witnesses watch without intervening. At least eight bottles are thrown at the officers before one projectile lands directly on the front hood. The thrown items increasingly land on the cruiser, causing the NYPD officers to back their vehicle. Officers began backing up the police cruiser as more objects began flying at the cruiser (pictured) The New York City Police Benevolent Association shared the video in a thinly veiled jab against NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio It's unclear with followed the incident, but the NYC PBA used the video to call out Mayor Bill de Blasio for 'surrendering our city.' 'This is what a light touch looks like: Police officers responding to a shots fired job in Harlem last night were met with this,' the group wrote. '[Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson] and company should be held responsible for surrendering our city.' De Blasio has asked the department use a 'light touch' when dealing with demonstrators taking to the streets over police brutality, racial injustice and George Floyd. A staunch rift has grown between de Blasio and the NYPD as criticism continues to mount against law enforcement nationwide. While President Trump often lauded a heavy-handed response to demonstrations, de Blasio publicly denounced several instances of alleged police brutality performed by NYPD officers. One alleged incident of police violence included a 20-year-old woman who was roughly shoved by an NYPD officer to the ground during a protest. The officer had allegedly called her a 'stupid f***ing b***h' before pushing her. The NYPD has come under fire in recent weeks over alleged incidents of police brutality against civilians and protesters Protests have been held nationwide to fight police brutality and racism following the death of George Floyd Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he would divert money from the NYPD's $6billion budget towards minority youth programs The following day, a second officer was caught on video yanking down a man's coronavirus mask to pepper spray him. The nail in the coffin seemed to come earlier this month when de Blasio announced that funds from the NYPD's $6billion budget would be cut and diverted to social services. The anti-crime unit was later disbanded. With a waning support system, officers have made clear their displeasure over de Blasio's handling of demonstrations. Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik claimed that 600 police officers were considering leaving the force amid police brutality protests, Washington Examiner reports. And the Sergeant Benevolent Association urged officers to avoid the city because of de Blasio's apparent lapse in leadership. 'To all our friends in law enforcement both outside & in the USA. DO NOT visit NYC & DO NOT encourage friends & family to visit. The city is dangerous thanks to our elected officials...' The General Counsel's Office of the Police Benevolent Association weighed in the situation, claiming that the shootings are a result of the city's policies. 'Effects of policies on NYC streets,' the legal counsel wrote. 'Its beyond debatable that policies of electeds officialsnon support of police, light touch policing, failure to prosecute crime-have real world impacts. 'Beefs' are now being routinely settled with shootings.' The Sergeant Benevolent Association urged officers to avoid New York City over Mayor Bill de Blasio's handling of demonstrations NYCPBA: 'Its beyond debatable that policies of electeds officialsnon support of police, light touch policing, failure to prosecute crime-have real world impacts' Gun violence and shootings have overwhelmed New York City over the past several weeks as NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea admits that city's criminal justice system is 'imploding.' 'You have to step back and look at this. You have a criminal-justice system that is imploding,' Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said, according to the New York Post. 'Imploding. That's the kindest way to put it,' he added. A man and women were shot dead on Saturday afternoon after a gunman fired more than 20 rounds outside a home in Brooklyn. The man suffered shot to the head while the female victim was shot once in the back. As of Sunday morning, no arrests have been made in connection to the murders. One day earlier, 19-year-old Erika Lopez was fatally shot and her boyfriend, 21-year-old Andres Arias, wounded after they got into a confrontation at a Manhattan rooftop bar. Arias, told DailyMail.com exclusively that his girlfriend Erica Lopez may have saved his life by shoving him out of the way when the gunman opened fire. Andres Arias, 21, and Erica Lopez, 19, are pictured at 230 Fifth Rooftop hours before she was killed in a fatal double shooting on leaving the club Friday morning. The couple had been celebrating Arias's cousin's boyfriend's birthday at the swanky rooftop bar in Manhattan's Flatiron district before the night turned deadly Arias spoke to DailyMail.com exclusively Friday and said the couple had been celebrating his cousin's boyfriend's birthday in Manhattan's Flatiron district 'Erica pushed me out of the way, and one bullet went through her chest and grazed me through the left side of my ribs,' he said. 'I saw my girlfriend Erica falling to the ground, and I dove to grab her so she didn't hit her head,' he explained. 'I turned her over, and she was bleeding through her left chest.' Last weekend, disturbing CCTV footage showed a gunman kill a 35-year-old man in broad daylight as he washed his car in Brooklyn. The NYPD has not made any arrests in the shooting yet. The New York Post reports that 11 people have been shot in less than 24 hours across New York City as of Sunday morning. The victims were injured during eight separate shootings between 5:30pm Saturday and 5am on Sunday. In at least three instances of gun violence, victims have refused to cooperate with the NYPD after being shot. The number of shootings since Monday reportedly tallied to 59, totaling out to 81 gun violence victims and six murders. The NYPD's most recent CompState sheet shows there were 531 shooting victims in the city this year compared to 373 in 2019, according to the Year to Date data. The New York Police Department's CompStat reports that there were 531 shooting victims in the city this year compared to 373 in 2019 as of June 21 Additionally, NBC New York reported that weekly shootings in the city were up 358 per cent compared to the same time last year. Police Commissioner Shea said the city's homicide rate hit a five-year high. The number of residents shot this year has climbed 42 per cent compared to the same time last year. Shea said there were 100 shootings in New York City in May. De Blasio addressed the uptick in gun violence during a press conference on Monday. 'We are not going back to the bad old days where there was too much gun violence in this city, nor are we going back to the bad old days.' He added that city was investing $10million in new crisis management system funding to help add law enforcement staff. As the tough economic environment continues to affect industries adversely, small businesses are hit the hardest. But Telkom Business have good news. Helping the growth of small businesses in South Africa who have been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, Telkom Business announces the launch of its latest innovation, Yep! on Google Play and Apples app store. Yep! is a digital marketplace where customers can safely and confidently search and purchase from small, trusted businesses. The app is geared toward economic sustainability, creating a long-term future for small businesses. Think of Yep! as a friend to small businesses, as it provides a scalable solution to help grow and enhance their reach, said Lunga Siyo, CEO of Telkom Business. The COVID-19 pandemic has far-reaching effects, none of which paint a bright future for many businesses and even more so in South Africa where small to medium-sized enterprises form the backbone of the economy. Users can easily locate businesses or services they require in their area, request quotes, directly book appointments from the app, view the store online, and review its ratings. Users can also create their own online store with their own unique branding, upload their list of services to find new customers. In 2019, small businesses generated more than a quarter of total turnover in business services, trade, community, and both social and personal services, according to Stats SA. With the current crisis, Treasury projects that more than seven million jobs could be lost as a result. Yep! will play a critical role in ensuring the survival of the countrys small businesses that weve come so to rely on and help provide and grow the job sector, Siyo added. Yep! will continuously evolve and will soon boast several feature upgrades that customers can look forward to, including: More service categories will be enabled on the platform Full fulfilment where customers can book appointment, service providers can complete invoicing and mark job completion Online delivery and payment integration It will also include a bidding section where users can post a service requirement or bid for new business as per customers requirements and corporate partners. It is mutually beneficial as small businesses get exposure, customers get convenience, and large corporations can search for SME suppliers. Why not try it? Try the Yep! app now by downloading the app from your app store to see how it works and get a better feel for it. On Yep! small business can sell and buy products and services that will help broaden their customer base and bid for new opportunities. But this is just the beginning new vendors and exciting features will constantly be uploaded onto the marketplace. In this tough times, Telkom Business is excited to pivot and create a solution that will help unlock real opportunities for SMEs. Yep! allows us to create value for customers and secure a different revenue stream for the Telkom Group, ended Siyo. At Yep! it is our business to grow small businesses. Featuring each musician performing from his home, Shams is from Cairo Steps and Quadro Nuevo's collaborative album Flying Carpet The video was released on Cairo Steps' YouTube channel on 26 June with a note: "Music The Bonding Force united in change. Cairo Steps and Quadro Nuevo together for a message: Where ever we are around the globe we are sharing the same situation." A total of 19 musicians from 10 cities participated in the endeavour, creating a musical network between Cairo, Alexandria, Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Riedenberg, Cologne and other cities. Shams is from a 2017 album titled Flying Carpet which was born of a cooperation between Cairo Steps and Quadro Nuevo. The 12-track album is available on SoundCloud Composed by Basem Darwisch, the new video features Darwisch on oud alongside Egyptian musicians Rageed William (on nay), Rami Attallah (piano), Wael El Sayed (accordion), violinists Emad Azmy, Shereen Azmy, Nehad Gamaledin and Shady Abdelsalam, Ragy Kamal (qanun), Jan Boshra (cello), Rafat Soka (req), Raafat Mohamed (drums), Hany El Sawaf (darbuka/tabla) and German musicians Mulo Francel (bass clarinet), Andreas Hinterseher (accordion), DiDi Lowka (double bass), Evelyn Huber (harp), Stefan Hergenroder (e-bass), and Wolfgang Wittemann (soprano saxophone). Founded in 2002 as a collaboration between Egyptian oud player and composer Darwisch and German pianist Matthias Frey, throughout the years the Cairo Steps ensemble has performed extensively in Egypt and Germany, and on many other international stages. Cairo Steps featured many prominent Egyptian musicians and created many dynamic cooperations between both countries. Frequent performers in Cairo, Cairo Steps have also featured flutist and currently culture minister Ines Abdel-Dayem in their concerts. Cairo Steps brings together numerous music genres -- traditional Egyptian and oriental grooves, Sufi traditions, Western classical music, European ethnic music and jazz improvisation -- into one melting pot. The final blend is a unique combination of compositions from Eastern and Western musical cultures. In 2018, the album Flying Carpet was awarded the German Jazz Award Gold. Cairo Steps and Quadro Nuevo quartet continue to perform together and they have numerous concerts scheduled in Germany for the months of September, October and November of this year. German acoustic quartet Quadro Nuevo was founded in 1996 with the aim of performing world music and jazz. According to information on Cairo Steps website, the band is scheduled to perform in Cairo in December, accompanied by the Cairo Opera Orchestra under the baton of Nayer Nagui. Fans are advised to keep up to date on the details of the event through Cairo Steps website as it is unclear what coronavirus restrictions will then be in place. One of the past Cairo Steps concerts held at the Cairo Opera House was among the most popular videos released by the culture ministry on its YouTube channel in April. The concert was released shortly after the launch of Culture Between Your Hands, an initiative which kicked off with an aim to bring theatre performances, concerts and other cultural events to audiences online amid the shutdown of theatres, cinemas and concert halls due to the coronavirus. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: The death of George Floyd has sparked protests all over the world, including several in the streets of Brazil where the deaths of two black children also fueled opposition to racism and police brutality. In May, a 14-year-old boy was killed in his home in a favela (shantytown) in Rio de Janeiro by police in a botched police raid. In early June, a 5-year-old boy fell to his death in Recife after his mother, who was a domestic, left him in the care of her white employer, who did not supervise the child. These two events happened close together and represent the structural violence against the Afro-Brazilian community, said Tracy Devine Guzman, associate professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Miami. What is happening in the U.S. has made a lot of people also pay attention to what is happening in Brazil. To many, the protests in Brazil are surprising because for decades the country has prided itself on not discriminating by race. To be a Brazilian meant that you were the color of cafe com leite (Portuguese for coffee with milk) and everybody was mixed, so racial tension was not something of concern, said Michael Touchton, assistant professor of political science. Statistics show that Afro-Brazilians, who make up more than 50 percent of the 209.5 million people in the country, fare worse in every economic measurementeducation, health, and job opportunities. And, they are often targeted for police violence. A killing in a favela happens all the time and it does not even make the news, said Touchton. I think a lot of people are saying enough, we cannot have kids being shot and killed for no reason. Police brutality against Afro-Brazilians is rampant and there is nearly complete impunity for the police crimes, said the University of Miami experts. In 2019, Rio de Janeiro had more than 1,800 victims of state violence. In the first half of that year alone, 80 percent of the victims were black and in economically marginalized circumstances, said Devine Guzman. Impacted families are often hesitant to speak out or testify for fear of violent retribution. Racism is so deeply rooted that it is hard to dissect with precision, said Devine Guzman. Brazil, the largest country in South America, was the last country in the western world to abolish slavery in 1888. It is estimated that there were more than 4 million slaves imported to the country. Although there were no Jim Crow laws set up in Brazil to enforce segregation, there was a class structure that discriminated against the Afro-descendants. Laws forbid the practice of candomble, a religion derived from Africa, and capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art created by the slaves. The educational system also discriminated against the poorest in the society. People with means sent their children to private primary and secondary schools, said Devine Guzman. These children were able to get into good public universities, which were out of reach for many of the poorer segments of society. Affirmative action measures implemented controversially during the previous administration have only begun to modify this structural exclusion, she said. Devine Guzman pointed out that the protesters want more accountability for police actions. According to both University experts, the running narrative in Brazilian society when someone is killed by police is that the person was involved in drugs. Police reports on such incidents are often incomplete or sketchy, and police officers are rarely prosecuted or tried in court. One of the changes is that people are not going to be willing to accept this level of impunity, Devine Guzman remarked. Underlining the racial tensions is the coronavirus, which has affected Brazil immensely. As of June 22, the country has had more than 50,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. A contributing factor to the crisis was the Brazil presidents reaction to the pandemic. Jair Bolsonaro first underplayed the virus and refused to order a shutdown of the countrys major cities, which made the number of cases skyrocket past 1 million, second only to the U.S. Most of the sick and deceased are disproportionally people of color and poor people, said Devine Guzman. These poor people are dying from this disease because they dont have the privilege of staying home. How significant is Lazarus Chakweras win and what are the challenges ahead as he takes the reins of a divided country? Malawi opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera has been sworn in as the countrys new president after beating the incumbent Peter Mutharika in an historic rerun vote. With your help, we will restore the nations faith in the possibility of a government that serves. Not a government that rules. A government that inspires, not a government that infuriates. A government that listens, not a government that shouts. A government that fights for you and not against you, said Chakwera during Sundays ceremony attended by thousands in the capital, Lilongwe. Chakwera garnered 2.6 million of the 4.4 million votes cast, representing about 59 percent, against Mutharikas 1.7 million votes, or about 39 percent, Malawis Electoral Commission said late on Saturday. The outcome is not surprising at all. It is what most Malawians were expecting. The only thing people are surprised with is the win margin, Jimmy Kainja, a lecturer in media, communication and cultural studies at the University of Malawi, told Al Jazeera. Lazarus Chakwera was a Pentecostal preacher for more than two decades before venturing into politics [Amos Gumulira] It was the second time in 13 months that Malawians went to the polls to cast their ballot on Tuesday in a presidential election. In February, the southeastern African countrys Constitutional Court threw out the results of the May 2019 election alleging widespread irregularities a move only seen once in Africa before and never in Malawi. The electoral commission initially declared President Peter Mutharika, who has been in power since 2014, winner of the discredited poll, claiming he garnered 38.5 percent of the votes. Chakwera, the Pentecostal pastor turned politician, won 35.4 percent of the votes cast, the electoral commission said. The announcement led to months-long street protests with demonstrators claiming their votes were stolen. In a bid to unseat Mutharika the brother of former president, the late Bingu wa Mutharika Chakweras Malawi Congress Party (MCP) along with several opposition parties formed a coalition, the Tonse Alliance. Former president Joyce Banda also joined the nine-party coalition. Chakweras decision to team up with Saulos Chilima, who finished third in last years poll, seem to have earned electoral benefits. This election was a historic one. Our democracy and judiciary system finally came of age. Malawians and the rule of law won, Kainja added. Opposition hopes Away from Lilongwe, the significance of Chakweras win has not been lost on the continents long-suffering opposition groups, who have sent congratulatory messages to the newly elected leader. New life to Malawi! Congratulations to the President Elect. Kudos to state organs professionalism & citizens vigilance. Well done Malawi!, tweeted Nelson Chamisa, Zimbabwes opposition leader. Zambias main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema tweeted that Malawians have set a great example for Africa!. Mmusi Maimane, former leader of South Africas main opposition Democratic Alliance, also tweeted: My friend, brother and leader has just won the Malawian elections Change is coming, Maimane wrote. Unifying the country Back home in Malawi, the new leader has formidable challenges ahead. The historic election and the heated campaign period exposed bitter regional divisions in the country of 18 million people. The southern part of the landlocked country voted overwhelmingly for Mutharikas ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while the central region went for the Tonse Alliance. The new leader will need to bridge the political divide, according to analysts. The new president has to move in quickly and bring together all Malawians, especially those from the regions that did not vote for him. The election created dangerous regional divisions that need to be addressed, Boniface Dulani, research director at the Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR), told Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Kainja from the University of Malawi, said Chakwera, a preacher for more than two decades before venturing into politics, was well placed to overcome this challenge. Chakwera will be able to handle this without any big problems. There are leaders from almost all regions of the country in the alliance. For example, Joyce Banda comes from the southern part of the country. It will be a challenge but one which he can handle, he said. Coronavirus neglected With the election now out of the way, Malawians can turn their attention back to fighting the coronavirus. The campaign period was marked with large public rallies with preventive measures like social distancing not adhered to. As of Saturday, Malawi recorded at least 1,005 cases and 13 fatalities, according to a tally by the African Unions Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. During the campaign period, it was as if there was no COVID-19 in Malawi. People were behaving as if everything is normal. Some were even dismissive. The new leader needs to prioritise this and save lives, Dulani, the researcher at IPOR, said. Rampant corruption Expectations are high that the new administration will tackle rampant corruption in the country, which is ranked 123 out of 180 countries in Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index. The new government must empower the countrys anti-corruption body. People are really tired of just talking about corruption. They want an end to it. It was one of the main reasons why people voted the previous government out of office, Dulani added. Police reform Public confidence in the countrys police force is also at an all-time low. Following the announcement of last years election results, protesters and police were involved in violent clashes. The police force needs to be revamped and reformed. For a very long time, the police force was just an extension of the ruling party. Senior officers were appointed not because of their competency but based on their loyalty to the ruling party, Kainja said. Polling stations and voting materials were secured by the countrys army, which had come out of barracks after protesters took to the streets to voice their anger over the 2019 election results. All eyes are now on the Tonse Alliance to see whether it will keep its promise of overhauling the police force. For many, the hope now is for Mutharika to be a strong opposition voice in parliament. We need a strong opposition in parliament to keep the ruling party in check. We need a vibrant democracy. My hope is Mutharika stays in politics and does not move abroad, Dulani said. Follow Hamza Mohamed on Twitter: @Hamza_Africa "[Winston] Churchill had a great saying: When you are walking through hell it is best that you keep walking. Thats what we are going to do. This is going to be a tough 10 years. And we have to rehabilitate the reputation and the capabilities and everything of this command we cant wallow in it. The Age, the Herald and 60 Minutes published and broadcast reports over the weekend about former SAS medic Dusty Millers attempts to seek forgiveness from the family of an Afghan man killed in suspicious circumstances. Mr Miller, a decorated former warrant officer who served in Afghanistan, personally apologised to the Afghan children of a farmer allegedly killed by a senior SAS soldier on March 14, 2012. For more than two years the Herald and The Age have published multiple detailed reports about alleged war crimes committed by a small number of special forces in Afghanistan, with many of the incidents exposed also being investigated by Mr Brereton or the federal police. Federal MP and former SAS Captain Andrew Hastie has strongly supported the inquiries into the Afghanistan conduct, urging full transparency with the Australian public. In March, the ABCs Four Corners program aired footage showing an Australian special forces soldier killing an unarmed Afghan man in May 2012. A Defence investigation found the soldier acted in self-defence but the killing has been condemned by retired Admiral Chris Barrie, who served as chief of the Defence Force from 1998 to 2002, and Human Rights Watch. General Findlay said in his March briefing that a small number of commissioned officers had allowed a culture where abhorrent conduct was permitted. He said a handful of experienced soldiers including patrol commanders and deputy patrol commanders, who typically led five-man SAS teams on missions, had also enabled this culture to exist. "If you have led a command climate that has permitted people to think [it was OK to do] egregiously wrong acts, you need to be rooted out. One, as an individual and, two, as a group," he said. Youll have to sleep once you leave the services. If your honour has been compromised, it will affect you for the rest of your life. The Morrison government will face a difficult choice over how much to tell the public about SAS misconduct after Justice Brereton delivers his long-awaited report to Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell in the coming weeks. General Campbell will then hand the report to Senator Reynolds, who has previously expressed concern about some of the allegations. Justice Brereton, a Major-General in the Army Reserve, has since 2016 assisted the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force by investigating claims that elite troops killed unarmed or injured Afghan men, including handcuffed prisoners. General Findlay said in his briefing it was unfair that the misconduct of a few soldiers who served in Afghanistan had damaged the reputation of the majority of the SAS who had done nothing wrong. "I imagine this is tainting the regiment you love," he said. He explained the genesis of the inquiry had been SAS soldiers writing letters to the top brass about misconduct, forcing General Campbell to call for inquiries to "examine our soul because it wasnt right". General Findlay said Justice Brereton was compiling "a raft of findings" and the reason his inquiry had taken four years was because "a number" of new whistleblowers had recently emerged to speak up. But General Findlay warned those still covering up war crimes were in the "red zone" and once the Brereton report was completed, he added, there would be "no retracting. Earlier this month the Trump administration ordered American embassies in foreign countries not to display the rainbow PRIDE flag. In Russia itself it as seen as a symbol of LGBT propaganda and against the law. But that did not stop the American embassy in Moscow which is proudly and definitely displaying the flag for all to see. LGBTI rights are human rights. Human rights are universal, said the caption on the embassys Instagram page. Pride Month is designed to emphasize that everyone deserves to live a life free of hate, prejudice, and persecution. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented that they cant see the American embassy from the Kremlin, but said that any manifestations of propaganda of non-traditional sexual minorities, and so on, is not allowed by law in our country. Yesterday millions of Russians took to the polls to vote on a package of constitutional amendments, including one which would enshrine marriage as being between a man and a woman. In March, the countrys Constitutional Court approved the proposal, but noted that it would not remove the states obligation to respect differences, including sexual orientation. We will post the results of the vote when the numbers become available. Update 8pm: A man in his 20s has been arrested after a woman was shot in Ballymun in Dublin. He is being held at Ballymun Garda Station Earlier:A woman has been injured after being shot in Ballymun this afternoon. The incident occurred in Shangan Park at about 3 o'clock today. It's understood she was grazed with a bullet and was treated at the scene by an ambulance for non-life-threatening injuries. Gardai say an investigation into the shooting is now underway. Each day, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, I complete an at-home workout. To pass the time, I generally turn on what Ive termed my Workout Movie of the Day, which often includes some sort of movie from my childhood that I can watch with nostalgia and not think too hard about. However, I found this wasnt the case recently. I turned on the 1996 film Fly Away Home, starring two of my favorite actors, a young Anna Paquin and Jeff Daniels. The movie tells the story of a young girl who (forgive me, when I write this, as it sounds even more dramatic than the movie depicts) tragically loses her mother, is forced to move in with her father in Canada, finds a pile of goose eggs and becomes their Mother Goose. Then, in order to lead the geese on their migratory journey, flies with her father on light aircrafts, geese in tow, to a habitat in the southern U.S. about to be bulldozed by developers. My heart swelled when Annas character and the geese landed, forcing the developers to stop their bulldozing literally in its tracks. However, at the same time, as a Wyomingite with poor and working class roots, I also immediately thought, I feel so bad for all those workers who were counting on those jobs and wages! I couldnt believe what I was thinking, when I simultaneously wanted the natural space and wildlife in the movie to be protected. These days, Im often surrounded by the most liberal and outspoken people regarding climate change, environmentalism and wildlife protection. It could be easy for me to cast off those whose jobs rely on working-class industries, such as natural resource drilling and mining, construction/development, manufacturing and agriculture, which have been shown to negatively impact the environment and influence climate change patterns. Yet, I also grew up in agriculture and surrounded by individuals, families, communities and schools that rely economically on such industries, particularly in rural areas. I can relate to those who see environmental regulations as a hassle and literally costing people and communities their economic security. Seek InnovationAs we have witnessed throughout other eras in time, our industries are changing. Some industries so important to Wyoming are facing enormous pressure from the government and environmental groups to follow stricter regulations and/or shut down entirely, for the health of our planet. Wyoming coal is an example of this type of situation. What we can also witness is how these pressures and shutdowns affect those who depend upon such industries. Just look to the impact of large coal companies going bankrupt in the past year, leaving hundreds of our states citizens without jobs and/or pensions. I write this today, as a fellow member of your state, with a solution in mind: find some common ground. Wyoming is ripe with opportunities to be innovative, instead of stuck in the past, when it comes to industries that can be environmentally safe but also economically sound. The Cowboy State has already worked towards this in some capacity with its efforts focused on clean coal and sustainable agriculture. Yet, we can go further through more innovative strategies that dont harm the environment. What about technology? What about more renewable energy sources? What about expanding healthcare operations? Or could we work even harder to make our current industries healthier for our planet? Securing Our Future Through EducationI also write piece this as an educator. I fully believe that education is Wyomings future. Right now, many of our students, while they graduate high school at rates similar or even above their peers around the country, have low rates of attending any post-secondary schooling. This needs to change. Im not talking about purely a university education. While university studies are a worthwhile pursuit, we can also send more of our students to community college, technical schools and other institutions that offer our citizens an eye-opening, practical and future-focused education, which at the same time trains them for pursuing work in innovative industries. The good news is opportunities are already out there, flourishing as we speak. Look no further than my friend and colleague Eric Trowbridges newly-developed and expanded Array School of Technology and Design, aka Array in Cheyenne A school built for the 21st century. A place where education, technology and design converge. As Arrays websites details, With our eye on the future and our feet firmly planted in our community, were building the world we want one student at a time. These types of education institutions, in addition to the University of Wyoming, our community colleges and our technical schools, need funding and support from individuals, organizations and government entities around the state. Through such forms of education for a modern age, we can train Wyomingites to obtain hands-on, secure jobs that do not negatively impact our planets health and sustainability. Wyoming, with its inexpensive land, helpful tax laws, low cost of living and breathtaking views, could be a huge center for stable economic growth and commerce. At the same time, I know many of us in our state also care about the beautiful land and natural world around us. However, we dont need to be like Fly Away Home and choose one side or the other. Lets not fight to keep Wyomings industries in the past, potentially harming our environment in the process; instead, lets fight through innovation and education to move it toward an economic future and a healthier planet. Ty McNamee hails originally from his familys farm/ranch outside of Shoshoni, Wyoming. He is now a doctoral student at Teachers College of Columbia University, where his research focuses on rural areas and higher education. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Brazil, the nation with the second-highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths, reached a deal with the U.K. to produce the Covid-19 vaccine thats been developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca Plc. Brazil will spend $287 million to buy vaccine doses and ingredients for as many as 100 million shots that it will be able to produce locally with the technology transfer, Health Ministry Executive Secretary Elcio Franco said at a press conference in Brasilia today. The first order, regardless of the final results of the vaccine clinical trials, will cost Brazil $127 million, Franco said. That will include 30.4 million doses to be delivered in December and January, as well as the technology transfer. The research risk were taking is necessary given the urgency of an effective solution to maintain public health and resume economic growth, he added. Once the vaccine proves its efficacy, 70 million additional doses will be locally produced at Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, known as Fiocruz, and its Bio-Manguinhos immunology institute at the cost of $160 million. Brazil reported 1,109 new deaths on Saturday, bringing the total fatality count to 57,070, while the number of cases increased by 38,693 to 1.31 million, making it the most infected country after the US. Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 18:49:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- With over 3,800 new cases being reported, Bangladesh's COVID-19 cases rose to nearly 138,000 on Sunday and deaths from the virus increased to 1,738. Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing Sunday afternoon that "3,809 new COVID-19 positive cases and 43 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh." "The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 137,787 while fatalities stood at 1,738," she said. According to the official, 18,099 samples were tested in the last 24 hours in labs across the country. She said the total number of recovered patients in the country stands at 55,727 with 1,409 new recoveries. Enditem Jeff Sipos wasn't used to feeling wiped out. At 31, the California elementary school principal was an endurance athlete in exceptional condition. Even though he had asthma, Sipos had climbed Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, completed a rim-to-rim hike in the Grand Canyon in a mere 10 hours - at least two hours less than average - and thought nothing of clocking 100-mile bike rides on weekends. But in May 2001, his energy was flagging. Sipos, who lived in Riverside, consulted his longtime general practitioner, who ordered blood tests that revealed an abnormally low iron level. Several years later when he developed foot pain, Sipos saw a podiatrist who told him he had osteoarthritis, typically caused by wear and tear on joints. A few years later, a specialist diagnosed his painful wrists and ankles as rheumatoid arthritis, a serious autoimmune disease. That was followed by the diagnosis of a rare blood condition that a hematologist monitored, but did not treat. It wasn't until 2018 - nearly 17 years to the day after he first saw a doctor for fatigue - that Sipos learned he had none of those illnesses. The news was delivered by a specialist whose gentle, measured tone belied the shocking message that galvanized Sipos: Without treatment, which was long overdue, he could die. "We both started crying," Sipos recalled of his reaction and that of his wife, Tami. "It felt like the oxygen had been sucked out of the room." He credits his survival to the expertise and compassion of that specialist, who continues to oversee his treatment. - - - Sipos trusted the family physician, who had delivered his sons. The doctor told Sipos his fatigue was the result of anemia and could be easily treated with an over-the-counter iron supplement that he should take when he felt unusually tired. The pills seemed to work. "For the next 10 years I would pop iron pills every so often and notice a bump" in energy, Sipos said. In 2007 a new problem arose: The soles of his feet ached and burned. He consulted a podiatrist who told Sipos he had "fallen arches" - flat feet that develop in adulthood. The doctor prescribed orthotics. For a while, they quelled the pain. By 2015, the foot pain was considerably worse and had engulfed his ankles, putting an end to his participation in extreme sports. Sipos's hands felt tingly and numb and he was referred to a neurologist and a rheumatologist. The neurologist told Sipos he was suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome - numbness or tingling in the hands caused by a compressed nerve - as well as peripheral neuropathy, damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. "He said I should have it looked at because someone 46 years old should not have neuropathy," Sipos remembers being told. Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by a variety of ailments, among them diabetes, liver disease and bone marrow disorders. The rheumatologist ordered blood tests and diagnosed "seronegative" rheumatoid arthritis. Although testing did not show antibodies to the disease, his joint pain, the doctor said, strongly suggested it. The rheumatologist prescribed two drugs: methotrexate, a chemotherapy drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and when that didn't help, hydroxychloraquine, an anti-malaria drug used to treat autoimmune disorders. Neither worked. At that point, Sipos recalled, the pain was so intense "the weight of the [bed] sheets would feel like my feet were being crushed." He wore braces on his wrists and ankles in a mostly failed attempt to deaden the pain, and took the opioid pain killer hydrocodone to make it through the day. In 2016, Sipos consulted a second rheumatologist. She agreed it was odd that neither drug had been effective and prescribed other medications. When they failed, she ordered a test for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, which can assess immune function. The test showed an "m spike," an indication that Sipos might have a precancerous condition or possibly multiple myeloma, an uncommon cancer. In early 2017 she referred Sipos, who by then was suffering from frequent night sweats, to a specialist who treats blood disorders. - - - The hematologist immediately ordered urine and blood tests. On the basis of those, Sipos said, she assured him he did not have cancer, but rather a precancerous condition called MGUS, short for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. MGUS is often found incidentally, when doctors are looking for other things. It frequently causes no symptoms but must be watched closely because in about 1% of patients annually it can progress to multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, or another malignancy. If there is no progression, treatment is usually not required. "She said the standard of care was watch and wait," Sipos recalled. That meant appointments every three months to check his blood and urine. Sipos said the doctor also performed several bone marrow biopsies but the results were inconclusive. When he asked the doctor about the unrelenting burning pain in his hands and feet, she offered no explanation. In early 2018, he said, he confronted her. "I'm getting worse," he remembered saying. Her reply was stark. "She said, 'Yes, you may be in a wheelchair, but we would never treat this.' " His IgM level, she told him, was not sufficiently elevated to warrant the risks of treatment, which would involve chemotherapy. Watchful waiting was the safest course. The hematologist told Sipos he was free to seek a second opinion. He was initially hesitant. Even though she was routinely an hour or two late for scheduled appointments, the doctor "seemed so knowledgeable and wise and would speak with such authority," he said. But at his wife's urging, Sipos decided it was time for another expert to weigh in. What he didn't know was that getting a second opinion would possibly save his life. - - - Sipos and his wife waited six weeks for the consultation with Muhammad Omair Kamal, an assistant professor of medical oncology at Loma Linda University Cancer Center. Transferring his records to Kamal in preparation for the appointment was a struggle, Sipos said, requiring multiple phone calls by him as well as Kamal's staff. Both Jeff and Tami Sipos say that details of the May 14, 2018, meeting are seared into their memories. "I remember Dr. Kamal leaned forward and in his soft, sweet voice full of concern said, 'Mr. Sipos, has anyone told you you have cancer? How come you're not getting treated for this?' " Sipos recalled. The stunned couple repeated what the hematologist had been saying for more than a year: that Sipos did not have cancer and that monitoring was the best course of action. Kamal strenuously disagreed. "You have cancer," Sipos remembers him saying. "If you were my patient, you'd be started on chemotherapy tomorrow." Then he handed the couple treatment guidelines from the National Cancer Institute. Although he still didn't have all of Sipos's records, Kamal said he strongly suspected the principal had a rare, slow-growing form of B cell lymphoma called Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, also known as Waldenstrom's or lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Kamal had seen four other cases in his career. MGUS can be a precursor of multiple myeloma or Waldenstrom's. Sipos later learned that a January 2017 pathology report mentioned it as a possible cause of his symptoms. About 1,500 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States, compared to about 32,000 cases of multiple myeloma. Waldenstrom's occurs mostly in men over 60 when lymphoma cells in bone marrow proliferate, crowding out normal red and white blood cells. Anemia is common and symptoms include fatigue, neuropathy and night sweats. There is no cure. Treatment typically consists of chemotherapy and targeted treatments that kill only cancer cells. The disease is diagnosed through blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy and can be confirmed by a test for a genetic mutation. Kamal said he cannot fathom why Sipos went undiagnosed for so long. "He was seeing the right doctor," Kamal noted, referring to the proper specialty. When he received Sipos's complete records, Kamal said, "lab after lab after lab" showed results that warranted treatment. "There are not many diseases [other than Waldenstrom's] where you see high IgM and neuropathy. Most patients are diagnosed within a year or two." Sipos said that when he told the first hematologist what Kamal had recommended, she balked and insisted that her diagnosis was correct. Switching doctors was problematic; Kamal was outside his insurance network. So another month elapsed while Sipos, unsure about what to do, obtained another opinion. The third cancer specialist strongly sided with Kamal. "If you don't have chemo, you're going to expire," Sipos remembers her saying. Sipos called his insurance company and requested a transfer to Kamal; it was quickly approved. He then underwent another bone marrow biopsy and testing to rule out amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by the accumulation of a protein that can result in organ failure. A positive test for the MYD88 L265P mutation linked to Waldenstrom's clinched the diagnosis. (The mutation is not passed on to offspring.) In mid-August 2018, Sipos began a grueling chemotherapy regimen to treat Waldenstrom's. He wore a Superman T-shirt that one of his kindergarten students had given him to every session as a sort of talisman. By January 2019, his cancer was in remission. But the agonizing nerve damage to his hands and feet continues to plague him. Kamal said the damage is probably irreversible and may have occurred because his cancer went untreated for so long. Sipos, who sees a pain specialist, said he has been prescribed methadone, which "takes the zing out of it." He said he has learned through bitter experience to ask questions. "No healthy adult male should be anemic," he said. "I wish I'd had the foresight to ask, 'What would cause this?' " Sipos also wishes he had sought a second opinion sooner. "I was afraid I was going to offend her," he said, referring to the first hematologist. To Kamal, Sipos's case illustrates the necessity for doctors to keep looking and not brush off what patients tell them. "Don't just ignore neuropathy, or any symptoms, in young patients. Even if they're young, they can have cancer." California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday ordered bars to shutter in several counties in the state including Los Angeles, citing the rising spread of the coronavirus. The governor, in a tweet on Sunday, said that bars in Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, San Joaquin, and Tulare counties must close. He also recommended that bars in Contra Costa, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and Ventura counties close, though his directive fell short of forcing bar closures in those counties. Tweet "COVID-19 is still circulating in California, and in some parts of the state, growing stronger," Newsom said in a written statement. "That's why it is critical we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in the counties that are seeing the biggest increases." Newsom's move follows similar decisions made by governors in Texas and Florida, two other states fighting record numbers of cases that have deterred efforts to restart their economies. On June 18, Newsom ordered all Californians to wear face masks in public as voluntary measures fell short. California has seen more than 210,000 cases and at least 5,901 deaths from Covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Update: With the increased alert level and new stay at home order that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued on Friday, the resale store is closed and has gone completely online and the donation center is closed also Memorial Assistance Ministries may be physically closed, but it has been much busier than normal since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March. President and CEO Sonja Gee said the organization - whose mission is to assure that families have the means to meet their basic needs - has seen those needs increase more than five to ten-fold. MAM provides financial assistance, citizenship classes, employment services, English classes, financial education, immigration legal services and mental health counseling. It closed its building early on and has been providing all of its services virtually since the middle of March. COVID testing: Here's where you can get free COVID-19 testing in Houston Gee said that MAM has been seeing an increase in people accessing services such as financial assistance, mental health counseling an employment services since it moved to a virtual model, which she said has removed certain barriers for some people. At the same time, Gee acknowledged that move has created barriers for other people. Often, it is the most vulnerable families and households in our community that struggle with computer literacy and access to the technology thats needed to be able to engage resources, she said. So the people at MAM are continuing to work on ways to help get needed resources to those people. Under the What We Do tab of Memorial Assistance Ministries website, phone numbers are listed for each service it provides. Gee said that those phone numbers are the best place for people in need to start. While the demand for certain services, such as financial assistance or employment services, has significantly increased during the pandemic, the demand for other services, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) classes has decreased. What weve seen is, as families struggle to meet their most basic needs, their ability to engage in some of the other programing that can help them build more toward long-term sustainability is challenged, she said. What weve found is our most vulnerable families have really struggled with being able to continue to engage in those programs as theyre really now focused on how am I going to feed my family our keep a roof over their head, their capacity to think about skills to build for a better job is not at the forefront at this time. Despite the many challenges the pandemic has created, MAM has seen donations continue to come in. Many of the foundations and long-term supporters have stepped up their giving. Tracking COVID: Coronavirus Tracking coronavirus: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID-19 across Houston, rest of Texas But Gee does recognize that, because of peoples financial situations, there will be limitations to what they are able to give right now. MAM has also seen many first-time donors give during the pandemic, which particularly excites Gee. Gee is hopeful that MAMs big fall fundraising luncheon which is currently scheduled for September 24 will be able to take place and will be as successful as it has been in past years. She recognizes, though, that there a lot of uncertainties about the near future due to the pandemic. Ever since before the first day at home, weve been working on scenario planning with our entire team, she said. Theres obviously lots of different factors, and we do our best to try to judiciously make the right decisions at the right moment while also keeping the long-term health of the organization and our community in mind. MAM is trying to figure out how to best supply vocational trainings over the next two years and what the best way is for it to provide ESL classes. Were really planning both for the here and now while also trying to also keep in mind in the long term what our goals are and how do we keep moving in that direction, Gee said. One of the ways that MAM raises funds is through its resale store (which is also online), which is now open, as is the donation center. Gee pointed out that is an easy way people can get involved. To learn more about Memorial Assistance Ministries, visit https://www.mamhouston.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/MAMHouston elliott.lapin@hearst.com Protests are held against femicide in Colombia after the brutal killing of a mother and her daughter. Violence against women in Colombia is worsening under coronavirus lockdowns. The killings of a woman and her daughter have led many to take to the streets of the capital, Bogota. But, those murders were just the latest in a long list of crimes. Al Jazeeras Alessandro Rampietti reports from Bogota. The Max crisis has dealt a devastating blow to Boeings business. In January, the company estimated that costs associated with the grounding will exceed $18 billion, but that was before the disastrous spread of the coronavirus. The three carriers in the United States that operate the Max Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines have canceled thousands of flights in recent months. At Air Canada, some pilots who were licensed to fly the Max but not other planes in the carriers fleet, had to stop flying after the grounding. North Korea: 'Only option left to counter nuclear with nuclear' Iran Press TV Saturday, 27 June 2020 6:00 AM North Korea says Washington has left Pyongyang with no choice but to "counter nuclear with nuclear" in a bid to confront hostile US policies against the Asian country. "In order to eliminate the nuclear threats from the US, the DPRK government made all possible efforts either through dialogue or in resort to the international law, but all ended in vain," North Korean state news wrote in an essay, using an abbreviation for the country's official name. "The option left was only one, and that was to counter nuclear with nuclear," it added. The 5,000-word article documented the history of North Korea's grievances with the US, South Korea and its allies and came a day after all of these countries marked the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War. It also came just days after the North said it was suspending "military action plans" against the South after it had blown up a liaison office used for talks between the two countries in a North Korean border city. The two Koreas were on a path of rapprochement beginning in January 2018 before US intransigence to relieve any of the sanctions on the North effectively killed diplomacy. North Korea has been under harsh US sanctions for years over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. US President Donald Trump has attempted to court Pyongyang, and although he has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times, he has refused to relieve any of the sanctions on the North. That has in turn hampered efforts to demilitarize the Korean Peninsula. Kim outlined last month a plan to further boost his country's nuclear deterrence capabilities. The Washington-Pyongyang nuclear talks have made little progress since late last year, particularly after the global fight to curb the pandemic, which has so far infected nearly 10 million people and killed over 496,000 others around the world. North Korea's hardening of stance comes amid reports that the US is preparing to conduct its first full-fledged nuclear test since 1992. Last December, Kim ended a moratorium on the country's missile tests and said North Korea would soon develop a "new strategic weapon." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The new North American free trade agreement that goes into effect Wednesday was touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as an engine of American job creation. But Japan's automakers are largely opting instead to keep operations in place and pay Mexican workers more or even just pay tariffs. The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement requires 40% or more of parts for each passenger vehicle be manufactured by workers who are paid at least $16 per hour as a condition to make them tariff free in the region. Trump hailed that feature as a way to boost production in the U.S., which has a higher hourly rate than Mexico. However, this looks to be wishful thinking. The ratio of US-Canada parts among Mexican-assembled vehicles sold in the U.S. was 13.5% in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Trump's theory was that U.S. production would inevitably increase to meet the 40% requirement, but Japanese automakers, which had already positioned their production bases according to the old NAFTA regime, are not simply willing to pull up stakes and redeploy. One reason is the cost of moving production. Honda Motor-affiliated parts maker Keihin will raise the hourly wage of employees at a factory in Mexico to $16 by next month -- triple the average rate of a parts factory in Mexico, but still cheaper than making a move. Because the pandemic has hurt earnings, the cost of the moving production will likely be too burdensome over the foreseeable future. Auto component maker Piolax, will also raise the hourly wage at its Mexican plant to $16 within the year. The company is also installing robots to mitigate rising labor costs, President Yukihiko Shimazu said. Toyota Motor, which built a new plant in Mexico in 2015, is not finding it easy to change plans either. The new plant started full-scale production of pickup trucks in February. The trucks are popular in the U.S. and would be subject to a 25% tariff if they do not meet the content requirements of the USMCA. But if Toyota does not operate the factory, it cannot recover its investment. Egyptian authorities have granted hygiene safety certificates to 144 restaurants and cafes across Egypt, which will allow them to operate amid the coronavirus epidemic, the country's tourism ministry announced on Sunday. Starting this week, Egypt is allowing restaurants and cafes to reopen at a reduced capacity of 25 percent and under strict hygiene and safety restrictions, in what the government has said is the first stage of reopening. They are now allowed to open until 10pm after the country's nightly curfew was lifted two days ago. The hygiene instructions announced by the ministry suggest that restaurants and cafes reduce crowding by having customers pre-book and use online payment services. Under the new rules, customers must have their temperature measured before entering cafes and restaurants. Tables must be set at a minimum of two metres apart, with one metre between each person at the same table. No more than six individuals are allowed to sit at one table. A safe distance must also be kept between people awaiting takeaway services, and single-use dining utensils should be used as much as possible. Cafes and restaurants must also provide sanitisers. Open buffets, shishas, special parties, and childrens areas are not allowed during the first phase. Each workplace must operate at a reduced capacity of 50 percent of employees, all of whom must wear facemasks during operating hours. Workers who show coronavirus symptoms must not be allowed on the premises. Assistant to the minister of tourism and antiquities Abdel-Fattah El-Assi said that specialised committees have been conducting inspection tours at all recently reopened tourist institutions to ensure all precautions are being met. Over 230 hotels across the country had earlier received the health safety certificate required for reoperation, but two of the hotels had their licences revoked due to non-compliance with the instructions determined by the tourism ministry. On Saturday, a wide range of restrictions, most in place since March, were lifted as part of a government move to reopen the economy. Sporting clubs and religious venues across the country have been included in the reopening plan. As of 1 July, Egypt will start receiving tourists after three months of flight suspension due to the pandemic. However, only three coastal governorates are allowed to receive tourists: South Sinai, where the popular seaside resort of Sharm El-Sheikh is located; the Red Sea governorate, home to the city of Hurghada; and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean Sea. Search Keywords: Short link: One story, a criticism on entire system- Kothalawala View(s): This film is all about the system we are in. The amount of freedom and equality we enjoy and how the poor and those less affluent suffer specially in the hand of unfair social system. It is just a one story but it exposes the injustices and indifferences in the entire society, explained Sarath Kothalawala, award winning stage and cinema actor, script writer and the co-director of The Newspaper. The opening for the film was a true, similar incident. Kumara (Thirimadura) and I wrote this script following a news about a bomb blast in a bus carrying Sri Lankan military and it was wrongly reported that the suicide bomber was one of the soldiers. But later this was corrected in a tiny news but the damage caused to soldier and his family was beyond repair,. Sarath who missed university entrance with just two marks did a number of jobs until he started an interest in theatre and acting early 1990. He first joined the street drama group- Diriya Kedella done by veteran actor Jayalal Rohan. Started in the theatre he won the Best Actor award in short play in 2000 and both the Best Actor and the Best Supporting Actor 2002 for Mahesh Kumaras Gewanne Nethnam Bambu Gahannada based on Dario Fos play Cant Pay? Wont Pay! and Sunil Chandrasiris play Samawenna Weradimak based on a play by the British playwright Ray Cooney respectively. In 2003 Sarath won the Best Producer, the Best Director and the Best Scriptwriter awards at the State Drama Festival for his play Sookarayan Samaga. I am grateful to a number of playwrights like K. B. Herath, Douglas Siriwardena and Sunil Chandrasiri and many senior actors like Jayalal Rohana and Mahendra Perera. I was inspired by them, said Kothalawala. Attracted by the glamour and the power of cinema, Sarath started learning it and his first guru was veteran director Shelton Payagala and his first role was in Linton Semages film Padhadaya (The Vagabond). In cinema Sarath won the Best Actor Awards both at the Golden Hiru award and Derana awards and the Best Script Writer at the Derana awards for Thanha Rathi Ranga film. Though he has played over 200 teledramas, Sarath says his heart is with the theatre and the cinema. We wrote this script for a period of five years and it became a reality because of the producers specially Bandula Gunawardena, who was my teacher, said Sarath while thanking H. D. Premasiri and Ravindra Guruge. If not for the producers this films would still remain as a script Sarath said. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 20:58:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Beijing has lowered the prices for nucleic acid testing at public medical institutions, authorities said on Sunday. Starting on June 25, the price for each test went down from 180 yuan (about 25 U.S. dollars) to a ceiling of 120 yuan at all of the city's public medical institutions, Du Xin, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, said at a press conference on COVID-19 response. These medical institutions are allowed to further lower their prices for testing, Du added. Non-public medical institutions involved with public health insurance programs are required to lower the prices to the same level, too, for people who are covered by such programs. Other non-public medical institutions are allowed to set their testing prices according to the market, but they must follow national and municipal regulations, Du said. Beijing reported 14 new confirmed domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and three asymptomatic cases on Saturday, the municipal health commission said on Sunday. Enditem The programme, from November 2016 to June 30, 2020, has been implemented in Hanoi and the six northern central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue, at a total cost of US$5.696 million, including US$5 million of non-refundable ODA capital from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). The FCPF-2 project aims to assist relevant agencies at the central level and in the six northern central provinces to improve their institutional and technical capacity to prepare for the REDD+ implementation in Vietnam. It also supports the building of the emission reduction and transfer of the rights to emission reduction programme in the northern central region (ERPD) for 2018-2025, helping to carry out the national REDD+ action programme and the countrys Nationally Determined Contribution under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Pham Van Dien, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said the ERPD programme for 2018-2025 is the first REDD+ programme in Vietnam to have been implemented across a region according to the results-based payment approach. Vietnam has mobilised resources by itself for implementing the programmes activities with the aim of reducing about 25 million tonnes of CO2, of which the FCPF pledged to purchase 10.3 million tonnes of CO2 at 5 USD per tonne via the Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA), equivalent to 51.5 million USD in total. Results used for assessment are those between February 1, 2018 and December 31, 2024. The country will receive payments after the results are verified by an independent party. Dien noted that the MARD will report on outcomes of the ERPA negotiation to the Prime Minister to seek approval. Once getting the green light, the ministry and the World Bank will sign this deal, expected in August this year. Thanks to efforts by authorities and people in the six northern central provinces, the successful implementation of the ERPD programme will be a prerequisite for expanding the REDD+ to many other localities with forest in Vietnam and attracting new financial partners. MARD Deputy Minister Ha Cong Tuan said REDD+ is a new initiative, and although the country has implemented the project well, it still needs more efforts to move to a new phase the phase of results-based payments, towards a full carbon credit market. REDD+ is an international initiative aimed at providing financial and technical assistance for developing countries to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change impact via efforts against deforestation and forest degradation. Vietnam has participated in REDD+ since 2008, and more than 45 related projects have been implemented in the country so far. Vietnamplus When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government plans to terminate its contract with the country's accounting watchdog after payments company Wirecard filed for insolvency last week in one of Germany's biggest fraud scandals, a government official said on Sunday. Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported earlier on Sunday that the Justice and Finance Ministries would on Monday cut ties with the Financial Reporting Enforcement Panel (FREP), a quasi-private entity that supervises the financial statements of listed firms. "We have reached an agreement with the Finance Ministry to terminate the contract," said the Justice Ministry official, who declined to be named or give further details. The Finance Ministry declined to comment. FREP also declined to comment. Wirecard collapsed on Thursday owing creditors almost $4 billion after disclosing a hole in its books that its auditor EY said was the result of a sophisticated global fraud. The scandal has put the spotlight on Germany's financial regulator BaFin, whose investigations into misconduct partly rely on FREP and is facing accusations of failing to supervise the financial technology company. BaFin declined to comment. (Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Susan Fenton) Thirteen more people died due to COVID-19 in on Saturday, taking the death toll due to the disease to 629 in the state, while 521 fresh cases pushed the tally to 16,711, a health department bulletin said. Twelve of the 13 deaths were due to comorbidities, where COVID-19 was incidental, it added. Five of the deceased were from Kolkata, while four were from North 24 Parganas, the bulletin said. The majority of the 521 fresh cases was reported from Kolkata (141), North 24 Parganas (117), Howrah (106) and South 24 Parganas (66). A total of 254 patients were discharged from various hospitals since Friday and the number of active cases in the state now stands at 5,293. In the last 24 hours, 9,548 samples were tested for the disease, the bulletin said. Health department sources said five personnel of the cyber department of Bidhannagar City Police in North 24 Parganas district have tested positive for the disease. Meanwhile, the number of containment zones, called "affected areas" in West Bengal, climbed to 2,604 on Saturday, according to an update in the state government's website. Of these, Kolkata accounts for 1,718 zones, followed by 219 in North 24 Parganas, 146 in Howrah, 124 in East Burdwan, 98 in West Midnapore, 71 in Hooghly and 61 in South 24 Parganas. The remaining "affected areas" are in 12 other districts, the website -- "Egiye Bangla" -- said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Since early May, actor Sonu Sood has been helping migrants in Mumbai return to their home towns in various states in the country. During the lockdown, he arranged for buses, train travel and even flew some of them. But, it was surprising to know that even post the Unlock and a few relaxed regulations, the Good Samaritan is continuing to send people in need back to their home towns by train and buses. As recent as last week, he arranged for 2,000 people to go to Uttarakhand and later, 2,400 more people were sent to Bihar. I am so happy that they are going home. I know they were in bad shape.. but glad now they will be able to meet their families. God always guide us to the ones who need us https://t.co/iqMw7VICq6 sonu sood (@SonuSood) June 27, 2020 There are many people who, even today, want to go back home as Maharashtra hasnt opened up completely. They are struggling while living in confined spaces, with 8-10 people in one room, and want to go to their villages and families, till the lockdown opens completely. There are many families who have young kids and as schools havent opened, there is not much to do. They prefer to go back to their home towns, than staying in Mumbai, says Sood. The actors twitter handle and helpline number- two methods of communication have been getting numerous requests. We get hundreds and thousands of calls every day, even today, requesting us to send them back as Mumbai might not completely open very soon. There are a number of needy people in shelter homes and others stuck in places like Nalasopara, Vasai and Palghar, who are asking for help. We check their details and make arrangements, accordingly. Acha laga aap Sab ko ek saath ghar pahuncha dekh kar .. hamesha khush rahein. . Ishwar ne chaha to kabhi mulakaat zaroor hogi aapke gaon mein. https://t.co/enXqnCjQmO sonu sood (@SonuSood) June 27, 2020 While people are leaving the city, once the lockdown ends, they might also want to come back. Sood admits that the people leaving Mumbai do want to return to the city, but only once they have their jobs back. If need be, I will help whoever needs help getting back to Mumbai, too. They are hopeful to return and pray for things to get back to normal, Sood says, adding, I feel really blessed whenever I go to see them off at railway stations and bus stops. They are equally happy to see me and the smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes makes me feel blessed and glad that I am able to help them. I must have done something good in life that I got the opportunity to help all these people. This is one of the most special phases of my life and I cant put it in words. I have connected with all of them and today, I feel like I have families in all different parts of the states across the country including Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON India has succeeded in containing coronavirus cases and deaths due to people's cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, referring to a nationwide lockdown first implemented on March 24 for three weeks. "As against the death rate of 350 individuals per million in the US and over 600 per million in European nations like the UK, Italy and Spain, the rate of fatalities in India is less than 12," he said. "Uttar Pradesh has been remarkably successful in fighting against the coronavirus. And same is the case with several other states as well," Modi said ... By Lee Min-hyung Any foreigner or institution considering making investments in Korea is advised to read a book containing a collection of articles by a former foreign investment ombudsman. "The Foreign Direct Investment & Korean Economic Policies," published by Jeffrey In-chul Kim, now a professor emeritus of Sungkyunkwan University, discusses a wide range of topics on foreign investors' viewpoints on the Korean economy and the investment climate here. The book consists of dozens of Kim's articles published in The Korea Times over the past five years. The book primarily deals with topics on Korea's policy directions on foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreigners' grievances when they make FDI here. Kim also shares his vivid experiences from his time as ombudsman of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), analyzing details on foreigners' common voices over the nation's investment environment. Those who plan to make inroads into the Korean market can also get the gist of the nation's corporate environment and regulatory characteristics by reading the book. The writer also encompassed other trending economic topics such as whether robots or artificial intelligence can replace human jobs or create a new trade order in the post-coronavirus world. "I have listened to foreign investors' numerous grievances," Kim said in the foreword of the book. "To change outdated or obsolete laws and regulations is not easy and takes a long time. As such, I opened it up for public debate by strongly appealing to the domestic media including The Korea Times, which drew much attention from the relevant agencies in the government." John Brian Taylor, the Mary and Robert Raymond professor of economics at Stanford University, recommended the book, saying it introduces "challenging cases of FDI" and suggests "innovative policy solutions." Coalition of resort labor unions representing Disney cast members hold a car caravan around Disneyland Resort calling for higher safety standards before its reopening July 17, amid the coronavirus pandemic in Anaheim, California. (AFP) Anaheim, California: Workers at Californias Disneyland Resort protested from their cars on Saturday, arguing that the Walt Disney Co has not agreed to adequate protections for employees when the destination reopens to the public amid a pandemic. The company had planned to welcome guests back to Disneyland and neighboring California Adventure starting July 17 but delayed the restart date indefinitely. Disney said this week that it would set a new opening date after the state issues guidelines on how theme parks can return to business safely amid the global coronavirus outbreak. On Saturday, about 200 cars formed a caravan outside the resort in the protest staged by the Coalition of Resort Labor Unions, a group of 11 unions that represent 17,000 Disneyland workers. The unions have called on the company to commit to providing onsite testing for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. When Disney does reopen, we want it to be as safe as possible for cast members, for the guests, and for the families that cast members have to go back to, said Maria Hernandez, a union member who attended the rally. Disney said in a Saturday statement that it has reached agreements on coronavirus protections with 20 union affiliates that include additional sick pay, face coverings for guests and cast members, and reduced park capacity. In a letter to unions earlier this week, a Disney representative said existing COVID-19 testing was not recommended by U.S. health authorities for routine screening. Instead, health officials recommend focusing on physical distancing, face coverings, hand washing and sanitization, the letter said. Disney began shutting its theme parks in January as the coronavirus spread. It has reopened parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong to a limited number of guests. The company plans to open Walt Disney World in Florida on July 11. If we did not recognise the importance of doctors before, we are certainly learning just how much they contribute to society, amid the coronavirus pandemic. While we are self-isolating, it is the doctors who are constantly fighting for the lives of people who have been infected with the deadly virus. With the number of infected people on the rise every day and hospitals teeming with hundreds of people, it has never been more important to appreciate the efforts that doctors make to ensure that we sufficiently recover from whatever may be ailing us and continue to remain healthy. Doctors are truly the greatest heroes, of not just the present but of all time. India celebrates National Doctors Day on July 1 each year, in honour of the birth and death anniversary of the great physician and the second Chief minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. Since then India has grown by leaps and bounds in the medical field, not just to further Dr. B.C. Roys work but also with new and innovative techniques. This day serves to show gratitude to all those who have selflessly aided us in our time of need and tirelessly worked for the health of their patients by commemorating the greatest representative of these ideals. Each year National Doctors day is organised with a theme, last years being, Zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment. This years theme is yet to be announced but we can assume it will be regarding the pandemic that we are undergoing. Doctors Day was established by the Government of India in 1991 to be recognised and celebrated every year on July 1 every year in India. Doctors Day is observed on different dates across the world. In the United States, the day is observed on March 30, in Cuba on December 3 and in Iran on August 23. Dr. Kshitiz Murdia, the CEO of Indira IVF says, Doctors are special, and this year is one where we have seen them as our real-life heroes. Doctors Day is an opportunity to thank all the heroes in the medical fraternity for their selfless contributions. They are pulling long hours and working round the clock as the world is gripped with this pandemic. We at Indira IVF, are ensuring special precautions for our doctors, health-care staff, and patients with the best in-class protocols. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said that West Bengal could not be made a beneficiary of the migrants' job scheme or Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, as the state government did not provide any data on migrant labourers. Addressing a virtual rally for the people of West Bengal, Sitharaman also criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government for showing "reluctance to allow Shramik Special train services in the state". "The West Bengal government has been opposing all pro-people policies of the Centre. Six states have shared data on migrant workers, following their return. West Bengal, however, did not," the finance minister said. "Our prime minister launched a scheme, which covers 116 districts in the country, but none from Bengal could be included as the TMC government didn't bother to share any data with us. The ruling dispensation in Bengal doesn't want any of the Centre's welfare policies to be implemented," she added. Senior TMC leaders had recently criticised the Union government for not making the state a beneficiary in the 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan', a job scheme for migrant labourers. Terming the TMC government as "anti-people", Sitharaman said the state was informed about cyclone 'Amphan', 11 days in advance, but it failed to take adequate precaution. Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan is a government of India initiative to tackle the impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers in India. It is a rural public works scheme which was launched on June 20, 2020 with an initial funding of Rs 50,000 crore for 116 districts in 6 states (With PTI inputs) Also Read: Coronavirus update: India crosses 5 lakh mark; reports highest single-day spike of 18,552 Also Read: India's coronavirus recovery rate rises to 58.56%; these states are leading the race (CNN) Russian intelligence officers for the military intelligence GRU recently offered money to Taliban militants in Afghanistan as rewards if they killed US or UK troops there, a European intelligence official told CNN. The official was unclear as to the precise Russian motivation, but said the incentives had, in their assessment, led to coalition casualties. The official did not specify as to the date of the casualties, their number or nationality, or whether these were fatalities or injuries. "This callous approach by the GRU is startling and reprehensible. Their motivation is bewildering," the official said. This story was first reported by the New York Times. US intelligence concluded months ago that Russian military intelligence offered the bounties, amid peace talks, the New York Times reported Friday. Citing officials briefed on the matter, the Times reported that President Donald Trump was briefed on the intelligence findings and that the White House's National Security Council held a meeting about it in late March. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement Saturday that the President and Vice President Mike Pence were not briefed "on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence." McEnany said her statement "does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story," which said Trump had been briefed. McEnany did not deny the validity of the reported US intelligence that a Russian intelligence unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to carry out attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said in his own statement late Saturday that he had "confirmed that neither the President nor the Vice President were ever briefed on any intelligence alleged by the New York Times in its reporting yesterday." He added: "The White House statement addressing this issue earlier today, which denied such a briefing occurred, was accurate. The New York Times reporting, and all other subsequent news reports about such an alleged briefing are inaccurate." CNN has reached out to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for additional comment. CNN has also reached out to the Defense Department, the State Department, and the CIA, and has received no comment. According to the Times, the Trump administration held expanded briefings about the intelligence assessment this week and shared information about it with the British government, whose forces were also believed to have been targeted. The newspaper reported that officials thought of possible responses, including beginning with a diplomatic complaint to Moscow, a demand to cease, and sanctions -- but the White House has yet to authorize any action. The Russian Embassy in Washington, DC, on Friday denounced the Times report as "baseless allegations" that have led to death threats against Russian diplomats in Washington and London. "In the absence of reasons to #BlameRussians," the Times is inventing "new fake stories," the embassy wrote on Twitter. The Taliban also rejected the Times report that they were offered bounties from Russia to target US troops in Afghanistan. "We strongly reject this allegation. The nineteen-year Jihad of the Islamic Emirate is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country and neither is the Islamic Emirate in need of anyone in specifying objectives," the militant group's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement Saturday. In its covert operation, the Russian spy unit within the intelligence agency GRU had offered rewards for successful attacks last year, and Islamist militants, or armed criminal associates, are thought to have collected bounty money, the Times reported. The European official told CNN the Russian intelligence officers worked for the GRU unit known as 29155, which has been blamed by European intelligence officials previously for the attempted assassinations of Sergei Skripal, a former KGB agent who had once been recruited years earlier by British intelligence, and his daughter in 2018 in Salisbury, UK, and other prominent attacks in Europe. The US concluded that the GRU was behind the interference in the 2016 US election and cyberattacks against the Democratic National Committee and top Democratic officials. The Russian military agency was also accused by the West of assassination attempts and poison attacks in Europe within recent years. The Times reported that the motivations behind the operation are unclear and there's uncertainty of how far up in the Kremlin the operation was authorized. The US intelligence assessment was said to be based in part from interrogations of captured Afghan militants and criminals, according to the newspaper. Former Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday called Trump's presidency a "gift" to Putin, referring to the New York Times report at a town hall focused on Asian American Pacific Islander issues. "It's a betrayal of every single American family with a loved one serving in Afghanistan or anywhere overseas. I'm quite frankly outraged by the report, and if I'm elected president, make no mistake about it, Vladimir Putin will be confronted." New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, on Saturday called for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to put legislation sanctioning Russia for a vote on the chamber floor. Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the ranking Republican on House Foreign Affairs, said in a statement Saturday that he "immediately reached out to the Administration," adding that if the accusations in the New York Times report are true, the administration "must take swift and serious action to hold the Putin regime accountable." Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, tweeted that "Russia is not a partner, and not to be negotiated with" and that Trump "needs to immediately expose and handle this, and stop Russia's shadow war." Trump has sought to improve relations between Washington and Moscow and shares an unusually warm relationship with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. But Trump and his administration point to US sanctions on Russia, arguing that he's been tougher on the country than previous presidents. During a 2018 press conference alongside Putin in Helsinki, Finland, Trump, in a stunning move for an American president, refused to accept US intelligence that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election, instead appearing to align with Putin's denials. Last month, Trump said he wished to invite Russia to the G7 summit, despite Russia's suspension in 2014 from the working group of leading industrial nations for its annexation of Crimea. In February, the US and Taliban signed a historic agreement in Dohar, Qatar, setting in motion the possible full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and potential end to America's longest-fought war. US troops are currently serving in Afghanistan as part of a US-led NATO mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces and focus on counterterrorism operations targeting the local ISIS affiliate and al Qaeda. The Trump administration is close to finalizing a decision to withdraw more than 4,000 troops from Afghanistan by the fall, according to two administration officials. The move would reduce the number of troops from 8,600 to 4,500 and would be the lowest number since the very earliest days of the war in Afghanistan. This story has been updated with additional reaction, a statement from the White House press secretary, information from a European intelligence official and a statement from the Director of National Intelligence. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Russian intelligence officers offered cash rewards to Taliban fighters to kill US, UK troops in Afghanistan, source says" Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 23:34:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Both the Afghan government troops and the Taliban group have stepped up military operations as over 70 people including 10 civilians have been killed across the country over the past 24 hours, officials confirmed Sunday. In the latest violent incident, a roadside mine planted by the Taliban struck a car in Washir district of the southern Helmand province at 3:00 p.m. local time Sunday, killing six civilians, including women and children and injuring two others, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Zaman Hamdard said. A similar incident claimed the lives of three civilians including two children as a mine planted by the Taliban insurgents on a road in Manjek district of the northern Jawzjan province went off on Sunday morning, provincial government spokesman Abdul Marouf Azar said. Government forces operations have killed 23 militants and injured nine others in the eastern Ghazni and neighboring Paktia provinces on Sunday, according to officials. A mortar mine fired by the Taliban militants struck a house in Qargan area of the northern Faryab province Saturday evening, killing one civilian and wounding four others, police said. According to the police, eight militants were killed and 13 others sustained injury in Qaramqul district of Faryab province over the past 24 hours. A dozen militants have been killed elsewhere in the northern Jawzjan province since Saturday, provincial government spokesman Marouf Azar claimed. The security forces have killed seven militants and wounded seven others in the eastern Kapisa province over the past 24 hours. A total of 14 militants have been killed and 15 others injured in Saghar district of the western Ghor province on Saturday, according to a statement of the Interior Ministry. Fighting usually gets momentum in spring and summer in Afghanistan commonly know as the fighting season among war-weary Afghans. Enditem From June 28, UK Visas and Immigration is beginning a phased resumption of services at Visa Application Centres in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (Al Khobar, Jeddah, Riyadh), and the UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai). As part of health precautions, only customers with a prior appointment may visit the centre to submit their applications and enrol biometrics. Customers who were unable to attend an earlier appointment at the centre prior to the lockdown, will now be able to log into their account to book a new appointment. Customers who had completed their application on GOV.UK before lockdown, but didnt previously book an appointment at the Visa Application Centre, can now also book an appointment. The following services will currently not be offered: Super Priority Visa, Priority Visa (for visit visas), Priority Visa for settlement and Walk-in service. Health measures at the UK border Customers are also advised that there are new rules in place for entering the UK because of the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) situation. Travellers can check the latest information at https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control. Health & safety measures are the centre As part of VFS Global health and safety measures for the prevention of Covid-19, which are in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation and local authorities, customers visiting our Visa Application Centres may be asked to observe physical distancing, undergo temperature checks or be required to wear facemasks. Customers exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms, including fever (higher than 37.3 degrees Celsius), cough or difficulty breathing will be helped to reschedule their application submission for another day and will be advised to seek medical attention at the nearest healthcare facility of their choice. Customer can also opt for Courier Return of documents (available at a nominal fee), so they do not have to visit the Visa Application Centre again after a decision is made. For customers who will be coming to the centre to pick up their passports after a decision is made, VFS Global will contact them to arrange for the collection of their passports, by appointment only. - TradeArabia News Service On Mexicos coast, communities unite to keep out coronavirus by Sarai Gonzalez June 28,2020 | Source: Global Press Journal In Oaxaca state, Mexico, residents are hosting town assemblies to take coronavirus prevention into their own hands. Theyve voted to extend measures beyond the countrys restrictions. Now, some communities have erected barriers and are standing guard at community access points. Its 6 a.m., just before sunrise, but the residents of San Isidro del Palmar, a community on the southern tip of Oaxaca, are already busy. Men dig holes for concrete posts that will hold up chain barriers that limit access to their town. Then they join with women from their community to guard against an invisible enemy. This scene has played out repeatedly along Oaxaca states coastal region, where towns and neighborhoods have taken the fight against the coronavirus pandemic into their own hands. Going beyond the Mexican governments measures, these communities have erected barriers to keep out visitors or anyone unfamiliar. Their urgency and unity reveal how vulnerable Mexicos smaller towns and cities have felt during the pandemic. Their actions grow out of a bottom-up culture that gives all adults a say in key community decisions. We decided to set up these barriers so that visitors or outsiders wouldnt be coming in, says Jose Manzano, the San Isidro del Palmar community representative. Every measure weve applied has been by community agreement. Mexico announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, at the end of February. As of June 27, the country had 208,392 confirmed cases and 25,779 deaths. The barriers and community guards remain in place after the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that rocked this region on June 23. In early April, the city of Santa Maria Huatulco, about 52 kilometers (32 miles) northeast of San Isidro del Palmar, confirmed the first COVID-19 case in the coastal region. Known for beaches with brilliant blue-green water, the coast also lures tourists with bioluminescent bays, razor-edged cliffs, dolphin and whale sightings, and some of the worlds best surfing. These communities swung into action. As they have for decades, leaders gathered their people for town assemblies. They typically convene over more prosaic issues, such as whether to approve the construction of a building or the repair of a water pipe. This time they met to decide how to fight a potentially deadly foe. In other parts of the state, municipal authorities had imposed barriers, breeding confusion, resentment and resistance. These coastal towns wanted to choose for themselves. Families sent representatives, and anyone older than 18 could take part, as residents sought consensus and voted. They chose the barriers. Many towns use chains at main entrances and lay down concrete posts at secondary access points. Rules for communities vary, depending on the choices of their town assemblies. And those rules evolve. Some towns, for example, initially closed their entry points for days, only to realize that was too restrictive. Others opted for selective entry. Still, not everyone likes the measures. Critics worry that some residents come in and out, although they technically should stay at home. 2020 Global Press Journal. Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 27) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations said Saturday international law must be followed, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, amid the South China Sea row. The UNCLOS is an international treaty that covers a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world's oceans and seas. It establishes rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources, and guarantees the right of innocent passage. "We discussed the situation in the South China Sea, during which concerns were expressed on the land reclamations, recent developments, activities and serious incidents," regional leaders said in the ASEAN Chairman's statement. "We reaffirmed that the 1982 UNCLOS is the basis for determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights, jurisdiction, and legitimate interests over maritime zones." This comes after concerns over recent actions in the disputed area were raised during the 36th ASEAN Summit on Friday. President Rodrigo Duterte also brought up how there have been "alarming incidents" in the South China Sea. "We emphasised the importance of non-militarisation and self-restraint in the conduct of all activities by claimants and all other states," the statement added. During the 32nd ASEAN Summit in 2018, the Chairman's statement also addressed militarization in the territory. READ: ASEAN: Recent militarization in S. China Sea 'erodes trust, confidence' The Philippines and China signed the UNCLOS in 1982 and 1994, respectively. This international treaty is the basis for the arbitral ruling's recognition of the Philippines' sovereign rights to some areas within the country's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea that China is claiming. Beijing rejects the 2016 decision and insists on its sweeping claim to almost the entire global waterway. It built artificial islands, blocked Filipino fishermen from fishing, and interfered in petroleum exploration in areas the Philippines occupies and claims as part of the West Philippine Sea. The recently concluded ASEAN summit, held via teleconferencing among Southeast Asian leaders, primarily tackled regional cooperation in responding to the economic crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also covered the establishment of a regional emergency fund and stockpile of medical supplies for member states. Leaders also welcomed the possible signing by the end of this year of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP between the ASEAN and trade partners China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand, a years-long trade negotiation now intended to uphold an "open, inclusive and rules-based multi-lateral trading system," and support post-COVID-19 economic recovery. CNN Philippines Senior Digital Producer Eimor Santos contributed to this report. THIS is the man due in court over a sick video mocking the disappearance of tragic teenager Noah Donohoe. Jamie Shaw was charged on Friday afternoon by police investigating the clip which was circulated on social media last week. The 26-year-old faces a single count of improper use of a public electronic communications network. He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court on July 23 with the charge being reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. The nine-second clip originated on the video sharing site Snapchat and features a topless man that police say is Shaw, walking down an alleyway behind a row of houses. Read More The man in the video makes sickening comments about the disappearance of young Noah. Shaw, understood to be from north Belfast, previously worked in a popular Belfast nightclub. The clip was shared on Twitter by a man who said he knows Shaw with the caption: Cant believe I know this guy. It has been viewed more than 47,000 times at time of going to press and attracted almost universal condemnation and disgust. A screenshot of what appeared to be Shaw apologising in a Facebook post was also shared in which he said he f****d up big time and that it was stupid, impulsive behaviour. He wrote: I wholeheartedly apologise for any Snapchats Ive put up and the offence Ive caused everyone, feel ashamed of myself. The video was made at a time when the desperate search efforts were still ongoing for missing Noah but it is not known if any members of the 14-year-olds family have seen the clip. During yesterdays press conference confirming Noahs death, PSNI Superintendent Muir Clark issued a warning to anyone else who may post similar things online: If people post distasteful and deeply untrue rumours, we will investigate that. A person guilty of improper use of a public electronic communications network can face up to six months in jail under the Communications Act. A person is guilty of the offence if they send by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character. As nearly every industry grapples with how to return to business as usual, the film industry in B.C.'s Okanagan has become a model for how Hollywood might start shooting again. Jon Summerland, the Okanagan film commissioner, said that when COVID-19 restrictions came into play, he expected to have time down to wind down but instead, work ramped up as the industry found creative ways to continue filming while keeping everyone involved safe. "We were going gang-busters right from COVID's beginning. And the way we did it is, we kind of thought outside of the box a bit and we quarantined a whole crew within the confines of one resort and we shot until we were allowed to shoot somewhere else, inside that resort, with the crew all locked up together," he said. Summerland said they created two new health and safety organizer positions. Those crew members were in charge of taking temperatures, assigning personal protective equipment, providing sterilized walkie-talkies and sterilizing the set before and after other crew members arrived for shooting. "They sterilize the equipment, they sterilize the lunch stuff, their job all day long is to sterilize and check in with you. So when you show up, you walk into a tent, you get your temperature checked, and then you can carry on," he said. WorkSafeBC was also on site as part of the test project, checking protocols and learning along with the crew, as the shoot was the first of its type in Canada. A silver lining Summerland said that while about a months' worth of work has been lost or postponed, the silver lining is that the majority of films shot in the Okanagan movies that aren't dependent on a specific set can actually carry on with production, unlike larger blockbusters. "We can film these really easily with Canadian talent and crews, which is really great for us, it's sort of always been our bread and butter," he said. "Where other people rely on locations, we've always sort of said, make your inexpensive movie here, it'll look really good." Story continues Summerland said productions involving actors and directors who aren't Canadian will take a while to come back, as many are hesitant to go through a two-week quarantine period in a nondescript hotel room before being able to start production. One production in particular, involving an American actor, another from New Zealand, and a British director, is on hold indefinitely. But he said he hopes the Okanagan film industry's innovation during a trying time will put them on the map. "Because we've done it right here in the Okanagan, because we've done it safe and followed the protocols, everybody's looking at us for other movies," he said. "In some ways, this could be a bonus for us. We could become more of a hub." Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:43:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's accumulated coronavirus cases rose on Sunday to 182,493 after the registration of 3,989 new infections. The death toll also increased to 1,551 with the reporting of 40 fatalities, the health ministry tweeted. In the last 24 hours, 2,627 recoveries were registered, bringing the total recovered cases to 124,755. There are 56,187 active cases, of which 2,277 are critical. Meanwhile, the ministry announced since the outbreak of the virus in the kingdom, the number of daily examinations was approximately 1,000, but it now stands at 45,000 tests. It revealed the conduction of more than 1.5 million coronavirus tests so far. Saudi Arabia and China have supported each other in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-February, the kingdom offered generous support to China to help fight the deadly virus at the early stage of its outbreak. On March 11, Saudi Arabia delivered to the Chinese city of Wuhan a shipment of medical aid. As the virus raged in Saudi Arabia, a team of eight Chinese medical experts visited the kingdom on April 15 to assist its anti-coronavirus fight. On April 26, the two sides signed a deal for expanding Saudi Arabia's coronavirus testing capacity. Enditem One thing you have to say for racing today, there is plenty of TV coverage, from TVG and MSG to several of the major networks. And the on-air talent comes not only from the broadcasting industry, but from all walks of the sport. We saw the roots of racings TV coverage when trainer Frank Wright and former exercise rider Charlsie Cantey became analysts for local TV in New York and then moved up to national coverage of the Triple Crown, both providing a new and informative way of presenting racing to the public. In the mid-to-late 70s, ABC signed the legendary Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro to provide color to the Triple Crown coverage along with the iconic Howard Cosell. Today, the coverage of racing is dominated in many ways by women, following in the footsteps of Cantey, most with a racing background, having grown up around horses and racing. We also have former jockeys covering the sport based on their experiences in the saddle. We even have a trainer like Tom Amoss providing commentary, including races in which he is participating. And of course there are the handicappers who break down the races from a bettors perspective. Naturally there are people who are critical of some of the coverage, some of whom criticize the on-air talent. I, like everyone, have my favorites and non-favorites. But take it from me; doing TV can be a frightening experience in the beginning. Of course, for some it comes easy and they are a natural in front of a camera. Over the years I have done my share of TV, but just being interviewed, not as an actual part of the telecast. I have seen the inner workings of putting on a racing show, as an in-studio advisor on the telecasts of the Prix de lArc de Triomphe and Washington D.C. International for ABC, the latter back in 1989 when Tony Allevato, now executive producer of television for the New York Racing Association and president of NYRA Bets, was basically a gofer on his way to becoming assistant producer. And I have been fortunate enough to have been interviewed by Charlie Rose, the Jim Lehrer Report, the Today Show, National Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, ESPN, and many other national and local shows. Although I became more comfortable in front of the camera the more I did it, the beginning of my TV experience was a nightmare. And that was on tape. If it had been live coverage I would have hidden under a rock and never showed my face again. It was 1992. I had just begun writing full-time for the Daily Racing Form after years of freelancing for other publications. I had come up with the idea of doing a weekly feature called Derby Watch, in which copy editor Steve Feldman and I would rank the top 30 3-year-olds in a chart format, with the horses last race, next race, and brief quotes from each trainer on how their horse was doing and all the latest developments pertaining to that horse. It was a unique feature that proved to be extremely popular, so much so that ESPN contacted our editor and offered to fly me to New Orleans for the Louisiana Derby to do a segment, explaining the concept of Derby Watch and discussing the 3-year-old picture. I was a bit apprehensive, having never been in front of a camera and having no desire to put my mug on TV. But, because of the publicity DRF and Derby Watch would get, I was encouraged to go. So, off I went to New Orleans for the first time. Everything was going smoothly until I had to attend a rehearsal meeting to go over the show and my segment. I was given a lead-in and was supposed to say exactly what I was going to say on the show. But all I kept doing was going over what I was going to say. No, say it exactly as you will on the show, I was told. But I couldnt do it, because I knew if I got it right I would never be able to get it right again. No matter how much I tried I couldnt do it that way. So, I started off as a disaster in rehearsal. The morning of the race, I was walking from the backstretch to the track, starting to feel the effects of a cold coming on. With a chilly wind blowing in my face and knowing we were doing the show from on the roof of the grandstand, I became panicky. I would not be able to do it. My mind was blank and my nose was running. All day long I kept going over in my mind what I was going to say, memorizing every word, and getting it all completed in the designated amount of time, never realizing that when they said I had 45 seconds or 90 seconds, or whatever it was, they meant right on the button and not five seconds or 10 seconds longer or shorter. So I kept timing myself all day, while alleviating my fears with a bowl of Cajun beans and rice, which was spicy enough at least to get up into my sinuses. I kept saying to myself, Thank God this is going to be taped before the actual show, which is something I demanded. Even so, I became more of a wreck as the day wore on. Finally, it was time and I made my way up to the roof where I was to be interviewed by Dave Johnson on a wooden platform. He introduced me and briefly mentioned Derby Watch and threw it to me. I went through my routine perfectly. I couldnt believe it was over and I had pulled it off even with all the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. But then I heard those dreaded words from the director, OK, lets do it again. What? Why? I had nailed it. My relief had turned into panic once again. No way I could duplicate that. First off, the director informed me, this was supposed to be (lets say for memorys sake) 90 seconds and you took three minutes. Second, look where you are. I then realized that while I was speaking I was drifting the entire time and ended up on the other end of the platform. Well, somehow I managed to shorten it on the second try and made sure my feet were planted in one spot. I was expecting rave reviews from friends and acquaintances, but all people kept asking me was, Did you have a cold? You were sniffling all the time. Oh, brother, that was it. I vowed never to subject myself to such torture again. Thank God that debacle was over. But lo and behold, Derby Watch had become so popular, ESPN for some bizarre reason, asked me to come down to New Orleans again the following year. And again I was persuaded to go. But at least this year it would be easier. I at least had experience and I insisted on doing the interview indoors this time, where I wouldnt be subjected to the elements. So, off I went once again. This time I brought a little pad with me where I wrote out my entire script and timed it right on the button. This time I was being interviewed by Bob Neumeier. I asked Bob to let me know when they were cutting to a video so I could just read from my notepad. I didnt feel as nervous this time, but my body reminded me that wasnt the case when a simple swiss cheese sandwich sent me into the bathroom for a prolonged period of time. We went into one of the large rooms to do the taping. I figured I just needed to memorize the first few words to get me going, and then I would be on a roll. I would start by saying, This years crop has been very wide open blah, blah, blah. OK, cameras ready. I was ready. But Bobs introduction to me was so long that when he finally asked me, So, Steve, what do you think of this years crop? I had forgotten everything I was going to say. Not only did my mind go blank, so did my vocal chords. My mouth opened as if to speak and nothing came out. Not a peep. I just stood there like a moron with my mouth remaining open. Bob was very nice about it and brought me a glass of water. OK, this time would be different. This time I would not start by talking about the crop. This time I would start with the simple words, Well, Bob. I just needed that little simple lead-in to get something to come out of my mouth and then I would be fine. So, as Bob was going through his long-winded intro, I kept repeating to myself, Well, Bob Well, Bob Well, Bob. So, Steve, what do you think of this years crop? Well, Bob , Nothing. Dead silence. I had said Well, Bob so many times in my head I couldnt remember what came after that and once again froze. This time, Bob not only gave me another glass of water, he started massaging the back of my neck. As it turned out, they must have felt so sorry for the pathetic person I had become they used video through the majority of the interview so I was able to read the words off my notepad. Somehow, I had actually regressed from the disaster of the previous year. Oh, my God, what if that were live? I would have single-handedly destroyed the reputation of ESPN. I vowed never to do TV live and, in fact, would never do TV again. Well, over the next 27 years I have done plenty of TV interviews, many of them live, but never as part of a time-restricted segment in which I had to do all the talking. Ask me whatever you want in a normal interview, live or taped, but no way would I ever go through that nightmare again. So, whenever I watch these segments on TV and the person on air is talking for 45 seconds or 90 seconds by memory and doing it so naturally, I think back to how difficult that really is to talk for that long with a precise time restriction hanging over your head, at least for a wandering mind like mine with a short attention span. I remember being on an ESPN panel with Randy Moss, back when he was a newspaper writer with hair, and marveled at how good he was and came to the realization how bad I was. You can say he went in one direction and I went in another as far away from television as I could get. I am reliving all these horrific moments to say that when you watch racing on TV and listen to how smooth and natural people are when delivering their monologues, dont take it for granted. Its a lot harder than you think. A passenger walks through Reagan National airport as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to keep airline travel at minimal levels and the U.S. economy contracts in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession, in Washington, April 29, 2020. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Though states are reporting new surges in Covid-19 cases, pausing reopening measures and even re-instituting business restrictions, specific economic sectors have continued to see improvement. Consumers are eating out at restaurants, traveling more and visiting hotels amid the official start to the busy summer season. These five charts illustrate trends in important industries that help track reopening progress in the U.S. Direction requests Data from navigation tool Apple maps tells a different story depending on the mode of transportation. While requests for driving and walking directions have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, transit directions continue to recover much more slowly. Though that may change as more employees return to work in urban centers like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, requests for transit directions are still at half of what they were in early March. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Restaurant bookings Restaurant bookings through reservation service OpenTable dropped to zero in late March and throughout April before picking back up in May once states eased restrictions on in-person dining. While bookings have risen to a level of being down 60% compared to last year, the upward trend has the potential to stall out as states like Texas and Florida pause their reopening plans amid coronavirus outbreaks. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Hotel occupancy Hotels' occupancy rates have continued their upward trend and now measure at 44%, according to data from global hospitality research company STR. The new figures mark the tenth consecutive week occupancy rates have increased. Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia as well as Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida were both top travel markets that saw occupancy rates of 54% and 49% respectively. However, New York City had an occupancy rate of 44%, down from 46% the week prior. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Air travel The number of passengers traveling each day through airport security checkpoints is down more than 70% compared to last year, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration. The numbers represent continued improvement for the troubled air travel industry. American Airlines announced Friday that it will resume flying full planes on July 1 after having a 70% capacity limit for flights. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Home purchases Though mortgage applications for purchasing a single-family home are 18% higher compared to the same week last year, they did see a slight decrease from last week, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Even with continued high unemployment and economic uncertainty stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the MBA said the home purchase market is still strong. In case you missed it, 106 people were shot in Chicago last weekend. Thats not a typo 106. If mainstream news organizations still covered the news, instead of only the news that serves or refutes an agenda, we might have heard more. Of the 106 people shot, 14 including a 3-year-old boy were killed. When asked about the catalysts for such violence, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown boiled it down gangs, guns and drugs. And then, amid the national cacophony of calls to defund and/or abolish local police departments, overhaul the criminal justice system, release criminals from prison and the establishment of police-free zones by anarchists in big cities, the superintendent said something really interesting. There are too many violent offenders not in jail, or on electronic monitoring, which no one is really monitoring, Brown said, according to the Chicago Tribune. We need violent felons to stay in jail longer and we need improvements to the home monitoring system. It sounds as if the last thing law enforcement in Chicago needs is fewer resources. And despite efforts by a sympathetic media and others to explain away what defund the police really means, Chicagos mayor seems to understand. When you talk about defunding, youre talking about getting rid of officers, Lori Lightfoot, Chicagos first black female mayor, told the New York Times. In September, Lightfoot, a Democrat, told Edward McClelland of Chicago Magazine that weve got to stop treating black and brown folks like theyre expendable. A militarized response to the violence isnt what people want, and more to the point, its not effective. Earlier this month, as McClelland wrote, Lightfoot called in the National Guard to deal with rioting and looting following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Its easy to speak out against a militarized response, until your city is on fire. In the same interview with the Times, Lightfoot said there is a cultural dysfunction within the Chicago police department. But even she realizes taking officers off the street will do nothing to curb the citys epidemic of violent crime. When it comes to law enforcement, trying to do more with less is never a sound strategy. Reform is necessary. Bad cops need to be weeded out and not shielded by unions. Better engagement is needed between local police departments and minority communities. Cops are not social workers, nor should we expect them to be. But policing will never be an exact science. Police officers are not robots. Theyre doing a job most of us would never dream of doing. Mistakes will be made. And Im not in any way suggesting that what happened to George Floyd was a mistake. The video speaks for itself. But its very easy to ask, after the fact, Why did you have to shoot him? Couldnt you have just shot him in the leg? Real life isnt an episode of Starsky and Hutch. In real life, the decision to use force is made in fractions of seconds. Sometimes, suspects are armed, sometimes theyre not. Often, you dont know. On May 28, at 12:15 p.m., Officer Nate Lyday, of the Ogden, Utah, police department, responded to a domestic violence call. A woman told a 911 dispatcher her husband was trying to kill her. When Lyday and a probation officer reached the house, the suspect, a 53-year-old man, was sitting on the front porch. The suspect was uncooperative, according to investigators, and after a brief discussion, went back into the house, slamming the door behind him. The police chief said Lyday didnt see a weapon in the suspects hand when he went inside. As Lyday moved toward the front door, the suspect began firing through the door, hitting Lyday. The 24-year-old officer, with just 15 months on the job, died a short time later. He was getting ready to celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary. This story is important because its not particularly unusual. Its the sort of thing police officers face every day, in Ogden, Chicago, Washington D.C. and New York, which wants to reduce its police budget by $1 billion even though murders increased 79% in May. Theres a conspicuous and baffling absence of outrage over what happened last weekend in Chicago. And outside of Ogden, very few know the story of Nate Lyday. We would do well to remember both, before we proceed headlong into reforms that result in de-policing. Only civilization itself is riding on the outcome. Rich Manieri is a Philadelphia-born journalist and author. He is currently a professor of journalism at Asbury University in Kentucky. His book, We Burn on Friday: A Memoir of My Father and Me is available at amazon.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Two rapists and a thug who tortured a man who wanted to buy drugs have been deported back to Lithuanian by a private jet after finishing their sentences. Home Secretary Priti Patel took advantage of a loophole in European Union free movement laws to get them on a plane out of the UK on grounds of public safety. The three men, who were each jailed for separate offences, include Nerijus Radavicius, who filmed himself raping a 32-year-old woman in a farmhouse in Aberdeenshire. Home Secretary Priti Patel, chartered a private jet to Lithuania to deport three violent criminals A trial at the High Court in Aberdeen in 2016 heard Radavicius, along with two other men, had lured a woman back to a farmhouse in Fraserburgh after meeting her in a nightclub. Nerijus Radavicius filmed himself raping a 32-year-old woman in a farmhouse in Aberdeenshire All three men were convicted of raping the 32-year-old woman and filming the vile attack. One of the accomplices launching his assault as his victim fell asleep. Redavicius denied rape at the time, claiming he thought it was consensual. He was jailed for four years and six months. Det Insp John Swanney, of Police Scotland, described the attack as 'extremely trauamatic for the victim'. Speaking after the sentencing in May 2016 DI Swanney told the BBC: 'I hope that she can move on with her life as best as she can in the knowledge that these men have been brought to justice for the crimes they committed and received significant custodial sentences.' Joining him on the chartered flight to Lithuania was 36-year-old Tomas Paplauskas. Paplauskas has served six years of a 13 year prison term for raping a 19-year-old girl after she left a nightclub in Telford, Shropshire. The attack was described 'prolonged, premeditated and merciless,' by the BBC. Paplauskas, who was jailed in 2014, took the victim's mobile phone and two items of jewellery. According to the Shropshire Star, the Lithuanian stole them as 'trophies'. A witness said he saw Paplauskas, along with an accomplice, clapping each other on the back as they left the scene. Judge Robin Onions said at the time: 'You knock her to the floor, you pick her up and take her into bushes so that no one can see and then you rape her without mercy as if she wasn't a person whose feelings you should take into account. Tomas Paplauskas, 36 raped a 19-year-old woman in Telford, Shropshire, before stealing her mobile phone and jewellery as 'trophies' 'You then left her having used her, having abused her, you discarded her as a person of no worth. 'One of the striking images I will not forget is the evidence that the two of you were happy with yourselves, clapping each other on the back afterwards, as if you'd done something of which you could be proud. The third man, Vidas Aleksandravicius, 52, was jailed for 10 years in 2017 for his role in imprisoning and torturing a man who went to a house to buy drugs in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. According to the Gainsborough Standard, the victim was repeatedly kicked and punched, before he was then handcuffed and subjected to waterboarding at a drug dealer's home in 2015. The victim told a trial: 'My shoes and socks were taken off. They were tipping water over my face. I couldn't breathe. I was panicking. 'My head went into the bucket. All of it. There was water in the bucket. My head was submerged for thirty or forty seconds. Vidas Aleksandravicius, 52, was jailed for 10 years in 2017 for his role in imprisoning and torturing a man who went to a house to buy drugs in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire 'My head was put in the bucket perhaps ten times. It finished because they got a cane and were whacking the bottom of my feet. I was screaming.' In order to deport them, the Home Secretary was forced to charter a plane to ensure there was a realistic prospect of moving them out of the country. EU law provides some protection against deportation, however European Economic Area state people can be deported on grounds of public security. Since 2010 the British government has deported over 53,000 criminals. The Sun reports that six a day are being released from prisons straight on to the street. But six a day are being released from prisons on the streets every day, according to official figures. Tory MP Philip Davies told The Sun: 'The public is sick to the back teeth of the pussy-footing around with foreign criminals who come here and end up in jail. 'I have high hopes that Priti Patel will get a grip of the system soon.' Laredo City Council voted this week to remove the rebel flag insignia from city buildings, cars, uniforms or logos in the city. The most significant example of this is the large rebel flag on the floor of the Laredo International Airport. Council decided on replacing the rebel flag with the first flag of the Confederacy, sometimes called the Stars and Bars, which looks similar to the first flag of the United States. This is what is currently displayed at City Hall and in the citys updated logo. Due to Laredos history as the capital of a short-lived independent nation, the Republic of the Rio Grande, Laredo flies seven flags rather than the six that the rest of Texas has lived under. The motion was originally made by Councilwoman Nelly Vielma. She had said that said she does not want to erase Laredos history under the Confederacy but wished to show its history accurately. She said that the Stars and Bars is what would have flown over Laredo during the Civil War rather than the rebel flag, which is now widely regarded as a hate symbol. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com The passage talks about the misconception about the assumption that pre-capitalists to capitalist transition in the economy was natural and it followed when everyone was working under selfish interests ( an idea similar to invisible hand ). This misconception stems from neglecting the tendency for self-perpetuation that existed in pre-capitalist economies of Europe. The passage goes on to substantiate that with logic and finally says the pursuit to continue with the system worked against it and finally ushered the new economic system - the passage does not say how or why. What is the primary purpose of the passage? No evaluations are made Correct choice. Too detailed to be the main purpose. Irreleavant - only the reasons behind the shift from pre-capitalist to capitalist is described Opposite idea. Still dealing with the first paragraph of the passage According to the passage, what is the main flaw of the traditional portrayal of the transition from pre-capitalist to capitalist economies in Europe? Perfect - self-interest of the pre-capitalist people was to continue as is - but something worked against the system TRAP - not related to the flaw but does give an indicator of it. Out of scope of question Yes - but opposite of what we awre looking for. Out of scope Think like a CR question - why is this brought up in the passage? The passage mentions peasant competition for land leases primarily in order to: Real world trap answer - this could be the case but the passage does not mention this Out of scope and irrelevant to the discussion BINGO - this idea is introduced to show what the pre-capitalist era lacked and how it may have wanted them to continue as is... Irrelevant Irrelevant An application of knowledge kind of question - we know innovation is needed for being competitive & pre-capitalist society did not have much competiton as everyone was self sufficient and there was not much trade What can one infer from the passage about economic innovation? TRAP - the transition from pre-capitalist to capitalist was not consistent across Europe but we cannot correlate the two ( Real world trap) too strong and cannot be inferred Vague and irrelevant Real world trap - if this was a CR question this could have been a very lucrative answer Perfect - the pre-capitalist economy did not push people towards it as everyone was in a comfortable place without much competition. This question requires an understanding of the main point of the passage - the passage just wants to assert that the olden idea ( pre-cap -> capitalist transition was due to self interest of all parties involved Which of the following would be a likely place where one could find this passage? critisizing is not being done TRAP - "the goal of economic producers" puts us off - we were told that it was an unexpected consequence and nobody aimed for it per say. Discard. Too vague to be inferred. Right - this is the main idea. New historic model and the old ideas were flawed Short correction is where this option is wrong. Easy detail question Which of the following is indicated in the passage as the primary reason for the inertia of the pre-capitalist economic system? Verbatim from the passage There did not resist anything, they just did not have the need for anything new. out of context and also not mentioned in the passage at all. Discard for same reason as above MAJOR TRAP - this is only half right - as the system included both farmers and also the landlords - both were happy. Regards, Gladi Do. Or do not. There is no try. - Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back) Signature Read More 5 mins 36 secs to all correct. Relatively easy passage.a) To give a detailed evaluation of a new explanation for the origin of capitalist economy in Europe.b) To detail a flaw in the traditional description of the transformation of European economy and propose a new account.c) To portray the exploitation of peasants in pre-capitalist Europe by the feudal lords.d) To explain why the economic productivity in Europe started rising between the 16th and the 18th Century.e) To demonstrate that capitalist economy was more in tune with the self-interest of its participants than the pre-capitalist economy.a) It falsely represents the capitalist mode of production as both a goal and a product of economic self-interest.b) It does not account for the uneven pace of the transition in different European countries.c) It assumes that the economic power wielded over peasants by traders was exercised more benevolently than that of feudal lords.d) It assumes that the economic processes of innovation and specialization are driven by economic self-interest.e) It denies the importance of innovation for pre-capitalista) prove the existence of incentives to better productivity in the capitalist system.b) highlight the continuity of peasant hardship from the old to the new era.c) contrast it with the lack of such economic pressures in the pre-capitalist era.d) strengthen the point that peasants continued to be the main economic producers.e) indicate the main reason for greater agricultural productivity in the capitalist system.a) That its pace was similar in most European countries.b) That its only agents were traders.c) That the European agriculture was in sore need of it.d) That it does not always accompany the capitalist system of production.e) That it was not likely to take place in the pre-capitalist economic system.a) As the conclusion of an essay criticizing the inequities of the capitalist system of production.b) As a part of a review of a book that presents as its main thesis that transition to capitalism was a goal of economic producers.c) As a part of a larger article arguing that the waning of the chivalric virtue carried by pre-capitalist lords is to be lamented.d) As an introduction to a fuller description of a new historical model of transition to capitalism.e) As a short correction of views expressed earlier in a recent longer article by the same author.a) The fact that perpetuating that system was in the self-interest of its participants.b) The fact that its participants were strongly resistant to the introduction of innovative farming methods.c) The fact that the traders did not command enough goods for exchange prior to the 16th Century.d) The force wielded over the peasants by the lords.e) The modest subsistence needs of pre-capitalist farmers.Hope these explanations are of help to you!_________________ Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 01:18:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Hong Kong residents display China's national flag in the Tamar Park, Hong Kong on June 25, 2020 in support of the national security legislation for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate tried to create trouble with the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" in an attempt to harm the interests of China and residents of Hong Kong, and such move is despicable, said Li Yin-quan, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) from the HKSAR. -- The U.S. move once again highlights the necessity for the central authorities to make laws on safeguarding national security for Hong Kong, said Henry Cai, a businessman and chairman of social group Hong Kong Island Federation. HONG KONG, June 27 (Xinhua) -- People from various sectors of Hong Kong society Saturday expressed opposition to the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" passed by the U.S. Senate, stressing that the U.S. move once again highlights the necessity of national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The U.S. Senate tried to create trouble with the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" in an attempt to harm the interests of China and residents of Hong Kong, and such move is despicable, said Li Yin-quan, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) from the HKSAR. Stressing that Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, Li said the U.S. act can not shake the central authorities' resolve to make national security laws for Hong Kong. Li said he believes that after the law takes effect, Hong Kong's status as an international financial center will be further consolidated and the region will develop even better in the future. Henry Cai, a businessman and chairman of social group Hong Kong Island Federation, said the passage of the act, which is morally irrational and contrary to facts, is a blatant interference in China's internal affairs and a serious violation of international conventions and norms governing international relations. The U.S. move once again highlights the necessity for the central authorities to make laws on safeguarding national security for Hong Kong, he said, adding that the laws are expected to help improve the work, investment and business environment in Hong Kong. Lo Sui-on, deputy secretary-general of Friends of Hong Kong Association, pointed out that under "one country, two systems" the HKSAR enjoys a high degree of autonomy and its residents enjoy extensive rights and freedoms guaranteed by law. A resident signs in a street campaign in support of the national security legislation for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Hong Kong, south China, May 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu) The U.S. accusations against Hong Kong, which have completely twisted the truth, are aimed at smearing Hong Kong for its ulterior political purposes, he said. Pauline Ngan, an entrepreneur and a deputy to the NPC from the HKSAR, said some U.S. politicians have been trying to use Hong Kong as an anti-China base to contain China's development. Despite the U.S. politicians' allegation that Hong Kong will be negatively affected by the national security laws, many large chambers of commerce and companies as well as the general public in Hong Kong believe that the related laws will play a key role in maintaining Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity. Holden Chow, a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council, warned that in view of the extensive business cooperation between the United States and Hong Kong, the so-called sanctions by the U.S. side will only harm its own economic interests. Kennedy Wong, a solicitor and deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Coalition, said some U.S. politicians repeatedly use Hong Kong as a pawn to suppress China and continuously create troubles. The general public in Hong Kong are very disgusted with these deeds and expect the law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong to come into force soon so as to severely punish the criminals endangering the nation and Hong Kong can start afresh, Wong said. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Ever since it was announced that Prince Harry was engaged to Meghan Markle, the Hollywood actress raised eyebrows not just because of her job but also because she is a biracial woman. Although it is not obvious, the British media has been extra critical to Meghan and scrutinized her abilities to become a member of the royal family. While some rejoiced that Princess Diana's youngest son finally found a woman to settle down with, others examined the Duchess from head-to-toe. Interestingly, however, Queen Elizabeth II found some benefit from Meghan's identity. Queen Elizabeth's Reason To Accept Meghan According to a royal expert, Meghan's "biracial identity" was warmly welcomed by the 94-year-old monarch, which is why Prince Harry was allowed to marry her. Royal biographer Lady Colin Campbell said that the Queen would rather see her grandson marry a biracial woman than be associated with a "white Hollywood starlet." In her new book "Meghan and Harry: The Real Story," the 70-year-old Jamaican-born British author claimed that Her Majesty approved Meghan's biracial identity thinking that it would reflect a good image to the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II said to believe that having a member of the royal family with the mixed-race background will make the British monarchy look "modern" in the eyes of the public. "(It) made the monarchy both reflective and representative of multicultural, multiracial Britain in a way that a white California-born actress who had been a cast member of a popular television series could never have," Lady Colin wrote. "The Queen, who is well known to be a wit, said to a friend, 'Mr. Corbyn will find it much more difficult to get rid of us now that Meghan's in the family.'" The London Times and New York Times best-selling author also revealed that the 38-year-old's biracial identity gave her a VIP pass to marry into the royal family. "As a prince once told me, 'Had Meghan not been a woman of color, they would never have allowed the marriage,'" Lady Colin continued. "'It was the only thing that was unreservedly in her favor." Meghan Finding Her Own Voice Lady Colin's remarks came after a source revealed that Meghan realized that she was destined to leave the United Kingdom and move to Los Angeles to use her platform in fighting systemic racism in the United States. "Meghan said her work as a leader is more important than ever right now and that she' been speaking with Oprah and other community leaders on how she can be part of the solution," the source told the Daily Mail. This is after Meghan made her powerful speech amid the ongoing anti-racism protests and "Black Lives Matter" movement in the United States, which started after the brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of white police officers in Minnesota. READ MORE: Royal Suffering: Kate Middleton Slapped With HARSH Reality As Next Queen When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? Harry Jowsey enjoyed a night out in West Hollywood on Saturday. The Too Hot to Handle star made sure to put safety first as he stepped out of the 40 LOVE party wearing a face mask. The 22-year-old was dressed in a baby blue outfit consisting of a shirt and matching shorts. Stay safe! Harry Jowsey (pictured) enjoyed a night out in West Hollywood on Saturday. The Too Hot To Handle star stepped out of the 40 LOVE party wearing a face mask It perfectly matched his blue surgical mask which he no doubt wore to help protect against COVID-19. The TV star looked a tad worse for wear as he loaded himself into a waiting car after his evening out. The Queenslander rubbed shoulders with the glitterati at the star-studded bash, where he partied with the likes of Instagram sensation Stassie Karanikolaou and YouTube personality Nikita Dragun. Popular: The Queenslander rubbed shoulders with the glitterati at the star-studded bash, where he partied with the likes of Instagram sensation Stassie Karanikolaou and YouTube personality Nikita Dragun Climb in! The TV star looked a tad worse for wear as he loaded himself into a waiting car after his evening out The sighting comes after the Australian native revealed details of his breakup with Francesca Farago, 26. Last week, he posted on his Instagram Story, before uploading an emotional YouTube video titled 'I broke up with her'. Harry has been living in Los Angeles while Francesca has been at home in Vancouver, Canada. Over: The sighting comes after the Australian native revealed details of his breakup with Francesca Farago, 26 (right) The lengthy video gave fans more details of what happened, saying that he wanted to 'take ownership' of the split. 'I saw Francesca and I remember holding her... and I could feel how much she still loved me and I just didn't have that feeling anymore,' Harry said in the video. The couple, who were known for their frisky antics on Netflix's Too Hot To Handle, became engaged via Zoom during the Netflix reunion episode in May. European Union health chiefs are close to finalising a list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter Europe again from next week. Americans are almost certain to be excluded due to the number of coronavirus cases in the United States. There are also likely to be restrictions on travellers from Brazil and Russia where infection rates remain high. The EU officials say countries will be on the list depending on the way the spread of the virus is being managed. Another key condition is whether the country has a ban on citizens from European nations. EU diplomats confirmed that an official agreement on the criteria - likely to include a limit on the infection rate per 100,000 citizens - is expected on Monday or Tuesday. The move comes as European countries gradually lift lockdowns imposed place in March to curb the coronavirus pandemic EU borders to open 1 July As part of the easing of restrictions, the 27 EU nations and four other countries that are part of Europes Schengen area - a bloc where goods and people move freely - appear on track to reopen their borders between each other by 1 July. The list of countries outside the Schengen area proposed at a diplomatic meeting on Friday include Algeria, Australia, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The territories of Andorra, Saint-Marin, Monaco and the Vatican are also included. The European Commission, which monitors the blocs laws, believes that travel restrictions should not be lifted for third countries where the situation is worse than the average in the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. US Covid-19 cases on the rise The US is not likely to be added to the list due to the surge in the number of cases of Covid-19, with a record high of 45,300 confirmed new daily infections just reached. The country has reported 124,732 deaths and at least 2.4 million cases overall. More than 15 million Americans are estimated to travel to Europe annually, and any delay would be a further blow to economies and tourism sectors, both in Europe and the US. The EU list would be updated every 14 days, officials say, with new countries added and some possibly being left off based on how they manage the spread of the virus. On that day, things changed. Mr. Brasfields store was looted and his windows broken, and he had no money or bottle deposits for his next-day delivery. He cried as he, like many store owners, had no insurance. But he was concerned about me and said how afraid he was himself and since I was white I should go home. I made a few stops, and when Mr. Brown, a meat market owner, advised me to go home, I did go home. As I lived in the community, we all stayed in our apartments. Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, says he is happy that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is in crisis. Wike told Arise Telev... Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, says he is happy that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is in crisis. Wike told Arise Television in an interview that he is happy with the circumstances that brought Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He said he cannot pray for the APC not to make mistakes, and that the ruling partys issues will continue to be advantageous to the PDP. I am happy that APC is in crisis. It is not my business to help APC to be united, the governor said. Remember that we also had our own crisis under Ali Modu Sheriff and APC jubilated about it then. It is my prayer that they should continue to be in crisis. We have taken another state. Unfortunately, APC isnt really a political party. They came together just to take over power. I want my party to be in power and therefore, I cannot be praying for APC not to have crisis. I hope they continue to make mistakes everyday and my party will continue to grow. The governor said he has no problem with Obasekis emergence as the standard bearer of the PDP for the Edo governorship election but advised that members of the party must be carried along on issues concerning the party. He asked members of the state PDP to be united for the interest of the party and to work together to win the forthcoming election and avoid falling into the same problems bedevilling the ruling party. Carrying people along does not mean giving money. That is the mistake people make. It means listening to them, appealing to them and making them recognise the greater interest of the party, Wike said. The Edo governorship election is scheduled for September 19. Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must sacrifice Jesse Lingard and Alexis Sanchez to afford 110m-rated Borussia Dortmund sensation Jadon Sancho, according to reports. United have been long-term admirers of the forward who has 17 goals and 17 assists in the Bundesliga this season. But executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has told the Red Devils boss that he must sell at least four big stars to raise funds for Sancho. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must sacrifice four players to afford 110million-rated Jadon Sancho Solskjaer has previously admitted that he does not know how much money he will be given to spend in the summer transfer window. Dortmund have also attached a 110m price tag to Sancho, which will burn a more significant hole in the clubs pockets during the current climate. Therefore, United could be forced to sell stars such as Jesse Lingard and 400,000-a-week Sanchez to complete the deal with Sancho, according to The Sun. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward told Solskjaer he must raise the funds for the star United will likely make the money by selling 400,000-a-week Alexis Sanchez this summer United may also look to sell out of favour Jesse Lingard for at least 20million this year Other players that could be at risk include the likes of Andreas Pereira, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling. Out of favour, Lingards transfer value has dropped, but United could still scoop up least 20 million for the 27-year-old. Meanwhile, Smalling, who is wanted permanently by Roma following a successful loan period, could raise the club as much as 10m. In addition to that, defender Jones should rack up a total of 15m for the Old Trafford club. The combination of fees raised by selling these players should help to subsidise Sanchos 170,000-a-week wages. There is a need for a new template of globalisation based on fairness, equality and humanity in the post-Covid world, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan has said. Muraleedharan said this on the 20th anniversary of the Warsaw Declaration. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here The individual as well as the collective response to this pandemic will determine how democracy as a mode of governance is judged by the world at large, he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the external affairs ministry on Saturday. He said it will have a significant impact on consolidation of democracy in the world of tomorrow. As a populous, developing country and a free society, fighting Covid-19 is not a small challenge for India, he said. In confronting this pandemic, we have been mindful of staying true to our democratic principles, the minister said. Our response has shown how democracy, discipline and decisiveness can come together to create a genuine peoples movement. While we care for our own citizens, India is also extending helping hand to other partners, in our neighbourhood and beyond, he added. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage At the global level, the weaknesses in collective response to Covid-19 has put the spotlight on the limitations of the existing international system, he highlighted. In the post-COVID world, we need a new template of globalisation, based on fairness, equality, and humanity.We need international institutions that are more representative of todays world, he said. Also read: Covid-19 pandemic prompts a changed world order The minister further said that as a major producer of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, India has provided supplies to over 150 partner countries, proving our credentials as the pharmacy of the world. We have been ready to share Indias medical expertise with others. We are active in the global efforts to develop remedies and vaccines, he said. Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 A stack of 60 SpaceX Starlink satellites float in orbit above the Earth. Source: SpaceX To fund its Martian ambitions, SpaceX intends to transform the Earth blanketing the planet in ubiquitous internet coverage beamed down from a tight-fitting mesh of thousands of satellites. CEO Elon Musk expects this "Starlink" service to eventually generate $30 billion per year. In space, construction is advancing smoothly. SpaceX has already become the world's largest satellite operator, managing more than 500 satellites and counting. That's a fraction of the thousands it intends to launch, but enough for the system to reach Air Force cockpits and connect Musk to Twitter. The company intends to start beta testing in North America this summer. On the ground, however, SpaceX still has work to do. It has yet to unveil hardware to connect a customer's home to the satellites flying overhead. The company will also need a network of ground stations linking its satellites to the internet's physical backbone. Building these nodes is hardly rocket science: indeed 26 are already planned for the U.S. But without a crucial satellite upgrade, those stations will keep the network's coverage stuck largely to the land. "It's very much not initially a global service," says Tim Farrar, the president of TMF Associates, a satellite and telecom research firm, "even though the satellites are flying all over the place." Beaming back global broadband Efforts to beam data down from the skies have typically fallen into two categories: the very near and the very far. Google parent company Alphabet is deploying internet balloons about 12 miles above the ground in Kenya, for instance, and Facebook has its eye on solar-powered drones. These near-surface approaches are speedy, but each floating antenna has a limited geographic footprint. In contrast, companies like the Canadian communications firm Telesat have long operated handfuls of satellites in high orbits more than 20,000 miles above Earth's surface, where each machine can reach a wide swath of the planet. These systems offer global coverage, but snail-like connections, with round trip signals taking more than half a second. "That doesn't sound like a big deal, but a typical web page might have 100 round trips," says Telesat vice president Erwin Hudson. "It adds up." With Starlink, SpaceX joins a fray of companies, including Telesat, all racing to deliver the best of both worlds: "constellations" of satellites close enough to communicate with the ground in tens of milliseconds, but far enough to cover the planet with a reasonable number of satellites. To complete the service, however, SpaceX needs two more pieces of ground-based infrastructure. Starlink's biggest land-based hurdle Starlink's major terrestrial hurdle, Musk acknowledges, is the antenna that will get users online the internet analog of the TV parabolic dish. Starlink's low-flying satellites zoom across the sky in about five minutes, and antennas will need to keep up. SpaceX's design has to balance technological sophistication with mass-market affordability. The company plans to use "phased array antennas," which can direct the machine's focus electronically rather than physically spinning it around. The technique simplifies the device mechanically, but comes at a high price. Farrar estimates that the gadget could cost more than $1,000, although Musk is targeting a price tag of under $300. In March, the FCC authorized SpaceX to distribute one million antennas, and SpaceX board members recently tested the devices (which reportedly resemble "UFOs on a stick"), but the company has not yet announced the retail version. Board member tweet Any satellite service also needs a network of ground stations to tap into existing fiber optic infrastructure. These are the points where the space network fuses with the world wide web. "What goes up must come down," Hudson said. SpaceX is preparing these "gateway" stations, too. The company has registered 26 locations with the FCC, each of which can host eight antennas. Some are SpaceX-owned properties while others belong to telecommunications companies, such as Level Three Communications, which can presumably supply high-speed hookups. Handfuls of mushroom-shaped domes radar transparent weather protection for antennas have recently cropped up on some of the lots. Why 'crosslinking' is the key concept International team of scientists warns of increasing threats posed by invasive species KINGSTON, R.I. - June 26, 2020 -- In a new study, scientists from around the world - including a professor at the University of Rhode Island - warn that the threats posed by invasive alien species are increasing. They say that urgent action is required to prevent, detect and control invaders at both local and global levels. Alien species are plants, animals and microbes that are introduced by people, accidentally or intentionally, into areas where they do not naturally occur. Many of them thrive, spreading widely with harmful effects on the environment, economy, or human health. The study, published in the journal Biological Reviews, was carried out by a team of researchers from 13 countries across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North and South America. It states that the number of invasive alien species is increasing rapidly, with more than 18,000 currently listed around the world. According to Laura Meyerson, URI associate professor of natural resources science, the escalation in biological invasions is due to the increase in the number and variety of pathways along which species spread, and to the increasing volume of traffic associated with those pathways. For example, she notes the role played by emerging pathways such as the online trade in unusual pets and the transport of species across oceans on rafts of plastic. The researchers note that the scale of the problem is enormous. A 2017 analysis of global extinctions revealed that alien species contributed to 25 percent of plant extinctions and 33 percent of terrestrial and freshwater animal extinctions. Meanwhile, annual environmental losses caused by introduced species in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India and Brazil have been calculated at more than $100 billion. The study also shows how drivers of global change, such as climate change, land-use change, and international trade, are exacerbating the impacts of biological invasions. Species transported through shipping can now thrive in new regions, for instance, owing to climate warming. And the permanent opening of the Arctic Ocean due to global warming is allowing marine species to move between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The research paper is part of an initiative called World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice, which calls for urgent change in stewardship of the Earth and the life on it. The first notice, in 1992, was supported by 1,700 eminent scientists from around the globe who warned that humanity was on a collision course with the rest of the natural world. Twenty-five years later, a follow-up evaluation supported by 15,000 scientists declared that humanity had failed to make sufficient progress in dealing with the environmental challenges. Indeed, they found that most of these problems had worsened. The authors of the new paper stress that biological invasions can be managed and mitigated. They point to approaches that are working around the world and make specific recommendations for improved management. For example, the introduction of more stringent border controls, including X-ray machines and detector dogs, has led to a progressive decline in the rate of fungal plant pathogens entering New Zealand. Professor Petr Pysek of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University in Prague, lead author of the study, said: "As our knowledge about invasive alien species increases, the problems associated with biological invasions are becoming clearer. The threats posed by invasive alien species to our environment, our economies and our health are very serious, and getting worse. Policy makers and the public need to prioritize actions to stem invasions and their impacts." Professor David Richardson of the Centre for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, the other lead author, added: "Nations such as Australia and New Zealand have made biosecurity a national priority. South Africa has invested heavily in a massive national programme focussed on reducing the negative impacts of widespread invaders on ecosystem services, especially the delivery of water from catchments invaded by alien trees. But action is needed more widely at both national and international levels in order to tackle the challenges effectively." Meyerson, who contributed to the paper and is leading the chapter on trends in invasions for a report on invasive alien species for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, said, "It has been so exciting to see developments in our knowledge and understanding of biological invasions in recent decades, achieved through truly inspiring global collaborations. It is so important that we continue to share our knowledge and engage with relevant stakeholders across sectors and borders." ### This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The UK government on Sunday said it is planning to impose localised lockdowns in some regions showing a spike in coronavirus infections, as latest figures showed that Indian-origin people remain in the category of those hardest hit from the deadly virus among Britains ethnic minorities. Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed as correct the reports of the first such local lockdown for Leicester, a region in eastern England with a large Indian-origin population. We have seen flare-ups across the country already, just in the last three or four weeks in particular. There will be support going into Leicester, said Patel. With local flare-ups it is right we have a localised solution in terms of infection control, social distancing, testing and many of the tools actually within the Public Health England space that will come together to control the virus and to stop the spread so we can get on top of the infection, she said. Patels confirmation came as England has seen an overall fall in the daily death toll and prepares to substantially lift its lockdown restrictions from July 4, when bars, restaurants and cinemas will begin to open up to public access amid Covid-secure guidelines of safe distancing and hygienic conditions. Meanwhile, the latest NHS England statistics revealed that 763 people identifying with Indian heritage have died so far in the pandemic, according to data collated until last Thursday. This continues to reflect three per cent of the total deaths officially recorded by the National Health Service (NHS) from coronavirus, first reported in April at the peak of the pandemic, followed by those of Pakistani and Caribbean heritage as the second-hardest hit ethnic groups at two per cent each. The UK government had conducted a review into the disparity in the impact from the coronavirus pandemic among the countrys black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups and Public Health England (PHE) said it is exploring further measures required to address the disproportionately adverse impact on some ethnicities. As part of some targeted measures, new official guidance was put in place earlier this week which requires pregnant women from BAME backgrounds to be fast-tracked to hospital because of their increased risk of coronavirus. While Public Health England is continuing to assess and advise on the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on ethnic groups, I want to make sure that the NHS is doing everything we can to reach out, reassure and support those pregnant women and new mums most at risk, said Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, the Chief Midwifery Officer for England. All hospitals have also been instructed to complete risk assessments for staff who are perceived at being at a higher risk of coronavirus, including those from a BAME background and with underlying health conditions. The UK has so far reported 311,739 coronavirus cases and 43,598 fatalities due to the disease. 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 Coronavirus impact on the city of Beaumonts budget to this point has been less dire than originally feared. The city had already planned for sales tax to be down because it wasnt expecting a continuation of the post-hurricane purchasing booms from Tropical Storm Harvey and Tropical Depression Imelda. But the worst may not be behind us, as bars close and restaurants are forced once again to limit the number of customers in their establishment. Either way, even if sales tax revenues dont fall any further, its likely Beaumont taxpayers will find themselves sending more of their money to the city without an election to approve the increase. Beaumont, Jefferson County and other local governmental bodies are currently undertaking the laborious process of building next years budgets. Theyre doing so with more uncertainty than usual. Related: SE Texas faces pandemic economy Every year, finance staff makes revenue projections for property and sales taxes as well as other sources of income. But at this time, as coronavirus cases are spiking and some experts say Texas could be headed toward another shutdown, those predictions could be even more challenging. In part as a result of the uncertainty, many budgets are being planned to continue service at the same levels as this year. Here are six things Beaumont and Jefferson County taxpayers should be watching for before budgets are adopted late this summer: Funding first responders The city of Beaumont and Jefferson County have contractual obligations to increase wages to members of law enforcement by 3.5% and 3%, respectively. For Beaumont, that will be about a $915,000 cost increase; it will be nearly $800,000 for the county. Related: Virus-related pay bonus extended in Jefferson County Jefferson County also has seen the cost of medical services provided to jail inmates increase a trend Auditor Patrick Swain said he expects to see continue next year. Beaumont usually also has a contractually mandated increase for firefighters as well. However, the current contract expires Sept. 30. City Manager Kyle Hayes said the citys Fire Pension Board has been reviewing problems funding pensions. A resolution, expected to be voted on by firefighters and then the City Council within the next couple of weeks, resolution likely will dictate whether the firefighters want to bargain for a new contract this year or push it back a year. Expanding Beaumont EMS While the citys Emergency Medical Services technically works under the public health department, the actual units are installed in the citys fire stations. At full staffing, the city can have six EMS units out at all times, but Hayes said staffing changes could bring that down to only four. Which I dont think is acceptable, he said. The city has 12 fire stations. While firefighters can respond to medical calls, the goal is to have six EMS units staffed every day. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox The city also is looking into having an EMS unit stationed closer to the intersection of Dowlen Road and Phelan Boulevard so it can serve the area around Major Drive and Texas 105. Maybe you have five EMS units staffed 24/7 then maybe you have two staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Hayes said, adding that could require the council to vote on adding more employees to the EMS unit. Setting water and sewer rates Beaumont city staffers for several months have discussed issuing $25 million in water revenue bonds to finance water and sewer projects. This is no surprise, Hayes told the council. Weve talked about this for a number of months The citys water and sewer systems sustained damage from Harvey and Imelda and as a result requires various repairs to keep the system running properly. Related: Six things to know about Beaumonts drainage problems, potential fixes At this time, the city is working with its financial adviser to determine how water and sewer rates would be impacted by that debt and if they would need to be increased. Were also having to spend a lot of money on matching funds for grants to do Harvey repairs, said Todd Simoneaux, the citys chief financial officer. Were also going to have to do some repairs from Imelda and were not likely to get reimbursed for those. The council last increased water and sewer rates in 2019. They went up 5% in part to pay for bonds that were expected to be issued in 2020. Related: Water, garbage rates see 2019 increases Those bonds were never issued and, as a result, the council may not have to raise rates again. Ultimately, the council will take all this information to determine how much debt the city issues and over what period of time it will be paid back. Deciding on capital projects Hayes recently told the council that the city already has held off pursuing some previously approved facility improvements to conserve cash amid the coronavirus-related uncertainty. He expects that will continue into next year. Were going to have to be much tougher on what we approve, meaning I think because of where we are today, we need to move forward with items that most of us would agree are needed and top priorities instead of something we may want to do, he said. Im talking park improvements, facility improvements, equipment. That also applies to new street projects. Related: Beaumont council may welcome birds, fence out hogs Hayes said the city has about $8 million left in the street rehabilitation fund before it needs to issue new debt. With the remaining money, the city is expected to finish work on Washington Boulevard and continue day-to-day work rehabbing streets, largely with concrete overlays and other repair work. While the council can decide to issue new debt and move forward with projects at any time, Hayes suggested waiting on a progress report from a consultant previously hired to survey streets and determine what work needed to be done. The group previously told the city it needed to spend at least $5 million each year to improve streets overall. However, Harvey and Imelda damage and a shortage of contractors to do the work made reaching that goal challenging, Hayes said. He hopes the consultants will offer answers. Do you need to spend $10 million a year? $8 million a year? he said. We dont know yet. Thats going to determine how much street rehab money you borrow the next time. Related: Storms pass, stick taxpayers with bill County government nearly always takes on a much smaller number of capital projects. Swain, the county auditor, said this year in particular he isnt seeing many big requests from county departments. I think everybody was aware it was going to be a tight budget year, he said. Some departments have asked to hire additional people, but its unclear how that will shake out as comments to Swain from the Commissioners Court show the body leaning toward keeping the budget largely the same for next year. Fixing Imelda damage Imelda brought Southeast Texas second record flood in as many years. Nearly a year later, most local governments are assuming they will not be reimbursed for the subsequent damages. As a result, the city of Beaumont will have to absorb about $2.8 million in related expenditures. The majority of that, however, was from the water fund and as a result could be rectified as a part of the bonds the city expects to sell for water and sewer projects. Related: Feds unlikely to reimburse local governments for Imelda-related costs Swain said Jefferson County already has taken the hit to its disaster fund with relatively little impact on the rest of the budget. However, he said, hes seen that fund go from a high of about $10 million to where it sits now at about $3 million. Swain said the county is expecting one more payment from Hurricane Ike, a storm that struck in 2008, and will get reimbursement for coronavirus expenses from the CARES Act. But even with that additional cash, he said, the county likely is looking at putting more money in the disaster fund to cover damage from the next major storm. Preparing voters to decide on tax increases Beginning in 2020, changes by the Texas Legislature meant residents must approve any tax increase more than 3.5%. That means, even if a governing body didnt vote to raise the tax rate, if appraised values increased enough that the city or other political subdivision would take in at least 3.5% more revenue, it would go to a vote of the people. Related: Tax hike could be in Beaumonts future Increases in revenues because of new construction are not included in this formula. A projected property tax value increase of nearly 5% before the protest process is complete for the city of Beaumont could move the city toward a tax election. However, the coronavirus disaster declaration allows political subdivisions to operate under the old law, which does not mandate an election for tax increases of up to 8%, for at least two years, Simoneaux said. City staff does not yet have a recommendation regarding which proposal to accept. The county operates under the same law, but Swain said he doesnt see any elected county official trying to raise rates at this time. Hayes is expected to present the citys proposed budget to the council by Aug. 15. Jefferson County commissioners will begin hearing from county departments on their proposed budgets on July 13. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/KaitlinBain John Wayne Airport in Californias Orange County is the subject of a potential name change spearheaded by Democratic politicians due to the Hollywood icons racist and bigoted statements. The airport was renamed to honor the actor, who lived nearby, after he died in 1979. As the Los Angeles Times reports, the Democratic Party of Orange County has passed an emergency resolution calling for the airport to revert back to its original name of Orange County Airport, and to remove statue of Wayne greeting travelers. The resolution includes statements which condemns John Waynes racist and bigoted statements, calling them white supremacist, anti-LGBT and anti-indigenous. The resolution states: It is widely recognized that racist symbols produce lasting physical and psychological stress and trauma, particularly to Black communities, people of color and other oppressed groups, and the removal of racist symbols provides a necessary process for communities to remember historic acts of violence and recognize victims of oppression. The actor, best known for his leading roles in Western films, made several racist statements in a 1971 interview with Playboy, even admitting he was a believer in white supremacy. John Wayne Airport features a statue in honor of the actor. (Photo: Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) The interview saw Wayne say: I believe in white supremacy until the Blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I dont believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people. He also took aim at Native Americans. He said: I dont feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and [they] were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves. Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner told the Times that calls to rename the airport had popped up periodically but typically dont have legs with local residents. There has been a recent surge of actions and petitions to remove place names and symbols linked to figures who profited from or believed in white supremacy. The demands come off the back of the Black Lives Matter movement gaining public attention and traction following the death of George Floyd. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: The shadow education secretary (left) was fired by Sir Keir after failing to apologise sufficiently for retweeting a Maxine Peake interview in which she linked Israeli security services to the murder of George Floyd New Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is not 'purging' the party of Jeremy Corbyn supporters, Ed Miliband insisted today, as he defended the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey. Amid ongoing fury from the Corbynista wing of the party at the sacking Mr Miliband said 'decent' Ms Long-Bailey made a 'significant error of judgement' in sharing an article online containing an allegedly anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. The shadow education secretary was fired by Sir Keir after failing to apologise sufficiently for retweeting a Maxine Peake interview in which she linked Israeli security services to the murder of George Floyd. Ms Miliband, a former party leader and current shadow business secretary, told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'He's not about purges, I know the guy. 'He's a principled guy, he's a guy with integrity, he wants to change this country and he wants to change this country by unifying the Labour Party but also not having the Labour Party mired in issues which, frankly, provide a stain on us.' Mr Miliband was joined by shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds in defending Labour leader Sir Keir's decision, which has prompted a backlash from those on the left of the party. Mr Reynolds said he 'gasped' when he saw that Ms Long-Bailey had shared online an article by actress Maxine Peake containing an allegedly anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. Shadow pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he 'gasped' when he saw that Ms Long-Bailey had shared the article online Amid ongoing fury from the Corbynista wing of the party at the sacking Mr Miliband said 'decent' Ms Long-Bailey made a 'significant error of judgement' in sharing an article online containing an allegedly anti-Semitic conspiracy theory Miliband: Starmer is definitely a better Labour leader than me Ed Miliband mocked himself as he insisted Sir Keir Starmer is 'definitely' a better Labour Party leader than him. Mr Miliband resigned as Labour leader in 2015 after his party's crushing election defeat handed power to the Conservatives under David Cameron. He returned to the backbenches during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership before Sir Keir made him shadow business secretary in April. As his interview on the BBC neared its conclusion, Mr Marr said: 'You've seen Keir Starmer now in operation for a few months. Is he going to be a better leader of the Labour Party than you?' Mr Miliband replied: 'Definitely. I think you've seen that already.' He laughed as he added: 'Look, I certainly never had his approval ratings. I think he's made a great start. I think he's shown not just competence but the kind of seriousness that this crisis demands. 'I think the more people see of him the more they'll see the integrity, the principle and decency I know really well.' Advertisement Sir Keir said he had acted in order to rebuild trust with the Jewish community after years in which Labour has been embroiled in allegations of anti-Semitism under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell was among those on the left of the party to reject claims that Ms Peake's comments were anti-Semitic and said he stood 'in solidarity' with Ms Long-Bailey. On Friday Sir Keir knocked back Jeremy Corbyn and other left-wing Labour MPs as he refused their pleas to reverse his decision. The new Labour leader faced Mr Corbyn in a crunch meeting with at least 12 front and backbench members of the hard-Left Socialist Campaign Group after initially declining to see them at all. At the meeting Sir Keir is said to have refused to bow to Mr Corbyn and his allies Diane Abbott and Mr McDonnell. Mr Miliband said today he did not think Ms Long-Bailey was anti-Semitic but made a 'significant error of judgement'. He said of the sacking: 'I don't think it was an overreaction.' He went on: 'The problem about the interview - and I've met Maxine Peake, who I think is a perfectly decent person and she's apologised, and I think that's significant - was it's the casualness of it, that is in the way the problem. 'A terrible thing happens to George Floyd and the Israeli defence force is somehow singled out. I think Britain has had exchanges with American police forces but Britain wasn't singled out.' When asked on Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme whether Sir Keir had been right to act, Mr Reynolds said: 'Yes, the sharing of an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, I'm afraid, is not something that can be ignored. 'If people don't understand why that was anti-Semitic then there are a lot of resources available for people to understand and find that out.' He added: 'It caught my breath - I assumed perhaps it hadn't been read and an apology forthcoming. 'I don't know exactly why it is still up there on Twitter but there's no doubt it is an anti-Semitic theory and we promised zero-tolerance, and that has to be what we practise and preach.' Sir Keir Starmer appointed banker-turned child poverty activist Kate Green MP as Labour's new Shadow Education Secretary today. The Stretford and Urmston MP returns to the shadow cabinet after serving as shadow minister for women and equalities under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. She quit after the referendum, in what was seen by left-wing critics as a coup against the Islington North MP, and went on to chair Owen Smith's failed leadership bid. Sir Keir gave her the role of shadow minister for child poverty strategy in April, before elevating her to education spokeswoman two months on. She worked for Barclays Bank from 1982 to 1997 after university. 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. following the Pakistani aviation authoritys investigation revealing that over 250 Pakistani pilots have fake licenses. A Vietnam Airlines aircraft is seen at a local airport. CAAV has suspended 27 Pakistani pilots flying for Vietnamese carriers to check their licenses authenticity PHOTO: VNA The suspended pilots licenses were granted by the Pakistani aviation authority. CAAV is waiting for the final conclusion over the issue from the Pakistani authority to take further steps, said CAAV head Dinh Viet Thang. Aside from these Pakistani pilots, there are no foreign pilots in Vietnam having their licenses issued by the Pakistani authority, the official confirmed. To date, thousands of foreign pilots are flying for local airlines such as flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific, Vasco, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, according Tuoi Tre newspaper. In 2011, South Koreas aviation authority informed CAAV of a case in which Kim Tae Hun, a South Korean pilot that was working at Vietnam Airlines, was suspected to have used a fake license to fly an Airbus A320. The suspension came after he made a failed landing attempt at a Busan airport in South Korea. On noticing the problematic landing, the Vietnamese captain immediately took over control of the plane from Kim Tae Hun. Following a probe into his suspected fake license, CAAV confirmed that Kim Tae Hun had used the fake license and other relevant documents issued by the Indonesian aviation authority to fly Airbus A320 aircraft. After his fake license was detected, Kim Tae Hun quit his job at Vietnam Airlines in August 2011 before CAAV completed the probe into his case. Bamboo Airways affirms no employment of Pakistani pilots Budget carrier Bamboo Airways on June 28 affirmed that it is not currently employing any Pakistani pilots or those using licenses granted by Pakistan. Foreign pilots working for the airline are mainly from the UK, France, Germany, Brazil and Mexico, it said. Earlier the same day, Vietnam Airlines Group, including Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), announced that foreign pilots working for them are not Pakistani nationals or use licenses granted by Pakistan. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) has suspended nearly 20 Pakistani pilots working for Vietnamese airlines after Pakistan discovered 262 local pilots using fake licenses. The administrations is waiting for the review results from the Pakistani aviation authorities to determine if the pilots have used fake licenses, CAAV Director Dinh Viet Thang said, adding that the suspension will be removed if Vietnamese aviation authorities' review proves their licenses and qualifications are legal. Tan Son Nhat airports runway to be closed for maintenance The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has decided to close a runway and some taxiways at Ho Chi Minh City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport for maintenance and upgrade starting from July 1. Accordingly, the 25R/07L runway and E1, NS1, W4 and W6 taxiways will be closed until the end of this year for the first phase of the maintenance project. The 25L/07R runway will be used during the closure. Under the project, two rapid-exit and one parallel taxiway will be built, while six current sections will be improved. The project will be carried out at a cost of over 2.01 trillion VND (86.7 million USD), according to the Ministry of Transport. The Tan Son Nhat Airport has been asked to join hands with relevant agencies to ensure security, safety and operations at the airport during the implementation of the project and inform airlines of the closure of the 25R/07L runway.SGT/VNA 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. Returned travellers who refuse coronavirus testing will have to spend more than three weeks holed up in hotels, even as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews revealed that small children could be behind the high rate of test refusal for those in forced quarantine. The move comes as a second peak of coronavirus cases in Victoria reached a new high, with the latest figures showing 49 new cases reported, the highest number for a single day in almost three months. On Sunday morning the Premier announced that returned travellers who refused coronavirus tests would now face a fine and have to spend an extra 10 days in hotels, taking their total stay to 24 days. But he also provided some explanation for revelations that about 30 per cent of returned travellers had been refusing tests, saying many of them were young children whose parents did not wish them to undergo uncomfortable nose and throat swabs. If youve never seen the inside of a packing plant, you should. Only then can you realize just how hard the people, who give us our daily supply of meat, work. Hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of workers stand next to one another on a massive production line dissecting animals in record time with the use of razor-sharp knives and various tools. The work is back-breaking and dangerous. Conditions in packing plants have, historically, been notorious, dating back to Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel The Jungle, which portrayed the harsh conditions of migrant packing plant workers in the Chicago packing industry. Today's plants are, of course, nothing like the plants of "Jungle" days, but the way packing plant workers have been treated during the coronavirus pandemic is troubling. According to the Midwest Center for Investigative Report (reported in USA Today), as of May 20 at least 15,300 COVID-19 infections had occurred in 192 U.S. meat packing plants; at least 63 workers had died. These numbers do not, of course, reflect the number of family members infected. If this was any other occupation or profession with these numbers of infected, I believe America would be outraged. In my view, our country treats meat packing plant workers as disposables, as if their lives and safety somehow are not as important as the rest of ours. It wasn't hard to see this coming. Social isolation in a packing plant is an oxymoron. To make things worse, COVID-19 loves the cold. And with President Trumps executive order requiring all plants to stay open, we were requiring these folks to work in what amounted to a COVID-19 petri dish. Nothing outside of voluntary efforts was done to protect these people by the federal government that demanded these plants stay open. Shameful. The governors of our tri-state area could have filled the void and taken pro-active measures in their respective states to better protect workers, but didn't. Incredibly, they sometimes blamed the workers. After discussing the closure in April of the Smithfield plant in Sioux Falls as a result of infections of employees, Gov. Kristi Noem actually said, 99% of whats going on today wasnt happening inside the facility. Who believes that? Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts also suggested a meat packing plant virus outbreak could happen because of crowded conditions in worker homes. It took Iowa OSHA nine days to respond to a complaint in April the virus was spreading on the production floor at the Tyson plant in Perry, according to a May 18 story by The Associated Press. On May 5, one week after OSHA closed its file on the case - after determining company response was "satisfactory" and without inspecting the plant - the Iowa Department of Public Health announced 730 workers at the Perry plant, or 58% of the workforce, had tested positive for the coronavirus, AP reported. Governor Kim Reynolds said Iowa OSHA acted appropriately. Really? She also said workers who dont show up for work out of fear of contracting coronavirus will be ineligible for unemployment benefits. How does that protect public safety? I want to be clear. I point no fingers at any one specific company today. Rather, my views are focused on the industry as a whole - and, more specifically, on a lack of government action in the form of needed regulations - in our tri-state region and across the country. Also, full disclosure: As an attorney, I specialize in protection of worker rights, so this issue resonates with me. In my view, the underlying problem here is that the meat packing industry is now, essentially, self-regulated; most OSHA inspections are complaint-based. And the Trump administration has made it worse - far less oversight and a green light to speed up production lines even more. After touring meat packing plants across Nebraska earlier this year, University of Nebraska Medical Center public health and infection control experts discovered some progress has been made in certain areas, but not much in the area of social distancing and providing paid time off (after its study, the UNMC officials put together a playbook for plants to help curb spread of the virus). Of more than 600 packing plant workers surveyed by UNMC, only 39 percent said their plants had spaced out workers on the production line and in common areas such as cafeterias and locker rooms and only 29 percent said they were sure their employer offered additional paid time off or sick leave for workers who contracted the coronavirus. Shutdown of meat packing plants this year due to the pandemic led to mask requirements and some plastic sheeting between workers, but more needs to be done. It would not take much effort to dramatically increase the safety in these plants and concurrently protect the public. Production lines should be slowed down to allow for these changes. In my mind, it comes down to a very fundamental question: Who is the government supposed to protect? Next week: Linda Holub A Sioux City resident and local attorney, Al Sturgeon is a former Democratic state representative and senator. He is the father of six children. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) The Health Department has ordered the deployment of doctors including doctors to the barrios to Cebu City to help aid its battle against the COVID-19 crisis, its spokesperson said Sunday. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III issued a directive to deploy additional physicians following the reported understaffing of health workers in the area, Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said in a statement. Vergeire said the deployment will not be permanent, as the doctors particularly rural health physicians will be tasked to provide relief for the current staff, similar to previous assignments in the Marawi and Yolanda crises. Meaning the municipality they serve already has a municipal-hired doctor ensuring that the municipalities they serve will not be left doctorless during their assignment. Health care services will continue, Vergeire said. The very nature of the DTTB (Doctors to the Barrios) program is to post doctors, usually in most remote areas where access to healthcare is a challenge, and where quality health care service is most needed, the spokesperson added, noting how the coronavirus cases in Cebu City have reached a critical point. The Doctors to the Barrios, however, condemned the directive, saying the concerned physicians were not properly informed or briefed through writing. They added that there was no proper consultation prior to the orders rollout. The absence of proper communication, justifying the temporary reassignment of rural health physicians serving in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) to serve in private hospitals in Cebu City is a clear violation of the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, the group said in a statement shared on Facebook, citing Section 6 of Republic Act No. 7305. The deployed doctors likewise called on the DOH to rethink the directive, with the DTTB seeking inclusive dialogue between the government and other concerned stakeholders. We hope that DOH will consider this before it is too late, before the apathy and lack of accountability by their leadership completely smother the flames of passion and service of an entire generation of doctors, it added. Addressing the crisis in Cebu City Aside from the DTTB, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has also sent a medical team to help in Cebu Citys battle against the viral disease. The group is comprised of nine doctors, 10 nurses, and 13 medical aides, the AFP said in a statement. Cebu City, now tagged as a COVID-19 hotspot, was placed under the stricter enhanced community quarantine in efforts to curb the spread of the deadly virus. In an earlier interview with CNN Philippines, the Philippine Nurses Association Cebu Chapter revealed that several nurses in the area are being sent to quarantine facilities, leaving hospitals with understaffed healthcare workers. Aside from limited manpower, the group also cried for help on depleting medical supplies. Its president Joseph Descallar likewise admitted that many nurses in Cebu are already contemplating on quitting their jobs due to unmet benefits and incentives. READ: Understaffed Cebu nurses appeal for PPE, hazard pay amid surge in COVID-19 cases Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases nationwide has surpassed 35,000. A popular mummy blogger has given candid insight into her sex life while confessing to an interesting midday habit. Constance Hall, 36, who lives in Perth, Western Australia, spoke about her sexual frustrations to her more than one million followers online. Mrs Hall said she often found herself craving sex more than her husband, Denim Cooke. As a result the mother-of-seven said she was forced to pleasure herself while thinking of Mad Max actor Tom Hardy in an attempt to relieve some of the stress of her day. 'Who has the energy or time for sex these days?' she wrote. Controversial mummy blogger Constance Hall (pictured) has given X-rated insight into the struggles of her sex life and how a 'midday masti' is one of life's luxuries Mrs Hall was lamenting the power shift in the sexual relationship with her husband, Denim Cooke (pictured together), saying she had found herself wanting it more than him 'Which is weird for a woman as we are used to flicking men away like annoying dogs on heat that would hump your legs. 'Today I was alone for an hour and I thought.. "hmm now would be a great time to make a withdrawal at the w*** bank..." one of life's luxuries is a little midday masti (sic) when nobodies home.' As Mrs Hall said that privacy as a mother was often fleeting and said her lunchtime treat was ruined by one of her children. 'Just as I was just about there I could feel my whole day about to change, I heard it,' she said. 'Muuuuuuuuuuum Rumi stole my ball! Yep. I'd lost track of time. Instead Mrs Hall said she has been turning to a 'midday masti' (sic) to help alleviate some of her sexual frustrations, using Hollywood star Tom Hardy for inspiration The candid post (pictured) drew thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments from a host of different social media users 'And it occurred to me that must be orgasm #4289 that my kids have ruined by waking up or barging in or whatever.' The candid post drew thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments from a host of different social media users. 'I feel so unsexy because now we wait for interruption or it's rush and unloved,' one sympathetic user responded. 'Love you Con and your honesty and always saying what I'm feeling!' another added. 'So completely real and relatable,' a third wrote. Constance and Denim tied the knot in a bohemian forest ceremony at Karriview Lodge near Margaret River, Western Australia, in January 2018 following a whirlwind romance. The couple parent a blended brood which includes their son Raja, Constance's children Billie-Violet, Arlo-Love, and twins Rumi and Snow from her marriage to Bill Mahon, and Denim's kids Zeyke and Sunny. More than three months after testing positive for COVID-19, Perry Hanchey has his energy back. In mid-March, the 70-year-old Longview Pentecostal Church pastor was hospitalized for five days with pneumonia in both lungs. Hanchey was so sick he thought he might not survive. The previous week, hed been sick at home with weakness, chills and fevers. After leaving the hospital on March 20, Hanchey said recently it took nearly a month to fully recover. I would say it took a good three weeks or so before I felt like I could breathe real deep and my strength came back, he said. It was quite an experience. Hanchey is one Cowlitz Countys 74 recovered virus patients, which make up about 44% of the total cases, according to the Cowlitz COVID-19 Incident Management Team. As of Friday, the county has reported a total of 169 cases. The state considers patients recovered if, 28 days after symptoms began or they were tested, they are alive and not hospitalized. About 42% of COVID-19 patients in the United States have recovered, according to Worldometer. An estimated 80% of COVID-19 patients worldwide recover without needing hospital treatment, according to the World Health Organization. There is no official treatment for COVID-19, and since the disease is relatively new, any long-term effects are still coming to light. Symptoms can range from mildly discomforting to life-threatening, with one in five patients becoming seriously ill and developing difficulty breathing. Those with existing serious illnesses also are more likely to have complications, according to the WHO. Those complications include pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, organ failure, heart problems, blood clots, kidney injury and viral or bacterial infections, according to the Mayo Clinic. While older people or those with pre-existing medical conditions are more likely to become seriously ill from the virus, anyone infected runs the risk of severe illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the countys 169 total cases, 18 have been hospitalized, which is about 10.7%, according to the state Department of Health, with no virus-related deaths. In Washington, about 4,200 people have been hospitalized, or 13.6% of cases, and more than 1,300 have died, according to the agency. Hancheys illness fell on the more severe side, but he said since shaking off the last dregs of the pneumonia in late April, he hasnt shown any other side effects. Although she was never tested, doctors told his wife, who was sick during the week she cared for Hanchey at home, that she definitely had COVID-19 as well, he said. The virus may have hit Hanchey harder than his wife because his lungs are likely damaged from years of welding, he said. At least three members of Hancheys congregation also tested positive for COVID-19, he said. One man didnt have symptoms, and an older couple were hospitalized, but have since recovered, Hanchey said. Another member of the congregation lost his sense of taste (a symptom of COVID-19) but was never tested, he said. As the county has reopened under Phase 2 of the governors plan, Hanchey has begun visiting with members of the congregation in person in small groups. While some are more cautious and stay away from gatherings, others are chomping at the bit to have church services again, he said. But Hanchey said everyone understands the need to follow the restrictions. The social distancing, face masks, thats not a salvation issue, he said. This is a protection of health issue. We really need to be careful and use good sense. God gave us that ability and he never leaves us. People understand that. Hanchey said he and his wife are being more cautious now because they know the danger of the virus. The couple still follow social distancing guidelines and get in and out of the store quickly, he said. Health officials still dont know if those previously infected with coronavirus retain immunity or could become infected again. I sure wouldnt want to go through it again, Hanchey 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. Video PlayerClose Screenshot from Apple's website shows Yu Tielin (2nd L, Bottom) attending the meetup of Swift Student Challenge winners during Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020. [Xinhua] "The true meaning of developing an app lies in how it impacts our world," says Yu Tielin. SAN FRANCISCO, June 27 (Xinhua) Programming is her way to help promote Chinese traditional folk art amid COVID-19 pandemic, Yu Tielin, a Chinese high school student who won Apple's 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC20) Swift Student Challenge, said on Saturday. Apple's WWDC20 was held from June 22 to 26 in a virtual format. Among a global community of developers, there were 350 Swift Student Challenge winners from 41 different countries and regions attending the event. The students were chosen based on their original Swift playground submission, part of Apple's annual WWDC student challenge, which recognizes and celebrates the next generation of coders and creators. "It's really a pity that I couldn't communicate with other winners in person at this year's WWDC because of the pandemic. I will continue to use my programming skills to solve more problems, and hopefully to participate in building a better future," Yu told Xinhua. The undated file photo shows Yu Tielin's app for paper-cut teaching. [Xinhua] She attended a virtual meetup for a dozen of Swift Student Challenge winners during the WWDC20 and shared her thoughts on the work. In the playground Yu designed, the players will get various patterns of paper-cut, and choose one they love to get a complete paper-cut. After they cut the paper, they can click on the AR to place the paper-cut on the windows or walls around them virtually. "The idea of this playground was born after a recent trip to my grandparents' village, seeing lots of beautiful paper-cut artwork there. I wanted to preserve this culture, modernize it, and encourage more people to learn about it," Yu said. The undated file photo shows Yu Tielin's app for paper-cut teaching. [Xinhua] "During the pandemic, my school's paper-cut club activities had to stop. This can also be a good way to help people learn, share and communicate from homes," she added. This year, the young programmers focused their effort mainly in three categories: environment, health, and home life, according to Yu. "It is the first time I met the winners from all over the world in a virtual way, I can feel they shared the same creativity and passion for programming. What impressed me most is the strong sense of social responsibility from our works," she noted. File photo taken on Dec. 26, 2019 shows that Yu Tielin (L, Front) teaches a student programming in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [Xinhua] She said the meetup made her more determined to develop new apps. "The true meaning of developing an app lies in how it impacts our world." "This year's WWDC20 student developers are creating apps that do incredible things... Amazing to see how they're dreaming big and changing the world," said Apple CEO Tim Cook after a drop-by to the meetup. (Source: Xinhua) The devastated mother of a 17-year-old schoolgirl who was killed in a head-on car crash told of the horror of discovering her daughter's lifeless body in the mangled wreckage. Olivia Alkir died instantly when the Ford Fiesta she was a passenger in crashed head-on into an oncoming Mercedes at 80mph at Efenechtyd, near Ruthin, in June 2019. Her mother Jo Alkir - who rushed to the scene of the crash after getting a call from a neighbour - screamed 'is she dead?' and pleaded 'I'm not living without you' as paramedics frantically pumped her only-child's chest. Edward Ryan Bell - the then-17-year-old driver of the Fiesta - ignored Olivia Alkir's screams to slow down as he raced on the wrong side of the road against Thomas Henry Quick, 18, in a Ford KA. Earlier this year, both boy racers were jailed for five years for causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. The devastated mother of 17-year-old schoolgirl Olivia Alkir (pictured) who was killed in a head-on car crash told of the horror of discovering her daughter's lifeless body in the mangled wreckage Mrs Alkir described driving to the scene of the crash on the B5105 as 'entering hell'. She saw mangled cars, police officers, a boy covered in blood and, in the midst of it all, emergency workers desperately pumping Olivia's chest as she lay lifeless on the ground. Mrs Akir said: 'I was screaming, "Is she dead? Is she dead?". I was shouting at her, begging her to live. 'I was telling her all the good things we had planned, going to Morfa Nefyn, and to Turkey. 'I was using all the emotional blackmail I could to get her to respond. I told her, "I'm not living without you." Olivia's dad Mesut said he knew as he drove into the village that his daughter had died. He describes a strange feeling washing over him as he made his way to the scene. 'In my head,' he said, 'I was planning a funeral. I felt like I was two people - one like a robot doing the job, and the other like a father, sad, behind me. 'It was a strange feeling, the aura... that I knew she'd passed away. When I saw her, she didn't have a single scratch on her body or face. She looked pure, like an angel.' It was when police officers asked everyone to move back that Mrs Akir realised her daughter was gone. 'You see it in films don't you?' she said. 'The doctor came over and said, "We did everything we could." 'We fastened her into the ambulance, kissed her goodbye and Mesut went with her to the hospital. I couldn't breathe.' Olivia died instantly when the Ford Fiesta she was a passenger in crashed head-on into an oncoming Mercedes at 80mph at Efenechtyd, near Ruthin, in June 2019 Mrs Akir said she would often tell her daughter that 'boys kill girls in cars every year,' and 'not to be one of them'. She had even embarrassed Olivia by demanding to see how her male friends drove before allowing them to pick her up. 'On that day, we didn't know where Olivia was going,' Mrs Akir said. 'She told me she was going for a walk. 'If I'd had a phone call to say, "Mum, we're all going to go to Llyn Brenig to swim in the reservoir," that would've been the first "no". 'Then the thought of her going up that road with a boy who'd just passed his driving test, that would've been another "no". 'But it was the start of their summer, it was a lovely day and they were ready to live their lives and enjoy themselves. 'They had made plans in good faith, and were trusting in their friends' sense of honour and responsibility.' Bell was due to have a speed-restricting black box fitted in his Fiesta the day after the crash. At the end of the boys' hearing in March, a harrowing statement from Mr and Mrs Akir was read out, in which they described how their lives had been torn apart. Only their own early deaths could be offer any relief from the pain of losing their beautiful, promising daughter. Edward Ryan Bell (right) - the then-17-year-old driver of the Fiesta - ignored Olivia Alkir's screams to slow down as he raced on the wrong side of the road against Thomas Henry Quick, 18, (left) in a Ford KA The weekend had been set to be filled with fun, with Mrs Akir and Olivia looking forward to the trip to Morfa Nefyn. Instead, Mrs Akir and her Turkish husband found themselves preparing for their daughter's funeral. They had Olivia's body cleaned in a Muslim ceremony, before she was delicately wrapped in a shroud ready to be buried. 'I said goodbye to her then, and when I came home, I felt at ease,' said Mrs Akir. 'For some reason, I felt this absolute calm. It was a beautiful ceremony. Having friends with me in the next room gave me great comfort. 'We had the strength from the whole community.' Mr Akir said he doesn't know how he and his wife found the strength to go on. 'When people lose a child, they go crazy, suicidal, or they do stupid things,' he said. 'How we didn't do it, I sometimes question myself, but I believe it was protection from Olivia or God or Allah.' Olivia's coffin was carried from her home to the church by her friends. A memorial bench has since been placed at her graveside with a plaque that reads 'Beloved Child of Our Village.' 'So much good has come from the community with this tragedy,' said Mrs Akir. Harrowing footage shows two boy racers speeding around the roads of north Wales, hours before they would cause the fatal crash 'It has helped us through the first year but it's the rest of our lives now that we've got to slowly adjust to. 'Everyone's lives will move on and ours won't.' This weekend, as the couple, from Efenectyd, near Ruthin, prepare to put Olivia's headstone on her grave, Mrs Akir said it is her wish that families will have the conversations that could spare others from suffering the same unimaginable grief they have had to endure. 'As a tribute to Olivia, I want people to use the day to have a conversation - parent to child or even child to child. If you've got a friend who drives badly, please talk to them, because we've all got time on our hands at the moment. 'Some parents seem to think getting the best or fastest car for their child is the right thing to do when it's not. It's feeding their ego. 'You cannot change the red mist that comes over when a boy gets behind the wheel of a car, so you have to take away the risk and opportunity by having a black box and only allowing them to carry one passenger for the first year. 'Other countries have this in place. Driving is a skill that requires focus and respect.' 'If one conversation can save a life then we've done a good job and we will work with the police soon to keep spreading our message - that this beautiful, intelligent wonderful girl that could have gone far was an innocent victim in a race between two egos. 'They've ruined their own lives as well.' Mrs Akir said she and her husband are just 'shells' now. 'We've got to exist on this planet for as long as mother nature wants us to, but it's waking up every morning, knowing what we had and what we lost that day. 'We had the most amazing child. It's not just us that feel that way as parents. It's what the community tell us, it's what school have told us, the village, everybody. 'People have told us how Olivia inspired them and their children and this makes us very proud. 'She'd start revising so early, we'd have to tell her to stop, to go for a swim or a walk and take a break. It was hard to get her away from the books. 'On the day we took her to look around Leeds University, we had to drop her off at Denbigh Leisure Centre at 5am first because she had lifeguard training. 'We picked her up about 7am and by the time we got to Leeds, she had done full make up and hair - she just looked amazing how she changed in the car from this wet soggy look to this absolute beauty. 'The other kids were there with their rucksacks and glasses looking all nerdy and there was Olivia like something out of Legally Blonde - but there was so much more to her than that.' As Mrs Akir gets set to return to her job at Denbighshire council, she said she already dreading the reality of Olivia not sending her messages throughout the day. 'It's about going back to normal and I don't want normal because it no longer exists for us.' Mr Akir said returning to work at Wholebake in Corwen was a struggle for him. 'I can't find the strength or spirit to work because I don't have a reason any more. Before I was working hard and doing overtime for Olivia's future. Now it doesn't make sense. 'It's hard, but work help me so much. The staff and management have been very supportive.' The boys can be seen using the roads as a racetrack in their respective Ford KA and Ford Fiesta, as a driver behind them comments 'they are going to die' A deputy head girl at Ysgol Brynhyfryd, she was saving towards university and had even set up a pension. Mrs Akir said: 'I trusted Olivia, she never gave me any reason not to. Never have I had to worry. 'It's lovely looking through these pictures and messages. She was lucky to have such lovely friends who talk about her all the time. 'We keep in touch because we're in it together - we need them as much as they need us. 'Although I admit to them that sometimes it's hard watching them grow and move on with their lives but I tell them I don't want to lose them.' Mr and Mrs Akir haven't changed Olivia's bedroom, and have yet to cancel her passport and Turkish ID card because doing so would feel like they are 'deleting her.' For now, the couple must hold on dearly to the belief that one day, they and their daughter will be reuinted. 'We all believe we'll see her again,' she said. 'We think the love was too strong for it to go.' The managing director of a city-based fastener manufacturing firm has been booked for sexually exploiting his 32-year-old female employee for seven years. The accused, a resident of Phase 2, Dugri, has been booked under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, five years after the victim filed a police complaint in 2015. The case has been registered following an inquiry. We are working to arrest the accused, said ASI Balbir Singh of the Division Number 6 police station. The woman had told the police that the managing director of the firm, where her father worked, offered her a job in 2004, when she was 16 years old. She continued to study and also received promotion in the company through the years. Through her employment, the firm also bought them a house for which they are paying instalments. She alleged that in 2008, her employer started asking her to work till late in the evening, while assuring to drop her home from office, which was in Millerganj. One night, he drove her to an isolated place and raped her. After threatening her with dire consequences, he continued to rape her till 2014. He did not relent even after she got married, and also tried to defame her in front of her husband and in-laws, the woman told the police. She finally lodged a police complaint in 2015, following which the police started investigation. The director also filed a cross complaint then, accusing the woman of forgery. She caused a frenzy among fans on Tuesday when she shared a glam snap showing her infamous phrase Fanny Flutters, which she coined on Love Island. And Maura Higgins has playfully warned makeup mogul Kylie Jenner to 'watch out' as she prepares to launch her own 34-piece line with Inglot Cosmetics. The Irish beauty, 29, also revealed that she wants to 'do what the Kardashians do' and use her social media pages to help sell her products, reports the Sun On Sunday. Fighting talk: Maura Higgins, 29, has told makeup mogul Kylie Jenner to 'watch out' as the Love Island star reveals her own upcoming collection is with Inglot Cosmetics Speaking to the publication, Maura warned: 'I'd say Kylie Jenner would have to watch out. I reckon she's going to be looking for my products in the future.' 'I want to do what the Kardashians do and use my social media channels to sell the products. 'Im a very fussy person, but Im happy with the finished results, its a dream come true. Ive ensured there are so many colours to suit all different skin tones.' Maura also explained how she has put a lot of effort into creating the 34-piece collection and emphasised how she hasn't just out her face and name to it. Makeup queen: Kylie Jenner's own range, which she promotes on Instagram, has earned her millions Taking to Instagram on Sunday morning, the Love Island star finally revealed who her range was being made in collaboration with. She wrote: 'This feels surreal. I can't believe that I'm actually writing this but.. I am officially launching my very own 34 Piece Collection with Inglot Cosmetics.' Inglot also shared more information about the hotly anticipated range, revealing that it will be available to buy from Wednesday evening. They penned: 'We didnt come to play.. this is a Limited Edition 34 piece range which has been handpicked and inspired by the stars iconic, glamorous and sassy makeup style and personality.' Hard work: Maura said her range is 'a dream come true' and added that she has 'ensured there are so many colours to suit all different skin tones' On Tuesday Maura led her fans to believe that the collection was going to be named after her phrase Fanny Flutters. She shared a video of her Fanny Flutters branding, which was up on a laptop screen, while she played the song Naughty Girl by Beyonce on Instagram. And alongside a picture of her YouTube page Maura wrote: 'Got there in the end with all of your help. Thank you all very much.' No way! On Tuesday Maura shared glam snaps with FANNY FLUTTERS, the term she coined on Love Island, across the images Getting ready! Maura revealed more of the artwork for her make-up line on her YouTube channel but later had to clarify that the name FANNY FLUTTERS wasn't for her makeup range However a couple of days later the brunette beauty posted an update clarifying that the name was for her channel and not for her makeup range. Maura has also been sparking romance rumours with fellow Love Island star Chris Taylor after it was reported that they'd enjoyed a enjoyed a cosy weekend locked down together. Chris appeared keen to fan the romance flames on Monday, when he posted a cheeky snap in which he mimicked Maura in response to her Instagram post. Fanning the flames: Chris Taylor intensified rumours of a romance with Maura on Monday, when he shared an Instagram post in which he mimicked her Days after Maura shared a shot of herself posing in a pink mouse-themed robe and said she 'just [needs] to find a Mickey', Chris, 29, uploaded his own version. The tattooed hunk was seen posing for his selfie in a black bathrobe while donning a pair of mouse ears as he wrote: 'Just need to find a Minnie.' Showing off his best smouldering pose, Chris even went as far as to mirror Maura's pose, resting his hand on one side of his face as he pouted. The post quickly drew reactions, with Maura commenting: 'Interesting,' followed by a trio of laughing emojis. Actor Nana Patekar visited late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs family in Patna on Sunday. Video shared on social media shows Nana meeting with Sushants father. As per a report in The New Indian Express, Nana paid tribute to Sushant by laying flowers next to his framed photograph. He discussed the actor and his works with his family. After meeting the CRPF jawans. ACTOR Nana Patekar visit the Sushant Singh Rajput Home Rajeev Nagar In Patna...#CBIEnquiryForSSR #NanaPatekar#DilBecharaOnBigScreen pic.twitter.com/gx7XLGiDGv Sam (@O07SAM) June 28, 2020 Earlier, Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari paid final respects to Sushant at his prayer meet in Patna. Actor Akshara Singh also attended the meet. Sushant died by suicide on June 14 and his last rites were performed at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Mumbai a day later. The funeral was attended by his family and a select few from the film and television industry. His ashes were immersed in the Ganga river on June 18 by his father, two sisters and other family members. Sushant was 34 and was suffering from depression. The post-mortem report listed the cause of death as asphyxia due to hanging. The Mumbai Police is currently investigating his death and has questioned as many as 27 people about it. Also read: I will get you for this: Twinkle Khanna warns son Aarav as he clicks her taking a 4pm nap Sushants final film, Dil Bechara, will get a direct-to-digital release on Disney+ Hotstar. The film marks the directorial debut of casting director Mukesh Chhabra and is an official adaptation of John Greens novel The Fault In Our Stars. Sanjana Sanghi will make her debut in a leading role with the film. It also features a cameo by Saif Ali Khan. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918 Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Just a few months after Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian gas company landed a deal with an Obama administration renewable energy program that had been championed by one of his father's key vice presidential advisers, newly released State Department memos show. The Memorandum of Understanding between Burisma and USAID's Municipal Energy Reform Project in Ukraine (MERP) was signed in October 2014, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by Just the News under the Freedom of Information Act. At that time, Burisma was under very public investigations by both the British government and the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office and considered by the State Department to suffer from corruption issues. And the Burisma official who signed the MOU, Andrii Kicha, was publicly identified in British court documents in 2014 as someone whose conduct was questioned during the probe. More recently, Kicha was detained in Ukraine in what law enforcement authorities there said was a failed attempt to deliver a $6 million bribe to prosecutors designed to end continuing investigations of the controversial gas company. Kicha has long denied wrongdoing, and Burisma has said it did not have any involvement in the bribery plot. The company has fought allegations of corruption for years and settled some of the Ukrainian cases against it at the end of the Obama administration by paying a fine. Burisma officials did not respond to a request for comment about the 2014 MERP deal. State Department and USAID press officials also declined comment. A senior State Department official, speaking only on condition of anonymity, said officials do not have much current documentation to show how Burisma landed the 2014 deal with USAID, the department's foreign aid arm, but they believe it wasn't fully vetted by the department. Instead, the official said, it appeared the MOU was approved by USAID's contractor managing the program. The official added that State recently received inquiries from U.S. Senate investigators examining the Bidens' dealings in Ukraine. "This is clearly a matter of interest in their investigation, but right now it looks like Burisma signed the deal with our contractor, and our embassy didn't even know much about it until 2016," the official said, declining to provide more information. Remarkably, the multimillion dollar MERP program's involvement with Burisma escaped notice during last year's impeachment proceedings, which focused heavily on the Bidens' dealings in Ukraine and efforts by Rudy Giuliani, one of President Trump's lawyers, to get the issues surrounding Burisma investigated by Ukrainian authorities. Specifically, Giuliani wanted Ukrainian prosecutors to investigate Joe Biden's successful effort to get the Ukrainian prosecutor leading the Burisma investigation fired in 2016. During those impeachment proceedings, Obama-era State Department officials testified they held strong corruption concerns about the Ukrainian gas company that had hired Hunter Biden in May 2014 and paid his firm more than $3 million in consulting fees. They added they believed Burisma's arrangement with the vice president's son created the "appearance of a conflict of interest" for Joe Biden as he oversaw U.S.-Ukraine policy for the Obama administration. The new documents, which include a copy of the 2014 signed MOU and some 2016 email chatter among State officials about the MERP relationship with Burisma, were obtained under a FOIA lawsuit brought by Just the News and its public interest law firm, the Southeastern Legal Foundation. The memos do not mention either Biden but do show that the U.S. embassy in Kiev did not want Burisma to participate in a MERP event honoring journalists in 2016, something Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent mentioned briefly during his impeachment testimony. The decision to cancel came after a Ukrainian raised concerns that Burisma, with its record of alleged corruption, was doing business with USAID's program. "Burisma has been notified that MERP will be conducting the award ceremony without their participation," a U.S. embassy official wrote in an email that reached Kent and other top officials in September 2016. While the documents don't make mention of the Bidens, the MERP program itself and Burisma have a direct connection to Joe Biden's inner circle. Joe Biden's energy advisor, Amos Hochstein, championed the MERP program in a Senate hearing in July 2014, about three months before Burisma landed the MOU with USAID. Hochstein testified that MERP was part of a multi-pronged U.S. effort by the Obama administration to make Ukraine more energy-independent from Russia by producing its own gas while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "It is critical that Ukraine reduce the countrys energy intensity," he told senators during the testimony. "Thankfully, the United States has a long history of support for energy efficiency in Ukraine. Most recently, USAIDs Municipal Energy Reform Project (MER Project) is designed to enhance Ukraines energy security as well as to reduce and mitigate GHG emissions resulting from the poor use of energy resources in Ukrainian municipalities. A year later, Hochstein met with an American firm called Blue Star Strategies, which was hired by Burisma to try to change the gas firm's image of corruption, according to a report in the Washington Examiner. And the New Yorker magazine reported Hochstein had a direct conversation with Joe Biden about Hunter Biden's role with Burisma, one of the few publicly known conversations the vice president had about his son's employment with the controversial company. The MOU stipulated that Burisma would work with the program to "enhance Ukraines energy security" through the "improvement of energy policies," the "development of energy efficiency" and the "increase of investments in [the] energy sector." The $17 million program ended in March 2018. The contract history indicates that the program was administered by what was then the Research Triangle Institute, now RTI International. The specific agreement between Burisma and MERP dates to October 2014 and was set to expire a year later. The agreement was "implemented by" International Resources Group, a contractor that facilitates government programs across the world, the MOU states. That group was subsequently acquired by RTI International in 2017. Neither RTI nor the contractor who signed the MOU returned calls seeking comment about the Burisma deal. The documents don't indicate whether Burisma received any money under the program but federal procurement records do not list the Ukrainian gas firm as a recipient of U.S. aid. The deal is notable for having occurred when Burisma was under two separate corruption investigations one from the British government and one from Ukrainian authorities over alleged illegal financial schemes carried out by the natural gas company. Also notable is one of the memorandum's signatories, Andrii Kicha, who signed on behalf of Burisma. In 2014-15, Kicha was named by British authorities in court filings targeting Burisma founder Mykola Zlochevsky against the Ukrainian government. "Mr Andrii Kicha is a Ukrainian commercial lawyer, the chief legal officer of Burisma and other companies owned by the defendant. He was the sole authorised signatory on the BNP accounts that are the subject to the restraint order," one British court filing stated. You can read that document here. The British probe was ordered shut in early 2015, but the reasons are in dispute. British officials claim Ukrainian authorities failed to get them essential evidence they were seeking; Burisma and Ukrainian authorities dispute that. Multiple criminal cases were opened between 2014 and 2016 in Ukraine against Burisma and Zlochevsky, some of which were settled and closed in 2016 with a fine, and some which persist today. Kicha was freshly implicated in controversy connected to Burisma this month, when Ukrainian authorities detained him and several others in connection with a $6 million bribe meant for a prosecutor investigating Burisma. The Ukrainian government is currently pursuing an embezzlement case against the company and Zlochevsky. A Kyiv court last Sunday revealed the seizure of the bribery funds. Controversy has swirled around Burisma for several years since then-Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter took a seat on the gas company's board of directors in May 2014. Joe Biden at the time played a significant role in foreign policy decisions regarding Ukraine, raising the specter of impropriety as his son joined a scandal-ridden firm at the same time the vice president had official dealings with the country. Notably, Burisma would secure the USAID agreement just five months later. The red light district in Amsterdam is to reopen on Wednesday with prostitutes expected to wear gloves and avoid oral sex. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gave the sex industry, which is deemed as a 'contact' profession, the green light to restart after the number of coronavirus deaths fell into single figures. The news has been welcomed by sex workers, many of which have faced financial hardship when they were unable to work during the lockdown. The red light district in Amsterdam has been given the go ahead by the Dutch Prime Minister to reopen on Wednesday Many prostitutes have been forced to work illegally and breach lockdown rules as they were not eligible for support from the government As well as not being able to work, several workers were not eligible for government support because of how they are registered - forcing them to work illegally and breach the Netherlands' lockdown regulations. For this reason, late last month Red Light United, a union for red light district window workers, wrote to the government to urge it the reopen the sex industry earlier than the original date of September 1. It set out measures which it expects sex workers to use to help protect themselves and clients, such as wearing latex gloves and mouth masks. Additionally, it suggested avoiding oral sex and kissing and only offering sex positions where they do not face the client. The Red Light United union wrote to the government urging for restrictions on the sex industry to be lifted sooner and set out safety measures which could be adopted, including wearing face masks Several safety measures have been implemented in the Netherlands in order to limit the spread of coronavirus Mr Rutte said, as it is a contact job, workers will need to speak to their clients in advance and check if they have symptoms. He added that the government had asked for advice about 'which positions were possible'. The Netherlands went into lockdown on March 16 but has suffered an economic contraction of six per cent, leading to experts suggesting the lockdown should be eased. Economist Mathijs Bouman told The Sunday Telegraph that the countries 'laid-back approach' to testing was not the right choice. He added: 'We are going to the boundaries of what's possible at the moment - but since one third of our money is earned abroad we are still a cork floating on a wild international sea.' Whenever the ship crossed the Strait of Malacca, all on board took turns watching out for pirates. This stretch of sea bordered Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It was the shortest and thus busiest route between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The route was lined with dense tropical jungles in Malaysian and Indonesian territory, as well as islands large and small emerging from the quiet, deep water. As the ship crossed the strait, it was flooded with messages from the ships owner, the ships lessee, and the cargo owner, as well as warnings from local authorities about pirates in the vicinity. Local authorities simply couldnt maintain a solid grip on the security of the seas, so pirates pretty much had a free reign. For a cargo ship without weapons, prevention was better than cure. Since the afternoon, all doors leading to the deck were locked from the inside. The bridge and the engine room were welded shut with three locks. Pirates often wrenched control of a ships engine room and bridge. No one was allowed to open any door but the side door of the bridge to get to the deck. At night, nobody was allowed to get out, except sailors on duty. Every shift had three sailors: two guarding the deck and one mechanic. One deck guard stood near the funnel behind the bridge. The funnel interfered with the ships radar, so pirates often attacked from that direction. The second guard protected the right flank, and the mechanic the left. Every sailor on duty was armed with a flashlight and an iron bar. Before the ship reached the Strait of Malacca, the foreman had made sure each sailor had an iron bar. Those who preferred to use nunchuks could do so. Most seamen already had at least one dependable way to defend themselves. Two search and rescue headlights on the roof of the bridge were put to good use, scouting for any small ships closing in. Ships crossed the Strait of Malacca at all hours of the day and night and were now allowed to turn on more lights than usual. At night the strait was brilliantly lit with red and green lights, like a lantern festival during a full moon. Shifts lasted for four hours, starting from 5pm until dawn. During the first few hours of evening, hot equatorial winds carrying salty water vapor buffeted the ship. Sailors on duty had to bring drinking water with them to ward off the thirst, because once in place they couldnt leave their post. Near dawn, conversely, the winds became chilly and the air filled with mist. Pirates are sneaky, of course, so dont give away their position with navigation or signal lights. Seamen on duty aboard ships must keep their eyes and ears open and strain to locate any strange vessel approaching. They didnt stay rooted in one place, instead walking to and fro looking for anything suspicious. If something didnt look right, they would immediately alert the officer on duty inside the bridge, who had binoculars and the skill to determine if a threat was near. Sometimes, to the sailors dismay, tiny fishing boats or even tugboats with barges strayed near the ship, despite repeated blasts of the horn. To ensure safety for all, sailors on duty must follow a stringent set of rules. The captain could drop by at any time to check. Anyone missing from their post would be disciplined. A guard must wait for 15 minutes after being replaced before leaving his position. He must not leave his post to seek his replacement. His replacement must not reach the deck via any other route than the bridges side door. A guard returning from his shift must also use this route, to prevent pirates gaining access to cabins should they board. The ship managed to cross the Strait of Malacca safely. But because its next turn was east, parallel with Indonesia, the sailors had to remain on guard for a few more days and nights. This area of sea was quiet. Only once in a while did a ship pass by, making pirate watch a lonely experience. When Dang went to change shifts, Hung teased him: Your post is behind the funnel. Everywhere is the same, Dang replied. Dangs junior status made him the target of Hungs teasing. Ordinary Seaman, or OS, were assigned to guard the flanks. Able Seaman, or AB, stayed in the funnel area to guard the rear. When pirates werent an issue, AB would be assigned lighter duties in the bridge. Dang was an OS. He should have been promoted to AB. Just a week earlier, another AB fell ill and had to return to Viet Nam. While waiting for a replacement, one of the two OS on board, Dang or Hoi, was to be promoted. To make that decision, the deck officer, the engineering officer, and the chief mate held a meeting. Based on seniority, the choice should have been Dang, but the three proposed the captain promote Hoi. The chief mate disliked Dang. He was straightforward and often talked back when he saw something amiss, despite finishing his tasks quickly and taking breaks only when allowed. But the chief mate was often displeased with him. Dang graduated from college while Hoi only completed technical high school. Though college degrees werent essential, seamen were required to have some type of qualification. Their salaries and bonuses were based on the titles they earned, however, not their academic background. Dang had more knowledge, but Hoi was shrewd. In the time leading up to the captain making a decision, Hoi worked much harder and behaved more politely than usual. After work, he went to the officers cabins to chat. He frequented the bridge to learn more about navigation and perhaps even to approach the captain. Being a foreigner, the captain appreciated people talking to him. When the ship berthed in India, Hoi went to buy wine and gave each officer one bottle as a gift and the captain two. The captain couldnt tell good wine from bad, but he appreciated the gesture. One day, the third engineer took a sip of Hois wine and promptly fell ill for several days. The wine Hoi had bought turned out to be some cheap cassava brew with an exotic label that made it appear expensive. Some of his shipmates joked that the wine was only good for roasting cuttlefish or treating scabies. Everyone he had given a bottle to realised he had simply tried to buy their favour, and consequently threw the bottles into the sea. Dang was totally different: straightforward and honest. But honesty wasnt always the best policy, especially on board when a promotion was in the offing. Promotion meant more money, titles, trust, and, hence, employment. He didnt resent Hungs teasing in the slightest. He hardly resented anybody for anything. He said whatever he felt straight to someones face, and then moved on. As they stood guard on the two sides of the ship, Hung and Dang would sometimes need to contact each other on their walkie-talkies. Only important information was passed on; it wasnt a time for chatting. Inside the bridge, the captain would call them to attention if he caught them talking at leisure. The captain often wondered aloud why Vietnamese people talked so much. He made an opening and closing gesture with his thumb and fingers to illustrate their incessant talking. When a sailor on duty used his walkie-talkie, the captain would assume that something was going on. A strange vessel may be approaching. The ship had passed the danger zone marked on the map. The two sailors guarding the flanks began to turn off the lights and remove the fire hose. Hoi left his post behind the funnel and went back to the bridge a little earlier than scheduled. It was the wee hours. A high-speed boat full of pirates suddenly rushed towards the ships stern. In a flash, two pirates threw hooks over the railings and climbed aboard. Hoi walked out, saw the pirates, and stood dumbstruck, shaking. The bald pirate darted forward to overpower him. The long-haired one pointed a gun at his chest. Hoi did as he was told and stood still and let the bald one, who had a machete, tie his hands behind his back. The pirates then pushed him back inside the bridge and kicked the door wide open. The bridge wasnt locked from the inside in the mornings. The chief officer, who was on duty, pressed the emergency alarm as soon as he realised what was happening. The long-haired pirate directed his gun at the chief officer and pulled the trigger. He missed, with the bullet flying over the chief officers shoulder and smashing into a glass screen, which shattered into a million pieces on the deck. A seasoned seaman, the chief officer raised his hands above his head to surrender. The long-haired pirate jumped forward and tied him up. In this very situation, the rule was to stay where you were and protect your own life and then the ship. The pirates knew the chief officer wasnt the captain, because captains didnt take the helm at this time of night. The captain was, indeed, sleeping. The bald pirate brandished his shiny machete, glowered, and shouted at the chief officer: - Captain? The chief officer pointed downwards. The pirates left him alone and kicked Hoi in the back to prod him along. Hoi looked at the chief officer to seek guidance, and then, his whole body shaking, led the pirates down to the captains cabin. The door wasnt closed. The pirates burst inside, and Hoi sneaked away. The cabin consisted of a living room and a bedroom. The bedroom was locked from the inside. The bald pirate banged loudly on the door with his machete. The captain awoke with a start, then began cursing. He went to open the door and dress down whoever was causing the ruckus. No sooner had he opened the door, however, than the bald pirate kicked it back in his face. The captain faltered. The long-haired pirate leapt forward and pointed his gun at the captains head. The captain slowly raised his hands above his head and said: - Dont shoot! The long-haired one shrieked: - Money! The captain looked stunned. The long-haired one pointed his gun upwards and fired. The bullet put a hole in the ceiling, the shell bouncing on the floor. Bewildered, the captain opened his wardrobe and took out a key. He used the key to open the top drawer, from which he pulled out another key. This second key was then used to open the lower drawer underneath. It was only in the third drawer did the captain take out the key to the safe. The captain kept a lot of money inside, to pay salaries, buy food supplies, and cover any extra expenses incurred while crossing international waters. He pulled out a big bundle of low-value bills, having put the high-value bills elsewhere. He prepared for this eventuality before he crossed the Strait of Malacca. The long-haired pirate snatched the thick bundle of cash and put in in his bag. The bald one ordered the captain to give him the customs declaration sheet. He obeyed. He then ordered all of the sailors to gather inside the club room. Fearing for their lives and their crewmates, the sailors assembled in a heartbeat. The pirates ordered everyone to sit in a corner with their hands above their heads. The bald one walked in and hit the TV with his machete, his eyes reddening and scowling. The TV broke into pieces, raining down on the carpet. The long-haired one looked left and right, pointing his gun wherever he heard any noise. The captain apologised to the crew, read out the customs sheet, and called each sailors name and the exact amount of money he had declared. Whoever was called would quietly stand up, return to his cabin to get his money, hand it in, then sit back down. If anyone disobeyed, everybody would be shot. The atmosphere was suffocating. The second hand of the clock ticked slowly. It took the pirates almost half an hour to collect all the money. As they withdrew, the pirates ordered Dang to open the door, as he was sitting nearby. The long-haired one walked out first, followed by the bald one. They walked backwards, wary of any revenge attack. Dang opened the clubs door, then another door that led to the deck. This door had three bolts. Finding Dang too slow, the long-haired one kicked him in the hip with the steel tip of his boot. Dang took a deep breath to fight off the pain. When Dang walked out to open the door wider, the long-haired one gave him another kick, sending him tumbling. He struggled back to his feet, unable to restrain himself any longer. With a powerful martial arts move, he lashed out at the pirate, who pulled the trigger. Dang kicked the gun out of his hand. It fell to the floor and went off again, hitting the bald pirate who was about to strike Dang with his machete. Dang swung around and swept his leg in an arc. The bald pirate fell, his machete slashing into the shoulder of his long-haired accomplice. Blood gushed out from the deep wound. Flat on his back, the long-haired one suddenly made a move for the gun, but the second officer stomped on his hand, picked up the gun, and turned away. No sooner had the second officer turned around than the long-haired pirate pulled out a dagger in his belt and threw it. Dang saw this, jumped towards the second officer, and pulled him to the floor. The two rolled around - the dagger only nicking Dangs back. With one injured leg, the bald one went for his machete. He had barely touched the handle when Dung kicked him right in the face. The pirate let out a moan. The other sailors then joined in, punching and kicking the two downed pirates. Now tied, the two men were huddled on deck with blood-stained faces and swollen eyes. Now untied, Hoi delivered a few more kicks, grinding his teeth and cursing. The sailors dragged the pirates, defeated and deflated, down to the lower deck. Now came the question of what to do with the two men. The captain wasnt about to just throw them overboard. Not only was international maritime law holding sway, but the two men were part of a larger group, who would seek revenge if anything untoward was to happen. He told the sailors to prepare two 20-litre plastic containers, tied each of the pirates to one of the containers then threw them into the sea. Their boat was indeed just a short distance away. As they picked up their bedraggled comrades, the captain took a gun and fired three shots into the air, and the sailors stood menacingly on the deck, brandishing their iron bars and shouting. The pirates got the message, and left. The sun was now high in the sky. The sea was calm, and the passing islands looked as deserted and inscrutable as ever. A few gulls flew leisurely overhead, plunging into the sea at times and emerging with a struggling silvery fish in their beaks. They played in the water, flapping their wings and preening their feathers, before paddling along to gain speed and then taking off. The sailors stood on the deck watching the gulls catch their fish. The captain then ordered them all back into the club. Everyone had to write a report acknowledging they had broken the rule by fighting the pirates. As for Dang, he was fired. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 00:12:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, former U.S. vice president, attends a caucus night rally with his wife Jill Biden at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, the United States, Feb. 3, 2020. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua) U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is leading in polls, but many Americans still support Donald Trump as his administration has rolled back years of red tape and regulations. by Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is ahead in the polls, but experts said the winner of the 2020 race to the White House is still far from a done deal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent civil unrest, U.S. President Donald Trump has come under severe criticism on a number of fronts. A New York Times/Siena College poll released this week shows Biden with a strong, 14-point advantage, at a time when Trump is still fighting the coronavirus, as well as dealing with the economy, badly hit by the nationwide lockdown. The lockdown triggered by the pandemic has put millions of Americans out of work, and the jobless rate now stands at levels not seen since the Great Depression nearly 90 years ago. Many Americans still support Trump, as his administration rolled back years of red tape and regulations that slowed economic growth. Photo taken on May 29, 2020 shows the live broadcast of U.S. President Donald Trump speaking at a press conference at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) But now, the thriving economy with a constant growth and a low level unemployment rate in the past recent years has been erased, and the president is racing against the clock to get the economy moving forward again in the next crucial months before November's elections. While Trump has maintained the economy will bounce back in a so-called "V shape", many economists are skeptical. Moreover, Trump's personal style may be a turn-off to many voters, although his supporters love his outspoken and sometimes outlandish persona. "The emotional basis for Trump's campaign is: things are bad, this is the fault of bad people... Such people are trying to stop me from fixing what's wrong. Join me and I'll crush them and then I'll make things better," Clay Ramsay, a senior research associate at the Center for International and Security Studies at University of Maryland, told Xinhua. At the same time, there are a number of worries for the White House. U.S. media is reporting a spike of COVID-19 confirmed cases in some U.S. states. And while that may simply reflect increased testing, the public may be fearful of going back to restaurants and movie theaters, or frequenting businesses in which they come into close contact with others. Those fears were reflected by the plunging U.S. markets this week. However, there are several X factors, one of which is that polls showing Biden ahead might not predict the general election, as there is evidence that while many Americans may not openly admit they support Trump, they support him in private. At the same time, polling guru Nate Silver, of the website FiveThirtyEight, told ABC News on Sunday that it's still possible for Trump to clinch the White House by winning the electoral college vote, as he did in 2016. There is also the issue of the protests that swept the nation in recent weeks, amid calls to defund the police. While Biden has openly said he does not support defunding the police, that nuance may be lost on a U.S. public that only sees images of radical protesters in the street. GOP Strategist and TV news personality Ford O'Connell told Xinhua that Democrats now realize they are "playing with fire," as calls to defund the cops are echoing in the Democratic Party's left wing. If that continues, "that is certainly winning more and more voters over to Donald Trump's law and order side," O'Connell said. The wife of one of two Canadians imprisoned in China said Sunday she is "disappointed" by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's refusal to consider a swap for a detained Huawei executive facing extradition to the United States. Trudeau firmly rejected appeals that he intervene in the extradition proceedings against Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, in order to win the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Trudeau said such a decision would put other Canadians around the world at risk by showing that Ottawa can be influenced by "random arrests." In an interview with the CTV network, Kovrig's wife, Vina Nadjibulla, said the Canadian government should both try to gain her husband's and Spavor's release and protect other Canadians from arbitrary arrest. "We can do both," she said. "It isn't a question of, 'We need to do everything we can to release Michael,? or, 'We protect Canadians in the future.' "Both have to be on the table, and the government has a responsibility to do both," she said. Nadjibulla added: "There is no cost-free solution. We have to pay a price. The question becomes, who pays the highest price, and at the moment Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are paying that price, and I believe Canadians understand that that is fundamentally unfair and unjust." After long refraining from comment, Nadjibulla recently broke her silence to demand her husband's freedom. She said she was pleased that a debate in Canada had been opened with a letter in which some 20 public figures called on the government to send Meng back to China to obtain the release of the two Canadians. "Even though I'm disappointed that the PM said no to this particular solution," Nadjibulla said, "I'm glad that we finally have a conversation on what can be done and options that can be explored to resolve Michael's prolonged and painful detention." Meng was arrested in December 2018 in Vancouver at the request of the United States, which accuses her of violating US sanctions against Iran and engaging in bank fraud. Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Spavor, a consultant and businessman, were arrested in China days later. They were recently formally charged with espionage. Their detention is considered in the West as retaliation for Meng's arrest, which Beijing has repeatedly denied. In a message posted Saturday on its embassy website in Ottawa, China insisted the two matters are "totally different." It called on Canada to stop making "irresponsible remarks" about the detained Canadians, and using "megaphone diplomacy" to pressure China. Huawei released a statement referring to former US national security advisor John Bolton's recent book, saying it suggested President Donald Trump saw Meng's case as a political issue providing leverage in talks with China. "This reckless and unethical perspective has left the government of Canada in an extremely difficult situation -- caught in the middle of an escalating dispute between two global powers," Huawei said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rejected pressure to intervene in the case of a Huawei executive being held on a US warrant Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 15:22:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GARDEZ, Afghanistan, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Taliban attacks on Dandpatan and Sayed Karam districts of eastern Afghanistan's Paktia province have been repulsed and the militants fled away after losing 13 men on the battle grounds, army spokesman in the restive province Amal Mohmand said Sunday. The armed insurgents, according to the official, launched offensives on Dandpatan and neighbor Sayed Karam in the wee hours of Sunday, triggering fighting which lasted for hours. Mohmand said that nine militants were killed and five others wounded in Dandpatan, while four more were killed and another injured in Sayed Karam in the clashes. Without revealing the casualties of security forces, the official said that the security forces would continue to chase the insurgents in Paktia and its vicinity. The Taliban outfit has yet to make comment. Enditem Microsoft Corp recently announced a strategic change in its retail operations, including closing Microsoft Store physical locations, while its retail team members work remotely and at Microsoft corporate locations. The retail team members will remotely providing sales, training, and support. Microsoft will continue to invest in its digital storefronts on Microsoft.com, and stores in Xbox and Windows, reaching more than 1.2 billion people every month in 190 markets. The company will also reimagine spaces that serve all customers, including operating Microsoft Experience Centers in London, NYC, Sydney, and Redmond campus locations. The closing of Microsoft Store physical locations will result in a pre-tax charge of approximately $450 million, or $0.05 per share, to be recorded in the current quarter ending June 30, 2020, a company statement said. Our sales have grown online as our product portfolio has evolved to largely digital offerings, and our talented team has proven success serving customers beyond any physical location, said Microsoft Corporate Vice President David Porter. We are grateful to our Microsoft Store customers and we look forward to continuing to serve them online and with our retail sales team at Microsoft corporate locations. Since the Microsoft Store locations closed in late March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the retail team has helped small businesses and education customers digitally transform; virtually trained hundreds of thousands of enterprise and education customers on remote work and learning software; and helped customers with support calls. The team supported communities by hosting more than 14,000 online workshops and summer camps and more than 3,000 virtual graduations. We deliberately built teams with unique backgrounds and skills that could serve customers from anywhere. The evolution of our workforce ensured we could continue to serve customers of all sizes when they needed us most, working remotely these last months, said Porter. Speaking over 120 languages, their diversity reflects the many communities we serve. Our commitment to growing and developing careers from this talent pool is stronger than ever. The retail team members will serve consumers, small-business, education, and enterprise customers, while building a pipeline of talent with transferable skills. The Microsoft Store team has long been celebrated at Microsoft and embodies our culture, said Microsoft Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan. The team has a proven track record of attracting, motivating, and developing diverse talent. This infusion of talent is invaluable for Microsoft and creates opportunities for thousands of people. With significant growth through its digital storefronts, including Microsoft.com, and stores on Xbox and Windows, the company will continue to invest in digital innovation across software and hardware. New services include 1:1 video chat support, online tutorial videos, and virtual workshops with more digital solutions to come. It is a new day for how Microsoft Store team members will serve all customers, said Porter. We are energized about the opportunity to innovate in how we engage with all customers, maximize our talent for greatest impact, and most importantly help our valued customers achieve more. TradeArabia News Service Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 12:08:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers Sunday started deliberating a new draft amendment to the country's Criminal Law. The draft Amendment XI to the Criminal Law, which has proposed six major areas of updates, was submitted to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. Enditem Now, I just started my second tenure and youre talking about the presidency. When that enters anybodys head then that person will not be able to provide the dividends of democracy to the people. And that is the problem you see in APC because everybody is thinking of taking over from the President instead of concentrating to do their work. US Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) confers with Republican staff attorney Steve Castor at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on June 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images Texas Republican Louie Gohmert said he doesn't wear a mask on the House floor because he doesn't have the coronavirus but would wear one if he tested positive. Gohmert told CNN that he keeps "being tested" and doesn't have COVID-19, so he doesn't wear a mask, adding he's "not afraid." Vice President Mike Pence earlier this week at a press conference listed ways Americans could protect themselves from catching the coronavirus but did not mention mask usage or social distancing. Despite the polarization surrounding facial coverings, experts agree their widespread adoption could help communities control the spread of COVID-19. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Video: How long will social distancing last? Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert said on Friday that he doesn't wear a mask on the House floor because he's tested negative for the novel coronavirus. He said he would wear one should he test positive for it. "I keep being tested and I don't have it. So I'm not afraid of you, but if I get it I'll wear a mask," the 66-year-old lawmaker told CNN. As CNN noted, Gohmert is one of several Republicans who have been seen on the House floor sans a mask. Minority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, and Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho have also been spotted on the House floor without masks, according to the report. While masks aren't required on the House floor, according to the Washington Post, but have been required in committee meetings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended the wearing of facial coverings in public settings, particularly when it is not possible to maintain a distance of six feet. "I don't have the coronavirus, turns out as of yesterday I've never had it. But if I get it, you'll never see me without a mask," Gohmert told CNN on Friday. Gohmert did not say when he had last been tested for the virus, CNN reported. His comments come as the number of COVID-19 cases in Texas continue to increase. Story continues Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, also a member of the GOP, said he reopened bars in the state too soon and ordered them to close and ordered restaurants to reduce their dine-in capacity to 50%. On Friday, Texas officials reported 5,707 new cases of COVID-19 just shy of its all-time record 5,996 set the day prior. While cases in New York, once an epicenter of COVID-19 in the US, have continued to decline since the end of April, cases in the US as a whole have reached record highs. According to NBC News, there were 45,942 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Friday the largest single-day increase in the US so far. While some, like the president and vice president, have suggested the increase in COVID-19 cases is due to the increase in testing capacity, experts have refuted these claims in hardest-hit states like Florida. "We want the American people to understand that it's almost inarguable that more testing is generating more cases," Pence said Friday at a press conference where he falsely claimed the US had flattened the curve. At the same conference, in which Pence did not wear a face mask, the vice president did not include social distancing or facial coverings when he listed ways the public could reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19, as USA Today noted. Deaths from the virus have not seen a similar spike, though as experts have previously warned, the COVID-19 death rate is a lagging indicator, meaning it could take two to three weeks for it to reflect new cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. As Business Insider's Aria Bendix noted, despite the polarizing opinions from politicians Americans about the implementation of facial coverings, a growing body of research suggests that the widespread adoption of masks would be effective in enabling communities to control the spread of the virus. Part of the polarization began earlier this year when US leaders urged against the panic buying of masks over fears it would deplete supplies for medical personnel, but since April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that masks are a useful tool in curbing the spread. President Trump has refused to wear a mask in public even during a tour of a factory that was producing face masks. Last month he shared a tweet that argued face masks represent "silence, slavery, and social death." Read the original article on Business Insider KYODO NEWS - Jun 28, 2020 - 14:38 | All, Japan, World Japan has conveyed to the United States its objection to President Donald Trump's idea of adding South Korea to the Group of Seven summit, saying Seoul is not in lockstep with G-7 members on China and North Korean issues, diplomatic sources said Saturday. The message was conveyed by a high-level Japanese government official immediately after Trump on May 30 broached the idea of inviting Australia, India, Russia and South Korea to this year's summit that he will preside over. The U.S. government told the official that Trump would make a final decision on the issue, the sources said. The revelation that Japan has expressed opposition to South Korea's participation is likely to upset Seoul, which has welcomed Trump's offer. It could further sour Tokyo-Seoul ties, already overshadowed by disputes over wartime history and other issues. For Japan, South Korea's inclusion would mean losing its status as the sole Asian member of the G-7, which also brings together Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States plus the European Union. Trump has suggested that he wants to expand the G-7 because he believes the current membership does not properly represent the global situation and is "very outdated." Trump was also quoted as telling South Korean President Moon Jae In during phone talks earlier in June that he may also invite Brazil, with the expanded group to be called either the "G-11" or "G-12," according to the South Korean presidential office. According to the sources, the high-level Japanese official pointed to the Moon administration's perceived pro-China policy as problematic, apparently with the Trump administration's current confrontational approach to China in mind. The Moon administration has also striven to boost inter-Korean relations. The Trump administration has not budged from its stance of maintaining sanctions on Pyongyang during talks to denuclearize North Korea, which have been stalled for months. According to the sources, the Japanese government has refrained from publicly expressing its opposition to South Korea's participation, thinking that the G-7 expansion proposal may be just "a thought" of Trump that could fizzle out. Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference on June 1 that the G-7 is an "important framework" for coordination in tackling global challenges. Asked whether the U.S. government had informed Japan of Trump's G-7 expansion plan, Suga said, "I will refrain from speaking about the details, but Japan and the United States are engaged in close communication." Members such as Canada, meanwhile, have expressed opposition to Russia's return to the forum. Russia, which was a member of the Group of Eight, was dropped from the framework following the international outcry over its annexation of Crimea in 2014. "We thought Japan does not need to lead the opposition (on this issue)," one of the sources said. Trump has been unclear on exactly when he plans to hold the G-7 summit after postponing it from June. He said on May 30 that it could take place in September or even after the November presidential election. While it is up to the holder of the rotating G-7 presidency to decide which countries to invite as guests to the summit, changing the format on a permanent basis would require the consent of all members. Japan would not object to South Korea merely taking part in an outreach session of the G-7 meeting, the sources said. Related coverage: Japan wants G-7 maintained despite Trump's call for expansion G-7 urges China to reconsider imposing security law on Hong Kong FOCUS: Trump's G-7 expansion plan sends ripples through allies, may backfire The Supreme Court decision blocking the Trump administrations attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program puts immigration policies back in national focus. It highlights the incongruous, if not schizophrenic, attitudes we collectively hold about immigration and immigrants. In 2016, President Donald Trumps promises to crack down on illegal immigration were keystone of his campaign. This obviously struck a positive chord with millions of voters. Yet at the same time, virtually every U.S. meat-poultry packing plant employs illegal workers. Virtually every one of the large milking operations that are wiping out traditional dairying across the country depends on such immigrants. It is common to find them landscaping, pouring concrete, stuccoing, cleaning houses and/or cooking, washing dishes and cleaning at myriad restaurants and hotels. Talk too strongly of deporting all not here legally, and the American Farm Bureau Federation and other industry associations will argue that heaven and Earth will be rent asunder if they cannot get workers as they do now. All this raises economic aspects of immigration issues. First, as Libertarian economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman pointed out about drug trafficking, if you attempt to control an illegal economic activity only by limiting supply, without doing anything to reduce demand, you are doomed to failure. You can build walls or fences or arrays of sensors, but if there essentially is zero punishment for employing those not here illegally, you waste time and money. Such employers will sing songs of grief about efforts they make verifying applicants legal status before hiring. If any have forged documents, they say, its a tiny minority. Then, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement makes an infrequent raid, more than half of the employees dash out the back door. Thus there is more economics. First, huge transaction costs exist in trying to separate several million undocumented immigrants from citizens and legal permanent residents. Profiling based on language accents is illegal, since millions of citizens or legal residents speak with some foreign accent. Remember, this also happened 100 or 150 years ago, when many of our ancestors were arriving. The board minutes of the church I attended growing up were in Dutch until 1953! Moreover, there now is an established industry in false documents. Sophisticated computer graphics make this easier, an example of new technology as a supply shifter that makes a larger quantity of something available at each possible price. It often is hard to identify false documents. Path dependency exists here. It is the economic phenomenon of when a certain standard or policy becomes common, it creates a path going forward, even if there is no significant reason why the initial choice was made. Most railroad rails are 56.5 inches apart, supposedly just like Roman chariot wheels. Rails themselves were 39 feet long just as iron pipes were 21 feet. U.S. auto drivers sit on the left, but locomotive engineers on the right. Employer-provided health coverage became common as a way to raise compensation for needed employees during World War II without violating a federal wage freeze. Most other industrialized countries instituted standardized national identification documents decades ago. We never have. The result is a hodgepodge of identification documents, some of which are simple to forge. Once this starts, and largely succeeds for decades, papers or techniques to falsely enable employment become cheap and widespread. Sorting out the mess is an enormous and costly challenge. Considering households, things become extremely complex. One spouse is a legal resident or even a citizen. The other is illegal. An 18-year-old son is an illegal dreamer while his 17-year-old sister was born here. Neither child can remember living anywhere else and may speak their parents native language poorly. Yet another economic phenomenon is at play, that of network externalities. In 2004, if only one adolescent girl at school had a MySpace account, it was of little value. The same problem plagued telephone subscribers at first. There were few others to call. Ditto for smartphones that could take and transmit photos. But once some 10% of ninth graders had early social networking accounts, demand by the remaining 90% burgeoned. And the adolescents who had them could teach others how to get and use one. The effective cost of acquisition shrank. My grandfather came to this country from Holland in 1899 on a three-year labor contract. He returned home for a year and his explaining how things worked motivated others, including a couple who were friends, to migrate. In a year, he joined them farming in Minnesota. When his fiancee arrived the next year, she came in a group of 14 from their little village. A friends great-grandfather came alone at age 16 to avoid German military conscription. Then, two years later, the rest of his immediate family came, the process much simplified because he could tell them how to go about it all and because he could arrange housing and employment. The same is true today. If a roofing contractor or manager of a 5,000-cow dairy farm needs additional workers, they need not place an online ad. Just ask a reliable Mexican foreman if he knows of anyone here, or back in his home village, who is a good worker. A quick phone call and someone soon will be coming via an established pipeline. The DACA decision itself is narrow. But the Trump administrations inflated rhetoric on immigration has come to very little. Five years ago, there was a majority in both houses of Congress on an immigration reform bill, however imperfect. Yet the majorities were not sufficient to pass the 60% level now needed on any bill to avoid filibusters. This is not in the Constitution. It was not the practice until the last 25 years or so. But Senate leaders, in particular, are not willing to change their internal rules to restore sanity to our legislative process. St. Paul economist and writer Edward Lotterman can be reached at bismarck@edlotterman.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 23:22:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov on Sunday, with both sides calling for solidarity and cooperation in global efforts against COVID-19 and stop of politicizing the pandemic. China has always highly valued the development of friendly relations with Turkmenistan and treated Turkmenistan as a good friend, a good brother and a good partner, Wang said. Stressing that Chinese President Xi Jinping attaches importance to establishing trust and friendship with his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Wang said the two heads of state have kept close contact and provided strategic guidance to the development of the bilateral ties. Despite the changing international and regional situation, China will not change its policy of developing friendly relations with Turkmenistan, Wang said. "We are willing to work with the Turkmen side to make our relationship a model of treating each other on an equal footing, mutual respect and mutual benefit," Wang added. In the conversation, Wang also expressed appreciation over Turkmenistan's support for China in combating the pandemic and commended the Central Asian country's strict prevention and control measures. The COVID-19 pandemic once again proves that the whole world is a community with shared future and common interests, and solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons to defeat the disease, Wang said. It is a regret, Wang said, that some countries have been politicizing the pandemic, slandering and stigmatizing China and even making lies for their own benefits. Their words and deeds erode the bottom line of morality and will eventually be rejected by the whole international community, Wang said. Wang pointed out that the Chinese side would like to continue exchanges with Turkmenistan in flexible and diverse forms to push forward their cooperation, and minimize the impact of the pandemic on such cooperation. The two sides should sign as soon as possible cooperation documents to align the initiative of jointly building the Belt and Road with Turkmenistan's development strategy to revive the Silk Road, and continue to maintain and develop long-term, stable and strategic cooperation on such traditional fields as natural gas, he said. The two sides should also tap the potential, expand cooperation in the medical and health field, and constantly enrich the connotation of their relations, Wang said. China is willing to strengthen communication and collaboration with Turkmenistan on international affairs, firmly support each other, and safeguard the common interests of both sides as developing countries and emerging markets, he said. For his part, Meredov said that Turkmenistan highly values the high level of the Turkmenistan-China strategic partnership. The two sides maintain close collaboration in the political and diplomatic domains, and share with each other their firm support in international affairs, he said. The Turkmen side highly appreciates the tremendous efforts and major achievements made by the Chinese government in fighting the epidemic, and thanks the Chinese side for taking proper care of the Turkmen citizens in China, Meredov said. The Turkmen side believes that epidemics should under no circumstance be politicized as such an attempt is not conducive to international anti-epidemic cooperation, he said. Meredov said that Turkmenistan has always been committed to strengthening traditional friendly relations with China, and is willing to maintain contact at the top level and between various departments of the two countries in a flexible manner, and promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields. The Turkmen side believes that the Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues are purely China's internal affairs, and according to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, no country has the right to interfere, he added. Enditem Two conservative black American women speak out about their feelings and why the Democrats are not the party for them. Throughout the country, impoverished black neighborhoods have been controlled by Democratic politicians. Education school boards; Democrats; mayors: Democrats; district attorneys: Democrats; police chiefs: Democrats; governors: Democrats; congressional districts: Democrats; and senators: Democrats. Stacy Washington, a conservative black radio host (listen.stacyontheright.com), is dumbfounded that Biden and many Democrats say nothing but are never questioned about solutions. "At the Breakfast Club he uttered the words 'you ain't black' if they did not vote for him. He essentially claimed ownership of the black vote just because he is a Democrat. Today, black Americans want to know why they should vote for him. He criticizes President Trump but never provides viable alternatives of what he would do. Democrats feel they own the black vote." Kathy Barnette is the author of the book Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain and is the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 4th District. She echoes the same sentiment as Stacy. "In my book, I wrote how I was like most black people, born into the Democratic Party. It was never a point of conversation, deliberation, or discussion. Time and again, I voted Democratic. I don't remember ever having a thought not to vote that way even though I studied the issues and candidates. But I woke up after growing up in a desperate economic situation. I had a front-row seat on the failed liberal policies that left us exploited and devastated." What has become important to Kathy is her life experiences. At the age of eighteen, she joined the military, becoming a part of the CID (criminal investigation detachment) unit. She was one of the few people who were not from a law enforcement background and the only black person. "I had heard about police brutality. For me, as a young black girl, after having spent time with these people, I realized the stress and struggles they were under. With all my life experiences, the book written became the journey for me to get off the Democratic plantation." She is running for Congress because she looks at the black community as a "microcosm of the failed liberal policies. This is what is playing out on the streets today. When you have lived the life I did and the obstacles I have overcome, you make sure not to remain silent. My opponent and Vice President Biden are just feeble puppets. The incumbent I am running against is a political social climber. She got elected on the wave of the 2018 MeToo movement. It was convenient then for her to say it is all about the women, but now it is no longer just 'believe the women, but wait for facts.' Puppets do as they are told what to do. Another example is my opponent's ties to China. Her bike business received 20 million dollars from the Chinese National Party to make bikes there. Yet she speaks of a fair wage. She had taken jobs away from Americans and is paying the Chinese people less than $2." Stacy told American Thinker, "About 10 to 20% of those living in the inner cities do the crimes. Everyone else is running scared. The liberal policies of reliance on government instead of locally controlled areas are just bad for everyone. Law and order are important." Kathy believes in the rule of law. She does not understand why people support defunding the police, considering it is those neighborhoods that need more, not less, police protection. "If someone is breaking into my home, trying to accost me, my children, or my husband, and I call 911, will I get a recording of soft music, giving me tips on how to manage my stress? Look at Chicago that recently had 104 shooting incidents. I am very aware that in the inner city it is hard pressed to find any conservative thought, competitive thinking, or political diversity. I talk about it in my book. When liberals are in control, they bring destruction, instability, and violence. Confusion is their middle name. The only remedy is to kick them out of office." For an example of what is happening, people need to look no farther than the Senate police reform legislation that was recently blocked by the Democrats. Nancy Pelosi said how the Republicans are "trying to get away with murder, actually." Yet she and the Democrats ignore the fact that it was put forward by a Republican black American, Senator Tim Scott. He noted in an email sent out, "These are serious reforms to respond to the serious moment our nation is facing. My [Democratic] colleague from Illinois, Dick Durbin, took to the Senate floor to call my efforts to reform policing in our country a "token process." Those words hurt me in my soul. Senator Durbin went on to call my bill a 'half-hearted approach' to police reform. I don't know exactly what Senator Durbin meant, but his rhetoric was out of line and represents a divisive moment for our country. As the only African-American Republican senator, I have been leading efforts for years to reform our police on the issues impacting communities of color all across our country. Democrats like Senator Durbin are more interested in scoring political points." In the book, Kathy asserts, "Regardless of the party's policies, its agendas, its platform, its moral decline, or the lack of its community responsiveness, the encoded message is that if you're black, you must be a Democrat. To do, think, or say otherwise is to reject your own race. And that is unacceptable." She explained, "White liberals go into black communities to tell them what their issues are. White liberals are allowed to take control of the narrative and vocabulary. Black people should be participating in the discussions. People should wrap their minds around this manipulation." She told American Thinker that she decided to have her campaign participate in the Black Lives Matter protests. Why? Because she wants to go where the black people are and present some critical thinking. "I was surrounded by liberals. I want to present a different option. The black people, after I was done speaking and talking about my proposal for the Minority Inclusion Act (MIA), gave me nothing but ovations. I will not be bullied into silence. The Democratic goal is not to solve the problems, but to get more power and influence. To make those they are serving more dependent on them. These white liberals will come out of it winning, while the rest of us have boarded up windows and a devasted economy. This is my fear for the black community." Democrats like Durbin and Pelosi think they know more about what is best for the black community than black Americans like Tim Scott. Kathy was asked if she thought there is racism in this country as put forward by liberal media and politicians. "I think these liberal white liberals will try to come out of it with more power, control, and manipulation of the narrative. They want everything covered through the lens of racism, something I talk about in my book. I do not believe that this country is systematically racist. But as I say in my book, racism still exists. Bigotry is real. Hate is evil. Have I been called the N-word? Yes! I am the children's children of those who were bred for a business strategy, have had their children taken away and sold to the highest bidder, have had to take a literacy test to vote, or forced to live in a particular neighborhood. My great great grandmother was a slave." She went on to say, "Toppling statues and renaming buildings does absolutely nothing to improve my life. These statues are like markers of where we are and where we were at that level of time. Let it add to the level of understanding. No one is building, but destroying. They should not be destroyed because they serve as a reminder. Markers in time show us where we were, how far we've come, and where we are going." Kathy wants Americans to understand: "this nation is not perfect or complete, but is moving in the right path. We do have to grow and improve. I love America, my nation, and want to see everyone do well and succeed in life. I am on a mission. My nation that I love is on fire. We need better options. Every time I hear the National Anthem, I cry. We need to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Constitution is an amazing document. We need to raise the bar of expectation, to reach above ourselves as our forefathers did. I want to see a better tomorrow with an obligation to live well. This is a nation that is willing to right its wrong." The author writes for American Thinker. She has done book reviews and author interviews and has written a number of national security, political, and foreign policy articles. Image: Kathy Barnette 4 Congress via YouTube. UPDATE: On Sunday afternoon, a Medical Health Officer was able to provide Leah Phillips a waiver on her 14-day-isolation so she could see her father, with strict protocols in place throughout the visit. Sixteen hours, 1,600 hundred kilometres and one international border crossing. That's how Leah Phillips and her husband Austin spent the last 24 hours as they drove from Denver to Saskatoon in an attempt to see Leah's dying father who is receiving care at Royal University Hospital. But despite their long journey, the two were still unable to see Leah's dad despite being blocks away because they're both required to self-isolate for 14 days. So they contacted Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health and the office of Premier Scott Moe in an attempt to get an isolation waiver before it's too late. They don't know how long their loved one has to live. "The only way I can possibly begin to describe it is heartbreaking," said Leah from her dad's home in Saskatoon where the two are isolating. "My dad is in a hospital bed by himself, and I'm just blocks away not able to see him, give him a hug and hold his hand." The United States is a hotspot for COVID-19, leading the globe in the number of deaths recorded as a result of the virus by a large margin. However, Leah and her husband travelled from Colorado, where roughly 31,700 cases have been confirmed, a number much lower than states hit hardest by the virus, like New York, where there are more than 17,000 confirmed deaths and more than 4,600 probable deaths. Leah Phillips Leah's father, John Phillips, was admitted to hospital on June 19 and roughly a week later on June 26, his family was informed that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. CBC reached out to Premier Scott Moe's Office, the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) for comment on the family's concerns. Sunday morning, the SHA got in touch with CBC, asking for the family's direct contact information. Hours later, the waiver was granted. Story continues The two got tested for COVID-19 on Saturday afternoon and were willing to share their results with the Ministry of Health and Saskatchewan Health Authority, to ensure their presence at the hospital does not put anyone else at risk. Leah says the provincial government needs to reexamine its restrictions around international travel to account for situations like the one her family is facing, saying "there are circumstances that just don't fit a blanket protocol or rule such as this." "It is not a one-size fits all situation," she said. Adding: "All the time and energy that I should be dedicating to processing my dad's diagnosis and supporting him throughout this really difficult time, I've spent shedding countless tears on the phone with unit managers, social workers, public health, all to be really met with not a lot of compassion and essentially that they can't do anything for me." Leah's brother, Carson Phillips, who is travelling to Saskatoon from B.C. said he feels the province should be able grant the waiver, as the family has brought forward a solution by volunteering their test results to the province. "It just doesn't make sense to have a 14-day quarantine rules and regulations in place when you could have something somewhere in the middle," he said. "She could go and get tested and if she comes back negative, then she can go and see him and doesn't have to be subjected to the 14-day quarantine. I just don't understand why common sense is not prevailing in these scenarios right now. That's what's frustrating." Supplied/Leah Phillips A grief expert in Saskatoon said while she's not in a position to tell the province what to do, it's important for families to be with a loved one in their final days, since it's the first step in the grieving process. "It's preparation in the brain," said Luciene Poole, who has been working as a counselor in Saskatoon specializing in grief and anxiety for more than two decades. "The more we're able to talk, the more we're able to solidify some of that for ourselves, what we end up doing is accepting some of it," she said. "There's still a shock when the loss happens, but it's a matter of being able to talk some of that out...and talking out means talking to other family members, as well as the person that is dying." Poole explained in those final moments, both parties are able to offer each other some reassurance and comfort, and it gives them a chance to plan and prepare for death together. "When they hear that they're dying, or that they have a serious illness, there's all sorts of fears that come up," she said. "Being able to talk to family members can help with that fear, but it can also bring some comfort." Poole said it's not uncommon for a person who is facing death to share with their family about their life in their final hours, to ensure how they lived their life what it meant to them and also, how they're feeling about their death are relayed as part of their legacy. She noted that the effects of a death may be prolonged if these types of final good-byes are not possible. "If you're not capable or able to go through some of those steps, it can cause some difficulty for people, definitely," she said. Earlier in June, the Government of Saskatchewan relaxed restrictions around visitors to Saskatchewan Health Authority facilities, as while visitors were originally prohibited, they've now been allowed for "compassionate care reasons." This includes family members or support people during end-of-life care, major surgery, or intensive and critical care, with the visitors subject to extensive screening and requirements, like wearing a mask while inside. "We recognize how difficult this is for patients and families, but this decision is guided by the need to protect our patients and health care teams during COVID-19," explained the Government of Saskatchewan's guidelines for healthcare facilities. 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. Rebel Wilson has been living the high life as a Hollywood A-lister for some years. So when it came time to surprise her grandmother for her 90th birthday on Sunday, she sure didn't disappoint. The 40-year-old Pitch Perfect star recruited Australian theatre star Lucy Durack to perform a special rendition of Barbra Streisand's 1981 hit song Memory. Scroll down for video Backyard surprise! Australian actress Rebel Wilson (left) treated her grandmother to a performance by musical theatre star Lucy Durack (right) for her 90th birthday on Sunday Rebel's family and friends gathered for the milestone celebration which was hosted at her childhood home in Castle Hill, Sydney. Dressed in a pink sweater, and black trousers, Rebel looked every inch the proud granddaughter as she played MC for the special occasion. Meanwhile, her grandmother was dressed in a fuchsia sweater and light pink scarf. She accessorised her look with a glittering tiara and a pearl bracelet to mark the special occasion. Stunning: Meanwhile, her grandmother was dressed in a fuchsia sweater and light pink scarf. She accessorised her look with a glittering tiara and a pearl bracelet to mark the special occasion Treating her fans to a glimpse of the celebrations, the Bridesmaids actress shared photos to her Instagram account. 'I MC'd and the lovely and mega talented @lucydurack came and sang for my Grandma's 90th in Mum's backyard!' she wrote. 'There were lots of happy tears, such a special day!' Rebel continued. Celebrations! Rebel's family and friends gathered for the milestone celebration which was hosted at her childhood home in Castle Hill, Sydney Yummy: Guests were treated to an array of desserts including homemade cupcakes, caramel slices and macarons made by Rebel's mother, Sue Bownds Guests were treated to an array of scrumptious desserts on the day. They included homemade cupcakes, caramel slices and macarons made by Rebel's mother, Sue Bownds. The LA based actress has temporarily relocated back to Sydney during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week on Back Roads Heather Ewart travels to the Central Queensland town of Biloela in Gangulu Country. Biloela recently hit the headlines in its bid to stop a Sri Lankan Tamil family from being deported. The campaign to Bring them back to Bilo reignited a nation-wide conversation about asylum seekers and immigration detention. Biloela, known by locals as Bilo, is a place where people look out for one another and a hard work ethic trumps ethnicity, nationality or religion. Doctor Richard Tan is a great example. Still a practising GP at 79 years young, Dr Tan has delivered more than 2000 Biloela babies. Heather also meets Doctor GB Singh, the medical director of the Biloela Hospital. GB moved to Bilo from remote Western Australia, after migrating from India back in 2000. Of the ten GPs in Bilo, the majority were born overseas. Other industries also have international workers, including the Biloela meatworks that has a long history of employing workers on skilled migrant visas. Refugees and workers recruited from Asia, South America and the Pacific make up the bulk of the 420 staff. Jane comes from rural China and works at the meatworks when shes not singing in the church choir or learning Aussie English from her friend, Marie. Shire Councillor Pat Brennan is also a blow-in hes only been in town for 40 years. I love Biloela. Everyone who wants to come here gets an opportunity, if they want to take that opportunity in both hands good on em theyll succeed. In short, if youre willing, youre very welcome in Bilo. 8pm tonight on ABC. has become the 12th country in the world where the count has surpassed 2,00,000 mark, Geo TV reported citing Johns Hopkins University on Saturday. The country has reported 4,098 deaths due to the virus. According to official data, over 5,000 medical workers have contracted the virus in the country. Geo TV reported the infection rate has multiplied manifold over the last few weeks ever since the government has eased lockdown restrictions last month. On April 23, the World Health Organisation has warned against lifting restrictions "Without effective interventions, there could be an estimated 200K+ cases by mid-July. The impacts on the economy could be devastating, doubling the number of people living in poverty," Director-General WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom had said. However, Prime Minister Imran Khan has downplayed the importance of lockdown saying the country couldn't afford to match the losses incurred during the lockdown as many other countries had done. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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 Four Black best friends who met at the University of Calgary not only graduated together this year all of them were also accepted into medical school. "For me, this isn't just my victory and this isn't just a victory for the four of us, this is a victory for our Black communities as a whole," said Nicole M'Carthy, valedictorian for the Class of 2020 Bachelor of Health Sciences program. M'Carthy will head to University of Toronto where she will be one of 24 Black students in the faculty of medicine for the class of 2024. It is the largest group in Canadian history. Just four years prior, there was only one Black person in a class of 259 medical students. Whitney Ereyi-Osas and Elizabeth Dayo will be two out of four Black medical students at the University of Calgary, and Ruth Legese will be one of three Black students at the University of Alberta medical school. The four friends met through the University of Calgary health sciences program and have been close ever since. Sustainable Development Goals Alliance at University of Calgary "It's amazing," said M'Carthy, who emigrated from Ghana and will be the first physician in her family. "We've been each other's closest friends and cheerleaders It was a really beautiful end to our undergraduate degrees to all end up in places where we wanted to be. It's a really cool accomplishment." Despite the victory, there's been backlash to their success on social media. "I haven't even started university but people have already been questioning my merit and assuming that we got into medical school because of our Blackness," says M'Carthy. "It's unfortunately a common experience for many Black medical students We're told to pursue higher education to prove our merit and to be successful but then when you get into these places, people still don't give you the credit that you deserve for the things you've achieved so it's like you really can't win." Story continues "You see it online a lot the idea that Black students are taking away spots from white students, that Black students aren't qualified to hold those spaces," said Ereyi-Osas, a first-generation Nigerian Canadian. "It's very disheartening to hear because it doesn't take into account the idea of how whiteness plays a role in allowing people to enter spaces and that systemic inequities prevent Black people from being able to enter those spaces in the first place." Submitted by Whitney Ereyi-Osas Although Dayo's father is a doctor and her mother a nurse, originally from Nigeria, her mother advised her to work twice as hard as anyone else in Canada. "My mom always said as a Black woman, you need to get twice as many mentors and experiences, twice as better marks," said Dayo. "That drive will allow you to break through any challenges or any kind of criticism you may face because there are a lot of systemic barriers that'll prevent you from getting where you want to be." Systemic racism in medical schools In 1918, Canadian medical schools such as Queen's University banned Black students from applying to medical school. The policy was enforced until 1965 but not officially rescinded until 2018. "The Black community lost a generation of doctors," said M'Carthy. Submitted by Nour Hassan Another reason for the low number of Black physicians in North America lies in an early 20th-century report. Many aspects of the current medical school system in both the United States and Canada are based on a 1910 landmark report called the Flexner report. It set the standard on what medical education should look like shutting down many medical schools, including nearly all Black medical schools, at the time. The report stated Black doctors should only treat Black patients and should be trained in hygiene and serve primarily as "sanitarians". But universities across the country are working to change their admissions requirements to be more inclusive. Both the University of Alberta and University of Calgary have recently launched new application streams for Black students. "Recognizing the systematic racism that has existed in our Black community, the [Cumming School of Medicine] is implementing a Black Applicant Admissions Process beginning in July 2020," the University of Calgary said in an emailed statement on Thursday. It's one of the policy changes that the Black Medical Students Association (BMSA) at both universities has been calling for. According to the University of Calgary's BMSA website, the group has been "dedicated to the dismantling of racism in medicine" and has published calls to action to increase diversity in the medical school and to equip all graduates to provide unbiased care to BIPOC patients. The University of Alberta medical school said in an emailed statement it is establishing a Black applicant admissions process "in response to and in collaboration with the BMSA and [will] establish a working group to further explore opportunities for recruitment, financial aid and application support." The new process will start next month. Black Girls MD With her medical degree, Legese aspires to make changes for refugees and Indigenous people in Canada in the healthcare field. As refugees from Ethiopia, she and her family experienced some micro-aggressions from health-care professionals in Canada. "[They] would make us feel a little less welcome or would make us hesitant in opening up about our health and backgrounds," said Legese. Submitted by Whitney Ereyi-Osas As a member of a foster family who has raised many Indigenous children over the past 10 years, she also sees first-hand the racism the children and their biological parents face. "In the medical system, they're being stereotyped in a certain way that makes them feel less open to go to care," said Legese. "I hope that throughout my journey in medicine, I can use my experiences to advocate for better implicit bias and empathy training related to refugee health." Ereyi-Osas hopes to shed light on how factors of race and income can determine health outcomes. Submitted by Whitney Ereyi-Osas "That aspect is really missing in medicine," said Whitney, who runs a camp at U of C teaching health literacy to refugee and immigrant youth. "Race plays a huge role. "There's an assumption that people of colour handle disease better They aren't necessarily believed or taken seriously when they talk about their symptoms and that can lead to wrong prescriptions and problems later on." The four women are also planning to launch their own YouTube channel this summer called Black Girls MD. "We hope that this channel can help inspire other young Black girls to pursue this route as a career," said Ereyi-Osas. Which brings us back to Trumps letter. He wrote: If you are willing to put partisanship aside, we can revitalize distressed neighborhoods in Chicago, together. But to succeed, you must establish law and order. The combination of crime, high State and local taxes, and onerous State and local government regulations have caused thousands of Illinoisans to flee to other States. Between 2010 and 2019, Illinois lost more of its population than any other state in the Nation. If you are interested, I am willing to ask members of my Cabinet to meet with you and help devise a plan to make Chicago safe, since a successful formula has escaped both you and your predecessors. My Administration would also welcome the opportunity to engage with you and your colleagues as you develop bipartisan policy recommendations to improve policing and make our great cities safer for all. Veteran broadcaster John Pienaar has rejected the idea that Britain is a racist country and insisted it would be 'pathetic' to claim his skin colour had held him back in his career in an interview with the Sunday Times. Now 63, Pienaar is the son of South African immigrants who fled apartheid in the 1950s and spent 28 years at the BBC, becoming deputy political editor in 2015. He departed earlier this year and will host the drivetime show on fledgling station Times Radio, which launches at 6am on Monday morning. Veteran journalist John Pienaar has rejected the idea that Britain is a racist country Peinaar told the Sunday Times: 'I wouldn't describe Britain as a racist country. 'I grew up strongly believing that part of Britain and part of Britishness meant a kind of a leaning towards tolerance. I thought the British character recoiled from extremism. 'I still kind of believe that.' The journalist, whose parents are South African, felt he had never been held back in his career Pienaar left the BBC after 28 years to join Times Radio as host of their daily drivetime show Born in Middlesex, Pienaar attended Bromley Technical High School before completing his NCTJ journalism qualification at Highbury College in Portsmouth. He began his career at South London Press and worked as political correspondent at The Independent, Press Association and The Guardian until joining the BBC in 1992. Pienaar added: 'If not being Oxbridge and not being white has worked against me at any point then I'd be the last person to know. Because if that was happening in a room somewhere, who's going to tell me? 'I think if I was to start moaning that I've been held back in my career, if I was to start playing the victim, that would be pathetic. 'I would earn a great deal of opprobrium, and I'm not going to do that. Because one way or another, on balance, it's worked out OK.' A lull in rain activity over the past 10 days may lead to deficient rain in Mumbai for June with the possibility of the lowest June rainfall in five years. While Mumbai has so far recorded just over 340 mm rain in June 2020, June rainfall was 515.1 mm in 2019, 792.5 mm in 2018, 523.2 mm in 2017, 695.2 mm in 2016, 1106.7 mm in 2015, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). During June 2014, Mumbai witnessed its lowest June rain over the past 10 years at 87.3 mm, while the second-lowest was during June 2012 at 298.5 mm. The all-time lowest June rainfall was in 1972 at 0.2 mm followed by 1995 at 82.2 mm. This year, the Santacruz weather station, representative of the suburbs and Mumbai, has so far recorded 344.4 mm rain between June 1 and June 28 (5.30pm), against the normal rain of 449.6 mm or rainfall deficiency of 23%. It will take an additional 148.7 mm rain between Monday and Tuesday for the city to meet its monthly target of 493.1mm average June rainfall). However, the weather bureau has predicted only light to moderate showers for both days but an increase in rain intensity is expected between July 3 and 5. During the same period (June 1 to June 28 5.30pm), Colaba weather observatory, representative of south Mumbai, recorded 389.9 mm rain against the normal rain of 496.5mm, which means rain deficiency of 21.5%. Monsoon onset this year was declared on June 14, two days later than its new normal onset date of June 11. So far there has been only one intense rain spell on June 18 that led to 41 mm rain in the suburbs and 44 mm in south Mumbai. However, Maharashtra from June 1 to June 28 received 219.5 mm rain against the normal for the period at 177.1 mm, which is an excess of 24%. Significant weather systems did not develop over the west coast of Maharashtra, especially towards Mumbai, that could activate monsoon currents due to the rapid progression of the southwest monsoon over north and northwest India, where onset was declared before the normal arrival dates, said Mryutunjay Mohapatra, director-general, IMD adding, However, the performance in July and August is likely to be much better as compared to June as monsoon currents will strengthen over the region. Last year, monsoon onset over Mumbai was declared on June 25, most delayed in 44 years. However, the city witnessed its first very heavy rain spell as late as June 28 with 234.8 mm rain over 24 hours helping the city surpass its June average rain. Independent meteorologists explained that no significant weather systems formed near north Konkan, including Mumbai, resulting in insufficient moisture convergence and weak westerly winds, resulting in below-normal rains so far for June. It is not due to cyclone Nisarga, since South Konkan has received above-normal rains. This is the inter-annual variability of monsoon, wherein every year it has a different pattern, said Professor Sridhar Balasubramanian, department of mechanical engineering and IDP Climate Studies, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay. Others said south Konkan received more rainfall due to the effect of Cyclone Nisarga and more active monsoon conditions than north Konkan. The monsoons arrival in Mumbai was not that intense, followed by a considerable reduction in the rain due to reduced moisture. Since typical heavy rainfall events were missing for the Mumbai region throughout June, significant rain deficiencies have emerged, said Akshay Deoras, independent meteorologist and PhD researcher at the University of Reading, United Kingdom. Both, Balasubramaniam and Deoras concurred with the IMD that as monsoon currents moved north, Mumbai rains went into a break phase. Even though June is likely to end in deficit rains, the outlook for July looks very good with above-normal rains, which is likely to cover this deficit. This is due to strong westerlies and a formation of an offshore trough near the west coast, said Balasubramaniam. Deoras said, Rainfall enhancement is possible after July 2. However, there might be subdued rainfall once again from around July 10 due to another possible break-monsoon scenario. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A trial run of the e-marketplace will be held from July 30 to August 14. The objective is to bring around 5 lakh tribal artisans online, thus connecting them to a larger national and international market. Around 5 lakh tribal items across 20,000 categories, including textiles, paintings, home decor items, jewelry, and metal crafts, will be available on the website. (Representative Image) New Delhi: Tribal artisans will soon be able to sell their products at the click of a mouse with the government gearing up to launch a specialised e-marketplace for them this Independence Day. We will launch the website Tribes India e-Mart on Independence Day on August 15. It will be similar to selling your products on e-commerce giants Amazon or Flipkart. The difference is just that it will be only for tribals, Managing Director of TRIFED Praveer Krishna said. A trial run of the e-marketplace will be held from July 30 to August 14. The government had set up Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India in 1987 with an aim to provide fair price for products of tribals across the country. The agency functions under the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry. Krishna said tribal artisans will be trained and asked to register themselves as sellers on the website. The staff at our 15 regional offices across the country and state government officials working with TRIFED will train these tribals and help them get registered, he said. The objective is to bring around 5 lakh tribal artisans online, thus connecting them to a larger national and international market, he said. Around 5 lakh tribal items across 20,000 categories, including textiles, paintings, home decor items, jewelry, and metal crafts, will be available on the website. The products of tribal sellers will undergo a strict quality check and a committee will fix prices for each item. There will be local collection centres from where the products will be supplied across the country. For every Rs 100, Rs 70 will go to the tribals sellers, Krishna said. We will start with around 5,000 tribal artisans on July 30. The target is to connect 5 lakh tribal artisans to the platform and give them access to a larger market, he said. This is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of an aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) India. Our motto is go vocal for local, go tribal, he said. The worth of a shirt they (tribals) sell in local markets for Rs 200 is Rs 1,000 in Delhi, Krishna said, explaining the economics behind the idea. Best quality organic products will be delivered to buyers, who will have the option to return the item within 15 days if they are not satisfied with it, he said. On Saturday, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda launched tribal products on Government e-Marketplace (GeM). This will help government departments and officers purchase tribal products directly from the website without going through a lengthy process of floating a tender and receiving bids, Krishna explained. With more and more people going online to meet their various needs be it for business operations, shopping and communication, an important strategic push has been to adopt an all-encompassing digitization drive to map and link its village-based tribal producers, Munda said. SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / June 26, 2020 / Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation (OTC Pink:RVDO) (the "Company"), is pleased to announce it has added Alka Badshah to its Strategic Advisory Board. Ms. Badshah brings over 30 years of experience in Corporate management, financial markets, funding and mentoring startups. She has worked in various technology companies, including most recently Microsoft Corp. Her interest in Financial markets and Investing lead her into Angel investing in startups and other innovative and progressive companies. Ms. Badshah has an astute sense and expertise in researching and analyzing companies and brings a unique perspective to find solutions. Having extensive experience, serving on numerous non-profit boards and committees, she is currently on the Board of Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE) and Board Advisory Committee of Project FutureCare at Overlake Hospital Medical Center. She has served as the chair of the Board of 4Culture, a cultural funding agency for King County, WA, and has great relationships with public, corporate, and non-profit entities in the Seattle area and internationally. Ms. Badshah is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "It's my absolute pleasure to welcome Alka to the Board of advisors," commented Richard Hawkins, CEO of the Company "to be able to leverage such a broad background, particularly related to startups and M&A, is very timely at this stage in our growth" Regarding the appointment to the Advisory Board, Ms. Badshah stated "I am delighted to join RVDO at this exciting time in their growth as a company, and look forward to adding value to make it a successful venture." About Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation (OTC Pink:RVDO) is a Nevada registered publicly-traded company. For more information, please contact: Richard Hawkins IR@rvdoil.com Forward-looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate", "seek", intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan", or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-k, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov. Story continues SOURCE: Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/595361/Riverdale-Oil-Gas-Corporation-RVDO-Adds-Alka-Badshah-To-Its-Strategic-Advisory-Board Almost a year after it was introduced by Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, a bill that seeks to protect Native American artifacts had a hearing before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Heinrich promoted the bipartisan Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act before the panel on Wednesday. Fellow New Mexico Democrat Tom Udall is the committees vice chairman. The STOP Act was one of seven bills heard by the committee. The hearing was the first by the committee since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The STOP Act increases penalties for illegally trafficking tribal cultural patrimony, Heinrich said. Patrimony refers to objects possessing cultural, traditional, or historical importance to the heritage of a group. It also prohibits the export of the objects and creates an export certification system, which the senator said would protect sacred objects under international law. It also encourages the voluntary return of sacred objects held in private collections, because the highest priority of everyone involved in this issue is to see these sacred items return home to where they belong, Heinrich told the committee. Heinrich used the return of the stolen shield to Acoma Pueblo as an example of the need for the legislation. The ceremonial shield was to have been auctioned off in Paris. Through public pressure and diplomatic efforts, the shield was returned to the pueblo in November. However, this only happened through the cooperation of the individual who put the shield up for auction in the first place, Heinrich said. There is still no federal law prohibiting the export of items like the shield and requiring the cooperation of foreign governments in recovering them. He said that in other cases, tribes in New Mexico and across the nation have been forced to effectively pay a ransom or had to stand by and watch the sale of their priceless religious and cultural items in international markets. It is a federal crime to sell protected Native American cultural objects in the United States, the senator said. But he said penalties are not as high as in other statutes. Heinrich also said prosecutions are far too infrequent to deter people from smuggling and selling the objects. In addition, there is no explicit ban on exporting these items to foreign countries, where they might be sold at auction a fact that was cited by the French government when they initially declined to stop the auction of the Acoma shield, Heinrich said. Udall said at the hearing that he supported the legislation. It will provide Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations with the tools to prevent the theft, sale, and export of their cultural patrimony, Udall said, thanking Heinrich for his leadership on the bill. Heinrich is confident the legislation will be signed into law this year, spokesman Aaron Morales told the Journal. U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., is the sponsor of companion legislation in the House. It had a hearing before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples in September. GREAT OUTDOORS ACT: U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small told the Journal the House will likely vote on the Great Outdoors Act by the end of July. Torres Small is a co-sponsor of the House bill. The Senate version passed earlier this month. The legislation, which has the support of President Donald Trump, would fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million per year and provide $1.9 billion per year for five years to help clear the maintenance backlog at national parks, wildlife refuges and other federal lands. It is overwhelmingly bipartisan, Torres Small said. I dont expect major changes (to what the Senate passed). There could be some additional components for existing projects and maintenance. If there are differences, well look at the fastest way to get them resolved. Scott Turner: sturner@abqjournal.com During our early months in the U.S., my parents were so impressed with just about everything about the new country most of all the new freedom and opportunity that the U.S. had given us. My father would always remind us of all of the benefits of being here. For example, he'd say someone with my big mouth would be sitting in a political prison in Cuba for insurrection. Also, he'd say Castro would have sent my brother and me to Angola if we had stayed behind. In fact, many young Cuban men did serve in those wars in Africa. Many died or came back with AIDS, as we used to read in press reports in the late 1980s. Something else my parents would often talk about was U.S. highways. Cuba had a developed road and train infrastructure but nothing like those huge super-highways that connect U.S. cities. I can remember my mother admiring the roads on Sunday afternoons when we'd go on a picnic. How many times did I hear our Cuban friends compliment those clean and well paved U.S. roads? A lot! It was a topic that many Cubans would actually talk about in those small Cuban gatherings where our parents were in the living room and the young listening to The Rolling Stones. Americans can indeed take these marvelous roads for granted. For example, you can drive from Atlanta to L.A. on I-10, from Minneapolis to San Antonio on I-35, from Maine to Miami on I-95, and from San Diego to Seattle on I-5. It is really a great transportation system and something that Americans should be very proud of! It started when the U.S. Senate approved the U.S. Federal Highway Act this week in 1956. The U.S. House approved it on a voice vote the next day. I guess everyone was "on board" to start building those highways that connected the country from coast to coast and Mexico to Canada. Looking back, this is how the federal government should work. You propose an idea, discuss it openly and pay for it by raising taxes. Overall, a good idea that benefited the country. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. We asks our customers to wear masks and use sanitisers while visiting us. We are also using masks and gloves as protection, but there is still this fear lurking in our minds about hygiene and protection from the virus, says Kamla, who has been working at Budhwar peth as a commercial sex worker (CSW) since a long time. She is one of the 2,000 CSWs working in the Punes oldest and largest red-light area, in existence since the Peshwa era. Most of those working here are from West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. For the past three months, Kamla and most like her, were sitting at home without work. However, now business has resumed as Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has excluded the area from the containment zones list. The three months of lockdown was tough for many of the CSWs, and as they look to resume work, there is apprehension among them about the spread of Covid-19. With masks, gloves and video chat on their mind as preventive measures, these women with the help of the NGO Saheli have laid out certain Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs). Kajal has been part of Budhwar peth for past 12 years as a CSW and it was for the first time that she used phone sex for her regular customer. Phone sex is a new thing for me and I feel shy during the process. I am yet to get use to it, said Kajal, who acquired her this name after coming here. After PMC opened the area, Kamla stepped out to find a customer and also to collect ration that was being distributed by the local NGO working in the area. We are changing the sheets frequently. It has been tough to meet my day-to-day needs during the past three months of lockdown. We get ration from NGOs, but it is not enough, said Kamla, who acquired her name after coming here. Among the many NGOs working in Budhwar peth, Saheli HIV AIDS Karyakarta Sangh is once holding special advisory sessions on safety for CSWs during Covid-19 pandemic and is also encouraging them to use the phone for their regular customers. When we were called for a meeting with the police to announce that Budhwar peth was no longer a containment zone and that they could resume their work, four days ago, we are constantly thinking of how best to offer protection to these women, said Tejasvi Sevekari, executive director, Saheli. Their job has physical involvement and despite masks and gloves, there is still a risk of the infection. Hence, we began an advocacy programme and have been sharing videos about phone sex, she said. With the rising number of Covid-19 cases earlier in the area, police had shut the red light area on March 19, thus leaving no means of earning for the 3,000 CSWs. Almost 1,000 of them went back home, while 2,000 of them are still in the area. Most of them are looking forward to earning their money. I used to make around Rs18,000 to 20,000 a month, I am hoping to get at least few customers in the day if possible, said Kamla. Some of the CSWs have also pulled in money to buy sets of gloves, sanitisers and masks, although we are providing them with basic masks, as they want to resume activities with as much safety as possible, said Sevekari. Sevekari is apprehensive too about CSWs resuming their work. Until now there were no cases of Covid-19, but with customers visiting, there are chances of spreading of the virus. We are appealing to the government, if any funding could be worked out for the protection of CSWs. This will at least help them financially until the fear of this virus is gone, she said. Bomb Kills Afghan Rights Activists in Kabul By Ayaz Gul June 27, 2020 Afghan officials said Saturday a roadside bomb blast in Kabul has killed two members of the national human rights monitoring group. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said its female donor coordinator, 24-year-old Fatima Khalil, and a driver were traveling to their office in the morning when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in an eastern part of the capital. The commission condemned the attack, saying it was "deeply shaken" by the loss of its employees. "Those responsible should be identified after an investigation and brought to justice for committing this terrible crime," read a press release. No one immediately took responsibility for the bombing, the latest in a string of high-profile targeted killings in Kabul in recent weeks that remain unclaimed. They include attacks on highly respected Afghan clerics, civil society representatives and four members, including two lawyers, of the country's Attorney General's office, who were gunned down last week. Militants have previously carried out deadly attacks against members of the constitutionally mandated AIHRC. Afghan officials usually blame Taliban insurgents for the violence. U.S. ambassador to Kabul Ross Wilson denounced the attack on the AIHRC as unacceptable, calling for end to the ongoing cycle of violence and the "impunity and indignity" of such attacks on Afghans. "Recently, we and this country's citizens have grieved the deaths of Afghan security forces, innocent civilians, religious scholars, representatives of Afghanistan's judicial system, and now those who defend human rights and liberty. These attacks must end," Wilson tweeted. The commission has lately stepped up its campaign to seek a "clear role" for women in the proposed peace talks between the Taliban and representatives of a broader Afghan society to monitor respect for human rights. Shaharzad Akbar, the chairperson of AIHRC, told a special United Nations meeting earlier this week that "only an inclusive process with human rights at its heart can lead to lasting peace and prevent a return to conflict" in Afghanistan. During their five-year rule in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the Islamist group, among other controversial policies, barred girls from seeking an education and women from working outdoors. Afghan and Taliban officials have said their peace dialogue will be held in Qatar, where the insurgent group maintains its office, soon after an ongoing prisoner swap between the two adversaries is concluded. The prisoner exchange and the intra-Afghan negotiations, which are aimed at discussing a permanent cease-fire and a power-sharing arrangement, are the key provisions of a landmark deal the United States signed with the Taliban in February. The Afghan government has so far freed nearly 4,000 Taliban prisoners and is in the process of releasing the remaining 1,000. The insurgents have set free more than 600 of the promised 1,000 Afghan security forces in their custody. The U.S.-Taliban agreement requires all American and coalition troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by July 2021 in return for the Taliban's counterterrorism guarantees and political reconciliation with rival Afghan groups. Meanwhile, the Taliban has denied allegations that it had received bounties from Russian intelligence operatives to kill American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. "The 19-year jihad of the Islamic Emirate (the Taliban) is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country," said a Taliban statement issued Saturday. In a story published Friday in The New York Times, unnamed officials were quoted as saying that elements linked to Russia's military intelligence service had been giving rewards to Taliban fighters to encourage them to launch attacks on international forces. The Russian Embassy in Washington also rejected the report as "baseless and anonymous accusations," saying it has led to direct threats to the life of employees at its diplomatic mission in the U.S. "Stop producing #fakenews that provoke life threats, @nytimes," the embassy wrote on its official Twitter account. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alabama State Troopers say a Haleyville man was killed Saturday morning in a single-vehicle crash. Troopers say Hayden D. Tucker, 28, was killed in a crash at 10:40 a.m. on County Road 60, eight miles east of Haleyville. Tucker was driving a 1993 Dodge Dakota when the car left the roadway and overturned. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Alabama State Troopers are investigating. The novel coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated income inequality, experts say, stretching the racial wealth gap in the United States and making the richest wealthier while leaving many of the poorest without jobs. As the COVID-19 pandemic overtook the U.S., it brought with it an unprecedented financial crisis and unemployment rates at their highest levels since the Great Depression, especially among Black, Hispanic and Asian workers (16.8%, 17.6% and 15% in May compared to 12.4% for whites). At least 45 million people have filed for unemployment since the pandemic began. Yet between March 18 and June 17, as the pandemic raged, the combined wealth of the 614 U.S. billionaires increased by $584 billion, according to an analysis released late last week by the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank based in Washington, D.C. The researchers calculated the billionaires' wealth gains based on real-time data from Forbes. Experts said the wealth of the richest Americans is tied more closely than the rest of America to the stock market, which crashed at the onset of the crisis but has rallied since -- largely detached from the broader economic picture. MORE: Another 1.5 million US workers file for unemployment insurance "The pandemic crisis will widen the already worrisome levels of income, racial, and gender inequality in the U.S," Dimitri Papadimitriou, President of the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College, and former Greek Minister of Economy and Development, told ABC News. "This engenders an element of a vicious circle at work: not only will the pandemic and its fallout worsen inequality; inequality will exacerbate the spread of the virus, not to mention undermine any ensuing economic recovery efforts." Data has shown that the virus has disproportionately affected Blacks and Latinos, who each have hospitalization rates 4.5 times that of non-Hispanic whites, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Communities of color are also overrepresented among essential workers who are generally unable to work from home and more likely to come into contact with the virus. Story continues PHOTO: Unemployed Kentucky residents enter the Kentucky Career Center for help with their unemployment claims as hundred more wait in long lines outside on June 19, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. (John Sommers II/Getty Images) "Even though most people would assert that a disease or other disaster is blind to differences of race, creed or wealth, we are not all in this pandemic together,'" Papadimitrou added. "This assumption that 'we are together' distracts us from the socio-economic dimensions of the COVID-19 crisis." Chuck Collins, the co-author of the analysis and the director of the program on inequality at the Institute for Policy Studies told ABC News that their findings are "a reflection of this extremely unequal time that we are living in and it's not that simple, it's really 40 years of accumulating, accelerating inequality." As the U.S. entered the pandemic, "in some ways the extreme inequality was the preexisting condition," Collins said. Deadly consequences The impact of income inequality during a pandemic isnt just linked to economic hardship -- it can also be deadly. A team of researchers from the London School of Economics U.S. Centre argued in a May analysis that "states with greater income inequality are more likely to report more COVID-19 cases and fatalities." "The effect of inequality is large -- it is tied with the Human Development Index as the second strongest predictor of Covid deaths in various states, Harold Clarke, a professor of economics at University of Texas at Dallas and Paul Whitely, a professor at the University of Essex, wrote in their findings. The researchers measured inequality using the Gini Index, an economic barometer that ranks income inequality from 0 (total inequality) to 1 (total equality) and found that it was a strong predictor of COVID-19 deaths. New York, which had one of the highest Gini Index numbers at .52 also had the highest number of fatalities in the nation by a margin. But excluding New York and New Jersey, the researchers found that inequality was still a strong predictor. "The U.S. so far has had the most deaths of any country," Dr. Mary Bassett, the director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard T.H. Chan School, told ABC News. "In the U.S., these track along racial lines, and you'll hear the phrase racial capitalism now being raised by protesters that the kind of economy that the United States developed was not only a capitalist economy but one that was kick-started by its reliance on slave labor." "We see that reflected in the present day, Bassett said. "To be black or Latino or Native American in the United States is to have a much higher risk of being poor." A Brookings Institute analysis found that in 2016, the typical white family had a net worth 10 times that of a Black family ($171,000 compared to $17,150). PHOTO: A man holds a placard during a demonstration in Milford, Pa. (Preston Ehrler/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) "Peoples income determines their everyday lives, which includes their ability to access health services -- that's always true, but COVID-19 broke down into stark relief," Bassett said. "I would argue that a series of choices that have been made in the United States at the societal level meant that the U.S. was much more vulnerable to this pandemic." Papadimitriou added that "a reduction in income inequality is one of the most important -- if not the single-most important -- structural changes that needs to be implemented so that the U.S. economy can return to a sustainable growth path in the medium run." A public policy brief written by several of Papadimitriou's colleagues at the Levy Economics Institute, concludes that "had these issues been addressed already, the pandemics impacts on the United States would have been less severe." Why the ultra-rich are getting richer and the poor getting hurt Michael Graetz, a professor at Columbia University and the author of the book "The Wolf at the Door: The Menace of Economic Insecurity and How to Fight It," said some of the richest have seen their wealth grow during the pandemic in part because of how divorced the stock market can be from the real economy. "Some stocks, the tech stocks in particular, have done extremely well during the pandemic and of course lots of shares of Facebook and Amazon and others are owned by billionaires so of course their wealth has gone up because their stock has gone up in value," he said. "The bottom half of the American public doesnt own stocks so they havent shared in those gains." The bottom 40% of earners, he added, have been hurt most by unemployment during the pandemic. "So you have a situation where theyve lost their wages and Congress has temporarily provided some extra unemployment benefits to some of those folks and then sent $1,200 dollar checks but for those people, the people at the bottom half of the income distribution, have been living a precarious life before the pandemic, Graetz said. Congress boosted unemployment benefits during the pandemic and opened relief up to freelancers and others generally not covered by unemployment insurance. But people had to wait weeks in some cases for benefits. Stimulus checks were also not issued on a sliding scale based on need (although married couples making over $198,000 were ineligible). Even before the pandemic, Graetz cited a 2018 Federal Reserve survey that found nearly 40% of American families said they couldn't cover an unexpected $400 expense. "The pandemic has created emergencies that are much larger than $400," he said. MORE: Hawaii grapples with Great Depression-level unemployment as tourism plummets Wealth inequality in the U.S. is intrinsically linked to the racial wealth gap, Valerie Wilson, the director of the program on race, ethnicity, and the economy at the Economic Policy Institute, told ABC News. "If were seeing growth wealth inequality in general then it almost goes without question to say that the racial wealth gap is widening as well because a lot of the underlying racial disparities throughout the economy in wages, employment, income, Wilson said. "Part of getting to recovery has to do with addressing these holes that have been opened even more by the pandemic." Recovery efforts Understanding the rampant inequalities that are being exacerbated during the crisis are crucial when policymakers look towards economic recovery efforts. "The first thing is just how to make sure the current recovery programs and stimulus programs reduce the racial wealth divide, not make it worse," Collins told ABC News. One solution is the Democrat-backed HEROES Act, Collins said, which provides hazard pay to front-line workers among other relief as well as oversight of current funding. "Were spending trillions of dollars, let's not make the same mistakes that we did after the great recession of 2009 where we put in place policies that worsened the racial wealth gap," he added. "It requires a certain intentional commitment to racial equity as part of the recovery." Bassett noted that "$2 trillion [in the CARES Act] was mobilized to save Wall Street and large corporations" which proves "the U.S. can mobilize that kind of level of resource to protect people." "But that would take a great deal of political courage and votes that currently don't exist," she added. Collins said data collection amid the pandemic is crucial, as are audits of how stimulus and government relief funds are being used. Finally, Collins noted the ultra-rich need to be paying their fair share of taxes. "One of the reasons why our economy is so ill prepared, our public health system and our ability to respond to the pandemic, is because the very rich have seen their share of taxes continue to go down over the last three four decades, so we have to restore some progressivity to the tax code," he said. Papadimitrou said that policies combatting the epidemic and financial crisis must "be sensitive to inequalities and to avoid exacerbating biases that increase social, gender, and racial gaps." "If we ignore the regressive impact or refrain from taking action to mitigate these unequal harms will not only be an affront to principles of fairness, it will prolong the pandemic and worsen its severity, he added. PHOTO: People wait on a long line to receive a food bank donation at the Barclays Center on May 15, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) While people can feel powerless, Wilson noted there are many ways you can make your voice heard. "Why I feel people still have a voice is because of the protests, those are connected to police brutality and violence against Black people," she said, but noted that many companies and even government agencies have responded to them. "Were tired of this, we want this to change, I think the same kind of attitude can be applied to so many kinds of injustices in this country." 'Extreme inequality was the preexisting condition': How COVID-19 widened America's wealth gap originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Despite stepping down as senior members of the royal family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry prove they are still committed to issues of social justice albeit privately. After learning about the case of Althea Bernstein an 18-year-old black woman who was reportedly the victim of a racist crime in Madison, Wisconsin the Duchess of Sussex personally reached out to her. This week, Bernstein was allegedly set on fire by four white men while stopped at a red light in her car. One man approached her vehicle and sprayed her face with lighter fluid before throwing a flaming lighter through the car window. She was treated for burns at a nearby hospital. Horrified by her story, Meghan decided to make a personal phone call. According to Michael Johnson, the acting spokesperson for Bernstein and the president of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Meghan and Bernstein chatted for nearly an hour. "[Bernstein] and Meghan talked about the importance of self care and allowing herself to heal," Johnson told Channel 3000. "And she applauded her for the way that she responded and pretty much said, 'Hey Michael, give me her cellphone number. I want to stay in touch. And let me know when you want me to come back and talk to people in Wisconsin.'" On the phone with Prince Harry and Meghan Markel the Duchess of Sussex. Prince Harry shared that young people voices matter and Meghan has agreed to talk with girls in Wisconsin and we will be scheduling that soon. Thank you for caring! pic.twitter.com/FoVs6ewRgo Michael Johnson (@MJohnsonCEO) June 27, 2020 RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Volunteered to Help Former Gang Members During their conversation, Meghan advised Bernstein to take a break from social media to avoid any negative comments and the pair bonded over being biracial. Meanwhile, Prince Harry also joined the call for a short time, according to Johnson. Following her call with Bernstein, the duchess reportedly agreed to speak with young people from Wisconsin via a virtual town hall, which will be scheduled in a few weeks. As I heard her, I thought She has to talk to more kids, and Im thankful she agreed to do it, Johnson said of Meghan, after comparing her compassion to that of "a seasoned high school counselor." Every Monday to Friday, Aaryav Shukla, a four-year-old nursery student, logs in to a digital classroom sharp at noon. The classes are 60 minutes long and divided into two sessions with a 15-minute break in between. Around two teachers and six students appear in different grids of the laptop screen with parents making guest appearances and running in and out of the screen, often to catch hold and bring back one or more of their kids who decide to wander off. Aaryavs mother, Sonu Singh, sits by his side throughout the class, coaxing the four-year-old to focus on the lessons and activities. He often refuses to sit patiently and is constantly moving around in the house during the class. Half my time goes in ensuring that he sits and focuses on the class. Its bedlam with teachers calling out the names of students and parents shouting come back, sit here all at the same time. Its the parents who are actually sitting and attending the classes, said Singh. Aaryav is one of the scores of children who are adjusting to the new trend of online classes that have become a panacea of sorts in recent times. With the raging Covid-19 pandemic throwing up unprecedented challenges and leading to the physical closure of schools, online classes for children starting from pre-school to senior school have become the new vehicles for imparting lessons. As uncertainty prevails over the resumption of physical classes, these classes have invited both revulsion and reverence, with parents remaining a divided lot. Online live classes, for children in younger grades especially, have become a bone of contention throughout the country. So far two statesKarnataka and Madhya Pradesh have banned live classes for students up till class 5. Maharashtra has discontinued online classes for children up till class 2. In other states,such as Telangana, parents and rights groups have also sought a ban on classes for younger children. Educationists say that online classes for toddlers were akin to children interacting with strangers, since most children were not familiar with teachers and peers. In such a scenario, pushing children into online classes could be an uneasy experience for them, say experts. While parents said that it was not easy sitting around with younger children for these classes and there was very little value addition, they agreed still that online classes brought some semblance of routine for the child. I feel it is a bit too much for his age, but at the same time, he stays engaged at least for some part of the day. Learning takes place, albeit slowly, said Singh. With wavering attention spans, ensuring that children were looped in during the class was a key challenge, added other parents. Umang Singla, a parent of a nursery student who started school this year, said that while online classes were not a 100% substitute for the routine ones, learning had to continue in some way during the current circumstances. Children who started school this year have never met their teachers or classmates in a physical classroom space. Their first meeting took place online. The experience has been challenging, but everyone is trying to adapt to the situation gradually, said Singla. He said that one of the key challenges during these classes were for parents, who are required to be around children all throughout. The sessions initially took place for a shorter duration between one to two hours and have gradually increased to two hours or more. For working parents, juggling classes can be difficult, added Singla. Ashu Panwar, another parent, whose four-year-old daughter Zara is in kindergarten, agreed that getting children to sit for online classes was a task in itself. For parents, the maximum effort went into ensuring that the child was focusing on the classes. My daughters attention span is very low. After every ten minutes, she wants to stand up and tries to run away. I keep changing her place to ensure that she doesnt doze off and stays alert. Even the extent to which children grasp whats being taught has reduced since their attention span is wavering, said Panwar, who is often compelled to use hacks to ensure that her daughter pays attention to the class. Sometimes, I have to bribe Zara to sit through the class. I tell her that Ill do something for her in return if she sits quietly, she added. A digital marketing professional, Panwar has been working from home along with her husband. Managing professional work, household chores along with online classes was not easy, said Panwar. Classes take place from 9am to 11am and sometimes, for longer. During these hours, Panwar is unable to take any calls or focus on any other work. Virtual classes dont feel like classes but as they say, something is better than nothing. The pandemic is not going away soon and some semblance of learning has to take place since parents are not always equipped to teach, she said. Most parents with younger kids said that online classes required a lot of effort and seemed to be directed more at parents than students. For most of them, the routine offered by these classes was more of a motivation than the nature of learning that took place during the classes. School administrators, however, said that online classes have ensured real-time interactivity for a student, which was crucial in the current circumstances. It is important for students to be engaged in a constructive manner especially at a time when we are all being encouraged to not have any contact with the outside world. It helps their mental growth and happiness, said Kunal Bhadoo, director of Kunskapsskolan Schools. Bhadoo said that the school had not received any complaints from parents pertaining to online classes, so far. He added that learning during online classes was parent-led, which was a crucial intervention, especially for younger children. Parents are doing the hand-holding during online classes. Learning flows from the teacher to the parent and the parent to the child. It is needed since children need support at home, said Bhadoo. Educationist Gowri Ishwaran said that schools could administer activity-based assignments and worksheets for children in nursery and younger classes over online classes. She said that most children starting school this year were unfamiliar with teachers and peers due to which cementing a relationship solely through online interaction will be difficult. Children who started schooling this year and are attending online nursery classes are essentially interacting with strangers. They didnt get the chance to know their teachers in person due to the unprecedented circumstances created by this Covid-19 pandemic. Relating to a complete stranger online doesnt come naturally for a 3 or 4-year-old. I dont think incoming nursery students this year need regular digital exposure, said Ishwaran. She suggested that schools could share resources with parents for keeping children engaged, Children know their parents and can learn comfortably from them. Parents dont need to be paranoid about the content of classes or the syllabus in such times. With a new wave, or peak, of Chinese coronavirus cases shutting much of the country down again, and news getting out about how it's younger people being infected, the press is blaming bar-hopping and spring break travel. And in the case of the Washington Post, President Trump's rally in Arizona, too. Here's one account from the Washington Post: Health officials are imploring young people to wear masks and practice social distancing as coronavirus transmission among younger Americans continues to drive record outbreaks in several states. The pleas come as governors in Texas and Florida instituted new limits on bars and alcohol consumption to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, citing the skyrocketing number of young people who are contracting it. Anything to ignore the elephant in the room: raw, undistanced, unprotected, mass protests over the police-brutality death of George Floyd. The Washington Post actually excuses the protests. Curiously, the new wave of cases among young people now coincides with the waves of unprotected protests and lootings - five-, ten-day incubation periods, meaning the cases were contracted right about when the protests and lootings were going on. Apparently, everyone was out bar-hopping, according to the press reports seen now. Yet the anecdotal evidence is everywhere: Just a reminder that Nashville Mayor Chicken Cooper @JohnCooper4Nash encouraged people to join him in protests a month ago, now we have an uptick in COVID cases, a 34% prop tax increase and now mandatory mask infringements. Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) June 26, 2020 In the last month..... CDC: Dont worry about disinfecting surfaces CDC: Asymptomatic Covid spread rare. Thousands pack city and suburban streets in protests Covid cases surge. BLAME TRUMP. Hubinion.com (@Hubinioncom) June 27, 2020 The reason for the recent virus spike is the bars... ahhh that makes sense, but according to the CDC it take two weeks for someone to realize they are infected and that is just around the time when protests started in every part of the country. Lets start reporting the facts! pic.twitter.com/JoPNSkvl5Q Anthony Campbell (@accampbell25) June 27, 2020 Most of the cities where massive protests/ riots occurred have seen a spike in Covid 19 cases since those marching in large groups day after day failed to follow CDC guidelines.. Few masks.. no social distances..Often led by Democrats as Statues of other Dems are pulled down. Bill Cunningham (@Willie700WLW) June 25, 2020 Make no mistake, bar-hopping does seem to be a factor in some places. Texas and Florida, which avoided the worst of the coronavirus earlier, are moving in to shut bars down for now. The New York Times argues that bars are uniquely suited to the spread of the virus and lays out a decent case. COVID-19 maps also show big spreads in sunbelt states such as Arizona, Texas, and Southern California, which are arguably, but not uniquely, bar-hopping places, it certainly wouldn't explain drink-and-socialize havens such as Boston and New York. Yet virtually all of the blame is going to travel and bar-hopping. Protests are being dismissed because New York is seeing few cases, despite high protests and big looting extravaganzas. That's still something that remains to be seen as secondary cases come in from the vulnerable, and it may well be because the place was already hard hit, and people ride the subways, factors that could contribute to herd immunity. Other anomalies abound, too: Note also that one of the hardest-hit areas, Imperial County in Southern California, was always an extreme hotspot even before the second wave - a redoubt of farmworkers coming from northern Mexico, where there have been some very high infection rates and little medical care of any kind for the poor. Minnesota with its protests is cited as a place of low new transmissions but its figures are going up, even as the press downplays them. Bottom line, it's likely more than one source. But to leave the unchecked, unmasked, un-ruled protests out is appalling, pure politicization of public health in the interests of being woke. And that calls mind some disgraceful politicizations of the COVID seen recently: 1. Public health experts, in an open letter from the University of Washington, which created the quarantine guidelines, have killed their own credibility in demanding an economic shutdown earlier by publicly endorsing the protests as much more important than preventing the spread of COVID. Letter here, emphasis mine: Staying at home, social distancing, and public masking are effective at minimizing the spread of COVID-19. To the extent possible, we support the application of these public health best practices during demonstrations that call attention to the pervasive lethal force of white supremacy. However, as public health advocates, we do not condemn these gatherings as risky for COVID-19 transmission. We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States. We can show that support by facilitating safest protesting practices without detracting from demonstrators ability to gather and demand change. This should not be confused with a permissive stance on all gatherings, particularly protests against stay-home orders. Those actions not only oppose public health interventions, but are also rooted in white nationalism and run contrary to respect for Black lives. Protests against systemic racism, which fosters the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on Black communities and also perpetuates police violence, must be supported. 2. Plenty of doctors and nurses, until recently hailed as heroes, have jumped in and joined the protests, too. Not a serious bunch: their lucky patients. 3. Public health officials doing contact tracing in New York have been explicitly instructed to not ask COVID patients if they've attended any of the protests or lootings -- and they're having a curiously bad time getting anyone to help them out anyway as to their whereabouts when they contracted the virus. 4. In far-left Oregon, public health officials have exempted black people from wearing COVID masks, allowing them to catch the illness and spread it to others, solely on the grounds that they are victims of racism who may not like wearing masks. Their health is secondary. Yet there's also this from USA Today a couple weeks ago: Public health officials warn new cases of COVID-19 probably will emerge after mass gatherings that followed Floyd's death in Minneapolis and racial unrest in cities across America. Health experts fear carriers of the coronavirus with no symptoms could unwittingly infect others at protests where social distancing is not taking place. The merit of the protesters' cause "doesnt prevent them from getting the virus, said Bradley Pollock, chairman of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of California-Davis. At least one protester in Tampa, Florida, had COVID-19. Experts say potential cases need to be monitored over two weeks, the viruss incubation period, and we wont know for sure how many cases have amassed from the protests until then. Why exactly isn't that an issue in the press today? The protests, the frustrations, the politicizations have all contributed to this spike in cases, as have other factors. But only protests seem to be too hot to handle. Why is truth such as hard thing to handle for leftists doing this press coverage? Photo illustration by Monica Showalter with use of Twitter screen shot and Pixabay public domain image. Kathmandu, June 28 Amid claims that the government is struggling to reduce expenses to generate resources for the countrys Covid-19 response, the Nepal Army has started a procedure to purchase vehicles worth Rs 180 million. The national army organisation says it is purchasing the operational vehicles as they are necessary. The army is buying 10 double-cab pick-up trucks, five each of southern plains and high hills. Likewise, it is also buying one category C ambulance. Similarly, another category A ambulance will also be purchased. It will be used during escorting for VVIPs such as the president and the prime minister. The ambulance will also have a ventilator in it. One mountain jeep, five hard-top jeeps, five motorbikes, four tractors, and 30 bicycles will be bought. For the army headquarters, two forklifts and one workshop vans will be purchased. The army had also proposed purchasing two buses, but the government did not give approval. Diana Angola was fighting for her own life when she gave birth to son Jefferson. The 36-year-old had been put into a coma having contracted the novel coronavirus, which left her lungs barely able cope. Doctors performed a caesarian section due to the state of her lungs and Jefferson was born at least 14 weeks prematurely. The case generated "a lot of shock," Paula Velasquez, a doctor specializing in internal medicine at the Versalles clinic in the southeastern city of Cali, told AFP. "We knew that there were few reported cases of survival in a context as severe as our patient," said Velasquez. Angola, who also has a daughter, was taken to hospital on May 15 with a terrible fever. Three days later she was put into an induced coma and kept that way until surgery. Because of her pregnancy, she was kept sitting up at a 45 degree angle, when those suffering from pneumonia are normally laid down flat to help their breathing. Jefferson, though premature, was born without the coronavirus -- but doctors said he struggled to breathe, and that they had to revive him. "We had to go through the whole procedure of a critical patient," pediatrician Edwin Olivo, who was one of the specialists involved in the birth, said. But, he added, though the baby remains in an incubator he quickly started putting on weight and breathing more easily. "A human being can survive from 24 weeks with a good weight, but with a lot of technology and an effect on neurological development and the lungs," said Velasquez. - Painful memories - Now recovered from the virus, Angola is desperate to be discharged with her son. "It's really emotional knowing that we fought, that the doctors helped us survive," she said, her voice faint. She says she doesn't know how she contracted the virus and her family insists she complied rigidly with the lockdown, first imposed on March 25 but which has been easing recently. In the hospital corridors, her sister Angela breathes a sigh of relief. Hospitals bring back painful memories: two years ago her mother and another sister died in intensive care, where Diana was for several weeks. Angela remembers her sister screaming: "Don't let them put me on artificial ventilation, get me out of here, I don't want to die," after doctors told her what treatment they were proposing. With Latin America now the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, Angela wants her sister and nephew's case to act as a lesson for others. "There are many people who go around without face masks, who go to parties, because they don't know anyone (with the virus) they don't realize" how dangerous it is. With more than 2,600 deaths and 80,000 cases, Colombia is the sixth most affected country in Latin America in terms of fatalities and fifth worst for infections. However, the virus is spreading quickly in the country of 50 million, with a quarter of those deaths and cases reported just last week. Diana Angola's child Jefferson was born at least 14 weeks prematurely but his condition has been improving ever since Diana Angola's son Jefferson remains in an incubator having been born at least 14 weeks prematurely Colombian Diana Angola was terrified of going into intensive care as her mother and a sister died in hospital Diana Angola says she doesn't know how she contracted the coronavirus but is now just desperate to go home with her son Virgin Atlantic Airways is racing to stitch together a 900m privately funded rescue deal within days after concluding that it was unlikely to secure an emergency government bailout. Sky News can reveal that the airline founded by Sir Richard Branson in 1984 has substantially increased the size of its proposed refinancing amid forecasts of a protracted post-coronavirus recovery for the aviation industry. City sources said that Virgin Atlantic, led by chief executive Shai Weiss, was now targeting an overall package of at least 800m and potentially as much as 900m, as talks with a wide range of stakeholders continue through the weekend. An insider said the discussions were now focused on "an informal deadline" in early July to have the outline of an agreement in place. If agreed, the refinancing would aim to provide the carrier with a comprehensive re-engineering of its balance sheet to enable it to survive even the direst of predictions about global aviation demand. Much of the total value of the package would not be new capital injected into the business, but would help Virgin Atlantic's stalling cashflow by deferring fees and other payments owed by the company. Under the plans - which sources cautioned remained fluid and subject to substantial changes - Sir Richard's Virgin Group and Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic's existing shareholders would provide around 250m of new funding support to Virgin Atlantic. This weekend, two proposals from rival hedge funds Davidson Kempner Capital Management and Elliott to provide up to 250m in debt funding to the British carrier are being considered. Elliott's offer is understood to be supported by Greybull Capital, the former owner of Monarch Airlines. A source close to Virgin Atlantic's lenders said one of the hedge fund bids was likely to be chosen by the carrier's board as its preferred funding partner during the course of next week. Davidson Kempner, an investor in British companies such as the outsourcer Interserve and Oak Furnitureland, is said to be a marginal frontrunner at this stage. Story continues Any such deal would not dilute Virgin Group's 51% stake in the company. The rescue package would also include several hundred million pounds of support from aircraft lessors and credit card companies, with talks about their support intensifying in the last few days. The Civil Aviation Authority, the industry regulator, has also been asked to temporarily ease requirements relating to Virgin Atlantic's ATOL bonding arrangements. Approval is also needed from a syndicate of bondholders which lent money to it in 2015 against its take-off and landing slots at Heathrow. If the deal is successfully stitched together, it would also include an 'amend-and-extend' agreement with the providers of the airline's revolving credit facility. The government has not formally ruled out providing funding or financial guarantees to Virgin Atlantic, but sources say the company has been proceeding for several weeks on the basis that no such support would materialise, and has focused on a private solution. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, indicated in April that state aid would be available to airlines "only as a last resort" and after the support of existing government schemes and companies' existing shareholders had been pursued. The sheer multitude of stakeholders whose consent is needed for a rescue deal to be concluded underlines the fact that Virgin Atlantic's future is not yet assured. Sky News revealed last month that the company's board had drafted in Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) to draw up contingency plans for a pre-pack administration or another form of insolvency arrangement. Negotiations are nevertheless understood to be proceeding constructively, raising hopes that Virgin Atlantic's future can be successfully secured early next month. Last month, the airline announced a restructuring of its operations designed to save hundreds of millions of pounds annually. It is cutting 3150 jobs - almost a third of its workforce - and ceasing flights from London's Gatwick Airport, concentrating future UK flights at Heathrow and Manchester. Virgin Atlantic is also cutting the size of its fleet and retiring older planes including its Boeing 747s. British-based airlines have been pressing the government to introduce so-called 'air bridges' to mitigate the impact of the 14-day quarantine rule introduced this month. An announcement next week is expected to provide limited relief to airlines on such travel corridors, but will fall well short of a wholesale return to normality. EasyJet, International Airlines Group and Ryanair have begun legal action against the government aimed at overturning the policy. Sir Richard's carrier has said it will aim to resume passenger flights on July 20 to destinations including Hong Kong, Los Angeles and New York, although Delta has warned that the recovery of demand for international travel is likely to lag domestic US aviation by a year. There also remains uncertainty about the possible imposition of further restrictions by authorities in the US and elsewhere. Virgin Atlantic is anticipating that customer demand will be at least 40% lower during 2020, with only a gradual recovery next year, reinforcing its desire to seek substantially more than its initial funding requirement of about 500m. Although he pleaded for government support at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, Sir Richard has put himself into a position to contribute to the bailout of his flagship company. The Virgin Group tycoon has raised roughly $500m by selling shares in Virgin Galactic, his space tourism venture, with the proceeds of those disposals to be injected into his airlines and other leisure and travel ventures. This week, Bain Capital, the private equity group which is Sir Richard's partner in Virgin Voyages, won an auction to buy Virgin Australia, which had collapsed into insolvency proceedings. Virgin is expected to invest in that refinancing. People close to Virgin Atlantic have sought to contrast the handling of its workforce restructuring with that of British Airways, which has sparked volcanic fury from politicians and trade unions over its plans to sack 12,000 staff and amend the pay and conditions of remaining employees. "This crisis has highlighted more than ever why Heathrow and British aviation needs a second strong player to challenge BA," one source said. If the rescue talks fail to result in a solvent deal, an administration process would impact Virgin Atlantic's current borrowing arrangements and complicate its attempts to continue flying because of the conditions of its CAA and ATOL licences. Its aircraft leasing and take-off and landing slot agreements would also be terminated by it falling into insolvency. Since the coronavirus outbreak, Virgin Atlantic has furloughed thousands of staff and seen its top executives agree substantial pay cuts. A handful of its planes have been flying since the UK lockdown began in March, largely on cargo routes. Peter Norris, Virgin Group's chairman, urged Boris Johnson at the start of the crisis to establish an industry-wide support package that could cost in the region of 7.5bn. Sir Richard recently made an impassioned defence of his group's financial affairs, warning that the transatlantic airline he founded in the 1980s was likely to collapse without government support. He said the pandemic was "the most significant crisis the world has experienced in my lifetime". "There are more than 70,000 people across 35 countries who work in Virgin companies, all of whom have been deeply affected by the pandemic in different ways," he wrote. "Because many of our businesses are in industries like travel, leisure and wellness, they are in a massive battle to survive and save jobs." The tycoon added that an initial $250m investment was "likely just the start". "The chances of securing widespread economic recovery will depend critically upon governments around the world successfully mobilising various newly announced support programmes, which in these unique circumstances will be essential to protect people's livelihoods," he wrote. A multitude of advisers, including Houlihan Lokey, Alvarez & Marsal, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley and EY are working for various stakeholders on the Virgin Atlantic rescue deal. Virgin Atlantic declined to comment on Saturday. Vehicles are about to cross the border between Austria and Hungary to enter Nickelsdorf, Austria, on June 16, 2020. (Photo by Georges Schneider/Xinhua) The 27-member bloc plans to reopen on July 1 after months of lockdown. But it plans to bar travelers from the United States and some other countries where the COVID-19 outbreak has not been effectively controlled. WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) plans to bar travelers from the United States and some other countries where the COVID-19 outbreak has not been effectively controlled as the bloc will reopen in July, U.S. media reported Friday. After several rounds of negotiation in recent weeks, EU senior diplomats in Brussels have come up with a final list of the safe countries from which travelers are welcomed to the bloc, U.S. media outlet The New York Times reported. As the United States has registered the most COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world, it is "highly unlikely" to be included in the final list, the newspaper said. The exclusion of the United States, an important source of tourism to the EU, "represented a stinging rebuke" to the U.S. administration's management of the pandemic, the report said. The 27-member bloc plans to reopen on July 1 after months of lockdown, according to the report. Russia is also among dozens of other countries that are considered by the EU diplomats as too risky. Countries on the safe list were judged on their infection rates and the credibility of their reporting data, among other criteria, and the list will be updated every two weeks, it said. The safe list is not final, and still needs to be formalized in the member states' governments, the report said, adding the EU officials "did not expect the list to change." NEW MEXICO Public access to Statehouse still banned amid pandemic SANTA FE New Mexico is sticking with a ban on direct public access to the Statehouse in favor of remote internet video access as legislators gather to rewrite the state budget. A divided Supreme Court rejected a petition June 16 from nearly two-dozen rank-and-file lawmakers to keep the doors of the Legislature open to the general public with a reduced limit on occupancy to guard against the coronavirus. A bipartisan panel of leading lawmakers and their legal advisers at the Legislative Council Service insisted that public attendance would make it nearly impossible to avoid close human contact that allows COVID-19 to spread. Thomas Hnasko, an attorney for the Legislative Council Service, defended the plan to close the Capitol to the public and provide remote access instead, arguing that interactive video feeds of committee hearings and floor sessions would ensure the Legislature doesn't operate in secret. Attorney Blair Dunn, representing 22 dissident legislators, said that public participation in a legislative session is about more than listening to committee hearings and floor debates and involves conversations in the corridors and offices of the Statehouse. Justice David Thomson expressed his reluctance to tell a separate branch of government how to conduct business amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while Justice Shannon Bacon expressed concern that people without computers or high-speed internet in New Mexico's vast "technological desert" would be shut out. Court deliberations were held by video conference and were interrupted for about 10 minutes by an internet connection failure steering the discussion toward pitfalls of governance by internet. Trump says he's heard 'interesting' things about Roswell President Donald Trump says he's heard some interesting things about Roswell, but he's not sharing even with his eldest child. Trump made the comments June 18 in a Father's Day-themed interview with his son Don Trump Jr., hosted by the president's reelection campaign. Don Jr. wound down his interview by jokingly asking his Dad/President if he would ever divulge more information about Roswell, the New Mexico city known for its proximity to arguably most famous UFO event "and let us know what's really going on." Trump responded, "I won't talk to you about what I know about it, but it's very interesting." In 1947, a rancher discovered unidentifiable debris in his sheep pasture outside Roswell. Air Force officials said it was a crashed weather balloon, but skeptics questioned whether it was in fact at extraterrestrial flying saucer. Decades later the U.S. military acknowledged the debris was related to a top-secret atomic project. Still, the UFO theory has flourished. The president in the past has spoken skeptically about the possibility that there is something out there. Last year Trump said he received short briefing on UFO sighting, but also offered: "People are saying they're seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly." After his father offered that he heard some "interesting" things about Roswell, Trump Jr. asked the president might declassify that information someday. "Well, I'll have to think about that one," the president responded. NORTH DAKOTA State's oil production in April saw biggest one-month drop ever North Dakota's oil producers posted a historically ugly month in April, with production dropping 15% as COVID-19 hammered the U.S. economy and global demand for fuel. And production declines are expected to continue, hitting lows not seen since oil's 2016 swoon. North Dakota oil production fell from 1.43 million barrels per day in March to 1.22 million in April, according to data released June 19 by the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources. Output is expected to dip below 1 million barrels per day in May, a particularly dramatic decline considering that the state hit an all-time oil output high of 1.52 million barrels per day in November. North Dakota is the nation's second-largest oil-producing state after Texas. Total U.S. oil production also hit a record high in November of 12.9 million barrels per day, but that number had fallen to 11.4 million in May, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The grim outlook can be seen in the U.S. oil rig count, a harbinger for future production. It currently stands at 10 in North Dakota, down from an average of 17 in May and 52 in March. The oil and gas industry provides the best-paying hourly jobs in North Dakota, state employment data show. But the sector has been whacked by 9,200 layoffs through June 6, meaning a roughly 40% decline in oil and gas employment this year, state data indicates. WYOMING Court rules judges can change sex on birth certificate CHEYENNE Wyomingites now have the right to change their sex on their birth certificate, according to the Wyoming Supreme Court in an opinion it issued June 12. In the case of MH versus the State of Wyoming, the Supreme Court reversed a Laramie County District Court decision made by judge Peter Froelicher that stated the court didn't have subject matter jurisdiction to change MH's sex on her birth certificate. MH is going by her initials in the court case to protect her privacy. MH is a transgender woman, and at the time of her birth, she was assigned the male gender, but MH identifies herself as female, according to court documents. In order to change her sex on her birth certificate, she needed to obtain a court order that instructed the Wyoming Department of Health to do so. The Wyoming Department of Health said it required a court order, which the Laramie County District Court then denied. This put MH in a Catch-22 situation, which caused her to appeal this issue to the Wyoming Supreme Court. The high court ultimately found the district court erred in its ruling and said the district court did have subject matter jurisdiction to issue the court order for MH. The district court stated it couldn't make a ruling on the MH case because the Vital Records Act, which a birth certificate change falls under, doesn't contain language about what to do with a sex change. The district court then said the Legislature must have intended to limit the district court's jurisdiction on such matters because there wasn't specific language regarding sex changes. ARIZONA Phoenix mandates wearing masks amid surge of virus cases PHOENIX The city of Phoenix on June 19 approved a measure requiring people to use face masks in public to ward off the spread of the coronavirus as Arizona hit an all-time high for new daily cases. In an emergency meeting called by Mayor Kate Gallego, the City Council voted 7-2 in favor of making masks or face coverings mandatory. The order went into effect the next morning. The Phoenix ordinance applies to all public places, including public transit, in the nation's fifth-largest city. Restaurants and other businesses will have the right to refuse service to people who do not wear masks or face coverings. Exempted from the order are children under age 6, people with religious beliefs against covering their faces and restaurant patrons who are eating or drinking. The restaurant patrons must wear masks while entering and exiting or moving around in the establishments. Police are tasked with enforcing the mandate. Chief Jeri Williams said officers have been told to "lead with education" and let violators off with warnings first. People who called in to express their views about the move before the vote were split between those who spoke in favor of it and opponents who called it a violation of their personal freedom. Wearing a cloth face mask has been shown to limit the spread of respiratory droplets that can contain the virus and infect others. The BBC was last night facing calls to ban Maxine Peake after she was accused of making an antisemitic slur. The actress, who is appearing in the corporation's revival of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologues, claimed in an interview that the kneeling-on-the-neck tactic used by US police officers arresting George Floyd was 'learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services'. Shadow Education Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey was sacked by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after she shared a link to the article on Twitter and wrote: 'Maxine Peake is an absolute diamond.' Ms Peake, 45, who is a former Communist Party member best known for her roles in Dinnerladies and legal drama Silk, subsequently admitted she had been wrong. The BBC has faced calls to ban Maxine Peake (pictured with Jeremy Corbyn) after she claimed the kneeling-on-the-neck tactic used by police officers arresting George Floyd was 'learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services' Writing on Twitter, she said: 'I was inaccurate in my assumption of American police training and its sources. I find racism and antisemitism abhorrent and I in no way wished, nor intended, to add fodder to any views of the contrary.' But Jewish groups said her 'mealy-mouthed' clarification was insufficient and the BBC should refuse to work with her again until she makes a formal apology. A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'Sir Keir Starmer has shown leadership by sacking a senior frontbencher for sharing Maxine Peake's antisemitic conspiracy theory. The BBC should follow suit and end its work with Maxine Peake until she formally apologises for promoting an antisemitic trope and agrees to undertake antisemitism training. 'Her mealy-mouthed "clarification" is not enough. 'If the BBC fails to act after having taken strong action against some of its own presenters for racial comments against other minorities, the public will rightly conclude that it has a double standard when it comes to antisemitism.' Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: 'The BBC prides itself on championing minorities. It would be extraordinary if it didn't take action against Maxine Peake for peddling a highly offensive anti semitic conspiracy theory, unless its woke philosophy doesn't apply to Left-wing actresses. 'If a Labour MP lost her job for retweeting Peake's interview, how can Peake herself escape punishment for the anti-Jewish sentiments she expressed in that interview?' Members of the public took to social media to urge the BBC to take action. The 45-year-old actress, best known for her roles in Dinnerladies and legal drama Silk, subsequently admitted she had been wrong. But Jewish groups have since said her 'mealy-mouthed' clarification was insufficient One wrote: 'Perhaps the BBC should also consider not contracting Maxine Peake.' Another added: 'So agreeing with these racist, antisemitic comments is a sackable offence at Labour. But I'm damn sure that the perpetrator, actress Maxine Peake, will still be welcome at the BBC.' Ms Peake's political views were forged growing up in a working-class family in Bolton. She said in an interview: 'My grandfather had a life-changing influence on me. He never had any ambitions to be a politician he worked on the assembly line at Leyland Motors but his life was politics. 'He was a self-educated man and he had a thirst for knowledge. He was a member of the Communist Party. I left the Communist Party at 21, when I went to London to drama school, for no other reason than that I could not fulfil my commitments to it. But I am still a socialist.' The actress has also complained that the world was 'being ruled by capitalist, fascist dictators'. According to its latest accounts, Ms Peake's firm, Flat Cap Ltd, has assets of 532,464, up 155,000 on the previous year. The BBC and Ms Peake both declined to comment. The Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate edged higher at the start of the week as oil prices slumped. Concerns over a record increase in coronavirus cases which could slow down the recovery in oil demand offset tighter supply cuts from major oil producers, sending CAD lower. Meanwhile, Sterling edged higher and recovered from falling to a three-week low during Asian trading. However, GBP gains were limited after data revealed Britains industrial output suffered its largest quarterly fall on record. The Pound continued to edge higher on Tuesday after better than expected UK PMI surveys, although the currency was largely driven by risk appetite and Brexit. Although, GBP was offered some support after Boris Johnson announced that pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, and hotels will be able to reopen from 4 July in England. The Loonie struggled despite rising oil prices and President Donald Trumps comments on US-China trade which calmed markets. GBP/CAD continued to edge higher as global sentiment turned cautious after Bloomberg News reported the United States was threatening to slap further tariffs on goods from the UK and EU. Sterling gains were limited after top medics warned the Prime Ministers plans to ease the lockdown increases the risks of the UK suffering from a second wave of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, CAD remained under pressure as traders flocked back to safety, and worries about the resurgence of the virus caused the previous days rise in oil prices reversed. Comments from a top White House advisor that China had stepped up its game on trade did little to boost the Loonie. The Pound was left largely flat against the Canadian Dollar as traders continued to worry about the risks of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Brexit-related worries also weighed on the currency while data from the CBI showed retailers remained extremely gloomy about the prospects of the British economy reopening later in the summer. CAD remained muted against GBP after oil prices tumbled below $40 a barrel on Thursday. Prices were weighed down after data revealed record-high US crude inventories as well as an increase in Covid-19 cases which weighed on hopes of a recovery in demand. The Loonie also remained downbeat after Canada became the first country to lose its AAA rating due to the governments coronavirus spending. GBP/CAD edged lower at the end of the week after oil prices edged higher on Friday on signs of a recovery in fuel demand. However, this was kept in check by the increasing coronavirus cases in the US and China. Pound Canadian Dollar Outlook: Oil Prices, Brexit and PMIs in Focus This Week The start of the week could see the Pound (GBP) slide against the Canadian Dollar (CAD) if investors remain downbeat about this weeks Brexit negotiations. If traders are pessimistic about the latest round of trade talks between the UK and EU, GBP will slide. The Pound could suffer further losses on Tuesday following the release of the UKs growth data. If first-quarter growth slumps as expected, Sterling will edge lower. However, the pairing could be left flat following the release of Canadas GDP. If growth plummets once again in April, it will weigh on the Loonie. Wednesday could see GBP/CAD edge higher following the release of the UKs manufacturing PMI survey. If Markits data reveals the British manufacturing sector has returned to growth, it will offer Sterling some support. Thursday could see the pairing edge lower following the release of Mays Canadian imports and exports data disappoints. Added to this, the oil-sensitive Loonie could suffer some losses if oil prices decline this week. Meanwhile, overnight the Pound could edge higher following the release of consumer confidence data. If GfKs data shows British consumers are growing increasingly confident, it will buoy GBP. The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate could edge higher at the end of the week if data shows activity in the UKs service sector expanded in June. If the countrys service sector shows signs of recovery in June, it will boost the Pound. Nearly one year after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last met, North Korea has returned to conducting short-range missile tests and issuing harsh rhetoric, while Washington shows little interest in easing sanctions. The two leaders' last meeting - at the Demilitarised Zone between the two Koreas - did little to break the deadlock in denuclearisation talks. This has led to bouts of increased tension, though Trump - who once derided Kim as Little Rocket Man - has largely downplayed Pyongyangs actions. Here is a timeline of those developments: June 12, 2018: A summit in Singapore represented the first time a sitting American president met with a North Korean leader, but the statement that came out of the meeting was light on specifics, opting instead for general commitments. Since the summit, North Korea has shown no tangible signs of a willingness to abandon its nuclear weapons, and experts have said it is believed to have continued development of its arsenal. Washington, at the same time, has sought to keep sanctions intact, leading North Korea to accuse the United States of clinging to hostile policies. February 28, 2019: A second summit between Trump and Kim in Vietnam collapsed over sanctions relief, raising questions about the future of denuclearisation diplomacy. June 30, 2019: Trump and Kim then met again on the border between North and South Korea and agreed to restart negotiations, but working-level nuclear talks in Sweden in October broke off. December 3, 2019: Raising tensions at year-end, Pyongyang warned Washington of a Christmas gift after Kim gave the United States until 2020 to propose new concessions in nuclear talks. Beyond a warning from Kim that the world would soon see a new strategic weapon, however, the deadline passed uneventfully. March 2020: North Korea launched a series of short-range missiles, its first such tests of the year. This drew US and Chinese appeals for Pyongyang to return to talks, but there were no signs that any discussions materialized. April/May 2020: Kims disappearance from public sight led to several weeks of fevered speculation about his health, fuelling concerns in Washington and elsewhere about stability on the Korean Peninsula. The situation calmed in early May when state media said Kim had attended the completion of a fertilizer plant. May 28, 2020: The US Justice Department accused North Koreas state-owned bank of evading U.S. sanctions laws and charged 28 North Korean and five Chinese citizens in its largest crackdown on North Korea sanctions violations. June 16, 2020: North Korea blew up a liaison office in Kaesong used for joint talks after threatening action if defectors continued with a campaign sending propaganda leaflets into the North. June 24, 2020: State media announced that Kim had decided to suspend military action plans that North Korea had threatened to carry out against the South. June 25, 2020: Marking 70 years since the beginning of the 1950-1953 Korean War, North Korea's foreign ministry released a report defending the country's nuclear weapons programme and vowing to "never shrink from this road we have chosen." State media, however, did not report any of the anti-US mass rallies that have often been held on that anniversary in the past. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 04:35:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The loans Egypt has recently obtained will help the country revive its economy amid the spread of COVID-19, an Egyptian economic expert said on Saturday. "Egypt has decided to get loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to assist its economic activities after a long period of an economic slowdown caused by the anti-coronavirus measures," Mostafa Ibrahim, vice president of the Chinese-Egyptian Business Council, told Xinhua. Ibrahim, also a member of the Cairo-based Egyptian Businessmen Association, added that getting loans was "Egypt's only way to preserve the gains it has achieved in recent years by implementing an economic reform program." The IMF approved on Friday a 12-month Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) for Egypt, with a total access of about 5.2 billion U.S. dollars to address the balance of payments financing needs arising from COVID-19. The SBA will support the authorities' efforts to preserve the macroeconomic achievements made over the past four years, and advance key structural reforms, the IMF said in a statement. It added that structural reforms will aim to continue strengthening the frameworks for public finances, improve governance and transparency, and reduce barriers to competition to ensure a path towards sustainable and inclusive private sector-led growth. Ibrahim noted that the loans are expected to put the Egyptian economy back on track. However, he warned that the performance of the economic activities will largely rely on the gravity of the spread of the virus. He said, "The government may reimpose its tight measure if infections will increase notably." So far, Egypt's total coronavirus cases reached 63,923, including 2,708 deaths and 17,140 recoveries. Egypt lifted on Saturday a partial nighttime curfew that has been imposed in the country for three months, amid a coexistence plan to maintain anti-coronavirus precautionary measures while resuming economic activities. The decision includes reopening restaurants, cafes, theaters and cinemas with 25 percent of their capacity, while public beaches and parks will remain closed. Egypt is expected to resume international flights from July 1 as the country prepares for the return of foreign tourism, after more than three months of international flight suspension over the COVID-19 concerns. Enditem A seven-month-old boy from Sector 22 is among two Covid-19 cases reported in Chandigarh on Friday. Six people, including a 29-year-old woman research scholar of the PGIMER and a resident of Baltana in Zirakpur, tested positive in Mohali, while three fresh cases surfaced in Panchkula. A 21-year-old youth, stated to be of Chandigarh, also tested positive in Panchkula after returning from Kazakhstan. His case has not been added to any citys tally so far. The Chandigarh infant is the family contact of an already positive case from the same sector. The other case in the UT is that of a 25-year-old woman of Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26. She has four family contacts, who are asymptomatic. Meanwhile, six people were discharged on Friday, taking the number of recovered patients in the city to 335 and recovery rate to 79%. There are 425 confirmed cases in the city, of which 84 are still active. In Mohali, the number of cases has climbed to 242, though there are only 52 active cases. The PGIMER research scholars husband had also tested positive on Thursday. Her 16 workplace contacts have been quarantined, said a PGIMER release. Other patients in Mohali are five females, two aged 18 and others 15, 19 and 34, all from Behda village in Dera Bassi. They are migrants and were working in a meat factory. Meanwhile, seven persons from Dera Bassi subdivision were discharged, taking the number of recoveries to 185. In Panchkula, a 76-year-old kidney patient from Sector 12 is among three women who were found infected. With this, the districts total count has reached 106, of which 56 cases are active. The elderly woman was tested on being admitted to a private hospital. The other two patients are a 20-year-old woman from Manakpur Devilal and a 25-year-old woman from Surajpur. The former had returned from her paternal house in Uttar Pradesh after delivering a child. The other works in a factory at Kot village in Mohali and is a workplace contact of a positive person. 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 Marc Benioff sees an opportunity to build resiliency in the public education system, as the raging coronavirus pandemic calls into question whether schools can reopen in the fall. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in mass school closures, with teachers and students relying heavily on remote learning. Benioff, the billionaire tech chief and founder of enterprise software giant Salesforce (CRM) is a big supporter of public schools. He told Yahoo Finance in an interview that officials need to be prepared for the fall especially if a dreaded second COVID wave swamps the U.S., which is faltering in its efforts to contain the first. "I think we've got more issues coming. And we better be ready and build that resiliency now into our public education system," Benioff said. The 55-year-old CEO who has an estimated net worth of $7.6 billion is a significant benefactor of public schoolhouses. Since Benioff made an impromptu public school visit years ago, Salesforce has adopted more than 100 public schools, and all of the company's executives have as well. The companys involvement in the local public schools has yielded higher math scores and an increase in underrepresented minorities and women involved in computer science. "We've given almost $100 million to our San Francisco and Oakland public schools. And right now, we're about to make another huge distance learning grant to help get all those kids to be able to do those kind of distance learning that we see happening all over the world," Benioff said. With schools closing and students and teachers shifting to online learning, Benioff realized the public education system was filled with inadequacies. Currently, he's co-chairing a task force in California to examine how to make public schools successful during the crisis. "When we shut down our schools, and shut down our neighborhoods, and shut down our cities, our teachers didn't automatically go into pandemic mode, where they knew how to be able to teach remotely, Benioff told Yahoo Finance. In fact, a lot of our kids don't even have remote access, or remote broadband, or the technology at home. That's where it's really a crisis," he added. Story continues Yet of the large sums gifted to the public schools in San Francisco and Oakland, none of that money went toward remote learning, something Benioff lamented and hopes to address in the near future. "We were working on just basic math, and science, and courseware, and getting people to attend class, and infrastructure, and making our schools great. I didn't realize we're about to come into a pandemic, and our teachers we're going to have to go to teach our kids remotely, he explained. So we need to kind of go into a bit of a crisis mode right now and make sure that we're there for our kids, so we're able to get everyone back into the educational environment," Benioff added. Julia La Roche is a Correspondent at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter. Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president says if elected president he will confront Russias Putin. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has attacked President Donald Trump over a report that he said, if true, contains a truly shocking revelation about the commander in chief and his failure to protect US troops in Afghanistan and stand up to Russia. The New York Times reported on Friday that US intelligence officials concluded months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered rewards to Taliban-linked armed fighters for killing American troops in Afghanistan. The report said the Russians offered rewards for successful attacks last year, at a time when the US and Taliban were holding talks to end the long-running war. The report was confirmed by The Washington Post. The truly shocking revelation that, if the Times report is true, and I emphasise that again, is that President Trump, the commander in chief of American troops serving in a dangerous theatre of war, has known about this for months, according to the Times, and done worse than nothing, Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said during a virtual town hall. Biden, a former vice president for eight years, pledged retaliation if he becomes president. If Im elected president, make no mistake about it, Vladimir Putin will be confronted and well impose serious costs on Russia, Biden said. The White House said neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence was briefed on such intelligence. This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. Russia called the report nonsense. This unsophisticated plant clearly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of the propagandists of American intelligence, who instead of inventing something more plausible have to make up this nonsense, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The Times quoted a Taliban spokesman denying that its fighters have such a deal with the Russian intelligence agency. The newspaper, citing unnamed officials familiar with the intelligence, said the findings were presented to Trump and discussed by his National Security Council in late March. Officials developed potential responses, starting with a diplomatic complaint to Russia, but the White House has yet to authorise any step, the report said. Biden slammed Trump for his reported failure to act. Not only has he failed to sanction and impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law, Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin, the former vice president said. Biden called it a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harms way. He said Americans who serve in the military put their life on the line. But they should never, never, never ever face a threat like this with their commander in chief turning a blind eye to a foreign power putting a bounty on their heads, he said. Advertisement By Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute Jun. 27, 2020 | LEXINGTON By Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute Jun. 27, 2020 | 09:40 PM | LEXINGTON COVID-19 Relief to Private Schools will Help Public Ones, Too - By Jim Waters Heavens to Betsy! Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is taking heat for insisting that private and parochial schools and the families that pay tuition to send their children to them not be left out in the cold when it comes to coronavirus emergency-relief funding. Anti-school-choice edu-crats want to limit coronavirus relief funding to only traditional public schools and the students who attend them. Considering this pandemic, that could cause lots of private schools to close their doors, further limiting options available to parents. Such unfairness doesn't concern the anti-school-choice crowd at all, even if it interrupts the schooling of tens of thousands of children. However, when Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear swiftly shut down the commonwealth, private and parochial schools weren't exempt. Their doors were slammed shut just as hard and fast as public schools. Still, those who oppose temporary relief funding for children enrolled in private schools to continue their education in an environment that works best for them would deny those students simply because they aren't being publicly educated. It fits with the school-choice opponents' ongoing attempts since long before COVID-19 to fence all tax dollars to the traditional education system. Rabid opponents could care less that parents place their children in private or parochial schools because they better fit their needs, or that they still pay for public schools even though they aren't using them. Opponents attempt to justify financial segregation of nonpublic students by painting an incomplete picture of private education as primarily offered by elite schools with high tuition and small classes on leafy campuses attended solely by upper-crust families who can weather the storm without assistance. Yet according to Private School Review, the average tuition at Kentucky's nonpublic schools is only $6,915, and Bellwether Education reports that Catholic schools covering kindergarten through eighth grade charged an average of $4,841 during the 2017-18 school year. Those figures are significantly less than the $14,535 received, on average, by Kentucky public schools for each of their students. These large public-private funding gaps are likely to increase even more because many private schools rely on donations and even church-offering collections both plunging because of the economic uncertainty created by COVID-19 to fill financial gaps. Such donated support makes it possible for low-income and working-class families to obtain a better education for their children than the one offered by the public school to which they would be assigned by the traditional system. A letter by the American Federation for Children and signed by a coalition of groups supporting making some pandemic relief funding available to private schools noted that nearly one-third or 1.7 million of the 5.7 million students attending private elementary and secondary schools are from families making less than $75,000 "now facing additional economy uncertainty and potential instability in their children's education." Considering around 75,000 students are in Kentucky's certified nonpublic schools, leaving one-third of them out of any educational financial aid during COVID-19 would affect nearly 24,000 children and their families. DeVos' commitment to helping private schools remain open would actually help alleviate the financial strain on the public system that a sudden influx of 24,000 additional students would have, especially considering COVID-19's space-gobbling social-distancing requirements. Given Kentucky's current funding level of $14,535 per pupil, suddenly adding 24,000 extra students would require over $348 million in additional public school funding while likely overloading school buildings and busing capacity. While policy reforms like more alternatives and flexibility for parents must be the ultimate goal, temporary relief to maintain private schools of choice is a good investment. Jim Waters is president and CEO of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentucky's free-market think tank. Read previous columns at www.bipps.org. He can be reached at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com and @bipps on Twitter. Views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of West Kentucky Star.com, Bristol Broadcasting or any employee thereof. Bristol Broadcasting makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 45 times, Trend reports on June 28 referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber guns and 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. 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 Saturday, June 27, 2020 Virtual Assistant Services This is a comparison of one of the top virtual assistant companies. MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, June 27, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A Quick Overview: Fancy Hands - Virtual Assistant Services Fancy Hands is a team of US-based personal assistant service provider. The company is focused on providing virtual personal assistance and doesnt support any professional business needs. They are actively helping worldwide businesses with virtual support services. There is no limit in types of personal assistance tasks you can assign to your fancy hands virtual pa. Here, we are giving you a few examples of the task lists that are usually assigned by the clients. E.g Can you call the post office and find my package? need to find five boxes of Andrea #45 hair color. They sell them at Ricky's. Can you find a close one to my house that has them in stock and sees if they'll hold them for me to pick up tomorrow? On the billing purposes, it charges $5 for every request you make from the same example above can you call the post office and find my package?. To make actions one single action of hardly 2 minutes, it will charge you. No matter how small your request will be it charge a minimal amount to help you with anything. Cost: $5 Per Hour Service: Medium Response Availability: 9 Hours Support Performance: Neutral A Quick Overview: Transfer Task - Virtual Assistant Services Transfer Task is a provider of virtual assistance services. They provide support to Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, and all sizes of companies. Also, They are specialized in supporting Busy Professionals who hardly have time to perform their lifestyle, as well as business-related tasks that can be performed by phone, email, skype, or fax. Transfer Task provides 24/7 support and is eager to reach every busy individual to make their lives easier. In today's environment, we often think about how it might be if we had more than 24 hours a day. We 're going to have extra time to focus on our businesses, our personal lives, and many more that we've always wanted to do, but we can't do it because of time. This is where the Transfer Task comes in by providing extra hours and extra hands in the lives of busy people around the world. From taking in-hand personal activities to manage their day to day lifestyle-related tasks. To handling the Professional Activities where we assist our customers by performing business-related tasks. They have successfully operating support services to more than 1200+ companies with around 250+ team members under one roof. Keeping in mind the subscriber requirements, Transfer Task has divided the plans into various categories to make it suitable for all sizes of companies. Cost: $10 - $15 Per Hour (Highly Affordable) Service: Good Response Availability: 24/7 Support Performance: Exceptional Results Specialty: Best Virtual Assistants Services Attention: Well take a look at the different virtual assistant services they offer, how the onboarding process works for new clients, and how the pricing packages vary depending on much help you need on a weekly or monthly basis. Transfer Task - Virtual Assistant Services Three people have been charged after violent scenes at an unlicensed street party in Brixton, south London. Scotland Yard said 27 officers were injured and police cars smashed up during "significant disorder" at the illegal event in Overton Road on Wednesday. Footage on social media showed a line of police retreating from crowds of people running at them with makeshift weapons near the Angell Town estate. Bottles and other objects were thrown at the officers. Police said they were called by concerned residents to the illegal street party. Despite being encouraged to leave the scene, the crowd did not engage with officers and later became hostile, Scotland Yard said. Donte Knight, 20, of Charles Barry Close, Clapham Town, south London, and a 16-year-old male from Brixton have been charged with violent disorder. :: Listen to Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Both are due to appear at Croydon Magistrates' Court on Monday. Natasha Agyekum, 24, of Peckford Place, Brixton, has been charged with assault on an emergency services worker and will appear at the court on 20 August. The Metropolitan Police has arrested a further five males on suspicion of violent disorder as part of the investigation into the incident. Two of these men remain in custody, while an 18-year-old, 22-year-old and 28-year-old have been bailed pending further inquiries. Boris Johnson condemned the violence at the time and said the government would shortly be launching a consultation on doubling the maximum sentence for assaulting an emergency worker. "These were appalling scenes. Violence against the police will not be tolerated," his spokesman said. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "I'm in touch with the Met about the completely unacceptable events in Brixton overnight. "Violence against the police will not be tolerated. Large gatherings during COVID-19 are deeply irresponsible and risk others' lives." The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was put in place during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in North America. Since March, Canadians have been able to collect payments if theyve lost their jobs due to the pandemic. But some people have been receiving benefits even if they havent been eligible for it. And as of June 3, as many as 190,000 Canadians have already paid back benefits they werent eligible for. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may also follow up with other recipients if it discovers they shouldnt have received CERB payments. There are two new changes to the CERB that the government announced this month related to the program. CERB will be extended by eight weeks Initially, the CERB was designed to last four months, or 16 weeks. But with the pandemic still nowhere near over, and some Canadians who applied early now maxing out on their benefits, the government has elected to extend CERB by another eight weeks. That means that rather than 16 weeks of payments, Canadians will receive payments covering 24 weeks. The extension means theres another $4,000 in taxable benefits thats available to eligible Canadians. Attestation will be required As of July 5, the CRA will also require recipients who apply for the extra CERB periods to sign an attestation that acknowledges the government wants them to find work. On the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) website, it also states that the CRA may ask you to provide information later to verify that you have been looking for work during the eligibility period(s) that you have applied for, so it is important to keep track of your ongoing job search activities. This could be a sign that the CRA may be getting more serious about weeding out CERB and CESB applicants who arent interested in going back to work or finding a job. Should you invest your CERB payment? If youre receiving CERB payments and have more cash than you need, investing the money in a stock can be a great way to build up your savings. For instance, investing in a blue-chip stock like Telus (TSX:T)(NYSE:TU) can give you a safe place to put your money right now. Its not a volatile stock, and it can be a source of recurring cash flow for your portfolio. Story continues The telecom stock currently pays investors a quarterly dividend of $0.29125. Annually, that means investors will be earning 5% if they were able to buy the stock at around $23. To put that into perspective, suppose you were to invest $10,000 into Telus. At a 5% payout, youd be making $500 per year in dividend income. And if that investment is held within a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), then that dividend income would also be tax-free. Its hard to go wrong with a stock like Telus, because its an industry leader and a company thats a safe investment that you can just buy and forget about. Teluss quarterly revenue over the past 10 quarters has been within a fairly snug range between $3.3 billion and $3.8 billion. And during that time, the company has normally produced a profit margin of at least 9%. Whether youre a long-term investor or just looking for a place to hold your money during the pandemic, investing in Telus is a great option. The post Canada Revenue Agency Makes 2 Important Changes to the CERB appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday said an order regarding increasing the stock of LPG in the valley was issued in view of frequent closures of highway due to rainfall during this time of the year, dispelling speculations over it. "We all know that the NH-44, between Ramban-Jawahar Tunnel stretch, behaves in an unpredictable manner during the rains. Currently, we maintain stock of nearly a month in Kashmir," an official spokesman said. "We have requested the LPG companies to explore the feasibility of maintaining the stock for nearly two months to prevent any ... Afghan Taliban militants and villagers attend a gathering as they celebrate the peace deal - Noorullah Shirzada/AFP Donald Trump has denied being briefed by intelligence officials that the Russians offered bounties to the Taliban to kill British and American soldiers in Afghanistan. Reports of the Russian bounties, first carried in the New York Times, were confirmed by other major US news outlets over the weekend. According to the reports Mr Trump, who has sought to forge a close relationship with Vladimir Putin, was briefed about the bounties allegedly paid to Islamic militants in March but failed to act. The reports were dismissed as fake news by the president on Twitter. Nobodys been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration, he tweeted. With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine - Wheres Hunter? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their source? Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP. Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax, maybe by the Fake News @nytimesbooks, wanting to make Republicans look bad!!! https://t.co/cowOmP7T1S Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2020 Mr Trump said late on Sunday the intelligence community told him they did not find media reports suggesting Russian units in Afghanistan offered to pay the Taliban to kill US soldiers credible. "Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP (Vice President Mike Pence)", Mr Trump said in a tweet Lagging in the polls and under fire for his response to the coronavirus crisis and recent unrest in the US, Mr Trump has found himself vulnerable to accusations of failing to protect US national security. Story continues The Foreign Office, meanwhile, declined to comment on security matters. John Bolton, whose newly-published memoirs paint an unflattering picture of the Trump administration, stepped up his attack on his former boss as the row over what the president knew intensified. Appearing on CNNs State of the Union Mr Bolton, who was sacked by the US president last September, was unable to confirm the briefings took place and suggested the reports should be treated with caution. However, Mr Trumps response was purely political because it looks bad if Russians are paying to kill Americans and we're not doing anything about it, Mr Bolton added. The presidential reaction is to say, it's not my responsibility nobody told me about it. And therefore to duck, any complaints that he hasnt acted. Mr Bolton continued: The fact that the President feels compelled to tweet about the news story here shows that what his fundamental focus is is not the security of our forces, but whether he looks like he wasn't paying attention. At least 20 US servicemen have been killed in Afghanistan, but it remains unclear whether any were victims of the bounty operation which was reportedly conducted by Unit 29155 of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency. The same unit has been accused of conducting the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018. Both the Russian foreign ministry and the Taliban have strongly denied the allegations. Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent in Novembers presidential election, said he was outraged by the report. This is beyond the pale. Its a betrayal of the most sacred duty in the nation: to protect our troops when we send them into harm's way. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, described Mr Trump's response as "totally outrageous". She told ABC News: "You would think that the minute he heard of this the president would want to know more instead of denying anything." As many of you already know we learned last week that Visa blacklisted Gab and we are now unable to process credit and debit card transactions. We learned more information this week and I think its important that I share it as a warning for others. Its not just Gab that is blacklisted. Its also my family. In China there is something called the Social Credit System, which was developed by the Communist Chinese Party as a national reputation system. This system tracks the trustworthiness of individuals, businesses, and organizations. Trustworthiness here means total and complete submission to the Chinese Communist Party. If the Communist Party deems you to be untrustworthy, you are denied access to plane tickets, train tickets, opening and operating businesses, and more. As of June 2019, according to the National Development and Reform Commission of China, 26.82 million air tickets as well as 5.96 million high-speed rail tickets have been denied to people who were deemed untrustworthy () (on a blacklist), and 4.37 million untrustworthy people have chosen to fulfill their duties required by the law. To most Americans this sounds horrifying, and it is. I now know from first-hand experience because this social credit system exists in the United States. While it may not be sanctioned by the United States government, it most certainly has been deployed by US corporations who today have in many ways more power, data, and control over our lives than our government does. Many of these corporations also happen to be endorsing and raising money for communist organizations, revolutionaries, and the domestic terrorists burning down our cities. We were told this week that not only is Gab blacklisted by Visa as a business, but my personal name, phone number, address, and more are all also blacklisted by Visa. If I wanted to leave Gab tomorrow (something that isnt going to happen) and start a lemonade stand I wouldnt be able to obtain merchant processing for it. Simply because my name is Andrew Torba. If my wife wants to start a business she wont be able to obtain merchant processing because she lives at the same address as me and would be flagged by Visa. This is obviously very concerning. We have done nothing wrong. Gab is and always has been a legally operated business. We sell hats, shirts, and a software subscription service that unlocks new features on Gab. My personal credit score is in the 800s. I pay my bills. I have a wife and daughter to provide for, yet we are all being punished and defamed because someone at Visa has it out for me. We were told that Visa has someone camping on our website watching our payment processing. As soon as we get a new processor up they find out who it is on their end and contact them. They tell the processor that Gab is flagged for illegal activity and if they do not stop processing payments for us they will be heavily fined. When the processor inquires about this alleged illegal activity, Visa tells them that Gab has been flagged for hate speech. Hate speech, is of course not illegal in the United States of America and is protected by the First Amendment. As I have written, its not real and I refuse to acknowledge it as term. Visa doesnt agree with me. The reason I share all of this is that I hope it serves as a wakeup call and as a warning. If they can do this to me, they can do it to you and they likely will. Christians need to be especially concerned and aware of this. The Communist revolutionaries taking over the United States are coming for us all. Its only a matter of time before the Bible is labeled as hate speech and churches start to experience what I am going through right now. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelation 13:17 Andrew Torba CEO, Gab.com June 26th, 2020 Trump has pledged to prosecute anyone who vandalises federal monuments amid racial justice protests across the US. Federal authorities have charged four men in connection with a failed effort last week to pull down a famous statue of former President Andrew Jackson near the White House. In a complaint unsealed on Saturday, authorities allege that four men were among a group that damaged and attempted to tear down the Jackson statue, which is located in Lafayette Square, last Monday. The square has been the site of protests in the aftermath of George Floyds death in police custody in Minneapolis. The prosecution comes as Trump has ramped up threats against those who tear down federal monuments as part of a national movement to remove statues of contentious historical figures from public spaces. Jackson was the seventh president of the United States and a slave owner. In 1830, he signed into law the Indian Removal Act, leading to the deadly expulsion of Native Americans from territory east of the Mississippi River. The forced relocation of some 60,000 Native Americans, a process in which about 4,000 people died, has become known as the trail of tears. Trump took to Twitter after the attempted toppling of the prominent statute, calling it disgraceful vandalism. On Friday, he signed an executive order pledging to enforce prosecution of protesters who deface public memorials. After the charges were announced, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany tweeted that Trump was prosecuting individuals tearing down our statues to the fullest extent of the law. Four men charged The charged men are Lee Michael Cantrell, 47, of Virginia, Connor Matthew Judd, 20, of Washington, DC, Ryan Lane, 37, of Maryland, and Graham Lloyd, 37, of Maine. They can be seen in widely circulated videos of the attempt to tear down the statue, according to a statement from the US attorneys office for the District of Columbia. President @realDonaldTrump is prosecuting individuals tearing down our statues to the fullest extent of the law! Four Men Charged in Federal Court for Attempting to Tear Down Statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square Amid Protests https://t.co/5XAhloZLG3 Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) June 28, 2020 Judd was arrested on Friday and appeared in Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Saturday, authorities said. The other three have not been apprehended. The FBI and the US Park Police have been investigating the incident, they said. The United States Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia will not stand idly by and allow our national monuments to be vandalized and destroyed, acting US Attorney Michael R Sherwin said in a statement. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) confirmed on June 28 that it has licensed a total of 27 Pakistani pilots to work in Vietnam, but only 12 of them are currently flying for local airlines. Pilots are working in the cockpit (Photo: VNA) Of the 27 licensed pilots, Vietnam Airlines has employed six, Vietjet Air 17 and Jetstar Pacific 4. However, 15 Pakistani pilots have either completed the labour contract or returned to their home country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining 12 pilots are working for both Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific, with the former employing 11, the CAAV revealed. It also confirmed at present, there are no Pakistani pilots working for the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, and the newly-established Bamboo Airways. Earlier, all members of the Vietnam Airlines Group (Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) said they have not employed Pakistani pilots to conduct flights in the recent past. The CAAV asked local airlines to temporarily suspend all Pakistani pilots over the alleged fake license scandal in their country. The Authority explained that it has licensed these pilots to work in Vietnam in accordance with Vietnamese regulations and international practice specified in Annex 1 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. None of the pilots are involved in a flight incident or flight safety threat while flying for Vietnamese airlines, the CAAV noted. It said it is working closely with the Pakistani authorities to review the entire records of these Pakistani pilots. According to the CAAV, 1,223 foreign pilots are working in Vietnam, with Vietnam Airlines employing 309, Jetstar Pacific 145, Vietjet Air 622, and Bamboo Airways 147. Vietnam Airlines says not employing Pakistani pilots The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines confirmed on June 28 it has not employed any Pakistani pilots or foreign pilots whose licenses were granted by Pakistan. The other two members of the Vietnam Airlines Group, Jetstar Pacific and Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), also confirmed they have not employed Pakistani pilots to conduct flights in the recent past. The move comes after the Ministry of Transport requested all Vietnamese airlines to review and ground all Pakistani pilots following alleged fake license scandal in Pakistan. According to Pakistani media, Pakistani aviation authorities suspected as many as 262 out of 860 Pakistani pilots had used fake licenses. These pilots were alleged to hire others to take exams for them in order to get the license, an accusation that followed a probe into last months crash that killed 97 people in Karachi. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) said it has decided to temporarily suspend 27 Pakistani pilots working in Vietnam, pending the results of investigations from the Pakistani side. Vietnam Airlines Group always gives top priority to safety and the pilot always plays a decisive role in ensuring absolute safety for all flights, Vietnam Airlines said. Vietnam Airlines has invested and put into operation its Flight Training Center (FTC) since 1998 and the Viet Flight Training School since 2009. The national flag carrier is also a pioneer airline in Vietnam investing in the construction of a flight simulator cockpit complex to train, test and maintain the pilots capability to ensure 100% of Vietnamese and foreign pilots meet flight safety standards. VOV A TREE is to be planted in memory of a Hambleden farmer who died tragically last month. Friends and relatives of Oliver Bowden, who ran Mill End Farm, will plant a Lebanese cedar sapling beside Couchfield Barn, off the footpath on the village outskirts, next spring. The tree, which could eventually grow up to 40m, will be accompanied by a plaque mounted on a brick and flint plinth. Organiser Kate Waddington, a lifelong friend of Mr Bowden, hopes to hold a formal ceremony in which members of his family will break the ground and shovel on the final clump of soil. She has also launched an online appeal to pay for his sons George, 13, and Archie, 11, to follow him into the profession. So far it raised more than 17,000. Mr Bowden, 56, was the third generation of his family to run Mill End Farm. He started working there at the age of 16 and took the reins from his father, George, upon his death in 1993. He was killed in an incident involving his livestock on May 5. Two weeks later, hundreds of people turned up to watch his funeral procession parade along Marlow Road with a convoy of several dozen tractors, 4x4s and quad bikes. A pre-inquest review into his death is to take place in August. Mrs Waddington, 56, who runs Roundhouse Farm in Fawley, befriended Mr Bowden when they attended the former Highlands School in Peppard together and they rode the same bus when he went on to Moulsford Preparatory School and she to Cranford House, also in Moulsford. They remained close throughout their lives and Mrs Waddingtons daughter Jess would play with Mr Bowdens daughters Isobel and Rosie when they were children. Mrs Waddington, who took part in the funeral procession on her quad bike, said: Oliver had a real love of life and was more or less always smiling. He was such an amazing friend he was so helpful and you could always count on him to be there in a crisis. I heard about his death shortly after it happened and, like so many in this community, I was absolutely devastated. I was so pleased with the attendance at the procession, which in many ways was better than a funeral as you could never have got that many people into a church. It was so emotional and nobody who attended will ever forget it. There was so much love for him and thats why I thought a permanent memorial was appropriate. It would be nice to think that people will sit there in centuries to come and think that Oliver Bowden must have been someone special. Mrs Waddington launched the fund with help from a friend and said she was amazed when it soon passed the 10,000 target so she doubled it. The appeal has now raised more than 22,000 including a 5,000 donation from the Culden Faw estate, which owns much of the neighbouring land She gave 1,000 herself while others gave the same or 500 and there were smaller contributions from people who didnt know him but were moved by the reaction to his passing. Mrs Waddington said: The messages left by donors are lovely, saying what a jolly character he was and generally showing their love. I picked 10,000 because I had to choose a number but all donations will be welcomed. The money will pay for George and Archie, who want to become farmers, to get the necessary qualifications such as vehicle licences. Mrs Waddington said There are lots of videos on Facebook of the boys on the farm and theyve never shown sign of any other goals. I wanted to help because theyve had to step up and become men overnight. The Bowdens said: We are so pleased with the plans for the tree. The fundraising campaign is overwhelming and we certainly didnt expect it as Oliver has made sure the children will be looked after. But while we were embarrassed at first, were touched that people want to express their appreciation in this way. Oliver was always so generous to everybody, not just in terms of money but also his time and energy, so we understand that people want to pay that back and are very grateful. To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ oliver-bowden-memorial The number of containment zones in the national capital stood at 421 on Sunday, recording an increase of 141 over two days, after the Delhi government decided to break existing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) hotspots into smaller clusters for better surveillance and control of the outbreak, officials said. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage The Centre and the Delhi government agreed to deploy a revamped strategy to fight Covid-19 at a recent meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah, deciding to remap the containment zones for improved scrutiny. The new strategy on containment zones, where movement is strictly restricted and health screening is intensified, was to be prepared by June 26. The new containment zone strategy focuses on breaking down existing ones into smaller containment zones. The strategy was finalised on June 26, within the given deadline, and implemented at the earliest. District magistrates have redesigned containment zones so as to ensure that all clusters are comprehensively brought under aggressive surveillance. The next goal is to accomplish a full health survey of all residents of these containment zones by June 30, Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev said. Also read: Delhi wont have 5.5 lakh Covid-19 cases by July end, Sisodias comments created fear: Amit Shah For the delineation exercise, district health officials located clusters within existing containment zones in order to create micro-containment zones, another senior government official said on condition of anonymity. Till Friday, when the delineation strategy was finalised by the office of the divisional commissioner, Delhi had 280 containment zones. On Sunday, the number rose to 421, according to records compiled by the Delhi government. An official said the count of such zones could increase further as some of the 11 revenue districts of Delhi were in the process of redrawing the boundaries of their containment areas. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which is chaired by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, previously sought help of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to draft the revised plan, a senior government official said on condition of anonymity. The 11 districts in the Capital have also initiated a health survey of more than 250,000 individuals who reside in these containment zones, the official said. This survey was recommended at the meeting held by Shah and the final report was to be drafted by DDMA by Tuesday. As part of the exercise, symptomatic residents in the containment zones will be asked to undergo Covid-19 diagnostic tests through the rapid antigen kits. Tests through new antigen-based devices can be carried out on-site and can provide results within 30 minutes. The 141 new containment zones have been created by breaking down existing hot spots in neighbourhoods that include Pratap Nagar, Ghanta Ghar in Malkaganj, Alipur, Mahendru Enclave, Jahangirpuri, GTB Nagar, Meet Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Badarpur, Tilak Vihar and Hari Nagar, data shared by the government showed. Official data showed that the Southwest district has reported a rise of 37 containment zones in the remapping exercise, taking the number of such areas in the district to 80. The North district has 59 containment zones, followed by South (56), Central (40), Shahdara (38), East (33) Southeast (32), Northwest (28), West (25), New Delhi (21) and Northeast (nine). Containment zones are sealed areas where all residents are put under surveillance and most business and travel activities are prohibited. The areas are periodically sanitised and essential goods are delivered to peoples doorsteps so that residents do not have to venture out. The entry and exit of these areas are also restricted and monitored by the police and government authorities to contain the spread of the disease. Within the containment zones, testing centres are set up to boost the surveillance and control of the infectious disease. According to the findings of an advisory committee of the central government, 19% of the Covid-19 cases in Delhi so far have originated in containment zones. About 45% of these cases have been found in smaller clusters within such zones. Jugal Kishore, head of the community medicine department at the Safdarjung Hospital, said: Such a policy helps implement better surveillance in containment zones, which gets difficult when the sealed area is too large and has a high population. It also helps in early detection of hidden cases. Also, the containment policy has a negative psychological impact. So, fewer numbers of people in a containment zone is better. On June 21, the Centre and the Delhi government decided to revamp the action plan to control the spread of Covid-19 in the national capital, laying emphasis on the need for more effective containment and tracing efforts, widening the scope of detecting infections, and intensifying social distancing and surveillance at the ground level. Union home minister Shah chaired the meeting attended by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy CM Manish Sisodia, lieutenant governor Baijal, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan and other senior officials. One of the key recommendations discussed at the meeting was an improved containment tactic under which the boundaries of such areas would be redrawn to tackle a surge in the cases. On Sunday, Delhi reported 2,889 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of infections to 83,077. So far, 2,633 people have died of the disease in the national capital. The other strategies in the new action plan include health surveys for people residing inside and outside containment zones, a serological survey of 20,000 people, and strengthening existing contact-tracing and surveillance policies. I went down on that platform because I want to make a difference, Martin said. The family is very much still mourning. We have nine sisters, now we missing one. And thats like the worst feeling in the world right now. This is really hard for me. That was a fear for me. And I just actually dealt with it. 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. On June 25, the U.S. Senate passed the "Hong Kong Autonomy Act", attempting to hinder Hong Kongs legislation on safeguarding national security through imposing sanctions. The passage of the act is a blatant interference in China's internal affairs and a serious violation of international conventions and norms governing international relations, exposing the double standards and hegemonic logic of Washington. The trick will yield no success. Hong Kong affairs are Chinas internal affairs, and no external interference shall be tolerated. The Hong Kong citizens and the central government are in the best position to judge whether the city enjoys a high degree of autonomy, while following the one country, two systems principle. The U.S., signing numerous laws to safeguard its own national security, has been stigmatizing China for plugging its national security loopholes. The sanctions by the U.S. are extremely insolent, unreasonable and shameless, revealing the intentions of some American politicians to hinder Chinas development through destroying Hong Kong. Some American politicians have acted as the masterminds behind the scenes, escalating violence in Hong Kong after turbulence ensued over the proposed anti-extradition bill last June. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, an instigator of Hong Kong riots and Joshua Wong Chi-fung, leader of a Hong Kong political group advocating "independence". The National Endowment for Democracy of the U.S. fueled protests in Hong Kong, and the U.S. media distorted their reporting on Hong Kong, creating rumors. The U.S. claimed in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2019 that no terrorist incidents were reported in Hong Kong that year. However, it called the nationwide racial riots on its own territory terrorism. From supporting violent protesters in Hong Kong, to shamelessly using its domestic laws to interfere in Chinas internal affairs, the U.S. organized and planned its moves. Calling Hong Kong a bastion of freedom, the U.S. has been attempting to replace the political system of the Chinese mainland with the Hong Kong model. Their intentions are not based on letting Hong Kong enjoy self-rule, stability and prosperity, but to obstruct Chinas development by destabilizing Hong Kong. These despicable acts are doomed to fail. The people of Hong Kong have already seen the true colors of the U.S. for a long time. A Hong Kong organization, the United Front Supporting National Security Legislation, has recently launched an online petition signed by over 1 million people in protest of external interference. In front of public opinion, people who try to use the Hong Kong card" to suppress Chinese development will never succeed. The United States has 85,000 citizens, over 1,300 companies, nearly 300 regional headquarters and more than 400 regional offices in Hong Kong. Almost all major U.S. financial companies operate in Hong Kong. The U.S. trade surplus with Hong Kong has accumulated to 297 billion U.S. dollars in the past decade, ranking first among U.S. global trading partners. U.S. trade and finance are the first to suffer once the country imposes sanctions. At a time when COVID-19 is widespread in the U.S., with the economy shrinking in response, it is unwise to impose sanctions on China, a move which only leads to a lose-lose situation. Hong Kongs unique status is given by the Basic Law, and it will not be changed by the U.S. sanctions. The prosperity and stability of Hong Kong comes from the hard work of generations of Hong Kong citizens, as well as the strong support from the central government. The U.S. sanctions cannot affect these fundamentals. Only by plugging the security loopholes with national security legislation, rooting out violence, punishing those clamoring for Hong Kong independence and advocating mutual destruction, improving the business environment and enhancing investor confidence, can Hong Kong withstand any storm and further consolidate its status as an international financial, trade and shipping center. China is firmly determined to promote the national security legislation for HKSAR, and upholds law and order in Hong Kong. The U.S. should know that its baton of sanctions will not scare Hong Kong and will not bring China down. Nasir Ajanah, chief judge of Kogi state, is dead. He died at the COVID-19 isolation centre in Gwagwalada, Abuja. TheCable repo... Nasir Ajanah, chief judge of Kogi state, is dead. He died at the COVID-19 isolation centre in Gwagwalada, Abuja. TheCable reports that a member of the family confirmed the death on Sunday morning. His death came less than two weeks after an aide to Yahaya Bello, the state governor, also died in an Abuja hospital. Ajanah has died a week after the passing of Ibrahim Shaibu Atadoga, the president of the Kogi customary court of appeal in Kogi state. Kingsley Fanwo, the state commissioner for information, did not immediately respond to enquiries for comments, but Mohammed Onogwu, chief press secretary to the governor, directed enquiries to the state judiciary or Ajanahs family. They are the first people that will break the news of the death, he said. Although the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has so far announced three cases of COVID-19 in Kogi, the state government has insisted the state is free of the disease. It accused the NCDC of falsifying COVID-19 cases in Kogi. Ajanah was born in 1956 to the family of MJ Fari Ajanah in Okene local government area. He studied law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and was called to the Nigerian bar as a barrister and solicitor of the supreme court. Ajanah later set up his private firm, Nasiru Ajanah & Co in Okene, where he practised law between 1985 and 1989. He served in various capacities such as chairman, Kabba disturbance tribunal, Kogi, (1994); chairman, election petitions tribunal in Adamawa state (1998); member of governing council of Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (1999 and 2006) and chairman, panel on Murtala Mohammed international airport fire incident (2000). Ajanah, whose remains will be buried in Abuja on Sunday, served as chairman, election petitions tribunal in Akwa Ibom state (2007) and chairman, election tribunal petitions in Rivers state (2008). Tina Fey is an acclaimed actor, writer, comedian, and producer. Her credits include films like Mean Girls, Date Night, Baby Mama, and Sisters, and television shows such as 30 Rock. Fey is also the co-creator of the popular series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. While the show was a hit with critics and fans alike, there are some serious issues with it, as some viewers have pointed out in recent days. These issues could be enough to remove the show from streaming platforms for good and that would be quite OK with many critics. Tina Fey | Getty Images Tina Fey is an acclaimed comedy writer Remember how Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt dedicated a whole episode to the backlash the show got about how it portrays race https://t.co/bxqqRLRO5l anna (@feelbadmovie) June 23, 2020 Tina Fey first rose to fame on Saturday Night Live. She served as a writer on the show for years before transitioning to become a regular cast member. Feys impersonations of figures like Sarah Palin, as well as her acerbic humor on sketches like Weekend Update, made her very popular with viewers, and she went on to create the now-iconic series 30 Rock. Over the years, Fey became a movie star, taking the lead in big-budget films such as Baby Mama and Wine Country. She hosted awards shows, wrote a best-selling book, and served as the creator for plays, like the stage production of Mean Girls. Fey is the recipient of numerous awards, including three Golden Globe Awards, nine Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards. With all the accolades that Fey has received, however, many fans are taking issue with certain elements of Feys writing, and have been calling the comedian out in recent days. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has come under fire There's no adventure without 'u'! Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend is now streaming and all interactive pic.twitter.com/9lYExPOalR Kimmy Schmidt (@KimmySchmidt) May 12, 2020 RELATED: Tina Fey Pulls 30 Rock Episodes Featuring Blackface From Streaming I Understand Now that Intent Is Not a Free Pass In early 2015, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt premiered on Netflix. Starring Ellie Kemper, the show focused on a young woman named Kimmy Schmidt and her life immediately following her rescue from a doomsday cult. Kimmy moves from her hometown in Indiana to New York City in order to forge a new future for herself and surrounds herself with a host of interesting characters, played by Carol Kane and Titus Burgess. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ran for four seasons before it ended in early 2019. During the series run, it was nominated for multiple awards and was heralded as one of the greatest new shows of the streaming era. Many fans still love the series and continue to stream it on Netflix in rerun form. However, the show has some serious issues, as fans have been pointing out in light of recent world events. Fans arent happy with Tina Fey 30 Rock (4 eps), Community, The Office, Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2+), Scrubs (3) Saturday Night Live (countless), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, W/ Bob & Dave, @jimmykimmelI had no idea that modern Hollywood was so obsessed w Blackface. cc: @2BGMEDIAhttps://t.co/DVOf1Dyrrb Mauro C (@Bionicscode) June 26, 2020 The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt features a long-running subplot in which Jacqueline Voorhees, played by Jane Krakowski, explores her Native American ancestry. Many viewers feel as though the way it was handled was very insensitive. Another glaring example of the shows problematic portrayal of race comes when Titus appears in full geisha costume. A 2016 article from Vox slammed the show, pointing out these and other examples of racism within the series. Fans on Twitter have been speaking out as well, especially in light of the fact that Tina Fey recently decided to pull all episodes of her show 30 Rock that feature blackface. One fan on Twitter called Fey out, posting hey Tina Fey, how about taking down all the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episodes that promote red face by having a White woman play a Native character? Oh wait, that would be the entire series. Others were quick to chime in, accusing Fey of enjoying racist comedy, and stating that the show is super uncomfortable to watch. It seems as though the ball is now in Feys court, and fans are waiting with bated breath to see if she decides to make a move and pull The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as well. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As United States is suffering from the surging Coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration has filed a legal brief with the Supreme Court of the United States calling for it to end Obamacare when more than 20 million Americans are depending on it more than ever, showing supreme bad timing. Late Thursday, the Trump team filed its legal brief which argues that the entire Affordable Care Act is illegal because Congress had eliminated the individual mandate in which individuals would incur a tax penalty for not having medical insurance. Chinese Professor Convicted of Stealing Trade Secrets for China By John Xie June 27, 2020 A U.S. judge found a Chinese professor guilty of economic espionage, stealing trade secrets and conspiracy following a four-day trial that ended Friday. Hao Zhang, 41, a professor at China's Tianjin University, was arrested in May 2015 after he landed at Los Angeles International Airport on his way to a conference. Zhang was accused of stealing and selling American secrets to the Chinese government and military through a shell company in the Cayman Islands. According to a statement by the Department of Justice, from 2010 to 2015, Zhang conspired to and did steal trade secrets from two companies: Avago, a global developer of analog and optoelectronics components based in California and Singapore, and Skyworks, his former employer, a leader in analog semiconductor technology based in Massachusetts. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila found Zhang guilty of the three counts after a bench trial in a San Jose, California, courtroom. "Today's guilty verdict on all counts is an important step in holding accountable an individual who robbed his U.S. employer of trade secrets and sought to replicate the company's technology and replace its market share," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers in a statement released by the Department of Justice. Crackdown The case was brought as the United States seeks to crack down on Chinese theft of intellectual property. Beijing has consistently refused to acknowledge any such behavior. In January, acclaimed Harvard scientist Charles Lieber was arrested for lying about ties to China. Lieber, the chair of Harvard 's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, was charged with one count of making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement. Two Chinese nationals were also charged in the case. Zhang went to work for Skyworks after earning his doctorate in electrical engineering in 2006 at the University of Southern California, where he met alleged co-conspirator Wei Pang. Pang went on to work at Avago and, according to prosecutors, both returned to China in 2009 to teach at Tianjin University, a premier technical school. Zhang is still listed in the staff directory of Tianjin University's School of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering. In September 2011, Zhang and Pang co-founded ROFS Microsystem, whose website says it is "China's First FBAR (film bulk acoustic resonators) manufacturer." The company says its main products, filter chips, are widely viewed as the core component in modern wireless communication, 5G, internet and artificial intelligence. The FBAR processes that Zhang and his co-conspirators stole took Avago more than 20 years of research and development to build, according to the DOJ statement. Zhang, who was released on a $500,000 bond, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 31. He faces up to 15 years in prison for economic espionage and 10 years for theft of trade secrets. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The modern-day leader must direct as well as guide and above all be empathetic and selfless. by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne Writing from Montreal Let us put man and woman together And see which one is smarter Some say men but I say no The women got the men like a puppet show Man Smart, Woman Smarter There has been much talk, not entirely unjustified, about female leaders whose countries handled the Covid-19 pandemic better than most countries led by male leaders. The basic theory advanced is that women leaders are better at handling a crisis than their male counterparts. The New York Times of 15 May 2020 reported on Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand and other female leaders who performed admirably in curbing the Covid-19 spread in their countries: Ms. Arderns success is the latest data point in a widely noticed trend: Countries led by women seem to be particularly successful in fighting the coronavirus. Germany, led by Angela Merkel, has had a far lower death rate than Britain, France, Italy or Spain. Finland, where Prime minister Sanna Marin, 34, governs with a coalition of four female-led parties, has had fewer than 10 percent as many deaths as nearby Sweden. And Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, has presided over one of the most successful efforts in the world at containing the virus, using testing, contact tracing and isolation measures to control infections without a full national lockdown. Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand Some other female leaders who did well in the crisis were Silveria Jacobs of St. Maarten; Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark and Katrin Jakobsdottir of Iceland. Harvard Business Review (HBR) in its latest issue of June 26 2020 carries an article titled Will the Pandemic Reshape Notions of Female Leadership? by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Avivah Wittenberg-Cox. The authors say: Countries with women in leadership have suffered six times fewer confirmed deaths from Covid-19 than countries with governments led by men. Unsurprisingly, the media has swelled with stories of their pragmatism, prowess and humanity. Will these positive outcomes influence our collective readiness to elect and promote more women into power? They go on to say: There are not (yet) enough women running countries to legitimately examine gender effects. Women only govern 18 countries or 545 million people globally. That is 7% of the worlds population an achievement, nonetheless statistically insignificant. However small the numbers are in terms of corporate leadership, there are other views that make the debate provocative. For instance, The International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics has published research which claims that female-led companies are more successful than ones led by males. A Pew Research poll found that the public agreeswomen make fairer, more compassionate, and more trustworthy leaders than men do. The Guardian, in a recent article posited: Complicating factors may be at play. Kathleen Gerson, a professor of sociology at New York University, notes, for example, that women leaders are more likely to be elected in a political culture in which theres a relative support and trust in the government and that doesnt make stark distinctions between women and men. So, youve already got a head start. The Guardian goes on: In addition, it may be harder for men to escape the way they are expected to behave as leaders, and since the very best leaders are both strong and decisive and capable of displaying feeling, women could, perhaps, lead the way in showing that these are not competing and conflicting attributes, but complementary and necessary for good leadership. Famed behavioral biology professor Melvin Konner has said [W]omen are fundamentally pragmatic as well as caring, cooperative as well as competitive, skilled in getting their own egos out of the way, deft in managing people without putting them on the defensive, builders not destroyers. Womens superiority in judgment, their trustworthiness, reliability, fairness, working and playing well with others, relative freedom from distracting sexual impulses, and lower levels of prejudice, bigotry, and violence. What this dichotomy presents is that one cannot ascribe a reasoned affirmation of the basic proposition that women leaders perform better than their male counterparts in handling a crisis nor can one disagree and dismiss the claim. After all China, South Korea and Sri Lanka performed extremely well and efficiently under male leadership. The more sensible middle path or compromise would be to go on the basis that one does not have to wait for a huge crisis like a global pandemic or a more localized catastrophe such as a tsunami to come to the realization that people are generally protected better when their leaders are smart, honest, unpretentious and modest. HBR says: But we are glad to see the public, and especially the media, fall in love with the leaders who display these qualities daily and publicly while keeping their nations safe at the same time. Its a lesson we think will bear fruit, and multiply. Whatever the merits and demerits of considering this as an epistemic exercise, it all boils down to the discussion being an adventure in sexism. The author has seen no concrete evidence presented scientific or otherwise that one of the sexes is more intelligent or more competent than the other. Whether one is male or female, there are certain characteristics that distinguish a leader from a follower. Leaders who are moral and ethical would know the Greek proverb Know thyself and watch out for their mistakes and improve on areas where they are weak in. They need to fix their weakest parts whether they are in leadership of countries, corporate entities or the higher echelons of the civil service. Rasmus Hougaa and Jacqueline Carter, in their book The Mind of the Leader cite four critical factors sought by todays workforce or those who are governed: meaning; human connectedness; true happiness; and a desire to contribute positively to the world. Todays leader must be connected to herself and to those around her and have a sense of purpose. She should lead the people towards that sense of purpose. Peter Drucker famously said: [Y]ou cannot manage other people unless you manage yourself first. James Comey, former Director of the FBI, in his book A Higher Loyalty states that the ethical leader does not, and indeed should not demand loyalty from his workers. Rather, he should seek commitment and a meeting of the minds between himself and his workers and make the workers lives meaningful and fulfilling. The modern-day leader must direct as well as guide and above all be empathetic and selfless. Finally, the true leader must be an effective communicator and fixer upper. She must take decisions quickly. The Harvard Business Review cites as the main reason for leaders, CEOs and Presidents of corporations that lead them to be fired as their inability to take decisions, right or wrong. This brings one to the conclusion of Peter Drucker: a manager is a person who does things right and a leader is a person who does the right thing. In this article: Big Eyes, God's Own Country, The Legend of Tarzan. Whatever you want we have it today with feel good comedy, flighty fantasy, heartfelt first loves and coming out drama as TopFilmTip brings you the best films on TV for Sunday 28 June. Some films may require a Sky subscription. Teenage time traveler breaks history, visits hoverboarding future/idealised past and dystopian present in flawless sequel Back to the Future Part II 2:55pm Film 4 Aspiring childrens authors tumultuous friendship with cantankerous widower develops into horticultural analogy of life in quaint and whimsical wonder This Beautiful Fantastic 3:00pm BBC Two Fish-farting ogre and friendless donkey free paradigm-smashing princess and live ugly ever after in wry, droll meta-comedy gem Shrek 5:00pm ITV2 Ocular enlarging esoteric artist allows another ownership of her artistic endeavours causing corrosive creative crisis Big Eyes 5:05pm Film4 Smokey And The Bandit, poster, US poster, from left: Jackie Gleason, Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, 1977. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images) Southern drawler and bridal hitchhiker bait racist sheriff for reasons with jumps, bumps and stunts in plot-less 90 min car chase and guilty pleasure Smokey and the Bandit 5:10pm ITV4 Fully formed, detailed characters of all ranks face fear and duty in tense, relentless and unnerving German masterpiece Das Boot 6:05pm Sony Movies Action Read more: Everything coming to Netflix in June Orphan pauper survives poverty in the Alec Guinness-starring, David Lean production of the timeless classic Oliver Twist (1948) 6:10pm Talking Pictures TV Returning aristocratic ape-man/ant-eater assists Congolese tribes to derail Belgian badguys plans for slavery in gorilla punching adventure The Legend of Tarzan (2016) 6:50pm ITV2 Enduring ostracised status at wedding, oddballs and outcasts bond in Breakfast Club-inspired, character-led feel good fun Table 19 7:10pm Film4 Aspiring-artisan-cum-spectacular-stripper teachers protege his wily ways- in lady-lubricating, abs-grinding dilemma drama Magic Mike 9:00pm Comedy Central Savvy paranormal debunkers lock horns with intimidating spooky-psychic-spoonbender Robert De Niro in creepy curiosity Red Lights 9:00pm Horror Channel Story continues A profiler must track a serial killer using the advice of one Hannibal Lector in Michael Manns chromatically emotive Manhunter 9:00pm Sky Atlantic Shallow wastrel learns the depth and reward of human relationships from 13-year-old duck murderer in coming- of-age-late treat About a Boy 9:00pm Comedy Central Amid communisms fall, icy Mi6 agent tears through East and West Berlin seeking spy-list in exquisitely brutal neon joy Atomic Blonde 9:00pm Film4 Mutual respect grows between an unlikely pair as a rancher ferries a criminal to a prison pick up point in top western 3:10 to Yuma 10:50pm Sony Movies Dirty jokes, hidden guns and an epic body count as a man in black seeks vengeance in drug run backwater career making action adventure Desperado 11:10pm Sony Movies Action Against allegorical stark beauty of windswept countryside, young man discovers a love beyond his imagining in spellbinding, heartfelt tale of warmth and hope God's Own Country 11:10pm Channel 4 Smoking footprints and supernatural mutilations when a psychiatrist tries to debunk a devil cult in horror classic Night of the Demon 11:55pm Talking Pictures TV Leaving freedom of New York, closeted young man returns home to small town conservative family for Christmas in eloquent and affecting character led wonder 1985 1:10am Channel 4 Everything coming to streaming in July New on Netflix in July New on Sky Cinema and NOW TV in July New on Disney+ in July New on Amazon Prime Video in July The UK is set to waive its 14-day quarantine for people arriving from countries it considers to be low risk for coronavirus. Next week, the UK government will relax rules that forced all arriving travellers to quarantine for two weeks. Instead, the United Kingdom will introduce a traffic light system, with countries grouped together based on their coronavirus infection rates. It is a move that could throw a lifeline to Europes tourism industry. EU diplomats are also considering lifting some pan-European travel bans. Al Jazeeras Paul Brennan reports from London. The operation began without warning: Aid groups were barred from the Syrian displacement camp, Internet connectivity disappeared, and soldiers fanned out along the chain-link fences as a scorching sun rose high in the sky. Inside, the women grew distressed. Some cried, some shouted abuse, and all were wary. They had once lived inside the Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate. Now they were guarded by the force that defeated it, and tensions between the two were running high. The operation this month to count and register the inhabitants of the al-Hol camp annex was described by aid workers, officials, researchers, and families in touch with the women affected. On June 10, the U.S.-backed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria said it had begun registering the foreign inhabitants of what it called "the most dangerous camp in the world," almost a year and a half after they first arrived. The Islamic State's once-vast territory in Iraq and Syria is no more. But the question of what will happen to tens of thousands of foreigners who left for the caliphate and never returned home still lingers, with no clear answers. Abandoned by their governments and under the care of a Kurdish-led force that does not want them, the women and children inside the annex are among nearly 14,000 foreigners from more than 60 countries being held in northeastern Syria due to suspected Islamic State links. About 30,000 Iraqis live in a separate, larger, section of the camp. Inside the annex, some women still fly the Islamic State flag and impose its disciplinary measures. Their futures were initially seen as a test of how their home nations would balance human rights responsibilities with security concerns. But as the months have worn on, their cases have slipped from the global political agenda. This month's registration attempt, analysts say, appeared to be in part an attempt to streamline the camp's administration by creating a comprehensive accounting of who actually lives there. It could also be used to increase pressure on home governments to act. The Kurdish-led authority in northern Syria says it cannot manage the task alone, and it repeatedly has appealed for action from foreign governments, citing a rising tide of attacks from Islamic State sleeper cells across the region. Some countries, including the United States, have begun the repatriation process. But much of Western Europe has delayed, as officials cite security concerns or domestic politics as obstacles. Inside al-Hol, one of six displacement and refugee camps in northeastern Syria for families from Islamic State-controlled areas, the women's tents are pitched on cracked earth that turns to mud when the rain comes. Latrines overflow, sewage leaks into tents, and wild dogs prowl the perimeter for food. Dozens of women have disappeared from the camp, according to residents. Some leave with smugglers who charge as much as tens of thousands of dollars to take them away. Some, residents say, have ended up in makeshift detention facilities already holding thousands of foreign men in legal limbo. Vera Mironova, a Research Fellow at Harvard University, maintains contact with scores of women inside the camp. "A lot of people escape, and when they escape we don't see any trace of them," she said. "As long as governments don't take their citizens back, or actually track them, these women can disappear into thin air." On the morning of June 10, aid groups operating in the annex were informed that they would not be able to enter for a two-week period during the registrations. The groups said they were also told the families would receive only bread and water during that time. Women inside the camp have repeatedly accused the facility's Kurdish-led authorities of withholding aid as a form of punishment. Humanitarian workers say they sometimes struggle to operate inside the annex, and that some workers have been attacked by the women. In a video filmed this month, shared by Mironova and reviewed by The Washington Post, a woman in a full black face and body covering addresses the camera as a water truck trundles away in the background. "Drove by," she says in Russian. "Didn't stop. Didn't pour water. Still waiting." As the camp was sealed off for the registration drive, guards led the women off in groups, according to family members of the women, humanitarian organizations and researchers. Australian and Canadian nationals were registered using biometric systems provided by the U.S.-led coalition. Some Russian-speakers were recorded, too. "Some of these women are still active ISIS members who need to be identified and removed from the civilian setting," said U.S. Army Col. Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the coalition. He said the information was to be added to an electronic database used by international law enforcement and intelligence officials. The Kurdish-led administration did not respond to requests for comment. The coalition said 2,900 biometric tests and 8,000 DNA samples were collected. Their immediate usage was not clear. Family members and human rights groups say questions over the women's role with the Islamic State should be determined in court, not presumed. They also say thousands of children across the camps have been traumatized from years of war, with scant access to education. In al-Hol, children are everywhere. Many have lost fathers to the war or prison. Some sit alone in what shade they can find. Laughter is rare. Small boys play with homemade toy guys, appearing to replicate the body language of fighters they saw defending the Islamic State. "Countries need to accept responsibility for their own nationals present in these detention facilities in Syria," said Dareen Khalifa, an analyst at the International Crisis Group. "They should urgently repatriate vulnerable children and investigate the possibility of returning whole family units." In interviews with Post reporters visiting al-Hol last year, dozens of women described a hard-line contingent who were seeking to replicate the caliphate's brutal rule. They argued that their own stories were complex. Some said they had traveled to the caliphate in the belief that it would be a perfect Islamic government, but grew disillusioned by its brutality and were unable to escape. Some said they had arrived as teenagers and were not able to understand the gravity of their decision. Others said they had been coerced to join by abusive partners. It was not possible to independently verify their accounts. The women worried about their children's futures. "There's no life here, you know," said a Dutch woman who identified herself as Bint Fatma, a nickname. She said she had told her 5-year-old son that they probably would be separated by authorities upon return to Holland. "I need to prepare him," she said. The International Committee of the Red Cross on Friday urged countries to prioritize their child nationals. France last week announced the return of 10 children; officials said they were handed over to judicial authorities and were in the care of social services. "No matter the crimes their parents may have committed," Khalifa said, "children who are in makeshift camps in northeastern Syria are innocent victims of the conflict." Bomb explosion kills two Afghan human rights workers in Kabul: Officials Iran Press TV Saturday, 27 June 2020 1:54 PM Two Afghan human rights workers have lost their lives in a bomb explosion in the capital Kabul, officials say. The deadly incident occurred in PD12 of Kabul in the Pul-e-Charkhi district, east of the capital, early on Saturday morning when the two employees were headed to their office, Afghanistan's TOLOnews reported, citing Kabul police. Separately, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) confirmed the incident, saying that 24-year-old donor coordinator Fatima Khalil and 41-year-old driver Ahmad Jawed Folad were killed in the blast. "It is intolerable, assassinating human rights defenders is a war crime in the context of armed conflict," the AIHRC further said, adding that its staff had previously been the target of attacks. The Kabul police confirmed that the cause of the explosion had been a magnetic improvised explosive device (IED), which was attached under the AIHRC vehicle. The district has been the scene of bomb attacks for many years. The terror attack was widely denounced by diplomatic missions and rights organizations in the Afghan capital and they called for a thorough investigation into the incident, TOLOnews added. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but it bears the hallmark of attacks carried out either by the Taliban militant group or the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. Reuters, however, quoted an unnamed Taliban spokesman as denying that his group was involved. The bomb attack on Saturday comes at a sensitive time amidst heightened violence across the militancy-infested country, including increasing attacks against officials in urban centers. The central government in Kabul and Taliban have already signaled that they were about to launch much-delayed peace talks, months after the militant group reached a peace agreement with the United States. The US 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, which is now in control of large parts of the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian 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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 Social Security has undergone quite a few changes over the years since the federal program was established in 1935. For decades, most of these changes involved expanding the program to cover more people and offer more benefits. Some changes, though, did negatively some Social Security recipients, including taxing benefits in some cases and increasing the retirement age. All of these previous revisions to Social Security essentially amounted to tweaks to the program. The underlying premise of a government program that ensures nearly every American will receive some level of benefits at retirement hasn't been altered at all. But Social Security could be in store for some drastic changes under one presidential candidate's plan. The 6.2% solution Libertarian Party presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen says that politicians have "spent every cent in the Social Security Trust Fund on other spending, leaving behind worthless IOU's." Jorgensen proposes a plan that she thinks will stabilize Social Security and help ensure that politicians don't break their promises. Her idea is to make changes to Social Security along the lines of the Cato Institute's "6.2% solution." So what is this 6.2% solution? The most critical -- and controversial -- component of the plan is that any American would be able to opt out of Social Security. Anyone who took this route would be allowed to invest 6.2% of their payroll taxes in individual retirement accounts but would receive no Social Security benefits at retirement. When individuals who opt out of Social Security retire, they'd be given the option of buying a family annuity or receiving withdrawals at specified intervals to provide an income at a defined level. Any funds above the amount needed to provide this minimum income could be withdrawn in a lump sum. Jorgensen notes that "other countries have successfully replaced their government-run systems with individual retirement accounts safe from greedy politicians." Australia, for example, has had a pension plan in place since 1992 that's somewhat similar to the Cato Institute's 6.2% plan. Key questions One question with Jorgensen's proposal that immediately comes to mind is, "Will everyone be forced to opt out of Social Security?" The answer is "no." Every person will make their own decision about staying in the traditional Social Security program or opting out. It seems likely that older Americans would prefer to stick with Social Security as it is under Jorgensen's plan. But younger workers could be better off investing in IRAs. Cato Institute Senior Scholar Michael Tanner said in an interview in December 2019 that some estimates project that young Americans will receive an average annual return of only around 1% on their Social Security contributions. Tanner added, though, that "the reality is for an awful lot of 'em, they will get a negative return." What about all of the money individuals might have previously contributed to Social Security? The U.S. government would issue zero coupon bonds based on their past Social Security contributions. Such bonds don't pay interest, but they're given at a steep discount and are profitable if held to maturity. Currently, employees pay 6.2% of their wages in Social Security payroll taxes with employers contributing another 6.2%. Where would the employer contribution go under Jorgensen's plan? The Cato Institute says that those taxes would be "used to pay transition costs and to fund disability and survivors benefits." The organization also states that "far in the future" after the transition costs are fully paid up, this part of the payroll tax could be lowered to the level needed to fund survivors and disability benefits. Will the 6.2% plan actually stabilize Social Security as promised? The Social Security Administration (SSA) has said that it would. In 2005, the SSA scored a version of the Cato Institute's plan and determined that it would wipe out Social Security's long-range deficit as well as restoring the program to "sustainable solvency." One final question: Is there a catch? Yep. Cato says that Social Security would need to "be restored to a solvent pay-as-you-go basis before the development of individual accounts." After that point, anyone who sticks with Social Security would receive "whatever level of benefits Social Security" could pay. Big change, small chance Jo Jorgensen is advocating the most substantial change to Social Security since the program's inception. Proponents would argue that her plan would save Social Security while allowing workers the freedom to manage their own retirements and potentially end up with a much higher income level. Critics might counter that Jorgensen would slash Social Security benefits and put the retirement funds for those who opted out of the system in jeopardy if the stock market crashed. Regardless of which argument is more persuasive, there's a very small chance that the 6.2% plan will be enacted anytime soon. The last Libertarian Party presidential candidate, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, received only around 3% of the total vote and no Electoral College votes. Even if Jorgensen improves significantly on that performance, the probability of her winning the presidency is low. And if she did somehow win, she would face a decidedly uphill battle convincing the U.S. Congress to implement drastic changes to Social Security. Absconding for more than six months and accused of being involved in rape, blackmailing, extortion, human trafficking, grabbing of land among other crimes, a tabloid owner Jitendra alias Jitu Soni was arrested from Gujarat and brought to Indore on Sunday, police said. Confirming his arrest, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police Harinarayanchari Mishra said, Of about 60 criminal cases he is facing related to rape, human trafficking, blackmailing, extortion, grabbing of land etc, 45 were lodged against him in the past six months while about 15 cases were registered earlier. He was arrested on Saturday. We will give more details about the arrest within hours, the DIG said. Soni escaped during a police raid at his premises on December 3, after an engineer from Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) Harbhajan Singh lodged an FIR against him accusing Soni of defaming him based on unfounded conversation and trying to blackmail him. The FIR was preceded by Sonis tabloid Sanjha Lokswami publishing a transcript of the engineers alleged conversation with certain women who were arrested earlier on charges of luring, trapping and blackmailing high-profile people in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and certain other states, according to police. The tabloid also published transcripts of two other high-profile people, including a former minister. In a joint operation with the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and police, the Indore district administration razed two bungalows of Jitu Soni-- one at Kanadia Road and another at Shanti Kunj besides removing illegal structures in his two hotels and a cafe in the first fortnight of December. The estimated cost of the damaged properties during the anti-encroachment drive was said to be more than Rs 20 crore, as per an administrative official. The demolition began on December 5 with police claiming to have rescued 67 women and several children from the hotel and hub of Sonis operations. His son Amit Soni, his bouncer and several members of the staff have been arrested. The district administration cancelled the permission granted to Soni to bring out his daily while the amount of reward on his arrest was increased from Rs 30,000 to Rs 100,000. Jitu Sonis son Amit Soni was arrested in connection with the Arms Act and certain other cases. Jitu Soni, another son, two brothers and nephews also face criminal cases and they all had been absconding. One of his brothers was arrested from Gujarat a few days ago. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) With two days left before the enrollment in public schools, a solon is asking the Department of Education to extend the enrollment period until mid-July. "Nangangamba po ako na kung tatapusin na agad ng DepEd ang enrollment sa June 30, milyung-milyong mga bata ang magda-drop out o titigil sa pag-aaral sa darating na school year. Sa K to 12 pa lamang iyan," said ACT-CIS Party-list Representative Jocelyn Tulfo in a statement on Sunday. [Translation: I fear that if DepEd will end enrollment on June 30, millions of children will drop out of school or stop studying altogether this school year. This just refers to K to 12 (students).] The agency said over 15.1 million students have already enrolled nationwide as of Saturday morning. Of the number, more than 14.5 million of these are registered in public schools along with enrollees of the Alternative Learning System, it added. The recent number of enrollees pales in comparison to last year's, wherein DepEd welcomed over 27.2 million students. Last month, DepEd announced enrollment for S.Y. 2020-2021 will be held for the entire month of June remotely or through the submission of Learner Enrollment Survey Forms in drop boxes. Face-to-face, physical learning shall remain prohibited while a coronavirus vaccine remains unavailable, with learning delivery modalities like online learning and distance learning to be used instead. RELATED: Up to parents to enroll children or not amid COVID-19 crisis DepEd Tulfo likewise noted the latest figures do not even take into account millions of students who might have to stop studying in light of job losses and businesses closing down due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Over 10 million students dropping out of school now would be a crisis that would mean more poverty for Filipino families in the years to come and would deal a severe blow to the country's economic recovery," she added. With this, the lawmaker has likewise called on the Department of Finance and Department of Budget and Management to prioritize funding for DepEd along with the Commission on Higher Education and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. Washington County Sheriffs Office When Allyson Watterson went missing just before Christmas Day last year, her boyfriends father told investigators his son had been out hiking with Watterson in North Plains, a rural area on the outskirts of Portland, before the pair became separated. Wattersons mother, Misty, believed her daughter and her boyfriend, Benjamin Garland, had been in North Plains to visit a friend when their car broke down. But there was no evidence to suggest either story was true, the Washington County Sheriffs Office later revealed. On Friday, Wattersons disappearance took a tragic turn when the Washington County Medical Examiners Office confirmed her body had been found on a remote property in North Plains, a few hundred yards from the road. The property owner called the police after finding her body while clearing brush. A cause of death had not yet been determined and detectives said they were continuing to investigate her death. Allyson was the most kind hearted soul I have ever met, her friend, Megan Novelli, told The Daily Beast. [We] were spiritually connected and on Christmas Day I felt a part of me get ripped out through my chest and out my throat... I felt like she was gone, I just still had a little bit of hope as I could never ever imagine her being out of my life like this. Initially, deputies said shed gone missing while hiking. But, a week later, they said there was no evidence she and Garland had been hiking through the rough, privately owned terrain around North Plains. This isnt open area. I wouldnt expect them to just be out here hiking, Deputy Tony Morris said in a news conference at the time. One homeowner in the area reported seeing the couple around noon on Dec. 22, the day before she was reported missing. Another resident reported that the couple had knocked on their door and asked to use a phone because their vehicle had broken down. The resident said Garland was barefoot and had given his shoes to Watterson, who said she lost hers. Story continues Another homeowner found Garland asleep in the homeowners truck the next morning, and Garland said hed taken cover from the rain after losing his friends. The homeowner gave Garland a lift home. Then, later that day, Garland and his father, Don, reported Watterson missingabout 30 hours after she was last seen. The father and son said they had spent the day searching for Watterson and called police when they couldnt find her. They said they were reluctant to call police because Garland had outstanding warrants. The 30-hour time gap was concerning to us, Washington County Detective Mark Povolny said in December. Were trying to put together what happened during that time. Rescue crews spent five days scouring by land and air for Watterson, the countys largest search operation in a decade. Some of her belongings were discovered in North Plains in March. But, adding to the mystery, Misty Watterson told reporters shortly after the hiking theory was debunked that she believed her daughter and Garland had been in North Plains to visit a friend. Their car broke down and the two were separated when they left to find help, she believed. She told me she was going to hang out with her friends. She was in good spirits. We told each other love you and that wed talk to each other later, she told Dateline in January. We are really close. Our whole family is. Washington County Sheriffs Office Deputy Brian van Kleef said there was no sign of a broken down car. We dont know what they were doing out there, he said. Garland was arrested on unrelated warrants the day after he reported Watterson missing and later pleaded guilty to several charges, including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He is serving three years in prison. Novelli said Watterson lived with her mother, her father Allan, and her brother Blake who all loved her so much. She last spoke to her best friend by FaceTime two days before she disappeared. She helped me with the death of my own mother and now the one person who actually ever helped me with anything is gone, she told The Daily Beast. We had plans to move into a house together, watch movies every night and eat tacos with our cats. We also told each other if we're not married by 30 we will marry each other. Even though neither us were romantically in love we did fall in love with each others souls. Following the discovery of Wattersons body, a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of Wattersons mother said: This is not the outcome we were praying for, but we are out of the unknown. 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. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), right, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, left, and others at a Capitol Hill news conference to announce a Republican police reform bill on June 17. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) After Americans reacted in outrage to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Republicans and Democrats in Congress promised quick action on police reform. Leaders on both sides offered a long list of ideas: a ban on chokeholds, an end to no-knock searches, and more. Then, last week, the Senate deadlocked on the issue almost as quickly as it had vowed to act. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) proposed a GOP bill with relatively mild measures that had been approved by the White House. Democrats pronounced the Republican bill so weak that it was unsalvageable and blocked it. Senate Republicans in turn refused to take up a House bill passed by Democrats. Each side denounced the other, and a once-bipartisan goal suddenly appeared unreachable. It was only one legislative failure among many; Congress reputation for gridlock has been richly earned. But this one was a special tragedy. Most of the public, reacting to the gruesome video of Floyds death, wanted some kind of legislation. Republicans and Democrats who spoke to each other a minority on Capitol Hill said they believed compromise was possible. What went wrong? Both sides behaved badly. Each surrendered to internal political pressures. That wasnt surprising, especially in an election year, but it was still disappointing. This bill could have been an exception to the rule. I called Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who usually votes with Democrats, to find out why the bipartisan push failed. King had voted with Republicans to allow McConnells bill to move forward. He said he thought it was a mistake for Democrats to block the bill. I think there was space for a compromise, and now Im afraid were not going to get anything, he told me. My concern was that if Democrats refused to go forward, McConnell would say, OK, I tried, and move on and thats pretty much what happened. But King also faulted the Republican leader for refusing to let Democrats participate in drafting the bill. Story continues The only way to get things done in the Senate is with a bipartisan process, he said. This was a bill on a very complex topic drafted by one party. Even as McConnell cut the Democrats out, he submitted his bill to the White House to make sure President Trump wouldnt denounce it. That's a normal part of legislating but in the process, some measures were watered down. Initially, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the bills main author, said he wanted to ban or limit no-knock searches, which have led to fatal police shootings of innocent people. When the proposal emerged, it merely called on the Justice Department to collect data about no-knock warrants. The result was a bill that had broad support among Senate Republicans but fell far short of what Democrats had promised their supporters. There is overwhelming opposition to the bill in our caucus, Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. The desire for party unity on each side meant the ground for compromise kept shrinking. McConnell said he would allow Democrats to try to amend the bill, but Schumer said that offer fell short of a guarantee. Theres a fundamental lack of trust between the two sides, King told me. In the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosis Democratic majority can pass bills without Republican help, a mirror-image process occurred: A Democratic bill passed with almost no GOP participation. It included bans on chokeholds and no-knock warrants, limits on police officers immunity from lawsuits and a publicly available database of police officers with disciplinary records. On all those issues, King argued, compromises might have been possible. A bipartisan majority could agree to ban chokeholds except when a police officers life is in danger, strict restrictions on no-knock searches, and even perhaps stripping police officers immunity to lawsuits if they violate their departments policies (although police unions have long resisted any change). There was plenty of blame to go around. Norman J. Ornstein, a congressional expert at the American Enterprise Institute, pointed at the Republican leader. The way McConnell set up the process almost guaranteed this outcome, he said. If he had wanted bipartisan legislation, he could have gotten it either by turning the issue over to the Judiciary Committee [which includes members of both parties] or by forming a bipartisan group. He did neither. Frances E. Lee, a political scientist at Princeton University, said the Democrats were responsible, too. Its clear that Democrats believe that they would be better off preserving the issue for the election, she wrote in an email. A negotiated outcome would force Democrats to accept far less than what they want [and] muddle the clarity of the partys election message. There are two morals to this story one all too familiar, the other less so. The first is that in a polarized and closely divided Congress, bipartisan deals are almost impossible, especially in an election year. But the countervailing message is also striking: On some issues, if the public demands action, both parties will try to respond. That was true when Congress passed a series of bills to counter the economic shock of the coronavirus lockdowns. And it was true in Congress initial reaction to the death of George Floyd. Like King, I think it would have been better if Senate Democrats had allowed McConnells bill to move ahead, and tested his promise that they could amend it on the floor. They chose otherwise. Now McConnell can either walk away from the issue or he can try again, with a bigger dose of bipartisanship. But only one force can compel the Senate leader and his colleagues to move: loud, sustained pressure from the public. The skinny jeans. The nonfunctional glasses. The spray tans. The tight muscle shirts. The obscene shopping bill at Nordstrom. And the social justice sermons more fitting for the faculty lounge at Wellesley than for a Bible-believing church. Behold, the Woke Pastor, and hes gunning for your White Privilege and ready to tackle Americas systemic racism, one vegan protein shake at a time. There are myriad examples of the Woke Pastor today, with ministers falling over themselves publicly to prove their progressive bona fides in the wake of George Floyds awful death. Lets focus on two in particular. Both lead megachurches on different ends of the country. Both are considered dynamic preachers with A-list followers. Both are viewed as models by media elites on how to render Christianity cool and relevant to the unchurched. And both exemplify the disturbing trend among young Christian leaders to align with culture, rather than speak truth prophetically to it. Judah Smith is the senior pastor at the oddly-named Churchome, which is based in Seattle and Los Angeles, and where it is not uncommon to find the front row reserved for celebrities, as one publication put it. If you thought that the phrase All Lives Matter was both innocuous and conveyed a fundamental axiom that, well, all lives do matter because we are all made in the image of God, and therefore we should condemn racism wherever and through whomever it surfaces, Judah Smith has a message for you: Stop It. It is very normal for Caucasian Christians in this country to insist that All Lives Matter, for Caucasian Christians to insist that we should also pray for business owners and police officers. But, implores Smith, we dont need to say that anymore because All Lives Do Not Matter until Black Lives Matter. The circular reasoning here aside, why is a lead pastor, who has at least 10,000 people pack his pews each Sunday and who has even more devotees online, instructing his congregation not to pray for law enforcement and entrepreneurs in the midst of anarchy? What about the black police officers who have been murdered and the black businesses destroyed by those killers and vandals marauding under the Black Lives Matter banner? Do their lives and their livelihoods not matter because of what one rogue cop did in Minneapolis? Judah Smith didnt specify. Youll have to take his word for it. Woke Sermons calls for Woke Faith. And both lead to verbal virtuosity. Judah Smith now has a dedicated page on Churchomes website boasting of their commitment to racial justice, wherein this dubious claim is made: Churchome recognizes the killing of black people as a national crisis, noting that George Floyds death was not a standalone situation, but part of the ongoing issue of racism in America. That assertion is false, as anyone who tracks crime statistics can attest. Unarmed black men killed by police officers didnt even scratch one percent of the more than 7,000 black homicides in 2018. To the contrary, the vast majority of those homicide offenders were black themselves. These numbers dont justify what happened to George Floyd, of course, but they do put the incident in perspective. From Churchome racial justice page If Smith is truly dedicated to the proposition that black lives matter, so much so that hes instructing his flock not to pray for cops and business owners, where is the righteous indignation over the persistently high crime rates in black neighborhoods that prematurely end the lives of so many young black men and terrorize law-abiding black citizens in the process? Sadly, its far easier to signal your virtue as a Woke Pastor than its to engage in candid dialogues about policing and race relations in America. We are committed to instituting ongoing training around anti-racism and unconscious bias for our staff, reads the racial justice page of Churchome, and to creating spaces for our community to have ongoing conversations for growth and change. Such anti-bias gestures, while all the rage these days, are meaningless because it is practically impossible to discern another persons biased intuition. On the other hand, announcing to your congregation that youre undergoing bias training does make white liberal Christians feel good about themselves because You Did Something, even if that Something involves tacitly accusing your own church leaders of harboring hidden bigotry. Judah Smith berated his mostly-white audience for their own ignorance and unwillingness to acknowledge whats happening around them. The pain and the chasm between our white brothers and sisters and our black brothers and sisters seemingly couldnt be wider, he declared. As the audio of Smiths sermon aired, the names of black individuals whove died allegedly because of racist police encounters appeared on the screen. One of the names included in this video presentation was Michael Brown of the debunked Hands Up, Dont Shoot storyline. Just a reminder: Michael Brown, after robbing a local store, punched Officer Darren Wilson in the face, attempted to wrestle away his firearm, and then violently charged at Officer Wilson prior to the fatal shot. These facts are easily accessible, but first Smith must confront his own prejudice that Americas past transgressions are to blame for the bad choices made by the Michael Browns of today. Hey, perhaps Judah does need anti-bias training after all. And a research assistant. Why is Smith locking arms with the virulently anti-Christian Black Lives Matter, a radical group that seeks to, in their words, disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure? That aim became abundantly clear with the recent Black Trans Lives Matter march in Brooklyn, New York. On the opposite end of the country is Carl Lentz, the lead pastor of Hillsong NYC, a trendy megachurch that GQ dubbed the place where the cool kids spend Sunday morning after Saturday night at the club. In the aftermath of George Floyds death, Lentz interviewed Bishop T.D. Jakes of the Potters House in Dallas, Texas to address what Lentz called the incomprehensible lack of awareness from whites across Christendom. In an attempt to suck-up to Bishop Jakes, who is black, Lentz pledged that exposing systemic racism is the hill we got to die on. Predictably, Lentz denounced his own white privilege and accused religious white people of incorrectly rendering the phrase antagonistic. Lentz defined said privilege as an acknowledgment that our world is uneven, most notably with the unequal starting points for white and black children. Ive been saying it. My church is tired of me saying it. Unfortunately, he neither got around to illustrating the egalitarian utopia where children, even of the same race, are born into exactly the same station in life, nor did he explain how assigning value and experience to millions of people solely based on their skin color wasnt an exercise in the same racist stereotyping that he seeks to eradicate. Lentz did, however, reveal the nefarious force keeping black Americans down in 2020: Home Alone. Yes, the 1990 Macaulay Culkin hit movie. Lentz apparently has trained his kids to do diversity head counts while watching films. In fact, he could hardly contain his excitement in relaying the story to Bishop Jakes of the time his daughter asked him why Home Alone was called an American Classic when there arent any black characters? Shouldnt it be called a white classic instead, she insisted? I stood up, Lentz recalled, and said, youre exactly right, clapping his hands as a proud dad. Now Lentzs daughter admonishes her classmates for watching the white classic around Christmastime. Woke Theology produces Woke Disciples. Rather than enjoying a movie for the acting, storyline, family time, and the accompanying big bucket of popcorn, Lentz has instructed his children to place a premium on the racial makeup of the cast in order to judge a movies quality. Such thinking is a complete repudiation of the civil rights movement, which was premised on viewing and evaluating people as individuals first. Now Woke Pastors are bragging that they take race into account, even in an industry where theres no shortage of inspiring black actors to look up to. The Woke Pastor preaches Woke Atonement. If youre a white family watching right now, you may be thinking, we might have some racism embedded in us from generations, and you say, No more, Lentz exclaimed to the Hillsong NYC community. He proceeded to ask Bishop Jakes for tips on absolution. There has to be a shift, Lentz demanded, where people start holding themselves accountable. Lentz said his white church members need to be free from the spiritual bondage they find themselves in for refusing to admit their position of privilege. Anything short of fully embracing the Woke Great Awakening is dismissed as racial modification behavior, he added. Youre still a racist. These conversations are uncomfortable and hard to hear, Lentz warned his church, but theyre necessary steps to take or else we will remain complicit in perpetuating racist behavior. This phony tough talk, presented under the rubric of an uncomfortable conversation, is where the Woke Pastor reveals himself to be a total fraud. We live in an age where people are getting fired for saying All Lives Matter, where pressure is applied daily on social media to conform to stupid stunts like #BlackOutTuesday, and where you cant even pay your Internet bill without getting lectured to about fighting racism, injustice, and inequality with promises to accelerate our diversity and inclusion efforts (Comcast). What the Woke Pastor seeks isnt uncomfortable at all. Hes swimming with, not against, the current. If the Woke Pastor truly desired an uncomfortable conversation on racism, hed preach on the 247 black babies murdered every day at abortion clinics. Thats a real-life genocide happening right before us. Yet the same Woke Pastor doing his best Al Sharpton impression on a bullhorn for George Floyd, will give Planned Parenthood a pass. Standing mute on this abomination is even more indefensible because Planned Parenthoods founder, Margaret Sanger, was a nasty racist who viewed eugenics eugenics (!) as the solution to assuage racial tension. Why does the Woke Pastor never discuss, during an uncomfortable conversation, the obvious reason why there is a higher police presence in black communities than in other neighborhoods: the significantly higher crime rates. Why does the Woke Pastor, during an uncomfortable conversation, ignore the interracial violence that is lopsided in one direction? Seems important, if were getting to the bottom of racial perceptions and stigmas. Why does the Woke Pastor, during an uncomfortable conversation, overlook the fatherless black homes at the heart of so many socio-economic disparities? The poverty rate of these broken families registers at a whopping 37 percent, yet that same poverty rate shrinks down to five percent when both parents are together and working. Why does the Woke Pastor omit, during an uncomfortable conversation, the reliable institutional engines of black mens success, which include, not just marriage, but the military, church attendance, and a strong sense of personal agency? Black men who engage in these institutions and who dont view themselves as victims will, more often than not, enjoy a middleclass life or higher, one detailed study concluded. These facts, no doubt, would be uncomfortable to share and hard to hear, as Lentz likes to say, yet the Woke Pastor conspicuously avoids them because the political risk is far too great. The Woke Pastors heart may be in the right place. People are hurting, and there are black congregants who view what happened to George Floyd as a representation of what it means to be black in America. Even if those feelings arent tethered to reality, it is the job of a pastor to walk alongside a persons journey and speak to his emotional pain and anxiety. At the end of the day, however, healing must be grounded in truth. If not, whats the point? And why go to a church? Just talk to a psychiatrist. Denouncing racism isnt exactly a bold move, but because the Woke Pastor dutifully regurgitates progressive dogmas that America is a hostile place for minorities, he racks up Instagram likes with the clueless Zoomers and gains media approbation with the MSNBC types. The Woke Pastor convinces himself that hes gaining influence with the cultural gatekeepers, while the opposite is taking place: the cultural gatekeepers are influencing him. A CNN reporter recently asked Lentz if he could see himself ever having a different view on abortion or a different view on same-sex marriage? His answer: Anythings possible. Two years earlier Lentz was asked by Joy Behar on The View if abortion was sinful. Lentz responded, to wild applause, that people have to live to their own convictions. Lentz later clarified that he does believe abortion is sinful, though he desires not to cast further shame and guilt on those whove terminated a pregnancy. Evidently, he reserves that type of shaming for white people. Before Judah Smith got matching tats with Justin Bieber, he decried abortion as the murder [of] innocent lives in the womb and bluntly labeled homosexuality a sin, similar to living with your girlfriend, among other vices. The feminist magazine Marie Claire asked Smith if he still ascribes to those beliefs. He sheepishly responded through a publicist: We have grown significantly in the past 15 years. I wouldnt agree with my approach when I was a young pastor on many issues and understand that no life decision is easy. Woke Pastors arent interested in uncomfortable conversations. Theyre interested in playing it safe. And when Nordstrom has a sale. Jason Mattera is a New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated journalist. Follow him on Twitter @JasonMattera. Almost 40 people have been arrested in a third weekend of large protests against the detention of refugees in a Brisbane hotel. Several hundred protesters braved cool and drizzly conditions to again march on the Kangaroo Point Central hotel, demanding the release of the about 120 men held inside. It comes after police took court action ahead of last weekend's rally to stop the protest blocking the busy Main Street for a second weekend in a row. In a repeat of that event, the largely face-mask-clad group of protesters first gathered in a park behind The Pineapple Hotel near the Gabba about 2pm. Russia has never gotten over the humiliation they suffered in Afghanistan, and now they are taking it out on us, our troops, she said of the Soviet Unions bloody war there in the 1980s. This is totally outrageous. You would think that the minute the president heard of it, he would want to know more instead of denying that he knew anything. --Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the freight trains have been playing a crucial role in supporting Europe's anti-epidemic fight by opening "green passages" for the transport of important supplies and raw materials. --Beyond the contributions to underpinning anti-pandemic actions, the rail connection between China and Europe, since the restoration of its regular operation, has also brought an impetus to economic resumption in the Eurasian continent amid the pandemic by stabilizing trade and supply chains. --Amid efforts to expand common interests in China-EU cooperation, the China-Europe rail transport service, which was initiated in 2011, is widely expected to play an increasingly important role in the post-pandemic era. Policemen checks an outbound China-Europe freight train at Horgos Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 20, 2020. (Photo by Zhang Jia/Xinhua) FRANKFURT, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Departing from Nanchang, the capital of China's Jiangxi Province, a cargo train loaded with medical materials against COVID-19 arrived in Paris Tuesday morning, vividly reflecting the sustained pragmatic anti-pandemic cooperation between China and Europe. Among many China-Europe express operations for transport of much-needed medical supplies since the COVID-19 outbreak, this train had run over 11,920 km through seven countries before delivering some 20 million surgical masks and gloves, water-soluble bags, contactless gel dispensers and other resources, which marked the first dedicated rail transport of protective materials directly from China to France amid the pandemic. In the meantime, two additional China-Europe freight trains carrying anti-coronavirus supplies are on their way to Duisburg, Germany, and Madrid, Spain respectively, expected to arrive on Saturday and Monday. Aerial photo taken on April 11, 2020 shows a logistic station of the Erenhot Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The port has handled 379 China-Europe freight trains in the first quarter of this year. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen) ANTI-PANDEMIC "GREEN PASSAGE" Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the freight trains have been playing a crucial role in supporting Europe's anti-epidemic fight by opening "green passages" for the transport of important supplies and raw materials. From January to May, a total of 12,524 tonnes of anti-epidemic materials were sent from China to European countries by train. Lyazid Benhami, vice-president of the Paris Association of French-Chinese Friendship, was delighted to witness the arrival of the "medical train" from China. "In this period of health crisis, we are pleased to note that this important volume of materials transported (to France), including 20 million surgical masks and protective equipment, is up to meet the demand and needs of consumers and the market," he said. The smooth operation of this anti-virus supply train has proven the feasibility, punctuality and safety of this land corridor with lower delivery costs than air freight, but less time consumption and more flexibility than sea freight, said Yao Hongzhi, general manager of COSCO Shipping (France) Agency. "Against the backdrop of current international anti-pandemic cooperation, China-Europe freight trains have fully demonstrated their advantages in transporting medical materials," Yao added. Carrying 35 containers of COVID-19 control and prevention materials, all of which were manufactured in central China's Hubei Province, a freight train from Wuhan, the provincial capital, is expected to arrive in the western German city of Duisburg, a logistics hub in central Europe on Saturday, before running further towards Hamburg. A China-Europe freight train bound for Duisburg of Germany pulls out of the Wuhan terminal of China Railway Intermodal in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) "The original mode of transportation was container shipping to Europe, but now the products need to be delivered as soon as possible," said Gao Zandong, deputy general manager of COSCO Shipping Lines (Wuhan). Gao noted that only a little bit more than 10 days were needed to transport much-needed medical materials from Hubei to Germany. On June 29, Madrid will also greet a freight train from the city of Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, carrying 86 TEUs with about 257 tonnes of cargo, including 25.05 million face masks and 400,000 protective suits. Carlos Santana, who is responsible for the company which operates the Yiwu-Madrid line in Spain, told Xinhua that railway transport has been proven to be a reliable means of importing health materials from China in the midst of the pandemic. Chinese Ambassador to Spain Wu Haitao said the Yiwu-Madrid express with medical materials is a living proof of international anti-coronavirus cooperation. A China-Europe freight train carrying medical supplies bound for Madrid of Spain departs the city of Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 5, 2020. (Photo by Lyu Bin/Xinhua) ECONOMIC BENEFITS Beyond the contributions to underpinning anti-pandemic actions, the rail connection between China and Europe, since the restoration of its regular operation, has also brought an impetus to economic resumption in the Eurasian continent amid the pandemic by stabilizing trade and supply chains. From January to May, the number and shipments of China-Europe freight trains surged by 28 percent and 32 percent year-on-year respectively, according to the China State Railway Group. Aerial photo taken on April 3, 2020 shows a China-Europe freight train, also the "China Post" CR Express 1st block train, running under a bridge in Chongqing Municipality, southwest China. (Xinhua/Tang Yi) Notably, freight trains made a new high of 1,033 trips in May, up 43 percent year-on-year, transporting a record of 93,000 TEUs. China-Europe freight trains open an opportunity for boosting trade between France and China, Benhami noted, adding that "the 'win-win' approach is very real for everyone, including the environment, businesses and consumers." Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said the railway connection between Yiwu and Madrid offers an important route for goods traffic, from medical materials to items for everyday use during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. From Santana's perspective, rail transport from Asia continues to upgrade from moving small-sized, low-cost goods towards delivering goods with added value, as China is exporting goods with added value in greater quantities, such as watches, Bluetooth devices, automobile parts, electrical goods, and so on. From Spain, he added, top-end consumer goods like extra virgin olive oil, wine and cured ham are brought to China by rail as well, with clear advantages of being speedy, ecological and cost-effective. Laszlo Mosoczi, secretary of state for transport policy at Hungarian Ministry of Innovation and Technology, said that "as a transit country, Hungary benefits from freight traffic from Asia to Europe, and Hungary can become the logistics center of the region." PROMISING IN POST-PANDEMIC ERA China is willing to join hands with the European side to push for a more stable and mature relationship in the post-pandemic era and lift bilateral ties to a new height, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday when meeting via video link with EU leaders. "Our two major economies should play the role as dual engines of the world economy, drive the recovery of global economy, jointly support a scientific and orderly resumption of work and production, strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination, and keep global industrial and supply chains stable and smooth," Xi said. Amid efforts to expand common interests in China-EU cooperation, the China-Europe rail transport service, which was initiated in 2011, is widely expected to play an increasingly important role in the post-pandemic era. Chinese-made Volvo XC60 vehicles exported to Europe via China Railway Express (Chang'an) are seen at the Port of Ghent in Belgium on July 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) The freight trains that link China and Europe have become a symbol of mutual benefits, said Rios. "If we refer to the ongoing Belt and Road Initiative, we notice that the land route brings hope for both French and Chinese companies," Benhami said, noting that the initiative brings new opportunities of economic development. The Yiwu-Madrid line can play an important role in cross-border e-commerce between China and Spain, Wu said. He stressed that local governments and companies in Spain have shown a positive attitude toward strengthening cooperation on Yixin'ou cargo line (Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe) by expanding exports to China in a more convenient manner. "We wish to offer French and Chinese companies occasional train solutions," said Xavier Wanderpepen, who is responsible for China-Europe rail freight activities at Forwardis, a subsidiary of France's national railway company SNCF Logistics. "And we wish to work with China on the development of freight wagons with variable gauge capable of adapting to the situation in Western Europe, Russia and China. In a few years, we will be able to connect China and Europe in 10 days," Wanderpepen added. Staff at the Queen's private Scottish estate have told visitors not to use the grounds as a public toilet. Balmoral Estate rangers took to social media to urge members of the public not to relieve themselves on the grounds and leave behind used toilet wipes which have been found discarded next to monuments within the grounds. Writing on Twitter, the rangers said: 'Disappointed to see so many wipes discarded on the estate today. Next to paths and monuments. Please remember there are no public toilets open for miles around at the moment.' Balmoral Estate rangers took to social media to urge members of the public not to relieve themselves on the grounds and leave behind used toilet wipes which have been found discarded next to monuments within the grounds When one member of the challenged the rangers and pointed out that despite public restrooms still being closed, people do still need to go to the toilet, Balmoral staff responded and said: 'Part of the problem is that we are seeing a lot of non-biodegradable wipes being discarded in the countryside. 'Also, people are choosing to relieve themselves right next to busy paths or monuments rather than move a little bit further away to avoid contamination.' The estate also highlighted the fact that pubic lavatories near Loch Muick, managed by Aberdeenshire Council, had been broken into despite being closed and plastered in yellow tape. Balmoral Estate posted guidance on Facebook for people who still felt the need to relieve themselves while on the estate. The post said: 'If you need to pee, please do so at least 30 metres from lochs or streams. If you need to defecate, do so as far away as possible from buildings, from open water or rivers and streams, and from any farm animals. Bury faeces in a shallow hole and replace the turf. Use biodegradable toilet paper rather than wipes. Thanks for your help.' The estate also highlighted the fact that pubic lavatories near Loch Muick, managed by Aberdeenshire Council, had been broken into despite being closed and plastered in yellow tape Balmoral staff also asked that any visitors clean up after themselves and 'leave no trace' when they visit the estate. Pictured: An abandoned bonfire discovered by Balmoral staff The advice caused many people to write angry responses to the post. Victoria Scarlett said: 'The fact that you even need to write this post just shows what is wrong with people.' Gillian Ives added: 'Some people are awful. Please keep clean!' Kimberley Tingley said: 'The human race amaze me. Sorry to all those that have come across the filth and have had to deal with it.' Police have been handing out warning notices to visitors breaking lockdown restrictions at Balmoral and have also been leaving 'guidance on essential travel' on people's cars. The mountain Lochnagar near Balmoral is much-loved by Prince Charles who immortalised it in his 1980 children's book The Old Man Of Lochnagar. However, just as used toilet wipes are being found on the grounds of Balmoral, Lochnagar has become a dumping ground in recent years. In 2018 Balmoral posted an image on Facebook of some of the 43lb of rubbish left on the mountain and Princes William and Harry have previously said that their father made them pick up litter while on holiday. A 37-year-old Helena man is accused of leading police on a high speed chase, which led to multiple felony charges. Robert Raymond Fasuga has been charged with two counts of felony bail jumping, felony assault on a peace officer, felony criminal endangerment, misdemeanor feeling from or eluding a peace officer, misdemeanor obstructing a police officer, misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle with no registration. On June 14, a Sheriff's deputy responded to the 5900 block of Del Ray Road after someone reported seeing Fasuga, who was wanted on two felony counts of bail jumping in conjunction with other felony charges. Law enforcement responded and ordered Fasuga to exit the vehicle. Court documents state that the defendant revved the engine and lunged the vehicle towards the deputy twice. The deputy, fearing that Fasuga would hit him with the car, drew his service pistol and continued ordering Fasuga out of the vehicle. Fasuga would flee the scene in the vehicle. This led deputies on a drawn out chase across the Helena Valley, sometimes at speeds in excess of 125 miles per hour, a speed Fasuga allegedly reached on North Montana Avenue. The deputies reported that Fasuga nearly collided with multiple vehicles during the chase, showing no regard for the safety of others. The chase ended when Fasuga stopped at his home and attempted to enter the house. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 3 Sad 0 Angry 10 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. When Shwanda Primm heard about the Women Against Injustice March, she knew she had to attend the event Saturday evening. She felt it was her responsibility to represent women from all walks of life. She wasnt alone. Her husband Marcus, 49, and daughter Haven, 19, accompanied her to the rally at the Carver Cultural Community Center sponsored by the Young Ambitious Activists. The crowd of more than 100 people marched from the center through an East Side neighborhood chanting calls for change as they made their way to Pittman Sullivan Park. Once at the park, a group member led the crowd in a series of yoga exercises. It was a moment of peace and well-being. Robin Jerstad, San Antonio Express-News After the respite, Haven and her mother listened to speaker Neka Cleaver encourage the women at the park to find their purpose and bring it to the table. Haven said she came to support the Black Lives Movement and the protection of black women. She said she wanted her voice to be heard. This group came together to say we have women who had lives that were impacted also, said Shwanda Primm, 48. That was a mom, a sister, an aunt, a friend. It was a chance for us to come and make an impact. The event was one of three rallies held Saturday in the vicinity of downtown San Antonio. At noon, protesters gathered at Columbus Park to call for the removal of a statue of Christopher Columbus. A few hours later, Vincent Webb, son of former City Councilman Joe Webb, sponsored a Peaceful Rally, Protest & March at Lockwood Park Robin Jerstad, San Antonio Express-News Lexi Qaiyyim, 24, spokesperson for the Young Ambitious Activists, said what she hadnt seen among the recent protests was a women-led march or any event about black women who died in police custody and the experiences of women of color. Malcom X said the most disrespected person in America is the black woman, she said, and that still rings true today and thats from the 60s. Its time for our voices to be heard. Volunteers took the attendees temperatures and offered hand sanitizer to protesters at the parking lot where African-American women and other women of color talked about how their voices arent being heard. Amanda Moon, 29, said as a queer, biracial woman she had experienced sexism and racism early in life. Feminism is about equality, she said. Robin Jerstad / Dajiyah Mcae, 22, said African-American women should be encouraged to have conversations about their feelings. She said when she fell into depression she didnt have a support system. She said she spent many years fighting through that period. Were not expecting a crutch, she said, were just asking for the same expectations as anyone else. Earlier at Lockwood Park, Webb started a rally not far from where he grew up on the East Side. We must have consistency of our marches and protests to get the word out, he said. Were sick and tired of whats going on across the nation. All across the world this is happening. Before the rally at the park, Brandon Johnson, 22, attended the protest at Columbus Park to call for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue. He said he was one of more than 40 protesters to speak out for what he called atrocities committed against indigenous people. If we can take down the statue it will be the first step to taking down white supremacy across the country, Johnson said. We exercised our First Amendment rights to speak out about it. Metal railing separated the public from the statue that was vandalized with red paint earlier in the week. There were reports of a tense encounter between the protesters and several armed men who arrived to protect the statue. The two groups reportedly shouted at each other but it didnt lead to any altercations. Robin Jerstad, San Antonio Express-News Other protesters who arrived from Columbus Park said San Antonio Police Chief William McManus asked the men to leave the area. After several minutes, the men complied. At the last march of the day, Jose Mora Jr. leaned on his porch railing and watched the marchers as they walked along Hackberry Street chanting, I cant breathe. I do stand for it, he said, referencing the protests. Its time for people to wake up. Community activist Mario Salas, who attended all three rallies, said its past time for politicians to listen to their constituents. Whoever isnt hearing them is making a grave mistake, he said, with a nod to the black women at the rally. We have elections coming up, and anybody not listening is probably going to be in trouble. Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Vincent, become a subscriber. vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis The police were called to the Park Inn Hotel on West George Street after reports of a stabbing incident. The police arrived at the crime scene within two minutes. According to the police officers in Glasgow, Scotland, the suspect Badreddin Abadlla Adam, died after an officer shot him. Adam was from Sudan and he was 28-years-old. Steven Johnson, the Assistant Chief Constable, said that the incident is not classified as terrorism. The police are still investigating the events that led to the stabbing. On June 27, the police issued a request to gain access to the surveillance camera that captured the incident, the footage can be submitted through the Police Scotland portal. The authorities have named the investigation Operation Strathenberg. The Park Inn Hotel has a total of 91 bedrooms and is reported to be housing 100 people due to the coronavirus pandemic. The victims Constable David Whyte, a 42-year-old police officer, is one of the victims of the stabbing incident. According to the police, he is now in a stable condition and he is currently recovering in the hospital. The Scottish Police Federation assured the public that they are taking care of Whyte's family while he is hospitalized. There were five other men who were victims of the incident. The authorities refused to give out their names but released their ages. The victims are 17, 18, 20, 38, and 53 years of age. Three of the victims were housed in the hotel while the other two were hotel staff. The report from eyewitnesses Also Read: Secretive Government Agency Has Been Planting 'Cyanide Bombs' Across the US, Has Injured a Child One witness named Craig Milroy said that he was working nearby and he saw a badly injured man lying on the steps outside the hotel. He told the BBC News that the man had no T-shirt and no shoes and he was lying on the ground with a stab wound while someone was compressing the wound. Another witness, Chris Falchi-Stead, was hosting a meeting at the Big Issue office that is close to the hotel where the stabbing took place. He said that when they looked out the window, they noticed that there were 20 or 30 police cars and 10 ambulances. Stuart Gibson, who lives near the hotel, told the BBC News that armed police rushed into the hotel, and moments later, one person was carried out by the police. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that her thoughts were with everyone who was caught up in the terrible incident. She also thanked all of the police officers who were quick to get into the scene and how their decisive actions contained the incident, and she thanked all of the emergency services who responded. According to Sturgeon, talked to Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the incident and that the Prime Minister expressed his sympathies for the victims and his concern over the stabbing incident. Boris Johnson took his sentiments to Twitter and wrote that he was deeply saddened by the terrible incident. Scottish Police Federation chairman, David Hamilton, said the incident was what police officers dreaded everything they go into a scene. Hamilton added that it is clear that the circumstances that the officers have been met with were horrific and that the officers were brave to continue on the mission and deal with the aftermath. Related Article: 18-Year-Old Black Woman Set on Fire by Four White Men in Wisconsin @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. CONNECTICUT If you were tidying up the guest room for Uncle Harry's annual visit from Arkansas, you may want to put down the dust mop. Harry may be changing his plans when he realizes he won't be getting out much. The governors of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey have announced a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine period for travelers coming into the region from states with high rates of coronavirus infections. The order went into effect at midnight Wednesday. As of Saturday, travel restrictions are in place for Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. States get inducted into the Quarantine Club if they have a new daily positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average. This advisory also applies to Connecticut residents who are returning from a visit to the impacted states. Source: CT DPH, Jun. 24, 2020 Out-of-state visitors are free to self-quarantine at their hotel or bed-and-breakfast (or nephew's guestroom), and guests coming for shorter stays can quarantine and self-monitor for less than 14 days if their stay is shorter. You can tell Uncle Harry that if he does decide to visit and take a walk outside, it's not like some Major Crimes Unit is going to swoop in and slap him in a cell. Far from it. State officials are stressing that the 14-day self-quarantine order is just an "advisory," and although the authorities are "strongly urging visitors to Connecticut to take this step," compliance is totally left up to the visitors. Should your houseguest not be a guest, but a full-fledged member of your household whose timing is just really bad and is scheduled to come back in the midst of this quarantine order, don't sweat it. Although the state would prefer your family member to delay the homecoming, nothing is mandated beyond the 14-day self-quarantine. If it is not possible to self-quarantine from other household members, those other household members who did not travel from an impacted state are not required to self-quarantine. Story continues If there is anything that the coronavirus crisis has taught us, it's that essential workers have the inside track, and that's not changed with this new advisory. People traveling from impacted states to Connecticut who work in critical infrastructure as designated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are exempted from the quarantine advisory. This includes any state, local, and federal officials and employees traveling in their official capacities on government business. Non-visitors to Connecticut, whose flights are just laying over at an airport in the Nutmeg State, can also relax. None of these restrictions apply if you don't leave the airport. See also: Town-by-Town Coronavirus Cases, Deaths and People Tested As Hospitalizations Drop Significantly This article originally appeared on the Across Connecticut Patch Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP Donald Trump has said intelligence about a Russian plot to offer bounties to Taliban militants in exchange for fatal attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan was not credible and was therefore not reported to him. The US president gave the explanation in a tweet on Sunday night, and dismissed the widely reported allegations as possibly another fabricated Russia hoax. Trump has come under pressure to explain why he had not heard about the Russia offer even though US security officials have been weighing a response to the plot since at least March. Top administration officials, including members of Trumps national security council, have been discussing the Russian bounty offer for months, the New York Times first reported. Earlier on Sunday, Trump claimed never to have heard about the Russian offer and he questioned whether such an offer had been made. Nobody briefed or told me, [vice president Mike] Pence, or chief of staff Mark Meadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, Trump tweeted in part. Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us Meadows took over as chief of staff at the end of March, after the national security council, which includes top advisers to the president with offices inside the White House, convened an interagency meeting to discuss taking action on the intelligence reports, according to the Times. Joe Biden, Trumps presidential rival, accused Trump in a virtual town hall on Saturday of betraying US troops by failing to act on the intelligence reports. Not only has he failed to sanction or impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law, Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin, Biden said. His entire presidency has been a gift to Putin, but this is beyond the pale. Its a betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation, to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harms way. Story continues Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden slammed President Trump after the New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence concluded that the Russian military offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants in Afghanistan to kill American troops https://t.co/izhdSre2Le pic.twitter.com/C4w9YgQGJ1 Reuters (@Reuters) June 28, 2020 A Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered cash to Taliban-linked militants for successful attacks on coalition forces in the fall of 2019, as the US and Taliban engaged in talks to end a decades-long war, according to widely reported US intelligence assessments. While Trump and aides cast doubt on those assessments, further reporting published on Sunday by the Times revealed that US intelligence agencies were tipped off to the Russian program by the discovery by US special forces of a large amount of American cash at a Taliban outpost. Warnings about the suspected Russian plot were sent up the intelligence chain in January, the Times reported. Twenty Americans were killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2019. But the White House press secretary, the director of national intelligence (DNI), and now the president himself all denied at the weekend that news of a secret Russian paid assassinations plot against US troops ever made it to Trumps inner circle. I have confirmed that neither the president nor the vice president were ever briefed on any intelligence alleged by the New York Times in its reporting yesterday, intelligence director John Ratcliffe said in a statement Saturday. The White House statement addressing this issue earlier today, which denied such a briefing occurred, was accurate. House speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said on ABCs This Week program on Sunday that it was totally outrageous that Trump did not act on the intelligence reports to defend American lives. This is as bad as it gets, and yet the president will not confront the Russians on this score, Pelosi said. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement Saturday denying that Trump had been briefed but saying this does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence. Either the DNI is lying (which is a massive problem) or the DNI withheld earthshaking information from President Trump because he is so infantile and irrelevant that theyd rather he not know (which is well also a massive problem), tweeted Connecticut senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat. The former acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, who served the Trump administration, suggested on Sunday that the reports about the intelligence assessment were wrong. No one would be fine with this if it were true, Grenell tweeted. Both the Russian foreign ministry and the Taliban issued statements denying the plot. This unsophisticated plant clearly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of the propagandists of American intelligence, who instead of inventing something more plausible have to make up this nonsense, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. A Taliban spokesman said the militants strongly reject this allegation and are not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country. Trump has publicly undermined US intelligence assessments about Russia in the past. In a July 2018 appearance in Helsinki, Finland, alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump endorsed Putins denial of US findings that Russia had tampered in the 2016 presidential election. They said they think its Russia; I have President Putin, he just said its not Russia, Trump told reporters. I will say this: I dont see any reason why it would be. I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. A report by special counsel Robert Mueller delivered in March 2019 documented extensive contacts between Russian intelligence and Trump campaign officials but did not establish that the Trump Campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities. The report documented 10 instances of potential obstruction of justice by Trump personally in investigations directly or indirectly involving his campaigns Russia ties. China earlier this month had deployed martial art trainers and members of a mountain club in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), which borders India, state media reports said Sunday. No specific reason was given in the state media reports about the new deployment but it was done during the ongoing border tension with India, which began in early May, and escalated into a deadly brawl earlier this month. Incidentally, bilateral agreements between India and China prevent the use of guns along the line of actual control (LAC). On the night of June 15 the day the new troops presented themselves in Lhasa, the capital of TAR at least 20 Indian army soldiers were killed in a clash with PLA troops in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley. China has admitted that PLA suffered casualties but is yet to reveal the numbers. No guns were used in the clash but soldiers from both sides fought hand-to-hand with rocks, batons and clubs. Among the newly deployed personnel and five new militia divisions are former members of a Mount Everest Olympic torch relay team and fighters from a mixed martial arts club. Interestingly, a leading Chinese military had recently praised the Indian mountain army as the best in the world. Mountaineering is an essential skill for almost every member of the Indian mountain army. To this end, India even recruited a large number of professional mountaineers and amateur mountaineers from the private sector, wrote Huang Guozhi, senior editor of Modern Weaponry magazine in an article this month. The new troop deployment was reported by national broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) and the PLAs official military newspaper China National Defence News. Tibet commander Wang Haijiang said the Enbo Fight Club recruits would greatly raise the organisation and mobilisation strength of troops and their rapid response and support ability, the newspaper reported. The new troops were recruited with the aim of strengthening the border and stabilising Tibet, the Chinese newspaper reported. Wang had visited India in 2018 for the Sino-India Hand-in-Hand counter-terrorism exercise in Pune. In his comments, Wang did not confirm the new deployment was linked to the ongoing border tensions. Chinese state media have in recent weeks highlighted PLAs drills held in TAR. An infantry battalion, for example, had carried out extensive drills with tanks and armed airborne personnel at heights over 15000 feet in TAR, the PLA had reported earlier in June. The rare announcement by PLA did not specify when the drill was held but said it was the armed forces Xizang (Tibet) Military Command that organised the exercise at heights over 4700 metres. The Xizang Military Command falls under the Chengdu Military region. New Delhi has rejected Beijings accusations that it was the Indian army, which provoked the tension and the violent clash. Explaining the context of the standoff and the issues the two sides are trying to address, external affairs ministry spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava said in a statement: At the heart of the matter is that since early May, the Chinese side has been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the LAC. This is not in accordance with the provisions of our various bilateral agreements, especially the key 1993 Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 12:59:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, June 27 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and four others injured Saturday afternoon in a shooting in Red Bluff, a city in Tehama County in California, according to local media. The shooting happened at a Walmart distribution center right when a new group of workers started their shift. There was also a fire at the location, and the suspect appeared to have rammed a vehicle into the building, reported the Record Searchlight, a local news outlet in nearby city of Redding, citing emergency dispatchers. Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said the deputies have determined that the shooter circled the parking lot four times before crashing into the building and opening fire with a semiautomatic long gun. Police engaged in gunfire with the suspect shortly after, and he underwent surgery for a gunshot wound, according to the Record Searchlight. Scott Thammakhanty, an employee at the facility's receiving center who unloads trucks, told the news outlet that he and others started running for their lives after he heard gunshot and he saw people lying on the ground. Officials at the St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff told local news outlets that four injured patients were in fair condition. Enditem AFTER stuttering in the initial phase, the 100-megawatt (MW) Gwanda solar project is expected to resume later this year under a new phased implementation schedule that could deliver the first 10MW within six months. According to the revised implementation plan seen by The Sunday Mail Business, the first phase involves drafting an amended engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract between the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) and the contractor, Intratrek, which is almost complete. The parties will also seek a generation licence and environmental management permit within a month, complete a power purchase agreement (PPA) and conduct environmental impact assessment (EIA) within two months, as well as fulfil renegotiated conditions precedent in two-and-a-half months. Further, they must have the funding proposal approved by financiers in three months and get the first drawdown and EPC notice to proceed in four months. After this elaborate process, it should take six months to deliver the first 10MW from Gwanda. Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi recently said the new implementation plan has full support from Government. ZESA the State-owned parent company of power generating utility Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) has since appointed economist and former Government advisor Professor Ashok Chakravati to chair a special implementation committee for the project. Given the current capacity depletion at ZPC, I have appointed a Special Board Committee chaired by Professor Chakravati to assist, expedite and oversee execution of the project, chairperson Dr Sydney Gata wrote in a correspondence to Government updating progress on the project. Minister Chasi has been exhorting ZESA and contractor Intratrek Zimbabwe to stop wasting time in the courts over a contractual dispute and find an amicable solution that can deliver power. The dispute, which has spilled in the courts, was sparked by delays in implementing the projects pre-commencement works. The parties have been brawling in the courts since 2017. Demand for power in Zimbabwe, which stands between 1 800MW and 2000MW at peak periods, especially during the winter season, far outstrips internal generation capacity of about 600MW to 800MW. Local production capacity is seriously constrained by aged plant and equipment at the countrys largest coal power plant, Hwange Power Station (rated 920MW), and drought that reduced dam water levels at Kariba, whose hydro power plant is capable of producing 1 080MW. ZPC cancelled the contract with Intratrek citing its failure to complete preliminary works in time, but Intratrek argued that it failed to deliver due to forces beyond its control. The company claims that it delivered a feasibility study report in time at a cost of US$2,1 million. Other key preliminary works included geotechnical survey (US$686 336), topographical study (US$25 000), site clearance of 200 hectares (US$2 389 682), fencing (US$549 336), quarry and sand (US$190 000), signage (US$30 000), which reportedly could not be completed in time because ZESA did not have an environmental certificate. It is believed that the certificate was only secured in 2018 after advance payment funding had been released to the contractor. Preliminary works have since been completed at a total cost of US$6,6 million, which is over and above the US$4,9 million that ZESA paid through its generation arm, ZPC. It is also claimed that there were further delays after Sinosure the State-owned Chinese guarantor of most outbound Chinese investments refused to cover the risk from the investment over previous unpaid loans to Zimbabwean entities. This was despite the fact that China Eximbank had agreed to fund the solar project. But now, under the new implementation modalities, funding is being arranged from a consortium of international banks in Mauritius and Dubai. The funding arrangements are being spearheaded by power projects consultant Victor Utedzis African Transmission Corporation Holdings (ATC) through provision of US$14 million loan to finance the first 10MW phase. ATC recently completed a 5MW solar plant in Nyabira, which is already feeding the national grid. The EPC contractor, Intratrek, will be responsible for only 5 percent of the project, whose cost has been reviewed from US$173 million to US$140 million in line with the falling cost of solar projects across the globe. The balance of 95 percent of project works will be executed by the EPC contractors technical partner, CHiNT Electric Co. Limited, which is listed on Chinas Shanghai Stock Exchange. (including Zisco), and Zvishavane. In Zimbabwe, CHiNT has undertaken several projects already after undertaking the installation of 16 substations for ZETDC, including 132kV subtastations at Sherwood in Kwekwe, two in Redcliff,(including Zisco), and Zvishavane. CHiNT, which has installed more than 5000MW of solar globally and has successfully undertaken several projects for Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) in Zimbabwe, was founded in 1984 by billionaire Nan Cunhu. Minister Chasi has been pushing ZESA and Intratrek to respect a High Court order by Justice Tawanda Chitapi, which encouraged the two parties to settle the matter. With coronavirus hospitalizations doubling over the last 10 days in Texas, Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Dallas to meet with Gov. Greg Abbott and to assure him that the federal government will provide anything the state needs. This is all hands on deck, Pence said during a meeting with Abbott and White House coronavirus expert Dr. Deborah Birx at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. President Trump wanted us to be here today with the developments over the last two weeks with the rising positivity and the rising number of cases with a very simple message that is to you and the people of Texas: Were with you and were going to stay with you. The positivity rate is the percentage of Texans tested for COVID-19 who are found to have the disease. For most of May that percentage was under 6 percent. But since Tuesday, the positivity rate has been well above 10 percent daily and hit over 13 percent. Texas is doing an enormous amount of testing, but Pence said the goal is to accelerate that. The attention from Pence and the White House comes as Abbott has halted the states aggressive re-opening program as almost every indicator shows the situation in Texas deteriorating. With Texans swarming to COVID-19 testing sites, the wait to get a test and the delays in getting results back has become a bigger issue. The situation in Texas badly undercuts the White Houses message that the nation is on the rebound. Less than two weeks ago, Pence wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal asserting we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy and weve slowed the spread. But since that op-ed piece, infections in Texas, Florida, Arizona and California have spiked. Birx said Texas did very well in controlling the virus for most of the spring, but in the last 15 or 16 days, the spread has become serious. She said it is troubling that there is a big increase in hospitalizations of people between 20 and 40 years of age. IN-DEPTH: Harris County young adults contracted COVID-19 at higher rates over the past month, leading to a massive spike Harris County, primarily, you can see the rate of increase is quite enormous right now, Birx said. And you can see it in Bexar County and Travis County. Abbott on Thursday halted all non-essential surgeries to free up hospital beds to deal with the sudden increase in hospitalizations in those three counties, as well as Dallas County. Since Memorial Day, lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide are up over 250 percent. On Friday Abbott also ordered all bars to close indefinitely; on Monday Abbott is requiring all restaurants to limit their dine-in crowds to 50 percent of maximum capacity. Birx, Pence and Abbott all repeatedly called on Texans to wear masks to fight against the virus. Wearing a mask is just a good idea, Pence said. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Ben Carson, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, directly addresses those who worry about their freedom being infringed by government requirements that they wear masks and stay home if possible. We want freedom, particularly in Texas, said Carson, a surgeon. But you have to look at the long-term freedom. If we beat this thing back now, we get a lot more freedom in the long run. Abbott said hes convinced that if more Texans wear masks and practice social distancing, the state can reverse recent trends. We need to understand, that COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks, Abbott said. But while Abbott has reversed some decisions, he has publicly stated over the last couple of days in local TV interviews that he doesnt think issuing a statewide mask requirement or a statewide stay-at-home order are the right way to go at this point. Before visiting the medical center, Pence was in Dallas to attend a Celebrate Freedom Rally at the First Baptist Church where he repeatedly expressed optimism that Texas and the nation are closer to beating the coronavirus. He told the hundreds in attendance that with each day we are one day closer to the day we put this pandemic in the past. Pence also praised Abbott, who is facing criticism from both the left and the right for how hes managed the crisis in Texas. As we work now to safely re-open this state and this nation to put Americans back to work and to worship let me take this opportunity to commend Gov. Greg Abbott for his courageous and compassionate leadership for the people of Texas during this challenging time, Pence said at the church rally where Abbott was given a standing ovation. The leader of the Texas Democratic Party ripped Trump, Pence and Abbott for their response to the growing crisis. These are the people responsible for the surge in cases and hospitalizations in Texas and these are the people who continue to put Texans in danger, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said. Texas cases are surging and this is a direct result of Republican failures at the federal and state level. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar speaks after a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the Department of Health and Human Services on June 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned Sunday that time was running out for the U.S. to curb the spread of coronavirus as cases rise across the country, particularly in the American South and West. "We've got the tools to do this," Azar told NBC's Meet The Press. "But the window is closing, we have to act, and people as individuals have to act responsibility. We need to social distance, we need to wear our face coverings where we can't social distance, particularly in these hot zones." Azar's warning comes as President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence claim the country has "flattened the curve" and that new cases can be attributed to increased testing capacity. However, former CDC Director Tom Frieden told Fox News Sunday that the rise is attributable to community transmission in states that reopened too quickly. "As a doctor, a scientist, an epidemiologist, I can tell you with 100% certainty that in most states where you're seeing an increase, it is a real increase," Frieden said. "It is not more tests, it is more spread of the virus." The U.S. has seen several consecutive days of record spikes in cases following a number of states quickly lifting lockdown restrictions to reopen their economies. The U.S. on Friday reported 45,255 additional coronavirus cases on Friday, a record-high number of new daily cases that brought the total cases past 2.5 million across the country. States hit the hardest include Texas, Arizona, Florida, California and Nevada. As of Friday, the U.S. seven-day average of new cases increased more than 41% compared with a week ago. The country is in a stronger position to fight the virus than it was during the start of the outbreak, according to Azar, who pointed to increased testing capacity, treatments, contact tracing, supply of personal protective equipment and hospital capacity. Azar said that the number of hospitalizations and deaths could surge in the next few weeks. Deaths from COVID-19 generally lag behind other data points such as hospitalizations and infections. Azar, in an interview with CNN's State of the Union, denied that states reopening prematurely was tied to the spike in cases and instead blamed "inappropriate individual behavior" that has spread the virus. "That's not so much about what the law says on the reopening as what our behaviors are within that," Azar said. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. We again recommend Terry Adams, 60, for his 30 years of a meaningful appellate law practice and solid reputation in the community for being an even-handed, accomplished attorney. He has been a primary lawyer on more than 200 appellate cases, including cases at every level including the U. S. Supreme Court. Adams was a briefing attorney for the Texas Supreme Court and is a member of the State Bar Court Rules Committee. He was editor-in-chief of the law review at South Texas College of Law and is now on the law schools advisory board. He is running against James Lombardino, a former district court family judge who has fared poorly in Houston Bar Associations judicial evaluation polls. In 2017, 39.1 percent of respondents rated his overall performance as needs improvement and 48.8 percent said he needed to work on his impartiality. Thomas in Dem primary for 14th Court of Appeals, Place 7 We recommend Cheri Thomas, 40, who has a solid reputation among other lawyers and who has served as a staff attorney for this court of appeals. She was endorsed by three of her primary opponents. She is an honors graduate of University of Texas School of Law and a former clerk for the Honorable U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis. She then went into civil litigation at Baker Botts, the international law firm founded in Houston. From there she had a civil practice at the Stuart law firm, where she became a partner. Since 2017, she has handled roughly 50 civil and criminal appeals as a staff attorney for the 14th Court of Appeals. Her opponent, Tamika Tami Craft has been in court far more often handling her own cases than has Thomas, and her work as an appellate attorney at the Texas Workforce Commission is relevant. But Thomas close familiarity with the court on which she serves tips our recommendation her way. Bell in Dem primary for the 339th District Court We again recommend Teiva Bell, 40, who has served in the felony courts from three perspectives as a prosecutor, a criminal defense attorney and a public defender. Her reputation in trial is superb though not all her opponents have liked going up against her, which can be a good thing. Bell has practiced for 15 years, handling thousands of cases and trying more than 50. She says she wants to reform the Harris County criminal justice system in a manner to ensures justice matters for all. She says justice should not depend on wealth, judges should not control the appointment process and bond conditions should be about community safety. Bell faces opponent Candace White, who has been a Houston municipal court judge. Thornton i n Dem primary for the 164th District Court We recommend Cheryl Elliott Thornton, 62, over the incumbent Alexandra Smoots-Thomas, who has been suspended and is under indictment. Thornton knows the legal landscape in Harris County well, as she has been senior assistant county attorney since 2011. She has also served Texas as an assistant attorney general and an administrative law judge. Thornton has been general counsel for Texas Southern University, where she graduated from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She has served as chair of the Houston police citizen advisory board. Thornton has run unsuccessfully for justice of the peace and county court-at-law judge in the past. Even without this strong record of achievement, it would be hard for us to recommend her opponent. Smoots-Thomas was on this bench for 12 years and was suspended without pay by the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct after she was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2019 and charged with seven counts of wire fraud. She is accused of misusing $24,892 in campaign funds for personal expenses. She claims the federal prosecution is political and has pleaded not guilty. In the last Houston Bar Association poll, 46.9 percent of respondents said Smoot-Thomas needed improvement. New Delhi: Swarms of crop-eating locusts on Sunday moved further from Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr to Kasganj, Oraiyya, Farrukhabad, and Hathras after the operation to control them a day earlier when they flew over parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) were ineffective, officials said. Residents banged utensils and played loud music to chase away the pests when they arrived in NCR after surviving a control operation in Rajasthan on June 26. K L Gurjar, the deputy director of Union agriculture ministrys Locust Warning Organisation (LWO), said they could not control the entire swarms and they flew again early on Sunday morning. We have arranged for drones, fire brigades, apart from seven teams with sprayer mounted on vehicles. We are trying our best. Control operations will begin again tonight [Sunday]. Teams are moving with the swarms, said Gurjar. India has been battling invasions of desert locusts, which pose a severe risk to farm economy, since April. Locusts can fly hundreds of kilometres daily and a square-km swarm can eat as much crop as 35,000 people in a single day. The locusts have not so far impacted food security much but LWO has warned that the Kharif crops, especially maize and cotton, are likely to be impacted if the locust threats from the Indian Ocean and their breeding sites in India are not controlled. LWO teams in Rajasthan were trying to control fresh swarms coming in from Pakistan and Iran. Control operations have been strengthened at the border to ensure swarms do not come in, said Gurjar. Gurjar on Saturday said breeding of locusts has started in several pockets as the monsoon approaches Rajasthans arid regions. The egg-laying has taken place and hoppers have emerged. But we will manage to control these hoppers immediately. The UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Saturday warned a general northerly movement of swarms will occur even as control operations continue. Some of the swarms in Kenya were expected to transit through South Sudan to reach the summer breeding areas of Sudan, where it has rained. If the rain is not enough, the swarms could continue to Chad and spread westwards across the Sahel in West Africa. The swarms in Somalia are likely to migrate across the Indian Ocean to the summer breeding areas along the India-Pakistan border. In Southwest Asia, spring-bred swarms are present along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border where they are awaiting the onset of the monsoon rains that will start in the coming days and allow the swarms to mature and lay eggs, an FAO update said. It added locusts were mainly present in Rajasthan but some infestations continue to be reported from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. There are successive breeding cycles in the Horn of Africa. Some swarms from there are moving towards west Africa while some are moving towards Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen. These can also come to India in July. Some are expected to directly move to India from the Horn of Africa with the monsoon winds, Gurjar said. India Meteorological Department director-general M Mohapatra last week said winds were moving from the direction of the Horn of Africa towards India. The wind direction is south-westerly during monsoon. I will not be able to comment on whether they will carry these swarms with them. Some scientists expect rising global temperatures to influence the jet stream. The jet stream is driven by temperature contrasts. As the Arctic warms more quickly, these contrasts shrink, and the jet stream can slow. Is that what were seeing right now? We dont yet know. Swiss cheese sea ice and feedback loops We do know that were seeing significant effects from this heat wave, particularly in the early loss of sea ice. The ice along the shores of Siberia has the appearance of Swiss cheese right now in satellite images, with big areas of open water that would normally still be covered. The sea ice extent in the Laptev Sea, north of Russia, is the lowest recorded for this time of year since satellite observations began. The loss of sea ice also affects the temperature, creating a feedback loop. Earths ice and snow cover reflect the Suns incoming energy, helping to keep the region cool. When that reflective cover is gone, the dark ocean and land absorb the heat, further raising the surface temperature. President Trump intends to nominate John Gibbs to run the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), according to two sources with direct knowledge of the decision, which remains closely held. Why it matters: OPM is the HR department for the federal government's civil service. The agency has become a focus of the White House's efforts to install and reward Trump loyalists across the government. As Politico first reported, the previous head of OPM, Dale Cabaniss, "stepped down because of, what two people familiar with the matter said, was poor treatment from the [then] 29-year-old head of the Presidential Personnel Office, John McEntee, and a powerful appointee at OPM, Paul Dans." Between the lines: Gibbs is a former conservative commentator who currently serves as a senior official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Gibbs received national media attention when CNN reported, in 2018, that he "spread a false conspiracy theory that claimed Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign chairman took part in a Satanic ritual." White House response: Deputy press secretary Judd Deere told Axios that "the White House has no personnel announcements at this time." Go deeper: Trump's loyalty cop John McEntee clashes with agency heads Peru will lift coronavirus lockdown measures in most areas of the country, including the capital Lima, at the start of July, while keeping its borders closed, after the daily rate of cases slowed in recent days, the government said late on Friday. A night curfew will still be in force, according to a government decree, as officials aim to keep the pandemic under control while it grapples with a battered economy and a near-collapse of its health system. Children under the age of 14 and people older than 65 will still be required to quarantine, the government said. Peru was one of the first countries in Latin America to impose a quarantine in mid-March to stem infections, and has extended it several times until the end of June. Since May, the government has allowed a gradual reopening of the economy. Lockdown in Lima, where just under a third of Perus 33 million people live, will be lifted from July. Under the new rules, banks and supermarkets will reopen allowing in customers to 50% of capacity, with mandatory use of masks and social distancing of one metre. The government is also considering allowing restaurants and domestic land and air transport to reopen with limited capacity. The government will maintain the quarantine in seven regions including Arequipa, the second most populous in the country, and others located in the centre of the country and in parts of the Amazon jungle, where the levels of infection are still high. Peru has recorded 272,364 coronavirus cases, with 8,939 deaths., according to the Ministry of Health. SOURCE: REUTERS Western Cape judge president John Hlophe has become the subject of criticism from tobacco companies after he postponed the hearing of their case against the cigarette ban that forms part of the national lockdown, according to a report by The Sunday Times. British American Tobacco SA (BATSA) and nine other parties are taking the government to court to get the ban on tobacco sales during lockdown lifted. The case was originally agreed to be heard on Tuesday, but Hlophe postponed the case by over a month. The Sunday Times, however, said it has seen emails between the registrar in the chambers of Hlophe and the applicants lawyers in which everyone agreed the case should be heard on 30 June. Instead, the registrar told the applicants on Thursday that Hlophe would only have the matter placed before a full bench in six weeks time. The state attorney had reportedly written to Hlophe and agreed that the case must be delayed because new matters had been included in the affidavits, but this is denied by the applicants. Mike Evans of Webber Wentzel, who is representing the applicants, urged Hlophe to reconsider his decision. In my 33 years of practice I have never seen a situation like this before, where the parties are given the go-ahead in urgent application to agree on a date, they do so, all the papers are filed, and two days later that decision is reversed, Evans told his clients. Ban causes massive losses BATSA said that the tax loss the country is incurring due to the ban is one of its reasons for claiming that the case is urgent. It said that between 30 June and the new date on which the case will be heard, the country will lose over R1.4 billion in excise tax. Thousands of jobs stand to be lost in the economy as criminality becomes the new normal, said BATSA. We are considering all our legal options and will be liaising directly with the government, as we had both previously agreed that the matter was urgent and needed to be heard next Tuesday. Postponing a case that has been agreed, by both sides, to be urgent is something that we believe is unprecedented and is very worrying. FITA case dismissed This delay follows another entitys case over the tobacco ban being dismissed by the North Gauteng High Court. The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) confirmed to MyBroadband that the court has dismissed its case, which argued that the governments implementation of the restrictions was arbitrary and illogical. One of the first issues that we find difficult with the governments stance is the arbitrary nature in which these regulations are implemented, FITA said. If we go into the depths of the legal argument it is quite baffling as they state in their own papers, and even in some of the medical reports that they rely on, that there is no link between smoking and COVID-19. We accept that there is harm that is suffered by ones lungs especially if they are a long-term smoker, but that cannot be undone by a cessation of six weeks. However, the judgement claimed that Minster Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is justified in claiming that the restriction on tobacco product sales is necessary. In our view, the necessity requirement is met once it is shown that there is a rational connection between the ban on tobacco sales and curbing the scourge of the COVID-19 virus in an attempt to prevent a strain on the countrys healthcare facilities, a finding which we have already made, the judgement said. We are persuaded by the Ministers submission that FITAs argument is misconceived as it ignores the context under which the regulations were promulgated. McCarty said lap swimmers must be at least 18 and purchase a swim pass. There will be three time blocks each day of 45-minutes each with one swimmer allowed in each of the six lanes. There will be a 30-minute break between each session so the facility can be cleaned and sanitized. Masks are required at all times unless the swimmer is in the water, officials said. Okolo DivineBliss A Nigerian man who lost his mum at the New General Hospital in Asaba, Delta state this morning June 27, has cried out for justice. According to Okolo DivineBliss, his mum had been sick for a while, showing symptoms of cough, weakness, and was in pains. On June 25, they decided to take her to the New General Hospital in Asaba in Delta state for medical attention. On getting to the hospital, the doctors allegedly refused to admit her for fear she might have COVID19. He said after about an hour, the doctors agreed to admit her only on the condition that she will be admitted into the ward meant for COVID19. They had not carried out a test to confirm she had the viral disease. Collins and his family agreed and she was admitted. He claimed since on Thursday when they got to the hospital till today, the doctors did not attend to his mum. She died this morning. He is demanding justice for his mum who he described as a prayerful and hardworking person. Watch the video he shared and read his post below My name is Okolo DivineBliss,, and I lost my mum today be the 27th of June 2020.. And this is how it happened.. My mum has been sick for some while now and nurses and doctors have been coming over to the house to administer treatment to her and by Gods grace she was responding fine to it.. Some symptoms of the sickness were coughing, she was feeling weak, and also had pains. So on the 25th of July 2020 we decided to move her to the New general hospital Asaba,, she walked down through our house stairs all by herself even though she was weak.. My Dad and my siblings got to the hospital with her and they refused to admitted treatment because the whole doctors were afraid that it was Covid19 as everyone will suspect They abandoned her in pains for over an hour before they decided that they are not going to treat her except she Isolated in their Isolations center.. and also her oxygen leve became low in the hospital I always said that they shouldnt ahve moved her there cos my mum hadnt gone anywhere to to have Covid even through out the time my sister who has health issues was taking care of her at home she didnt posses any sign of transfer from my mom so I was fully sure within myself that it was not Covid.. But since the doctors and everyone refused to treat her we allowed her to in and she was put on oxygen They Isolated her in the Center and she was there without no good attention which I can swear to because we spoke to her regularly and she said no doctor or anymore had gone to see.. we took food to her regularly,,, Then Until the 26th of June 2020 being yesterday My Dad went with my brother to take things for her at the Isolation Center.. They agreed with my dad that since the case was not yet confirmed and the test result was yet to be out,, that he could stay and watch her and if anything goes wrong he could call them on phone from the room which he regularly did but they did not respond to him fast whenever her did We stayed awake at home through out the night praying for the life of my mum and talked to my brother who was there with her regularly and he always said that no one was coming to check on her upon they had a CCTV camera in their Isolation rooms.. Whenever we call the doctors from home they would say that they have gone to check her and shes okay but my brother would still say no one has come and she is very weak and breathing slowly This situation of calling and lying by the Covid 19 doctors happened for over 1houris that not wicked of them. This morning at around 5 oclock am when the calls and lies of the doctors that she was doing fine and attending to her.,, we decided to go to the hospital ourselves since my brother was crying bitterly that mom is laying dead. When we got there around After 5am we went forward to the Covid19 area with out car and kept on screaming that they should go and look at my mum but you know what we were there for over an hour no single Doctor came out to speak to us and these were the same doctors that were telling us that shes fine and taken care of while we were at home Out of bitterness I moved into the Covid19 session which they did not lock well and was screaming for help of the doctors and no one still Came out for over an hour I went into her room that has A CCTV camera where they monitor everything from and started praying but to no avail and no one was still responding to us patients coming out of their wards in the room to complain why the doctors should be so wicked hearing my familys voice screaming.. To note: They did and X Ray which showed she had acute pneumonia which could av obviously been the cause of the Covid 19 symptoms she was experiencing but the doctors were not going to attend to her well until the result was going to be out and now my mum is dead.. They couldnt even face the acute Pneumonia but concluded its a Covid 19 case without adequate test What if the result is out now and it is negative please who killed my mother Issit not the Doctors. Please all I need is justice for my mum and support to my family.. She was a Bread winner for us and the one who took care of us always I dont know where to go or what to do from here please I need everyone right now cos its like I am single in my world at the moment Who would take of me ? Who would be my mother? She was the closest to me. Very prayerful and hardworking.. I dont know what else to type here that Doctors and Wicked and as real as Covid 19 is they dont take it serious In their Isolation centres cos they feel people must die.. please I Need your help for justice and support for my mum Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 16:23:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China Express Airlines, a Chinese private regional airline, has recently accepted the delivery of its first A320neo aircraft from Airbus Tianjin Delivery Center, according to Airbus China. Airbus adopted a flexible delivery solution for the aircraft delivery during the pandemic period to help support the smooth operation of the Chinese airline, Airbus China said. The newly delivered A320neo aircraft was assembled in Toulouse, France. In full compliance with the international and domestic health and travel advisories, the aircraft was ferried to north China's Tianjin Municipality for the customer acceptance process and delivery. China Express Airlines, which is a domestic regional airline based in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, currently operates a fleet of 50 airplanes. The A320neo aircraft adopts a two-class cabin layout with four business-class and 168 economy-class seats. The airline will put the aircraft into operation on domestic and international routes. Enditem A man has been shot dead at a Breonna Taylor protest in Louisville after a white man opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in a crowded park, according to local police. At least two people were shot - one fatally - in the incident at Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, at around 9 p.m. Saturday. Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies performed life-saving measures on an unidentified male victim but he died at the scene. The shooting took place at the park that has become a focal point for the city's protests demanding justice for Taylor, the black EMT who was gunned down by cops in her apartment back in March. LOUISVILLE: A man has been shot dead at a Breonna Taylor protest in Louisville after a white man opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in a crowded park (pictured) Disturbing footage on social media shows the moment the shooter aims his gun at the masses of people peacefully protesting and fires multiple shots. Screams can be heard as people scramble for cover from the hail of bullets. The footage later shows people rushing to assist one person who is seen lying in a pool of blood on the ground. Louisville Metro Police Department released a statement confirming that there were reports of shots fired in the park at around 9 p.m. and that authorities tried to save one man who died at the scene. Officers then received a report of another shooting victim at the Hall of Justice. The second victim was taken to University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. The park was cleared and will remain closed for several hours while officers carry out an investigation into the shooting. LOUISVILLE: At least two people were shot - one fatally - in the incident at Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, at around 9 p.m. Saturday LOUISVILLE: The park is seen taped off later that night after the shooting that left one dead and another injured Police 'are trying to gather as much information as possible in order to identify all who were involved in the incident,' the statement said. No further information about the gunman, victims' identities or whether any arrests have been made was released. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said he was 'deeply saddened' by the incident. 'I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered,' Fischer said in a statement. 'It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene.' This marks at least the second shooting in the last month during protests in Louisville over Taylor's death. On May 28, seven people were shot in a shooting near City Hall. Taylor's mother broke her silence over the violence then urged people to stop 'hurting each other' amid demands for justice over her daughter's slaying. Taylor, 26, was shot eight times and killed when three plain clothes officers performed a botched no-knock arrest warrant at her apartment in Louisville on March 13. Breonna Taylor (pictured) was shot eight times and killed when three plain clothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her apartment in Louisville on March 13 The three officers said they were investigating drugs offenses and that Taylor's boyfriend opened fire on them when they entered. Her family say neither she - a hardworking EMT - nor her boyfriend used drugs and that he fired his gun because he thought the three plain clothes officers were intruders. This week Louisville police fired one of the cops involved in her death saying he showed 'extreme indifference to the value of human life' when he 'blindly fired 10 rounds' into her apartment. Officer Brett Hankison, 44, was fired Tuesday from the department for his part in her killing, where he violated the department's regulations and deadly force standards, Louisville Metro Police announced. Hankison said he was appealing the decision, as his attorney blasted his firing as 'a cowardly political act'. Officer Brett Hankison was fired Tuesday from the department for his part in the killing of black EMT Taylor, 26, Louisville Metro Police announced Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly (left) and Officer Myles Cosgrove (right) are the other two cops involved in the killing of the black woman. Neither of them have been fired The Kentucky Attorney General is still yet to decide whether to bring charges against any of the three cops three months on from Taylor's slaying and the other two cops involved - Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrave - have not been fired. Last week, FBI agents searched Taylor's home for evidence as part of their revived investigation. Louisville PD has repeatedly come under fire for its handling of the case. Earlier in the month, the force released a heavily redacted incident report which said Taylor had no injuries despite her having been shot eight times and killed in the raid. The family has accused the city of deliberately ignoring subpoenas for records relating to her death that were requested as part of a lawsuit filed by the victim's mother, Tamika Palmer, back in April. Taylor's death has sparked outrage across America. NEW YORK: Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters congregate at the City Hall in New York as part of the 'Defund NYPD' and 'Occupy City Hall' movement NEW YORK: In New York, hundreds of protesters camped outside City Hall Saturday night demanding lawmakers slash the New York City police budget by $1billion NEW YORK: The demonstrators are demanding the New York City Council City Council cut at least $1 billion from the police department's current $6 billion budget when it begins considering a new city budget Anger over her death was ignited further following the death of black man George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day at the hands of a white cop. Protesters have been taking to the streets of the nation demanding an end to police brutality and systemic racism, and calls are mounting for widespread police reform. In New York, hundreds of protesters camped outside City Hall Saturday night demanding lawmakers slash the New York City police budget by $1billion. The 'Occupy City Hall' encampment began forming Tuesday following weeks of street protests over the death of Floyd and other black Americans killed by cops. The demonstrators are demanding the New York City Council City Council cut at least $1 billion from the police department's current $6 billion budget when it begins considering a new city budget. According to NY1, protesters have designated the area police free, and say officers have been keeping their distance. The encampment was told it is allowed to remain a protest zone as long as no structures were set up, the New York Post reported. PORTLAND: In Portland, Oregon, protesters have been trying to establish an autonomous zone outside the North police precinct PORTLAND: Saturday marked the 31st night of protests and reports of clashes between protesters and cops continued Organizers have called it 'Occupy City Hall' - a nod to the 2010 Occupy Wall Street movement a few blocks away in Zuccotti Park. Meanwhile over in Portland, Oregon, protesters have been trying to establish an autonomous zone outside the North police precinct. Scenes descended into chaos Friday night on the one-month anniversary of Floyd's death with stores looted and fires set in the area. Saturday marked the 31st night of protests and reports of clashes between protesters and cops continued. According to reports on social media, officers deployed shot pepper balls at protesters and tear gas was used to disperse crowds as Portland Police put out a statement that riot control agents were being used at around 1:30 a.m. and told people 'you are ordered to disperse immediately'. Reports also surfaced that a car had been driven into protesters in the area. It was a dream come true for Ashish Ahuja, when in 2014, he opened Pebble Street, a restro-bar, in Connaught Place. But last month, he shut down the outlet, famed for its European ambience, roasted lamb leg, and Long Island Iced Tea. With high rents and the current restrictions on operations due to the Covid pandemic, it became unsustainable to run the establishment; besides, I did not see things improving in the next few months. We were left with no choice, says Ahuja who owns another outlet with a similar name in New Friends Colony. About a dozen restaurant, bars and cafes, have exited Connaught Place and industry sources say 50 others are on the verge of shut down because of high rents, new guidelines of reduced operating hours and ban on serving alcohol. Kuldeep Singh Chauhan, a real estate agent in Connaught Place, who works with restaurant owners, say negotiations between the landlord and the businessmen, who want to rent to be waived off and shift to revenue-sharing model, have reached a dead end. As many as 20 restro-bar owners have already conveyed to their landlords that they are shutting. They have approached me to help them in finding buyers for their set-up such as kitchen and furniture, says Chauhan. A majority of landlords have served legal notices for failing to pay rent for the past three months. Restaurants are paying anything between 6 lakh to 20 lakh a month in CP depending on the size of the property, says Dinesh Arora, president, Delhi Restaurants & Clubs Association, who also owns Unplugged Courtyard, a popular restro-bar in Connaught Place. Half of the restro-bars in CP will shut in the next couple of months. Raising the Bar Many believe so many restro-bars going bust is bad news for Connaught Place, which has undergone a great revival in the past few years. Inaugurated in the 1930s, CP had fallen out of favour with Delhiites by the late 1990s, what with the chaos caused by Metro construction. By 2004, Connaught Place had become a decrepit place, its walls pan-stained, its shops deserted and beggars roaming in its worn- out corridors. Things began to look up after the Metro started operations in 2005, and by 2016, Connaught Place was once again the citys centre of gravity. Many believe that its brand new chic cafes, restaurants, and bars played a key role in reviving CP and transforming Delhis image from a staid capital city to one with a happening nightlife. While CPs iconic legacy restaurants such as United Coffee House and Embassy were going strong as ever, the arrival of QBA in 2003, marked a major milestone in CPs journey to become a major food and beverage hub, a decade later. Those were the days when people were beginning to eat out, and we felt there was a space in CP for a new contemporary, multi-cuisine restro-bar that appealed to the young. We hired an architect from Thailand and a chef from Australia, says Aditya Jain, who started QBA. It was an instant hit, attracting a lot of young upwardly customers, a lot of them from east and west Delhi, adds Jain, whose extended family owns Jainson and Greenways, two of the oldest establishments in CP. Jain is luckier than others as he owns the property and says he will reopen QBA as soon on as it is safe to do so. New cafes, restaurants and bars kept coming up after QBA, mostly in the outer circle , but the real restaurant boom in CP began in 2014, after its renovation was completed. Over 100 new restaurants, bars and cafes came up by 2017mostly on the first and second floors that had been lying empty for many years. One of the reasons why CP became such a hot destination for food and beverage ventures was that it provided a lot of scope for outdoor dining, with its terraces providing beautiful views. Authorities should allow outdoor dining, which is now key to enhancing capacity while ensuring social distancing, says Priyank Sukhija, who owns seven restro-bars in Connaught Place, including Lord of the Drinks, Warehouse Cafe, Open House Cafe, all of which have remained shut since March. He opened five restro-bars between 2013 and 2017 in CP. Al fresco dining in Connaught Place was banned in 2017 , with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) cracking down on restaurants, bars and cafes for using terraces in the wake of a building collapse in 2017. Sukhija says he employed 500 people in CP outlets. Closure of the restro-bars in CP will not only rob the city of its nightlife, but also thousands of jobs. The crowd- pullers Restaurants in CP, Arora says, provides jobs to over 8,000 people and contribute to the footfall, giving a boost to retail. On an average, 250 people visited my restaurant on weekdays and around 350 on weekends. So, my restaurant alone brought 10,000 people to CP every month. You can imagine the number of footfall all the 150 restaurants were contributing, he adds. Retailers agree. A lot of my customers before Covid-19 were indeed those who came to the restaurants here, which have played an important role in re-energising CP, says Satish Sundra, who runs the citys oldest toyshop in CP. He says CPs story has once again taken a sad turn. Covid-19 has killed business here like never before. In the 1960s, there was a slump in business in CP because many neighbourhood markets such as Khan Market and GK came up; and then in the early 2000s, but things were never as bad as they are now. Atul Bhargav, president of NDTA ( New Delhi Traders Association), which represents traders of Connaught Place echoes his views, Restaurant owners and shopkeepers have had a symbiotic relationship in CP, says Bhargav. Currently, he is busy facilitating the shoot of a short promotional movie that will showcase what CP traders are doing to make shopping a safe experience in the colonial shopping arcade. Experts feel that the cororonavirus pandemic is going to bring about a churn in CP. Many of the fashion stores will move out; and CP would see food & beverage ventures in a new format such as high-end liquor stores. Besides, there could be many electronic stores, a segment which is currently doing very well. A high-street like CP will recover soon as it is possible to control the store environment there, says Anuj Puri, chairman, Anarock, a retail and real estate services company. The third space Many feel restaurants, bars and cafes in CP play an important role in the citys business, social, intellectual and artistic life. Besides, many people are emotionally attached to restaurants and cafes , where they make business deals and celebrate events of life such as birthdays and marriage anniversaries, says Archana Singh, who runs TravelSeeWrite, a popular travel blog. I mostly write my blogs in Khan Market and CP restaurants. These places are not just about food and drink, they also fulfill a human need for connection in a big city like Delhi. Their closure will diminish the experience of both CP and the city. But Prof Vivek Kumar, who teaches sociology at JNU, has a different take. If anything, these new restro-bars in CP are merely an important marker of Delhis economic progress and its embrace of western modernity, nothing more, nothing less, he says. Ashish Ahuja of Pebble Street sounds a warning. Everyone, the landlords and the authorities, need to understand that it is restro-bars, and not retail that revived CP, and without them CP will once again lose its mojo. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON China rebuts Canadian criticism over detention of two men People hold signs calling for China to release Canadian detainees Spavor and Kovrig during an extradition hearing for Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - China lashed out at Canada on Saturday over criticism about Chinese prosecution of two Canadians, saying the matter is based on evidence and urging Ottawa to cease "megaphone diplomacy." Chinese prosecutors this month charged Canadians Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, for suspected espionage. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Beijing to cease the "arbitrary detention," and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also called for their release. In a website post, a representative of the Chinese embassy in Ottawa criticized recent "irresponsible remarks" by Canadian leaders. "The facts are clear and evidence solid and sufficient. The accusation of so-called 'arbitrarily' detaining Canadian citizens is totally groundless," the post said. Chinese authorities arrested the men in late 2018, soon after Canadian police detained Huawei Technologies Co's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on a U.S. warrant. The embassy spokesperson said Meng's arrest is the true arbitrary detention, and repeated Beijing's call for her release. "Stop making irresponsible remarks on cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and exerting pressure on China through megaphone diplomacy." Spokespersons for Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland could not immediately be reached. Kovrig's wife asked this week that the Canadian justice minister consider intervening in the Chinese executive's extradition case to try and free the two Canadians. Trudeau has said exchanging Meng for the two men would weaken Canada's values and justice system. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Fears have arisen that the prime suspect in the Yvonne Fletcher murder case will never face justice as the Home Office secretly bars him from returning to Britain. Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk, a Libyan who lived in Reading for 10 years, was told that he was 'excluded' from Britain in January 2019, The Sunday Telegraph reports. The policewoman was shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984. The decision to bar him from this country comes at the Government said it had no powers to deport Libyan asylum seekers as it could breach their human rights. WPC Fletcher was gunned down outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 in a crime that sent shockwaves across the UK Mabrouk is the only person that was ever arrested in connection with WPc Fletcher's murder. He was a senior member of the 'revolutionary committee' that ran the Libyan embassy at the time of the murder. He was expelled from Britain in the aftermath but allowed back in 2000 after Tony Blair restored relations with Libya. Mabrouk, who lives in Berkshire after claiming asylum in the UK in 2011, was arrested in 2015 in connection with the murder but was told two years later the case would not go forward. Saleh Ibrahim Mabrouk was arrested in 2015 in connection with the murder but was told two years later the case would not go forward. He has claimed asylum in the UK since 2011 The decision was made on the grounds of national security. John Murray, the police officer who held WPC Fletcher in his arms as she died, wrote to Amber Rudd afterwards asking her to deport Mabrouk as he was planning a private civil case in the High Court. Six weeks after Mr Murray started his civil action in 2018, Mabrouk was told by the Government that he was being 'excluded' from the UK in a letter from the home secretary, The Telegraph reports. The letter said: 'Your presence here would not be conducive to the public good, due to your suspected involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya.' Last night Mr Murray, 64, said the decision to bar the Libyan from the UK meant 'the Home Office has got blood on its hands'. In 2017, the Metropolitan Police told the Home Office they believed they had enough evidence to bring someone to court, saying: 'Our investigation has identified enough material to identify those responsible for WPC Fletcher's murder if it could be presented to a court. 'However, the key material has not been made available for use in court in evidential form for reasons of national security.' The Home Office has been contacted for comment. It will be a shortened trading week with major markets closed Friday in observance of the Fourth of July holiday. Nevertheless, it is gearing up to be an important week for markets with the economic recovery in focus. Investors will be closely monitoring the recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases across a handful of states and the big June jobs report due out Thursday. Coronavirus cases are back on the rise in more than 30 U.S. states including Texas, Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada. The seven-day average of new cases in the U.S. jumped by more than 41% compared with a week ago, as of Friday. As a result, Texas and Florida have had to re-close certain businesses and Arizona put its entire reopening plan on pause. According to Johns Hopkins University data, the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 2.5 million for the first time Saturday. The U.S. should have benefitted from the earlier successes and failures of plans in Europe and Asia. But over the last few days, more than a dozen states saw a notable rise in the number of cases and nearly half of those states experienced an uptick in the positive test percentage, Raymond James Chief Investment Officer Larry Adam wrote in a note June 26. Disappointingly, the U.S., in aggregate, has not experienced a significant, prolonged downward trend in new cases as seen in countries like Italy and Spain. While a slight rise was expected in light of eased restrictions, recent trends suggest the first wave is not over and that an all hands on deck approach is needed to prevent new epicenters from forming, Adam added. Protestors on hand during an appearance by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Oh Sooo Jazzy hair salon in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, May 2, 2020. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) June jobs report The Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release the June jobs report Thursday morning ahead of a long holiday weekend. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg anticipate the U.S. economy added 3 million nonfarm payrolls during the month, up from 2.5 million job additions in May. The unemployment rate is expected to have ticked lower to 12.4% in June from 13.3% in the prior month. Story continues The U.S. economy shed over 20 million jobs since its February pre-COVID peak. The surprise 2.5 million increase in May nonfarm payrolls, however, suggested the pick-up in employment materialized earlier than expected. The rebound in the labor market likely continued in June, Wells Fargo Securities wrote in a note June 26. The firm argued that while the June jobs report figure will likely show continued improvement, the payroll additions will still be well below their February peak. The recovery will take some time, and it will likely be a few years before the level of payrolls gets back to new highs, according to the firm. Meanwhile, J.P.Morgan explained that it is still rather unclear what the data will show headed into Thursdays report. We normally consider the data on unemployment claims to be among our most useful economic indicators. They do not come from surveys, which can be affected by various errors and biases, but instead are based on counts of claimants sourced directly from state unemployment offices. Although processing delays and other issues have been common since COVID-19 arose, the claims data still provided a reasonable guide for what to expect in the historic April payroll report, J.P.Morgan economist Jesse Edgerton said in a note. Typically weekly jobless claims are a decent indicator for what to expect from the BLS employment report. However, the large discrepancy between the May jobs report and weekly jobless claims makes it harder to predict what the June jobs report will illustrate, according to Edgerton. Economic calendar Monday: Pending Home Sales month-on-month, May (+18% expected, -21.8% in April); Dallas Fed Manufacturing Activity, June (-22 expected, -49.2 in May) Tuesday: MNI Chicago PMI, June (44.0 expected, 32.3 in May); Conference Board Consumer Confidence, June (90.5 expected, 86.6 in May) Wednesday: MBA Mortgage Applications, week ending June 26 (-8.7% prior); ADP Employment Change, June (2.95 million expected, -2.76 million in May); Markit US Manufacturing PMI, June Final (49.6 expected, 49.6 prior); Construction Spending month-on-month, May (+0.9% expected, -2.9% in April); ISM Manufacturing, June (49.5 expected, 43.1 in May); ISM Prices Paid, June (45.0 expected, 40.8 in May); Wards Total Vehicle Sales, June (13 million expected, 12.21 million in May) Thursday: Trade Balance, May (-$53.0 billion expected, -$49.4 billion in April); Change in Nonfarm Payrolls, June (3 million expected, 2.509 million in May); Change in Manufacturing Payrolls, June (425,000 expected, 225,000 in May); Unemployment Rate, June (12.4% expected, 13.3% in May); Initial Jobless Claims, week ending June 27 (1.336 million expected, 1.48 million prior); Continuing Claims, week ending June 20 (18.904 million expected, 19.522 million prior); Bloomberg Consumer Comfort, week ending June 28 (41.4 prior); Durable Goods Orders, May final (15.8% expected, 15.8% prior); Durables excluding Transportation, May final (4.0% expected, 4.0% prior); Factory Orders, May (7.9% expected, -13.0% in April); Friday: Markets closed in observance of Fourth of July holiday Earnings calendar Monday: Micron (MU) after market close Tuesday: ConAgra (CAG) before market open; FedEx (FDX) after market close Wednesday: Constellation Brands (STZ), General Mills (GIS), Macys (M) before market open Thursday: N/A Friday: Markets closed in observance of Fourth of July holiday Heidi Chung is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @heidi_chung. More from Heidi: Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 00:32:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistan army said Sunday evening that it had shot down an Indian spying quadcopter along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan army troops shot down the Indian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Hot Spring sector along the LoC, Major General Babar Iftikhar, director general of army's media wing the Inter-Services Public Relations, said on Twitter. "The quadcopter had intruded 850 meters on Pakistan's side of the LoC. This is ninth Indian quadcopter shot down by Pakistan Army troops this year," Iftikhar said. Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC, the de facto border between both countries in the disputed Kashmir region in 2003. However, both sides routinely exchange fire and accuse each other of ceasefire violations. Tension has been heightened after India lifted the special status for the Indian-controlled Kashmir in August 2019. Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic relations, suspended trade relations and train service with India in response. Pakistan and India have been involved in a diplomatic row in recent days over what both sides claimed harassment of staff members of high commissions in New Delhi and Islamabad. Enditem The Midland County Hospital Districts quarter-cent sales tax election is also Midlands first election during the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of campaign parties, rallies and luncheons, there are zoom meetings. Rosalind Redfern Grover doesnt like it one bit. There are too many people who havent been reached, she said. COVID is a major distraction, the drop in oil prices is a major distraction, Grover said. I havent found any major opposition. When someone says they are against it, I tell them the story. Once they hear the story, they say, Oh, I want to do that. Her story includes this is sales tax, not an increase in the property tax. The story also includes that 21 percent of the patients at Midland Memorial Hospital come from outside Midland County. This is a way to help them pay for it, Grover said. The counties around us dont have hospitals like we have. They depend on us. Maybe a challenge makes this a fair fight for Grover. She was the architect of the 2009 hospital bond the first $100 million bond passed in Midland County. The $115 million bond passed by nearly 30 percent. She said last week when you show Midlanders a well-thought-out initiative, they make the right choice. We have thought this out, Grover said. The problem is amplifying the message. The need for a sales tax election Early voting for the July 14 election begins Monday. On the ballot is a quarter-cent increase to the sales tax collected inside the city of Midland and Midland County. Currently, the sales tax on eligible items inside the city is 8 percent. The cap inside the state of Texas is 8.25 cents. Proposition A proponents believe the revenue from a county-wide sales tax increase could raise up to $30 million a year -- money they believe will help make up for cuts in federal funding. Midland Health CEO Russell Meyers has stated he anticipates a $38.4 million drop in the districts annual Medicaid supplement reimbursement by fiscal year 2024. Without extra revenue, Medicaid supplement reimbursement reductions will impact Community Healthcare Services funding, Meyers said. That includes 501as (nonprofits), Midland Community Healthcare Services (such as the Coleman Clinic), contracted physicians, the districts partnership with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, mental health partnerships with Oceans Behavioral Hospital and the Springboard drug and alcohol treatment facility and ER calls. Meyers said combined funding reached $40.147 million in fiscal year 2019. That figure, he said, included at least some compensation for 200 doctors, or about 75 percent of the medical staff. If nothing is done now, the hospitals unrestricted cash would be impacted, Meyers said. Hospital officials expect it to fall from $29.6 million at the end of FY 2020 to a deficit of $8.115 million at the end of FY 2024. Health care has changed, Grover told the Reporter-Telegram. People are not aware of changes. They think of it as (television doctor) Marcus Welby carrying his little black bag. That is not how it happens. They are sophisticated doctors making important decisions and using sophisticated techniques and saving lives. It is amazing, and you have to pay for that. To provide more context to the amount of money needed to make up for anticipated Medicaid reductions, Meyers said the hospital district would be required to raise the amount of property tax revenue by 72 percent next year, 13 percent in FY 2022, 12 percent in 2023 and 1 percent in 2024. That equals to a 119 percent increase compared to the baseline in 2020. Grover said a sales tax increase spreads the burden more broadly. And the impact of a quarter-cent increase is an additional quarter on a $100 purchase or as Grover put it, a penny on $4 McDonalds Happy Meal. Grover: Im better in person The election will be on the same ballot as the Republican and Democratic Party runoffs. That means there is only one other local election the runoff for the 142nd District judge between David Rogers and Mary Baker. Proposition A supporters had hoped for a May election date, but elections were delayed because of coronavirus. The date became the question. Would it have to wait for November or earlier in the fall? In May, hospital officials, in consultation with the Governors Office, finally determined July would be the month. At the time, Meyers said that waiting until November to hold the election would have cost the hospital district about half a years worth of collections, if the measure is approved. It remains to be seen if the coronavirus pandemic will have people focused on health care and its value to the community. Grover said hires made in the past two years include a critical care doctor and an infectious disease doctor. How providential is that? she said. Coronavirus has hindered efforts of Midlanders to congregate whether it is for work, play, school or politics. Schools campuses were closed for the final three months of the school year, businesses were forced to have take-out only and then open 25 and 50 percent at a time. For Grover, presentations have been limited, mostly to 20 or 30 at time. Her worry leading up to Election Day is the people she hasnt reached. And while telling her story isnt most effective on a flat screen, she will take anything she can get. She said if there is a church group, club or organization that wants to hear her story, they can send an email to info@sayyestohealthcare.com. Im better in person, Grover said, but that is not an option today. Indian and Japanese warships conducted exercises in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, announced the navies of both the countries. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force described the manoeuvres as designed to promote mutual understanding and consisted of four warships, two from each country. Naval exercises are now routine between India and Japan, but the timing of the present exercise will be bracketed with the military stand-off between India and China in Ladakh. We are using the exercises for strategic communications, said Vice-Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, director-general of the National Maritime Foundation. The navies were not there for combat purposes but for signalling, he added. Also Read: Chinas Xi Jinping is a successor to dictator Joseph Stalin, says US NSA OBrien We need to be proximate with our friends and the Chinese know there is a direct ladder of escalation between Japan and the United States, said the Vice-Admiral. The Indian navy training vessels INS Rana and INS Kulush were joined by the Japanese navys JS Kashima and JS Shimayuki. The Japanese embassy in New Delhi said this was the 15th such exercise in three years. The content of this exercise is tactical training and communications training, said embassy spokesperson Toshihide Ando, with no specific scenario. 27 JUN, JS KASHIMA (TV 3508) and JS SHIMAYUKI (TV 3513), the JMSDF Training Squadron, conducted an exercise with INS RANA and INS KULISH, Indian Navy at the Indian Ocean. JMSDF promoted mutual understanding with Indian Navy through this exercise. pic.twitter.com/obiXOSVULH Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (@jmsdf_pao_eng) June 28, 2020 The Japanese navy has become one of the principal partners of the Indian Navy. Indian naval ships take part in the exercise, both bilaterally with their Japanese counterparts and as part of the Malabar Exercises, which include the United States. Also Read: India waits for Chinas PLA to disengage at Ladakh, says wont allow a new normal Vice-Admiral Chauhan noted that Indian Army deployments were sector specific but India needed to apply pressure across military theatres. Exercises like these remind Beijing that Indian military can quickly deny air cover for Chinese naval assets in the Indian Ocean - and that such plans are ready. They are still far away from deploying a carrier in the Indian Ocean, he added. Also Read: With aggressive posturing along LAC, China turning bilateral relationship back to 1990s, says India Japan was one of the few countries who publicly supported India during the Doklam crisis. New Delhi and Beijing have preferred to let the Ladakh crisis be handled bilaterally, one reason it rejected US President Donald Trumps offer of mediation. Tokyo has only expressed condolences over the deaths of the Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley and pointedly said nothing about Chinese casualties. Also Read: India deploys air defence systems in eastern Ladakh The Japanese navy has itself been upgraded and expanded in recent years because of the territorial disputes it has with an increasingly aggressive China. Despite its Pacific constitution, Tokyo has inducted a helicopter destroyer that has the some tonnage as Indias aircraft carriers and is now building a helicopter carrier which has a full flight deck. Japan has one of the best non-nuclear submarines in the world and cutting edge anti-submarine warfare technology. Masashi Nishihara, head of the Japanese defence think tank, Research Institute for Peace and Security, says, We are leaders in submarine detection. Not only can we find them, we can identify any variety of submarine. LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said on Sunday the United States and Britain could agree a trade deal that did not cover all sectors straight away, instead leaving the more difficult issues for a later date. Asked by the BBC whether, in his opinion, a UK-U.S. trade deal would have to cover every single sector all at once, Carson told the Andrew Marr Show: "I don't see any reason that it does. There are areas where President (Donald) Trump and Prime Minister (Boris) Johnson have a lot of agreement and there are some areas where there needs to be further discussion. "I don't see why you can't work on the areas where you have agreement, get that done, with an eye to solving the other problems subsequently," he said, adding he was not in charge of the trade negotiations. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Alex Richardson) Canadian Stephen Barkey and American Cathy Kolsch say they're devastated after being forced apart when they tried to cross the Canada-U.S. border on Monday. "We don't know when we're going to be reunited," said Barkey, a 65-year-old retired sales rep. "It feels like my whole life has been ripped apart." The couple, who had been living together in the U.S., tried to cross the border from North Dakota into Saskatchewan after Canada loosened its travel restrictions to allow immediate family to enter the country. But Kolsch was denied entry to Canada because the couple wasn't able to prove she is Barkey's common-law partner. When they turned back to re-enter the U.S., Barkey was then denied entry because the U.S. land border is now closed to Canadian visitors. Consequently, the couple was forced to separate and return to their respective countries. "We were screaming and sobbing and pleading," said Kolsch, a 61-year-old retired paramedic. "It's inhumane what happened to us." Barkey and Kolsch are one of many cross-border couples separated during the pandemic. To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, Canada currently prohibits foreigners from entering the country for non-essential travel. The federal government loosened the rules on June 8 to allow foreigners to visit immediate family in Canada including spouses and common-law partners. However, many cross-border couples have been dismayed to discover that their relationship doesn't qualify. "We are together. We are common-law," Kolsch said. submitted by Cathy Kolsch To qualify as common-law, unmarried couples must prove that they've lived together for at least one year. Barkey and Kolsch said they have lived together for a year-and-a-half in their recreational vehicle (RV), mainly splitting their time between Barrie, Ont. and California. When the pandemic hit and the Canada-U.S. land border closed to non-essential traffic, Barkey stayed in the U.S. with Kolsch. But after the Canadian government revised its travel restrictions, the couple drove their RV to the Saskatchewan border, confident they would qualify as a common-law couple. Story continues Although they came armed with proof of their life together, including receipts for the campgrounds they've stayed at, the couple said they didn't pass the test. The border officer wanted to see a rental agreement or mortgage documents which the RV dwellers couldn't provide, Barkey said. "We're being discriminated against because we live in an RV." 'We felt like criminals' The couple's situation went from bad to worse when they tried to re-enter the U.S., and Barkey was denied entry. "We were both just holding each other and crying and shaking," he said." We felt like criminals." Forced to go their separate ways, Barkey drove the RV to a friend's farm in Grenfell, Sask., to self-isolate for 14 days. Kolsch was stuck at the North Dakota border, homeless and alone. She said she spent about $1,000 on a taxi, hotel and then a flight two days later to California to stay with friends. WATCH | 'Travel bubble' in Atlantic Canada important to reopening economy: "We just cry every time we talk to each other," said Kolsch, who speaks with Barkey by phone multiple times a day. "This is unjust." Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CBC News that foreigners must satisfy border officers that they meet the requirements to enter Canada. When asked what documents cross-border couples need to provide to prove their common-law status, CBSA couldn't provide a definitive list. Instead, the agency offered suggestions such as a common-law status certificate or documents showing a shared residential address. Many couples still separated No amount of documentation can help David Poon of Regina and his Irish partner, Alexandria Aquino of Dublin. The couple hasn't lived together long enough to qualify as a common-law couple. Frustrated by their situation, Poon and Aquino founded the organization Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border. Poon said hundreds of the group's 1,600 members are still separated from their loved ones, despite Canada loosening the rules for immediate family members. "As the world gets more scary and more difficult, the one thing they wish is to embrace their partner," said Poon, a 34-year-old physician. submitted by David Poon The organization has started a House of Commons petition asking the federal government to allow all committed cross-border couples to reunite in Canada. "I do not believe the government set out to exclude us," Poon said. "I believe we have just been lost in the technicalities." CBSA said the government understands the challenges cross-border families face during the pandemic but that the current travel restrictions are required to help stop the spread of COVID-19. "These are unprecedented times, and the measures imposed were done so in light of potential public health risks," CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said in an email. The Canada-U.S. land border remains closed to non-essential traffic until July 21 and that date may be extended. But Barkey and Kolsch haven't given up hope they can soon be reunited. Barkey could fly to the U.S., as the U.S. has only closed its shared land border with Canada. But he's too afraid to try, concerned he has been flagged after being denied entry. So Kolsch is gathering more documents of their life together, hoping she can convince CBSA that she meets the requirements to join her partner in Canada. "I should be there with him," Kolsch said. "I know we qualify as a couple." Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 05:21:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Oct. 25, 2019. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Former Vice President and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden Saturday criticized Trump's failure to punish Russia as "a betrayal of the most sacred duty." WASHINGTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he was never briefed on intelligence that Russians offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. troops. "Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an 'anonymous source' by the Fake News @nytimes," Trump tweeted Sunday morning. "Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attack on us," he added. Casualty records, however, showed that the year of 2019 was the deadliest year for U.S. service members in Afghanistan since 2014, with 22 American troops killed. Trump's tweets echoed the White House Saturday statement on this matter, in which Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said several senior officials had confirmed that neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence was briefed on the intelligence. McEnany also noted that the statement "does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter." A screenshot taken from U.S. President Donald Trump's Twitter account shows he tweeted on June 28, 2020 that "Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attack on us." (Xinhua) The New York Times reported Friday that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence that Russian intelligence units secretly offered bounties to Taliban-related militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan during U.S.-Taliban peace talks. The story also said the National Security Council discussed this issue at an interagency meeting in late March, while the White House thus far has not taken any actions to respond. Democrats and former officials cited the story as fresh evidence of Trump's disqualification as the president. Combo photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and former Vice President and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden delivering their respective speeches on different occasions. (Xinhua) Former Vice President and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden Saturday criticized Trump's failure to punish Russia as "a betrayal of the most sacred duty." Trump's former National Security Adviser John Bolton Sunday said in an interview with CNN that Trump's morning tweet indicated "his fundamental focus is not the security of our forces ... he's saying well nobody told me therefore you can't blame me." Others doubted the theory that Trump had not been briefed on this matter. "I have trouble believing it, but as someone who got the presidential daily briefing for more than 7 years the idea that a POTUS wouldn't be briefed on a Russian bounty on US troops is even more alarming," tweeted Ben Rhodes, who served as deputy national security advisor in Obama administration. Combo photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivering their respective speeches on different occasions. (Xinhua) In a Sunday interview with ABC, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also expressed concern that some officials may have avoided bringing the issues to the president. "We'll find out he has briefed and it was in his daily brief, but if it were not, what does that say about the concern that those who briefed the president have about not going anywhere near the Russia issue with this president?" she said. "Something is very wrong here, but this must have an answer," she added. U.S. soldiers stand guard at the site of suicide car bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 16, 2014. (Xinhua/Ahmad Massoud) The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, and the death toll of U.S. service members has surpassed 2,400 in this longest war in U.S. history. Trump has long complained about the endlessness of the war and sought a full withdrawal from the Central Asian country. In the agreement signed in late February between the United States and the Taliban, Washington said it would reduce its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 within 135 days. The agreement also called for the full withdrawal of the U.S. military by May 2021 if the Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with terrorist groups. Commander of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie said earlier this month that the U.S. military had reduced its troops level to 8,600 in Afghanistan, fulfilling its first phased pullout obligation under the U.S.-Taliban deal. With iOS 14, Apple has not only greatly improved the home screen experience on the iPhone but also made some meaningful improvements to CarPlay. If you heavily use CarPlay while driving, you are going to appreciate the new changes that iOS 14 will bring to it. Below are all the Carplay features and improvements in iOS 14. One of the reasons why CarPlay is so popular among iPhone users is that it easily and safely lets them access important functions of their device while driving their vehicle. Using CarPlay, they can easily respond to incoming text messages, change the music, get directions to where they want to go, and more. Despite CarPlay being very good though, it has its own set of limitations and with iOS 14, Apple is removing some of them while further improving it as well. While you are at it, make sure to also check out all the new iOS 14 features for iPhone as well. New iOS 14 CarPlay Features 1. Wallpaper Support This might seem like a small deal but CarPlay in iOS 14 will gain background wallpaper support. This means you will no longer have to look at the black wallpaper of CarPlay and can select from one of the five pre-loaded wallpapers in the first beta of iOS 14. The CarPlay wallpaper that you set will be different from the wallpaper of your iPhone as well. Disappointingly, you cannot set any image of your choice as CarPlay background. Apart from setting a solid dark or white background, Apple has bundled five wallpapers for CarPlay in iOS 14 that can change appearance based on the dark/light theme. 2. Support for New Categories of Apps Apple has always supported only a limited kind of apps for CarPlay. With iOS 14, it is adding support for new categories of apps in CarPlay to keep up with the times. This includes apps that can show EV charging stations, parking apps, food delivery apps, and more. 3. Siri Improvements Siri is getting smarter as a part of the iOS 14 update which means that the experience of using the digital assistant in CarPlay is also going to improve. You will be able to use Siri in CarPlay to send audio messages to your friends and family and also share ETAs with them. While it is already possible to send text messages using Siri in CarPlay, the addition of audio messages is new and might be useful for many especially since the digital assistant tends to struggle to understand non-American accents. 4. Horizontal Status Bar Users who have a car with a portrait display will now get an option in CarPlay in iOS 14 to move the status bar to the bottom of the screen for a better layout and wider app view. 5. Support for Chinese and Japanese Keyboards CarPlay in iOS 14 will support Chinese and Japanese keyboards thereby allowing users to easily search for their point of interest in navigation apps. 6. Improved Messaging and VoIP Apps Thanks to API improvements in iOS 14, all existing audio, messaging, and VoIP apps will also be able to offer a better CarPlay experience. All messaging and VoIP apps will be able to show a list of the previous conversations and contacts, while audio apps will be able to show album art within lists. 7. CarKey Ok, this is not really a CarPlay feature but it is definitely related to it. Apple is going to let you use your iPhone as the key for your vehicle. Using CarKey, you will be able to unlock your car using your iPhone, and then when you place the phone on the wireless charger inside the cabin, you will be able to start the vehicle by pressing the Ignition button. This feature will be available on iPhones with a U1 chip meaning the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 series of devices are going to be supported. While this feature will be present in iOS 14, Apple is also going to bring it to iOS 13 with a future software update. It goes without saying that you must have a car that will also support CarKey. What do you think about these improvements to CarPlay in iOS 14? Do you think there are other improvements that Apple needs to make to CarPlay? Drop a comment and let us know! ASEAN Leaders Assert Importance of Free Airspace over South China Sea 2020-06-26 -- Southeast Asian leaders on Friday called for maintaining free airspace over the South China Sea in response to reports that Beijing plans to establish an air defense zone as part of its territorial expansion efforts in the contested maritime region. As they participated in a virtual summit hosted by Vietnam, the heads of government from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations also discussed efforts to restore regional economies ravaged by ripple effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand released statements in addition to an ASEAN vision statement, which spelled out their willingness to work together on COVID-19 recovery efforts. With regard to the South China Sea, the vision statement said members had agreed to "further reaffirm the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and over-flight above the South China Sea." ASEAN members "further stress the importance of non-militarization and self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation," the joint statement said. In addition to pursing the "peaceful resolution of disputes" and recognizing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), members agreed to work to establish "an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea." In 2002, the Southeast Asian bloc and China agreed on a Declaration of Conduct, a statement of principles on how parties should behave in the South China Sea. But completing a more detailed and binding Code of Conduct has proved much harder. ADIZ concerns On Thursday, Philippines Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana spoke out against reports of China's plan to establish a so-called Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the skies above the disputed waterway, where Beijing would monitor all aircraft in its claimed territories. The maritime region is claimed in whole or in part by China, Taiwan and four ASEAN countries the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam. "[C]ountries will treat this ADIZ as illegal and violative of international laws. They would continue to use these waters and airspace, and thus would further raise an already heightening tension and could result in mishaps or miscalculations at sea and in the air," Lorenza told Philippine media. An ADIZ is a zone where all civilian aircraft must identify themselves and announce their location. In such a zone, civilian aircraft are tracked and identified before further entering into a country's airspace, although an ADIZ does not restrict travel in and out of its limits, nor does it usually apply to military aircraft. Meanwhile on Wednesday, the American Air Force commander in the Pacific said that a Chinese move to claim an ADIZ in the South China Sea could have a negative impact on the ability of nations to fly, sail and operate in a free and open Indo-Pacific "wherever international law allows." "It really goes against the rules-based international order, and that's concerning not only for PACAF [Pacific Air Forces] and the United States, but I would say many of the nations in the region," Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. told reporters. Pandemic effects At Friday's online summit, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the COVID-19 pandemic had added a new layer to the rivalry between the United States and China. "Even as our region struggles to contain COVID-19, alarming incidents in the South China Sea occurred," he said in his ASEAN address. "We call on parties to refrain from escalating tensions and abide by responsibilities under international law." Speaking at the end of the virtual meeting with his counterparts from across the region, the meeting's host, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, said ASEAN leaders had agreed to promote peace and stability in the South China Sea. "Disagreements are unavoidable but we also call on the parties to exercise self-restraint and avoid acts that further complicate the situation and to fully observe international law," he said. Phuc said both China and the United States were important partners to ASEAN and other countries in the world. "We do not want to pick one side over the other," he said. "And cooperation for mutual benefit, for a regional peace and for the future, we are willing to do that with all countries including China and the U.S." Post-pandemic era Addressing his regional counterparts, Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said cooperation among ASEAN countries could be a driving force for stability across Southeast Asia in the post-pandemic era. "ASEAN must act as a guardian to prevent our region from becoming an arena of power projection by major countries," Jokowi said. Phuc said the COVID-19 pandemic was "fanning the flames of dormant challenges" politically, economically and socially. The number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia, home to about 650 million people, has reached nearly 140,000, with nearly 4,000 deaths, the officials said. Globally, COVID-19 has infected more than 9.6 million and killed more than 490,000 as of Friday, according to disease experts at U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. "Social conflicts stemming from social disparities, discrimination and stigma have deteriorated due to the pandemic, further widening the divide within countries," Phuc said. "In such context, countries need to uphold the spirit of solidarity, cooperation and the sense of responsibility towards the international community. The role and mission of major countries, and of multilateral and regional organizations have become more prominent than ever," he said. In their statement, the ASEAN leaders said they were committed to implementing a comprehensive economic recovery plan to address the adverse impact of the pandemic on people's livelihood "with a view to improving stability and resilience of the regional economy, preserving supply chain connectivity, while staying vigilant of a second wave of infections." Muhyiddin Yassin, the prime minister of Malaysia, urged his fellow leaders to act swiftly to formulate a COVID-19 recovery plan. "Time is not on our side and regionally, we are fighting for our economic survival," he said. "If we don't protect our regional economy, wider disparity in growth among the ASEAN countries may harm our objective of greater economic integration," he said. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, Thailand's prime minister, proposed three paths for ASEAN to advance in the post-COVID-19 era, according to a statement released by his office. His first step called for implementing a master plan on connectivity among the 10 nations. He also called for investing in the digital economy and to establish efforts to create immunity from potential future pandemics. "ASEAN must also build its strength on biodiversity by using technology and innovation to produce environmentally friendly high-valued goods and services," Prayuth said. The Rohingya issue: 'Malaysia continues to bear the brunt' Malaysia's Muhyiddin also called on ASEAN to find a solution for the plight of Rohingya refugees who have fled from violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Malaysia, Thailand and other countries in the region have been criticized in recent months for turning away boatloads of Rohingya refugees. On Thursday, 94 Rohingya arrived in Indonesia's Aceh province after fishermen discovered their broken down wooden boat off the coast and brought them to shore. Neighboring Malaysia earlier this month towed in a disabled boat carrying 269 Rohingya. The country's defense chief had warned that it would not take in the refugees who were being held at an immigration camp on Langkawi Island, and the government planned to expel them. "Malaysia continues to bear the brunt of this prolonged crisis, which still appears to have no foreseeable end. We can no longer take more as our resources and capacity are already stretched, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic," Muhyiddin said in his address to ASEAN members. "Yet, Malaysia is unfairly expected to do more to accommodate incoming refugees." Boats with Rohingya aboard have sailed from Myanmar or southeastern Bangladesh, where more than 1 million refugees from Myanmar's Rakhine state are sheltering in camps. While Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation agreement in November 2017, attempts to send Rohingya back to their home country have failed. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. 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 With the debate, then, is missing. But the topic of Tonnies and the location in Gutersloh hardly a German miss in these days in Spain. Concerned, many Spaniards keep track of the recent Corona-onset, of all places in the country, this is for you the role model in the fight against the pandemic: If it is in the end even Germany fails to stop the Virus to put a stop, as it is supposed to create then Spain, with more than 28,000 dead? The fear of a second wave is great. Here, in Spain, unlike the neighboring country of Portugal and only small foci of infection. In Madrid, there has been on Saturday for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, within one day, not a single new case of death the capital with more than 8400 dead and nearly 72,000 of proven infections is the Corona, the hardest hit Region of the country. Hans-Christian Roler Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb, with its headquarters in Madrid. F. A. Z. However, the caution is great. This can be seen already in the case of a Sunday stroll in the Retiro Park. Most of the people voluntarily face masks. About every third person is even in spite of the summer temperatures of more than 30 degrees to the particularly dense and sweaty FFP2 masks. Actually, the mask is mandatory in Spain, only in buses, trains and at places, where the minimum distance cannot be adhered to. "The society would understand the restrictive measures much better," says the Catalan epidemiologist Antoni Trilla about the Virus. Unlike in Germany, where output restrictions as a "deprivation of liberty" were criticised, showed 88 per cent of the Spaniards in the most recent survey of state of the CIS-Institute for understanding for the much more drastic restrictions in force in your country for several months. distrust and caution dominate, even after the end of the alarm condition a week ago. "I'm doing this year, no holiday in my holiday apartment in Benidorm," said a Kiosk owner in the Retiro Park. The images of overcrowded British beaches have contributed to this. "I don't trust the British tourists," says the Spaniard who does not believe that the guests in the seaside resort in Alicante, responsible behavior. Only a quarter of all Spaniards want to go according to the CIS survey this summer on vacation. If so, then you want to preferably with your own car in the second apartment on the coast. Air travel deters the vast majority no matter whether on one of the Islands or abroad. On the beaches is an unusual amount of space the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands could therefore be plenty of space for the foreign tourists, the return only slowly. Hoteliers and restaurant owners are eagerly waiting for you, while not only the state emergency coordinator Fernando Simon warns of the "Import" of new infections: From anxiety, to during your holiday in quarantine, you could do without it, at the Corona-like symptoms, consult a doctor. In the capital region, the ruling conservative people's party (PP) continues to make a negative PCR Test for the condition for entry to Spain. At the Madrid Barajas airport, the PP thinks it is indispensable, because it is for a lot of people from Latin America, where the Virus still rages, the gateway to Europe. Updated Date: 28 June 2020, 15:19 The Prairie Doc: Do your part for the person across the table columns New York has posted its lowest coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths since the pandemic began, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday Florida is now reporting 3,419 coronavirus related deaths, which is an increase of 29 since Saturday Saturdays total, a single-day state record since the start of the pandemic in March, rivals that of New Yorks peak of daily cases recorded in early April A rise in documented cases was reported in a staggering 36 states, including Florida , which some experts are tipping to become the next epicentre Only two states, Connecticut and Rhode Island, reported a drop in infection rates on Sunday The total number of infections has now surpassed 2.5 million in the US, after the country reached an all-time one-day high of 45,000 new cases on Saturday A concerning surge in coronavirus cases across southern and western states did little to deter thousands from flocking to beaches in Florida this weekend, as hundreds also went tubing in Texas and Arizona despite reopenings being reversed. The total number of infections has now surpassed 2.5 million in the United States, after the country reached an all-time one-day high of 45,000 new cases on Saturday. Only two states, Connecticut and Rhode Island, reported a drop in infection rates on Sunday. A rise in documented cases was reported in a staggering 36 states, including Florida, which some experts are tipping to become the next epicentre of the virus, after it reported 9,585 new cases Saturday and 8,500 more Sunday. Saturdays total, a single-day state record since the start of the pandemic in March, rivals that of New Yorks peak of daily cases recorded in early April. Inhabitants seemed unconcerned by the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases as thousands flocked to beaches all over Florida Florida reported 9,585 new cases Saturday and 8,500 more Sunday - with experts tipping it to become the next epicenter of the virus The new cases bring the statewide total to 141,075. Florida is now reporting 3,419 coronavirus related deaths, which is an increase of 29 since Saturday. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has insisted there is nothing to worry about and nothing has changed in the last week, blaming the states troubling surge as the result of a test dump. And inhabitants of the sunshine state appear unfazed, with the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases doing little to deter thousands from flocking to beaches all over Florida. The new cases bring the statewide total to 141,075. Florida is now reporting 3,419 coronavirus related deaths, which is an increase of 29 since Saturday A group of people seen using a communal shower on Miami Beach on Saturday June 27 On Delawares Rehoboth Beach Saturday, hot weather and clear skies saw thousands of dwellers take to the shoreline as social distancing measures were forgone in search for a sense of normalcy. Similar scenes were also observed at Miamis South Beach, where crowds of maskless people gathered on the famed beach's golden sands as temperatures reached 90 degrees this weekend. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Friday that he will be closing all of the city's beaches for the upcoming July 4th weekend. 'After consulting with our County's public health experts, I will be signing an emergency order on Saturday to close all beaches in Miami-Dade County starting Friday, July 3, and ending Tuesday, July 7,' he said in a written statement. 'I have decided that the only prudent thing to do to tamp down this recent uptick is to crack down on recreational activities that put our overall community at higher risk,' Gimenez continued. The county may extend the closure if conditions do not improve, people refuse to wear masks or social distancing measures are not followed. 'I have been seeing too many businesses and people ignoring these lifesaving rules,' Gimenez said. 'If people are not going to be responsible and protect themselves and others from this pandemic, then the government is forced to step in and restore common sense to save lives.' While Cocoa Beach saw less visitors than typical for a late June weekend, Mayor Ben Malik voiced concerns about crowds flocking to the beach but said he believes that fresh air and sunshine is much needed as long as people take precautions. My personal opinion is the beach is such a wide spot that people can stay distanced, Malik said. Although state and local restrictions on beaches and businesses might stop some spread, people must ultimately be responsible for themselves, Malik added. At the end of the day it's impossible for the government to regulate common sense or we'll be accused of some 5G conspiracy nonsense. Officials from Fort Lauderdale confirmed they, like Miami, would be closing beaches across the holiday weekend. The city's closure will last from July 3 to July 5, a tweet from the city's official Twitter account confirmed. At Miamis South Beach, crowds of maskless people gathered on the famed beach's golden sand as temperatures reached 90 degrees this weekend Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Friday that he will be closing all of the city's beaches for the upcoming July 4th weekend. The county may extend the closure if conditions do not improve, people refuse to wear masks or social distancing measures are not followed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has insisted there is nothing to worry about and nothing has changed in the last week, blaming the states troubling surge as the result of a test dump Two teens scale a rocky walkway on Miami Beach on Saturday afternoon Miami Beach will be closed across the July 4 weekend as the city attempts to stem the virus' spread Lines of cars wait at a coronavirus testing site outside of Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Saturday Another COVID-19 hot-spot that has emerged in the south since businesses were permitted to reopen in recent weeks is Texas. The state set a record for coronavirus-related hospitalizations for the 16th day in a row on Saturday, with 5,523 patients being treated. Despite the ominous statistics, hundreds of tubers were seen floating in close proximity on the Comal River in New Braunfels. As coronavirus cases soar in Houston, the citys paramedics say theyre facing hour-long wait times when transferring patients from ambulances into the hospital. Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena told KHOU that transfer times had doubled or tripled in some cases as the department grapples with spiking calls for service and a shortage of first responders. The longer it takes us to service those critical calls, it is going to cost us lives, he told the news station. Our system is getting strained. Coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in Texas since the beginning of June, with Houston emerging as the states epicentre. Harris County, which encompasses the city, raised its COVID-19 threat indicator to the highest level last week, issuing an emergency alert which said the outbreak was severe and uncontrolled. Intensive care units at Houstons Texas Medical Center neared full capacity over the weekend, and health officials reported record hospitalizations statewide. Hospital executives said last week that they were prepared to deal with the influx of patients by scaling back nonessential procedures to free up beds. However, Marc Boon, president of Houston Methodist Hospital urged the public to take action, too, to prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed. The time is now for everybody to dramatically change their behaviors to get this virus under control, Boom said, so that our hospitals for the weeks to come are there and able to handle this. Despite the ominous statistics, hundreds of tubers were seen floating in close proximity on the Comal River in New Braunfels The state set a record for coronavirus-related hospitalizations for the 16th day in a row on Saturday, with 5,523 patients being treated Similarly, in Arizona, large crowds gathered to go tubing on Salt River despite surging cases Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order on Friday scaling back on reopening Texas after a significant surge in coronavirus cases. Starting at noon, bars and breweries were ordered to close, except for to-go services. From Monday, restaurants, which had been operating at 75 percent dine-in capacity, will also have to scale back their operations back to 50 percent, following Abbots order. I ask all Texans to do their part to slow the spread of Covid-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others, Abbot said announcing the measure. The more that we all follow these guidelines, the safer our state will be and the more we can open up Texas for business. Abbott voiced regret about prematurely reopening the state to KIVA, insisting: If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the re-opening of bars. People go to bars to get close and to drink and to socialise, and that's the kind of thing that stokes the spread of the coronavirus, he said. But the move is said to have angered the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance who said they will be filing a lawsuit against the state regarding the executive order. In a letter, the organization said: We support our members in the constitutional right to protest by keeping your businesses open. The letter called Abbots decision irresponsible and shameful, adding that members have voiced anger about being forced to shutter their business while salons and restaurants are allowed to remain open. TBNA said it is providing legal counsel to any business owners that are fined, charged or have their licenses suspended for remaining open. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order on Friday scaling back on reopening Texas after a significant surge in coronavirus cases. Starting at noon, bars and breweries were ordered to close, except for to-go services The move is said to have angered the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance who said they will be filing a lawsuit against the state regarding the executive order In a letter, the organization said: We support our members in the constitutional right to protest by keeping your businesses open' (pictured: Kevin Shipp, operating partner of Cedar Street Courtyard, closes his bar on West 4th Street in Austin, Texas) Abbott voiced regret about prematurely reopening the state to KIVA, insisting: If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the re-opening of bars' In Arizona, the states health department reported 3,858 new coronavirus cases and nine additional deaths Sunday, bringing the states documented totals to 73,908 COVID-19 cases and 1,588 deaths. It marks the most coronavirus cases reported in a single day in the state, breaking Saturdays mark of 3,591. It is also the seventh time in the last 10 days that daily cases surpassed 3,000. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey lifted the stay-at-home orders in May and claimed health officials had been following federal guidelines regarding the virus. Despite lifting state restrictions, Ducey is asking residents to stay at home to avoid any further spikes. The rate of the spread of this virus is unacceptable and it is time for us to step up our actions and our personal responsibilities regarding this virus, he said. The PCR Percent Positive rate continued to rise from 11.4 percent on Saturday to 11.7 percent on Sunday, continuing an upward surge since the start of the month. It was 11.1 percent on Friday compared to 6.7 percent on May 31. We expect that our numbers will be worse next week and the week following, Ducey said. At least 12 states in total have either halted or rolled back their reopening efforts in the hope of stemming the virus spread. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Saturday hes pausing his state's reopening plan due to rising cases. Some counties were preparing to enter the fourth phase of reopening, which would essentially mean no restrictions, the governor's office said in a statement. Phase 4 would mean a return to normal activity, and we can't do that now, the statement said. This is an evolving situation and we will continue to make decisions based on the data. In Arizona, the states health department reported 3,858 new coronavirus cases and nine additional death Sunday, bringing the states documented totals to 73,908 COVID-19 cases and 1,588 deaths Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey lifted the stay-at-home orders in May and claimed health officials had been following federal guidelines regarding the virus Despite lifting state restrictions, Ducey is asking residents to stay at home to avoid any further spikes As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise across the country, so too have confirmed cases among younger people. In Mississippi, officials have placed the blame on fraternity parties as being one of the driving forces of the surge. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also reported an increase in cases of younger groups of people testing positive for the virus. There is a sense that a lot of young people, well you're young so you feel a little bit more invincible but, respectfully, often that can be a selfish mindset, Newsom said. Gov. DeSantis said that while the median age for those affected by the virus in March was in the 60s, in the last two weeks that number has dropped to people in their early 30s. DeSantis urged younger people to be cautious and vigilant, adding that though they may not be at risk of serious complications, they could easily pass the virus onto someone who is. The state's community transmission, he said, is being driven by that 18 to 35-year-old group. You have a responsibility to be careful if you're in contact with somebody who is more vulnerable, he said. We've been stressing avoiding the three Cs which are: closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with many people nearby and close-contact settings, such as close-range conversations. Former Centers for Disease Control Director Tom Frieden warned Sunday that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases are not just a reflection of increased testing efforts, but a real spread of the virus of which Americans must be aware of to help combat the pandemic. The virus has the upper hand, Frieden said on Fox News Sunday. This virus is not going to go away on its own. We have to stop it. He said that though people are tired of staying at home, the virus is not tired of making us sick. Friedan blamed the rise in cases on state reopening too soon, particularly in southern and western states. If you open when cases are still increasing, as many states did, it's like leaning into a left hook, Frieden said. You're going to get hit hard. And that's what's happening. Frieden also warned that numbers will only get worse for weeks before they get better, because the new measures being implemented will take time to be effective. Former Centers for Disease Control Director Tom Frieden warned Sunday that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases are not just a reflection of increased testing efforts, but a real spread of the virus of which Americans must be aware of to help combat the pandemic California Gov. Gavin Newsom also reported an increase in cases of younger groups of people testing positive for the virus (Visitors crowd Huntington Beach on Saturday) Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar issued his own ominous warning Sunday, insisting the window is closing to stop the spread of coronavirus. We have to act, and people as individuals have to act responsibly. We need to social-distance. We need to wear our face-coverings if we're in settings where we can't social-distance, particularly in these hot zones, Azar told ABC. Azar however dismissed the idea that the surge in cases is tied to states reopening and lifting restrictions put in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. This isn't about reopening or not reopening. We've got many communities in states that are just as reopened as these southern states but aren't experiencing this, Azar said. We've got to get to the bottom of why we're seeing these cases surge in this area, but at its core, we all own as individuals, our individual behavior to make sure that we are practicing appropriate social distancing and wearing facial covering when we're not able to, and practicing good personal hygiene and especially protecting our most vulnerable citizens. Among the rise in hospitalizations in the south and west, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday that his state once the countys epicentre has posted its lowest death toll and hospitalization figures since the pandemic began. He said just five deaths were reported Sunday, the lowest single day death number since March 15. The death toll is now at 24,830. An additional 616 cases were confirmed, bringing the statewide total to 392,539.\ Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar issued his own ominous warning Sunday, insisting the window is closing to stop the spread of coronavirus New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the Big Apple is on track for Phase 3 of reopening to begin on July 6. Right now the data keeps saying that we're doing right, said Mayor de Blasio on Friday. But I think the important part is to constantly provide education, to constantly provide the free face coverings to keep people tight and disciplined, because we're not out of the woods. Restaurants will reopen for indoor dining in Phase 3 at 50 percent capacity. Personal care services like nail salons, massage, spas, tanning, tattoo and piercing, and waxing will also return. Some 50,000 workers are expected to return to work in the city in Phase 3, de Blasio said. Connecticut and Rhode Island were the only two states to report a decline in new coronavirus cases. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced 5 new COVID-19 deaths Sunday. An additional 9,077 tests were performed, and 97 came back positive. Hospitalization also decreased by three to 103. Lamont announced earlier this week that his state plan for a full-time, in-school education framework in the fall, as long as public health data continues to support the model. While Connecticut has determined reopening schools for in-person instruction can be achieved based upon the state's successful COVID-19 containment efforts, this model will be supported with more intensive mitigation strategies and specific monitoring, containment, and class cancellation plans. Rhode Island's first phase of reopening started on May 9, after Gov. Gina Raimondo said that cases and hospitalizations had held steady for two weeks, with a 25 percent drop in new cases in that time frame. Since then, average new cases have continued to decline, with hospitalizations dropping below 100 on Friday. Soldiers are mobilized to put small fire areas under control in a forest in Dien Chau District, Nghe An Province, June 28, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Phuong Linh. 500 people were deployed to create firebreaks Saturday night to prevent a Nghe An forest fire spanning hundreds of hectares from spreading. The fire, which broke out Friday night in the north-central province's Dien Chau District, raged throughout Saturday night, engulfing a large area of 30-year-old pine trees in Dien Loi Commune. Strong winds made it difficult to approach the fire. For safety reasons, authorities have instructed firefighting forces, including soldiers, police officers and locals, to retreat from big fire areas and focus on creating firebreaks to prevent the flames from reaching residential areas and new forest patches. Firebreaks are created by placing inflammable obstacles or clearing patches of land to prevent flames from spreading. "Nearly two km of firebreaks, each 15 m wide, have been created. 500 personnel have been stationed in multiple locations to make sure the flames do not breach the firebreaks. The situation is gradually being brought under control, and no family has had to be evacuated," said a representative of Dien Chau District. Nghe An battles massive forest fire with firebreaks Khong che thanh cong vu chay rung o Nghe An As of 8 a.m. Sunday, hundreds of personnel were still putting out small fires and being stationed in different locations to monitor the fire and prevent it from flaring up again. While the district is yet to calculate the damage inflicted by the fire, around 200 ha of pine and acacia forest patches have been incinerated throughout over the last two days. The blaze was sparked in a pine forest in Yen Thanh District's Son Thanh Commune. High temperatures of up to 40 degree Celsius, along with the foehn effect (the warming and drying of air on the lee side of a mountain range), caused it to grow quickly, creating high columns of smoke and rendering firefighting efforts futile. The flames then spread to Dien Chau District's Dien Phu Commune and Nghi Loc District's Nghi Van Commune. Central Vietnam has been experiencing several heat waves over the past month. The latest one began June 18, sending the mercury soaring up to 41 degrees Celsius. Imperial Valley News Center British Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Fraud Scheme That Victimized Hundreds of Thousands of U.S. Consumers Las Vegas, Nevada - Gareth David Long, 41, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison for running a scheme to steal millions of dollars from hundreds of thousands of consumers, the Department of Justice announced. Long was sentenced by Judge Andrew Gordon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada as a result of his November 5, 2019, guilty plea to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges in connection with the scheme that he operated. As part of his guilty plea, Long admitted that he created and deposited checks drawn on the checking accounts of more than 375,000 victims without authorization during a six-month period in 2013. Although Long had no authorization to charge the victims accounts, he represented to victims banks that the victims had authorized the debits. When victims called to complain about the charges, Long instructed employees working for him to tell the victims that they had authorized the charges in connection with an online payday loan application. Many of the victims were elderly. Long used the proceeds of this scheme to purchase a ranch and 23 acres of land in Texas, three airplanes, cars, a fire truck, and construction and farm equipment, as well as to pay other personal expenses. The defendant exploited his access to sensitive personal and financial information to steal millions of dollars from victims throughout the United States said Jody Hunt, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Departments Civil Division. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the public from such identity theft and fraud. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has been at the forefront of investigating fraud schemes for many years, said Delany E. De Leon-Colon, Inspector in Charge for the Criminal Investigations Group at the USPIS National Headquarters. We remain steadfast in our pursuit to safeguard the public from those who take advantage of their trusted access for personal gains. Anyone who engages in this type of fraud scheme should know Postal Inspectors will find them and they will be held accountable for their actions. From 2008 through 2013, Long operated a third-party payment processing company, V Internet Corp, which also did business as Altcharge and Check Process. As a payment processor, Long specialized in the creation and deposit of remotely-created checks (RCCs). An RCC is a check created not by the account holder but by the third-party payee. In place of a signature, Longs RCCs contained a typed statement claiming that the check was authorized by the account holder. Because of this payment processing activity, Long possessed the personal and financial information of hundreds of thousands of consumers whose accounts he debited in 2012 and before. In January 2013, Long stopped acting as a third-party payment processor for other merchants, and simply started using RCCs to charge the bank accounts of consumers whose personal identifying information he had acquired over the previous five years, as well as other consumers whose information Long purchased in the form of lead lists. Long did not have authorization to charge any of these victims accounts. During the wire fraud and identity theft scheme from January through July of 2013, Long created and deposited more than 750,000 RCCs totaling more than $22 million. While approximately half of the RCCs were immediately reversed by victims banks, Long nevertheless succeeded in stealing approximately $11 million over a six-month period. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service seized more than $2.9 million from Longs company bank accounts. Postal Inspectors also seized property that Long purchased with the proceeds of his fraudulent activity, including three airplanes and the other vehicles and property described above. As part of the sentencing hearing, the court issued a forfeiture money judgment of more than $11.2 million and Long forfeited the ranch and land he purchased in Texas. Trial Attorneys John W. Burke and Ehren Reynolds of the Civil Divisions Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case in coordination with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Nevada. USPIS investigated the case. Since President Trump signed the bipartisan Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (EAPPA) into law, the Department of Justice has participated in hundreds of enforcement actions in criminal and civil cases that targeted or disproportionately affected seniors. In particular, in March 2020, the department announced the largest elder fraud enforcement action in American history, charging more than 400 defendants in a nationwide elder fraud sweep. The department has likewise conducted hundreds of training's and outreach sessions across the country since the passage of the Act. More information about the departments efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. New Delhi: While the Indian military is prepared to counter Chinas attempt to change status quo at Pangong Tso, the Chinese army has, in the last few years, prevented Indian patrols to move freely between finger 4 and 8 on the banks of the lake. Accoring to sources, this point was raised by the Chinese during Corps Commander meeting on June 22, indicating their reluctance to back down from finger 4 in Pangong Tso. Whenever our troops used to reach the finger 4 area, the Chinese could observe them from their positions. Soon their troops used to come on vehicles from Sirijap post and used to waive flags at our soldiers asking them to go back, claiming that we were in their area, said sources. According to sources, during the Corps Commanders meeting, the Chinese army had pointed out that finger 4 to 8 area was under them and Indian patrols would not be allowed to move beyond finger 4. However, India objected to the attempts to alter the LAC through build-up of troops and construction of bunkers and posts at finger 4. Among all the incursions by the Chinese army, Pangong Tso is where PLA troops have done maximum build up and strengthened their position on ground. Last year, to checkmate the Chinese soldiers, an Indian patrol party is reported to have climbed the peaks from finger 4 and came down to finger 8, much to the surprise of the PLA as it had never anticipated such a move. Indian Army is considered as one of the best armies in the world for mountain warfare. However, this year the Chinese have established their posts even on the peaks at finger 4 area. China has a motorable road from its side till finger 4. On the other hand, Indian soldiers patrol on foot from finger 4 to finger 8. India has a motorable road till its base at finger 3. There is a narrow mountainous passage from finger 3 to reach finger 4. On the northern bank of Pangong Tso, mountain spurs extend out like a palm on the lake, with protrusions which appear like fingers. India controls finger 1 to 4 and claims its territory to be till finger 8. China on other hand claims its territory till finger 2. A fist fight between Indian and Chinese soldiers had taken place between finger 4 and 5 area on May 5 and since then the stand-off has continued. The Telangana government is planning to reimpose lockdown in Greater Hyderabad municipal corporation limits for at least 15 days in the wake of a sharp spike in the number of Covid-19 positive cases. A decision to this effect will be taken in a couple of days after discussing the proposal in the state cabinet meeting, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said, after a high-level meeting on Sunday. According to a statement from the chief ministers office (CMO), health minister Eatala Rajender pointed out that several medical and health department officials and medical experts were asking for another 15-day lockdown under the GHMC limits. Already, several shops, commercial establishments and markets had shut down their business operations voluntarily in view of the sharp rise in the Covid-19 cases in the city. With the highest single-day jump of 1,087 Covid-19 cases on Sunday, Telanganas tally crossed 13,000, overtaking Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, according to a news agency. Of the fresh cases, 888 were reported in Greater Hyderabad, the biggest hotspot, it added. Hyderabad is a metropolitan city with a population of nearly one crore. It is but natural that like other cities in the country, the spread of Corona is also high in the city. People started moving around after the lockdown was lifted. This led to the spread of the virus, the minister pointed out. Jobless Telangana teachers turn to manual labour In Tamil Nadus Chennai, lock down was re-imposed to contain the spread of the virus. Other cities in the country are also thinking on these lines. The medical and health department have also said that the re-imposition of lock down in Hyderabad will be good, Rajender said. However, the chief minister said re-imposition of lock down was a very major decision, which had to be discussed in the state cabinet. The government machinery and people should be prepared for this, especially the police department, he added. A decision on lock down should be taken by soliciting views from all the concerned. Let us examine the situation keenly for two to three days. If need be, a cabinet meeting will be convened in three to four days to discuss the proposals for the lockdown, alternatives and other related issues and a decision will be taken, KCR said. For Coronavirus Live Updates The chief minister, however, said that there was no need to get anxious or entertain fear about the increasing number of positive cases in the city as the government had made all the arrangements for proper treatment of the needy. The health minister said that compared to the national average, the death rate in Telangana was less and there was no need to fear. We have kept thousands of beds ready in both government and private hospitals and colleges. Patients who are in critical conditions are treated in the hospitals. Asymptomatic patients are given treatment in their homes, Rajender explained. Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 President Trump hugs an American flag as he arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 2, 2019. (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press) To the editor: President Trump doesn't care one whit about whether burning the American flag is ever made illegal. His only concern is whether his pompous pitches to outlaw that act will gain him political support. It's not as if Trump's staged displays of antipathy for flag burning will cost him any votes from rational, informed Americans. However odious they find this expressive act, these people accept that the 1st Amendment protects it. In truth, Trump's sole aim is to animate the gullible, low-information voters who dominate his electoral base. They eat up such red-meat rants and gag at the thought of the Constitution protecting flag destruction. There's a method to Trump's madness: Logically infirm campaign pitches can bolster ballot-booth success. David Schaffer, Santa Monica .. To the editor: Citing the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, of all people, columnist Robin Abcarian correctly explains why flag burning is constitutionally protected speech. But rather than burn the flag, I propose that those of us protesting against the creeping fascism that is overtaking us take the flag back. Racism and white supremacy cannot be allowed to wrap themselves in the flag. Racism and white supremacy are unpatriotic; racists and white supremacists are traitors. The flag should belong to those who support equality and the democratic purpose of this nation. Peter Kunstler, West Hills Citywide, Oakland Photo: Kevin Y./Yelp The Bay Area's shelter-in-place order has brought countless events usually held as in-person gatherings online. We're aiming to support local businesses in San Francisco and Oakland by highlighting five of these events each day. Got a suggestion for an online event based in SF or Oakland? Email our events reporter, Teresa Hammerl. Here's your SF and Oakland online event calendar for Monday, June 29. Start your week with a mindfulness meditation, tune in to a Monday-night jazz session or join a virtual book club. SF Nightlife Town Hall with Senator Scott Wiener Kick off the evening with a discussion organized by the California Music and Culture Association (CMAC), the SF Bar Owner Alliance and Manny's. State Sen. Scott Wiener will answer questions on what the State of California is doing and should be to help the bar industry survive and rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis. When: Monday, June 29, 5 p.m. How to join: Via Zoom Price: Free Modern Mindfulness with Dan Petrie Photo: SF Dharma Collective/Facebook If you are looking for an accessible meditation practice, hoping to understand how to bring mindfulness into each moment, this class is for you. Aimed at both beginners and seasoned practitioners, it will teach evidence-based modern meditation techniques, designed to provide support in everyday life. The guided meditation will be followed by a Q&A session. When: Monday, June 29, 6:30 p.m. How to join: Via Eventbrite Price: $10 $20 suggested donation Strut Book Club: "Redefining Realness" For the month of June, the queer book club Castro-based community center Strut will be discussing Janet Mock's bestseller "Redefining Realness." The book explores Mock's journey as a Black transgender activist, and how society can better support trans people. When: Monday, June 29, 7 p.m. How to join: Visit the Facebook event on the day of the meeting for a link and password information. Price: Free "After Pride" Virtual Community Mixer Story continues Image: Theatre Rhinoceros/Facebook In honor of Pride Theatre Rhinoceros, which focuses on LGBTQ+ issues, is hosting a virtual mixer to help build community during shelter-in-place. All participants will be randomly paired up with various individuals for a few three-minute breakout sessions, to connect and engage with one another. When: Monday, June 29, 7 p.m. How to join: Via Zoom Price: Free Monday Night Jazz Session Livestream Image: Monday Night Jazz Session/Facebook In need of a Monday-night musical break? Grammy-nominated musician Jamie Davis and jazz pianist Dr. Glenn Pearson, both alumni of the Count Basie Orchestra, will team up with bassist Jeff Chambers for a jazzy jam session. When: Monday, June 29, 7 p.m. How to join: Via Facebook Live Price: Suggested donation is $10. Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, is operating cargo flights from China to Saudi Arabia to bring in medical equipment and supplies into the kingdom in continuation with its ongoing efforts to support the Ministry of Healths initiatives to contain and combat Covid-19 pandemic. The special air cargo transportation comes as part of the joint efforts between Bahri, Saudi Aramco, Sabic and Nupco in combating the spread of the virus. Delivering on its commitment, Bahri provided its industry-leading logistics services to ship medical equipment and supplies purchased by Saudi Aramco and Sabic to the kingdoms airports. Bahris services included transporting goods from supplier warehouses and factories and storing them in China, and then completing customs clearance and chartering aircraft to deliver the cargo to the kingdom. Bahri operated seven cargo flights in May and June to transport into the kingdom 25.622 million surgical masks, 326,000 N95 masks, 398,335 face shields, and 92,851 protective goggles, as well as 12.835 million of latex medical examination gloves. On the ongoing air freight operations, CEO Abdullah Aldubaikhi said: "As a company dedicated to contributing to the development of Saudi Arabia and the prosperity of its society, Bahri is keen to reinforce and support national efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in the kingdom." "The operation of air cargo flights to transport medical supplies and equipment to the country represents our continuing support to the initiatives of the Ministry of Health. Offering our capabilities and logistical expertise to facilitate the transportation of medical supplies remain our highest priority at present," noted Aldubaikhi. "We are confident that, in cooperation with Saudi Aramco, Sabic and Nupco, we will achieve the common national goal of preserving public health, safety, and security in the kingdom," he added. In addition, Bahri shipped more than 7.54 million of latex medical examination gloves, 24,233 packs of dry wipes, 587 sets of powered air purifying respirators, 587 TM-H2 hoods, and 5.348 million of surgical masks to the kingdom. The company will operate additional cargo flights to meet the needs of the local healthcare sector. -TradeArabia News Service MUMBAI/New Delhi: On June 27, Maharashtra reported 6,368 new Covid-19 cases, a record single-day spike not only for the western state but for any Indian state as well. This was the fourth consecutive single-day spike record for Maharashtra, Indias worst-affected region that has seen 164,626 infections. From June 24 to June 28, excluding the record on June 27, Maharashtra recorded 3,890, 4,841, 5,024 and 5,493 new cases. In the past week, until June 27, the state recorded more than 4,400 new cases a day on an average, compared to 3,400 the week before that. The doubling rate of cases the number of days it takes for a given number of infections to double dropped from 24 days a week ago to 22 days as of Saturday. The positivity rate, too, showed no signs of slowing down. Two weeks ago, the state had an average positivity rate of 20.6%. Since then, it has slowly, but steadily been rising despite a big increase in daily tests on June 27, the positivity rate stood at 22%. This means that the more samples that the state tests, the more the positive cases it detects. In the two other states with high caseloads Tamil Nadu and Delhi the positivity rate has declined as testing has been ramped up,. In Delhi, the average positivity rate dropped from 30.7% two weeks ago to 18.7% on June 27. The corresponding number dropped from 12.2% to 9.9% in Tamil Nadu. The number of average daily tests increased from 14,000 to 20,000 in Maharashtra; 18,700 to 30,000 in Tamil Nadu; and 5,200 to 18,000 tests in Delhi in the past two weeks. Maharashtra tested 26,628 samples on Sunday, the highest since the first case was detected on March 9. Mumbais cases have plateaued, albeit with a caveat the number of tests have not risen significantly. Mumbais share in the states overall cases has fallen from 59.49% on May 28 to 45.89% on June 28. Simultaneously, districts like Pune, Dhule, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Nashik and Solapur, among others, recorded an almost 10-fold rise in cases, say state-appointed district health officers. Relaxation in the national and state lockdowns and migration of workers are the main reasons behind the surge, they say. In May, most cases were reported from Mumbai and Pune. We had eight orange and five green districts. Now, we dont have any green districts due to rising Covid-19 cases, said Dr Pradeep Awate, epidemiologist and state surveillance officer. Districts like Nanded, Osmanabad, Beed and Bhandara have shown a 100% rise in the number of Covid cases in a month. HT spoke to 10 district health officers (DHOs), and each of them said that cases surged primarily due to a relaxation in the national and state lockdowns and the human migration from metropolises to smaller cities and villages. Dr Aniruddha Athalye, (DHO), Satara, said, We have recorded 42 Covid-related deaths, but 40 of them were migrants from Mumbai who died within a few hours of admission in hospitals due to delay in treatment. According to him, Satara has 1004 Covid-afflicted people, but 80% of them are those who came from Mumbai, Pune and Uttar Pradesh. In Latur, of the 275 total Covid-19 cases, 95% are migrants. With the relaxation in the lockdown, several migrants returned home. Gradually, asymptomatic infected people started spreading the disease to their family members. We had zero cases in the first week of May, said Dr G Garaghe, DHO. Latur had 303 cases on June 28. In Dhule, people got infected while trying to provide food and water to the migrants on Mumbai-Agra highway. Though it was a noble cause, 45 people contracted the infection, said Dhule DHO Dr Shivendra Shagle. Those cases were just the beginning. Soon, it started spreading among others. Dhule has 962 cumulative cases on June 28, up from 129 a month ago. All DHOs HT spoke to said the general public did not follow physical distancing norms since lockdown relaxations on June 3. The national lockdown relaxation was implemented for economic reasons, but people are behaving irresponsibly. We are therefore unable to break the infection chain. We have asked the state to extend the lockdown, said Dr AR Gita, DHO of Aurangabad where cases have increased to 4,833 (June 28) from 1,370 (May 28). Activists blamed the states rigid testing policy. Dr Athalye said asymptomatic migrants didnt qualify for a swab test for diagnosis. Later, these carriers infected more people. If we had tested them earlier, we could have controlled the spread, he said. At Least 15 Taliban Members Killed, 6 Injured by NATO Forces in South Afghanistan Sputnik News 07:26 GMT 27.06.2020 KABUL (Sputnik) - Fifteen members of the Taliban group were killed and six others were wounded in an attack by the NATO-led international forces in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, the provincial governor's press office said in a statement on Saturday. "Taliban insurgents in the Siasang Valley of Kandahar's Arghandab district wanted to attack security forces at around 11:00 p.m. [18:00 GMT on Friday], the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) launched an airstrike on them and 15 killed and six others were injured", the press office said. In a separate incident in the Maroof district, six Taliban members were killed in clashes with security forces. Moreover, in the east of Afghanistan, two armed Taliban were killed and four others were injured in clashes that erupted after the militants attacked security posts. "Last night, Taliban insurgents attacked security and defence checkpoints in Qassaban, Dewi and Manozai areas of the Alishang district of Laghman province. Two Taliban insurgents were killed and four others were injured in the clash", Laghman police spokesman Shafiullah Afghanyar told Sputnik. No Afghan security forces were killed or wounded in the incident in Laghman. The Taliban have not commented on the attacks. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast At a Thursday night town hall event hosted by his most obsequious of interviewers, Fox News star Sean Hannity, Donald Trump struggled with the simplest of questions: What did he want to accomplish in a second term in office? The president had no answer. And the rambling response he did offer raised the specter that there actually is no second-term agenda in place. Thats not true. The president and his administration have been drawing up plans on what to prioritize, should he vanquish former Vice President Joe Biden. Half a dozen knowledgeable sourcesadministration officials, campaign aides, and people close to President Trumptell The Daily Beast that planning has long been underway for potential 2021 policy pursuits. But a prevailing interest driving Trumps desire for another four years is not ideological. Its reputational. Two of those sources said that one of the presidents real motivations for running is to simply avoid embarrassment. He doesnt want to be humiliated by the title of one-term president. The president has told me [on multiple occasions] that he is determined to not be a one-termer, and says that history forever remembers them as losers, said a former senior Trump administration official. A lot of it is about legacy for him and how he will be remembered. And if he loses, I dont think hell take a defeat [at the hands of] Biden, of all possible people, lightly. Another individual familiar with the presidents private remarks said they recalled Trump making similar comments as far back as late 2018. Trump, the source said, specifically referenced former President Jimmy Carter as an example of a modern political loser, and how you never want to be that guy, the source said, paraphrasing Trump. Trump Seems Resigned Biden Will Win: Hes Going to Be Your President All politicians, to a certain degree, are motivated by the desire to win office. But Trump stands out for the degree to which ego-stroking itself is the primary inducement for much of what he does. Story continues All of which is not to say that he and his advisers dont have other interests in mind as they pursue re-election. The president and administration brass have, in recent months, discussed plans to continue stacking the judiciary with conservative judges, expanding the conservative majority on the Supreme Court (should the likelihood of another vacancy, or other vacancies, occur), slashing taxes, and further reducing both legal and illegal immigration numbers. [The president] put together a plan on legal immigration reformthat I worked on [two years ago]. That would be a real accomplishment for Trump if he gets re-elected. I would actually have some degree of hope that that could get done. A lot of ideas in the reform bill that was put together, Democrats have embraced in the past, Stephen Moore, a conservative economist at the Heritage Foundation who has advised Trump for years, said in a brief interview on Friday. There would also be a huge push to make the Trump tax cuts permanent, Moore added, recounting that in private conversations with the president, Trump has been emphatic that slashing taxes again would be a top priority for a second term. Its an important part of his legacy. He is 100 percent committed to making them permanent, Moore said. Trump's New Virus Plan Is to Quit Even Trying, Pray for a Vaccine Before November Beyond the standard conservative fair, Trump and his team have also repeatedly talked about using the second term to finally catch their white whale, one theyve been so unsuccessful in achieving that its become a recurring punchline in the West Wing: a major infrastructure investment. Infrastructure Week never ends, a senior White House official joked. Advisers acknowledge that any Trump second-term agenda would be severely complicated by two major components: the lingering effects of the coronavirus, which has claimed more than 120,000 lives in the United States and torpedoed the American economy; and the likelihood of Democratic control of one, or perhaps two, chambers of Congress. Re-election, in short, would come with the demand to repair the damage from the pandemic and more protracted partisan squabbles and standoffs that yield scant major legislative victories. But to get to even that point, Trump must win first. And not every Republican working to re-elect the president believes that he has made a coherent or winning sales pitch to voters, or even believes hes defined himself properly as a candidate. As poll after poll has recently shown the president dramatically trailing Biden nationally and in critical swing states, Trump has leaned heavily on senior campaign aides and political lieutenants to help reassure him that all is well, even if its very much not. From May to Election Day in 2016, there [are] 173 national polls on the Real Clear Politics website, John McLaughlin, a top Trump pollster, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday, echoing arguments that hes made directly to the president. Only 13 had Trump winning. On Election Day 10 of the final 11 had him losing and they gave him only 164 electoral votes. Its deja vu all over again. Same polls. Same results. Same message. They just dont want the president to be re-elected. Still, others in the Trump orbit freely admit that the true obstacle right now to his re-election isnt the news media, or pollsters, or even the Democrats. Its Donald J. Trump. Ed Rollins, a longtime GOP strategist who leads the pro-Trump group Great America PAC, was harshly critical of the presidents campaign relaunch in Tulsa, Oklahoma, calling last weeks rally a clear-cut disaster. On Friday afternoon, Rollins said that for Trump to win, he now has to put out his plans on what hell do in a second term, and where hell take the country. Obviously, hes not there at this point in time. And he should get there, the strategist bluntly added. I dont want to talk about the past. I dont care what Biden did 40 years ago. I care what Biden can do as president, especially if he has a [Democratic] House and Senate The president likes to attack, he likes to fire off his Twitter gun, and he likes to beat up people. But at this point in time, the polls have given him where his targets are and where he has to go. Various Trump advisers have long said that if the president hones his message, and quits running off on bizarre and damaging tangents, hed have a good shot at victory. However, several of them privately concede that this presidents apparent inability to stop being consumed by wild personal grievances and petty feuding has continued to hobble his chances. Before the booming economy was artificially interrupted by an unprecedented pandemic, President Trumps pro-growth policies, tax cuts, and deregulation delivered record economic successand hell do it again, Trump campaign spokeswoman Samantha Zager said in a statement on Friday. During the Fox town hall-style event on Thursday, instead of just saying some version of that, the president was content to simply brag about his experience in office and also bash his former national security adviser, John Boltonwho says a Trump re-election would be catastrophic for the countryas a warmongering idiot. 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. Shocking video has emerged of a wild brawl in Sydney that resulted in four teens being stabbed and taken to hospital on Saturday evening. An angry mob of up to 20 men can be seen fighting and screaming in the video, uploaded to Instagram by @auz_drill2. Witnesses said the violence broke out after a group of boys caused trouble at a Mediterranean restaurant. The fight then spilled onto the street then along Auburn Rd, Auburn, which is one of southwest Sydney's most multicultural eating strips. At some stage in the brawl a knife was produced and at least four teenagers were injured. 'There was a massive fight,' said one witness who did not wish to be identified. 'After the incident happened there was a lot of police officers and they were with the people that got hurt,' he told Nine News. A witness told Nine News that some people got stabbed 'in the arm and leg and back' during the fight. Four teenage boys were taken to hospital with stab wounds from the brawl. It is not known which of up to 20 people involved pulled the knife 'And like some people got stabbed in the arm and leg and back.' Emergency services were called about 4.50pm and found three teenage boys with stab wounds, two aged 14 and one aged 15, NSW Police said in a release. A fourth teenager had cuts to his arms and was struggling to breathe. He is said to have collapsed on the pavement about 200m from where the brawl began. One of the teens is believed to have suffered serious injuries in the fight. Auburn Rd, Auburn, at the corner of Queen St, close to both the police station and the scene of the brawl. The street is one of Sydney's most multicultural eating strips Police tape around the crime scene set up on Saturday night after the brawl All four youths were taken to Westmead Childrens Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Drops of blood could be seen on the pavement following the brawl. Police gave first aid to the youths as they waited for paramedics to arrive, with police first to the scene due to close proximity of the station. Shocking scenes from the brawl captured on mobile phone video from Saturday evening The scenes on Auburn Rd were pure chaos on Saturday evening Police arrived at the scene faster than paramedics due to Auburn police station being just around the corner on Queen St. Pictured: police at the scene later that night Auburn police station is on Queen St, just around the corner from where the brawl erupted on Auburn Rd. Police shut Auburn road between Kerr Parade and Queen St on Saturday night and established a crime scene along the busy road. They searched under cars and eventually found the weapon used and are now searching for the person who pulled the knife. Police do not yet know what the brawl was about and Acting Superintendent Peter Glynn told Nine News there is no suggestion that the fight was gang-related. Police told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday night that nobody has been charged. 'Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident,' a police spokesperson said. Anyone with video footage or information about the incident is urged to contact police on Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000. Undergraduate medicos in Bihar are up in arms over the states decision to conduct examinations amid the spike in Covid-19 cases. The Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU), which looks after technical, medical, management and allied professional education in Bihar, has decided to conduct the second professional MBBS examination, 2019, from July 28 to August 31. In keeping with the university decision, uploaded on its portal on June 13, principals of medical colleges in Bihar have communicated dates for filling up of examination forms to the students. The AKU decision has not gone down well with medicos, especially when some other states like neighbouring Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh have already postponed the second professional MBBS examination till further orders. Barring MBBS and dental, the AKU has also postponed examinations and decided to promote all the students of B.Tech, B.Pharma, BBA, B.Com and BMC to the next semester, said Kritika Singh, a second year MBBS student of the Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH), stuck in Delhi at present. The students have now written to the Medical Council of India (MCI), requesting for cancellation of second professional MBBS exams and promoting them to the next semester, based on marks obtained in the previous year. They have marked the copies to the governor-cum-chancellor of universities in Bihar, chief minister, health minister and AKU vice-chancellor. The aggrieved students, who met Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey on Thursday argued that many of them are presently outside the state, some even residing in containment zones and travelling back for the exams amid Covid was risky. Medicos also spoke about sanitation issues at hostels, where they have a common mess and washroom. Adding to our worries is that one of our seniors tested Covid positive during the supplementary exam for 2015 batch that the AKU conducted recently, forcing other examinees to go in quarantine, said Kritika. Pandey was unavailable for comments on Saturday. However, AKU controller of examinations, Rajeev Ranjan, said, We are considering the complaints received from students. The AKU examination board is likely to take a decision next week. Earlier this month, when we took a decision to hold examinations, the Covid cases were not as high as they are today (Bihar reported 8,678 Covid-19 cases with 56 deaths till the filing of this report). We have referred the matter to our examination board, he added. Ranjan, however, clarified that the university could, at the most, defer the exams. Any decision to cancel exams and promote students to the next semester can only be taken by the MCI, he added. Nine medical colleges in Bihar, including eight government institutions, come under the AKU. A UGC committee had also recently recommended to the central government for cancelling examinations for final year students in universities and institutes of higher education across India and evaluating them based on the previous semester examinations and internal assessments. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ruchir Kumar Ruchir writes on health, aviation, power and myriad other issues. An ex-TOI, he has worked both on Desk and in reporting. He over 25 years of broadcast and print journalism experience in Assam, Jharkhand & Bihar. ...view detail What has happened in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin is worse than some of the most violent cases India has witnessed (since the Delhi gangrape case in 2012 for which 4 people involved were hanged, recently). What has happened in Tamilnadu's Tuticorin is worse than some of the most violent cases India has witnessed (since the Delhi gangrape case in 2012 for which 4 people involved were hanged, recently). A father and son P Jeyaraj, 58, and his son Fenix, 38 running a mobile accessory shop in Sathankulam town in Tuticorin district were arrested by some policemen allegedly for keeping the shop open past permitted hours. Tamil Nadu has imposed a strict lockdown to curb COVID-19. The duo were taken to the police station where, as has been alleged by the family members, they were brutally assaulted. A few days later they were pronounced dead in jail. In the Delhi gangrape case, too, the torture was brutal. There were evidences of objects being thrust into private parts. In this case, the police, whose duty is to uphold the law and protect its citizens, did this. Rakshaks turned bhakshaks. In Prakash Kadam & Etc. Etc versus Ramprasad Vishwanath Gupta & Anr on 13 May, 2011, the Supreme Court held that policemen found guilty of fake encounters should be given the death penalty, treating it as a 'rarest of rare' case. The court observed: "Policemen are persons who are supposed to uphold the law. In our opinion if crimes are committed by ordinary people, ordinary punishment should be given, but if the offence is committed by policemen much harsher punishment should be given to them because they do an act totally contrary to their duties." So, if the accused in the 2012 Delhi gangrape case were hanged, the accused cops in the Tuticorin case should face the same fate, if held guilty by the court. Instances of custodial deaths were mounting in our country, as noted by the Supreme Court in its landmark decision in DK Basu, Ashok K Johri versus State Of West Bengal, State Of UP on 18 December, 1996. Hence, section 176 Criminal Procedure Code was amended and a special procedure created for investigating custodial deaths. For ordinary crimes, investigation is done by the police. But for custodial deaths Section 176 provided that investigation will be presided over by a judicial magistrate. The purpose of making this special provision for custodial deaths was obvious: the police investigation, in this case, might not fair since it will be one of their colleagues. However, there is nothing in Section 176 which says that policemen accused of custodial death cannot be arrested before the enquiry by the magistrate is completed. In fact, in murder cases, the police usually arrest the accused immediately, and does not wait till the investigation is over. It is surprising that the accused policemen have only been suspended. They should have been arrested, as was done to the killers of George Floyd in America. The inquiry and trial should thereafter be completed expeditiously, and if the accused are found guilty harsh exemplary punishment must be given, so that policemen across India learn that they cannot continue behaving as the cops did during the British Raj. Lee Anne, left, and Tyler, 11, protest outside Grapevine, Texas, against brutality and racial bias in policing. Mike Sexton, Lee Anne's husband and Tyler's father, organized the rally. He's a Republican. (Mike Sexton) Mike Sexton is white and a Republican who lives in an affluent suburb of Fort Worth, where many neighbors back President Trump and some work in law enforcement. Rage wells up in his voice as he says that George Floyd, a Black man, was "basically lynched." Shawn Ashmore is an independent who lives nearby in east Dallas. He's using Floyd's killing to teach his young sons uncomfortable lessons about the privileges their family enjoys because they're white how, for instance, they'll never fear for their lives during an encounter with the police the way some Black men do. Lisa Joakimides lives in rural Northern California and considers herself a well-meaning Democrat. After the election of Barack Obama in 2008, Joakimides, who is white, convinced herself that America was finally making amends for its history of mistreating Black people. As Joakimides got down on both knees to honor Floyd at a roadside demonstration in early June, she wondered how she could have been so naive. Floyds killing in Minneapolis, captured in witness videos showing then-Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck, has led white Americans to call out racism against Black Americans more vigorously than at any moment in recent memory. And it's prompting many white people to think more deeply about the color of their own skin. Why now? Chicago-based sociology professor Jacqueline Battalora believes that after three wearying months of social isolation and economic upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Floyd's killing was yet another blow to the illusions of safety, security and equality that many white people harbor about America. "The police are fair; institutions are fair white people have been so happy to believe those things, said Battalora, a former police officer and author of "Birth of a White Nation: The Invention of White People and Its Relevance Today. "What this signals is that a good chunk of white people now have some recognition that something's not right. Story continues For Sexton, Ashmore and Joakimides, the killing of Floyd and outpourings of rage have forced them to see that expressions of sympathy and displays of solidarity with Black people are only the beginning. America won't change its racist ways, they say, unless white people use this period of protest and reflection to change, too. Lisa Joakimides takes a knee during a George Floyd protest along Highway 1 in Gualala, Calif. (Tyrone Beason / Los Angeles Times) What's different this time, Sexton said, is that white people have gained a better sense of where that outrage comes from, and how insulated they are from the racial injustices that provoke it. Sexton, 45, said he can't sit on the sidelines of the protest movement, or shy away from the national conversation about racism and police brutality, simply because he votes red instead of blue. Its not right versus left," he said. "Its right versus wrong." Sexton said he wasn't oblivious to racial discrimination. Every Black person he knows has shared stories of being followed and stopped for no reason by police. But the video of Floyd's killing, which captured him crying out "I can't breathe" and calling out for his dead mother, made Sexton realize the powerlessness and sheer panic that Black people often experience in the presence of officers. He said it's crazy that it took so long for him and other white people to fully grasp that horror of police brutality, "but for us, we wouldnt have understood were it not for the video." "Now," he said, "were listening." Sexton, a salesman, recently organized a rally for police accountability in a high school parking lot near where he lives in Grapevine, Texas. It drew about 200 demonstrators, most of them white. Members of the clergy and Grapevine Police Chief Mike Hamlin attended. One of the speakers was a Trump supporter. A Black teen told the crowd that she was afraid to bring children into the world because she feared she wouldnt be able to protect them from law enforcement or the country's racism. That broke my heart into a thousand pieces, Sexton said. After weeks of protest, opinions about police violence appear to be shifting, but there's still a large gap between white and Black people about whether it represents a national crisis. In an AP-NORC poll taken in mid-June, fewer than half of white respondents 39% believe that police violence against the public is either an extreme or very serious problem, compared with 80% of Black respondents. Those numbers did show a shrinking of the gulf between the way white and Black Americans view the issue. The same poll was taken in the early stages of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2015, and then only 19% of white people said police violence was an extreme or serious problem, compared with 73% of Black people. "It created this opening for white people," Battalora said of Floyd's killing. "But that's different from saying we 'get it.' That will be more of a process." It remains to be seen whether the spectacle in recent days of white people locking hands to protect Black demonstrators from riot police, or taking part in the toppling of monuments to Confederate soldiers and slaveholders, represents a turning point. "You have those historic moments where the nation can go one way or the other way," said Clayborne Carson, a civil rights scholar at Stanford University. "But you just have to wonder why did it take so long?" said Carson, the founding director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute and senior advisor on "Eyes on the Prize," the public television series on the civil rights movement. "It's not as if George Floyd was the first Black man to be killed by the police." Carson was a student activist in the 1960s in Watts, then a heavily Black community. He saw firsthand how unrest over police brutality resulted in a backlash from anxious white people, many of whom flocked to "law and order" politicians like Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon who promised to crack down on demonstrators. "You want to hope that it's going to go in a more positive, progressive direction, but there's also a strong element in American history of riding the wave of the resentment toward people pushing for change," Carson said. "That's always the political choice. Do you vote out of fear fueled by racism or do you vote out of hope that things will get better? But fear is powerful." :: As a father raising two young boys in Dallas, a city with its own history of racial tension and fatal police violence, Ashmore, 38, said he's focused on making sure his sons don't grow up with a fear or suspicion of Black people. Many Black parents give their children the talk to teach them how to stay safe when they encounter the police. Ashmore faces a different challenge with his sons, who are 6 and 8 years old explaining how wrong it is that their Black classmates do not live in a world as fair and safe as the one they live in. Shawn Ashmore, right, with his family, has tried to teach his sons lessons about race and white privilege following George Floyd's killing. (Shawn Ashmore) We have a lot of things that are given to us because of the color of our skin, Ashmore remembered telling his sons. Mom and I try to make sure we dont use our advantages to hurt other people." If we do, he told them, were wrong. Floyd's killing has filled Ashmore with sadness, anger and self-doubt. He keeps thinking about the detached look on the police officer's face as he knelt on Floyd's neck. The eyes, he said. It seemed so cold-blooded, lacking heart. Ashmore said he can't fathom ever treating a Black person that way. "Im a nice person; I cant be racist. Ashmore has said those words to himself in the past, and he knows other white people say them, too. But do I have parts that are buried somewhere in me that Ive kept protected? he's thought to himself. What are my blind spots as a white man? What am I tuning out? Ashmore has learned that he can be a good man and great father and aspire to make the world a better place, yet still benefit from a racist system that values his life more than that of the Black men, women and children captured in those wrenching scenes of mistreatment and death. This is serious surgery were going through, Ashmore said of the self-examination among whites. That inner conflict between thinking of yourself as a decent person and acknowledging the possibility that you might be contributing to racial injustice in some way has left Joakimides feeling disillusioned. "It's hard to see yourself as part of the problem when you've spent your entire life trying not to be," said Joakimides, a chef in the Northern California village of Point Arena, situated in an area of windswept Pacific beaches and redwood forests about a three-hour drive north from San Francisco. She was one of about two dozen sign-waving protesters, almost all of them white, who had gathered to demonstrate by the side of Highway 1 in the nearby town of Gualala. They'd all come to show their solidarity with those around the country who were demanding an end to police brutality despite living in a remote corner where Black faces are few. Wearing a mask to protect herself from COVID-19, Joakimides held back tears and stared solemnly at the ground. She held a cardboard sign meant for anyone whos still not convinced they can help overcome racism: Be an ally. Become the solution. All she could say about Floyd's killing was, Im horrified. I thought we were making progress towards equality," she said. She let out a long sigh. "But things keep happening. Even as a progressive who feels shes on the right side of history by supporting efforts to tackle climate change, sexual harassment and racist policing, Joakimides knows that she, too, has to be more honest with herself about what it means to be white in America. Its very easy to get used to the privilege of a safe life, said Joakimides, 57. Its time to acknowledge my privilege and to use it to fight oppression. Sexton, the salesman from Texas, said he's encouraged that so many white people in his community seem to feel as passionate about stopping police brutality as he does. But he's also seen derogatory messages on Facebook about his efforts, including a post from a detractor who wrote "White lives matter" in response. Still, he's adamant that white conservatives like himself must look past the mockery and racist comments within their own ranks and do their part. Like Ashmore, he understands that change starts not in the halls of government and in police departments, but at home. Sexton speaks with pride about his 11-year-old son, Tyler, who stood next to him at the rally holding a sign he made by himself to express his outrage over the length of time the officer kept his knee on Floyd's neck. It read: It should not take 8 minutes, 46 seconds to see that Black Lives Matter. SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- When I saw the June 22 Plain Dealer headline How is Black history taught in schools? I knew there was a story about this very matter I had to share. In 1992, when I was serving as president of the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP, I was part of an interracial and interfaith group of Clevelanders that shared in a two-week trip to Senegal and Israel. The group included leaders of the school systems from Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, University Heights, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. It also included leaders of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. The purpose of the trip was to expose leaders of those school systems to the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Holocaust. The hope was that this exposure would result in changes in the curriculum of those school districts on matters of racial hatred, human suffering, and the acts of oppression and extermination targeted toward groups of people based upon race or religion. Our trip began in Senegal in West Africa, and it centered around a visit to Goree Island off the coast of Dakar, Senegals capital city. Goree Island was one of the dozens of slave fortresses built along the coast of West Africa from Senegal in the north to Angola in the south. We stood inside the prison cells where men, women, and children were caged until there were enough of them to fill the hold of a slave ship. We then walked down a narrow passageway that led to the door of no return. Beyond that door, those captured human beings began the Middle Passage, the weekslong journey across the Atlantic Ocean to destinations that stretched from Brazil to Baltimore. You cannot teach Black history by beginning anywhere in the United States. The trauma began in places like Goree Island where people from ancient and sophisticated civilizations were reduced from human beings to be treated with respect to commodities to be bought and sold to the highest bidder. That evil and inhumane practice began in this county in 1619 at Jamestown, Virginia. Legalized slavery in the United States ended in 1865 with the passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However, the legacy, the psychological impact of laws that perpetuated second-class status for black Americans lasted until the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In short, the changes occurred during my lifetime. The Rev. Marvin McMickle is pastor emeritus of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland. However, even those steps were not enough to end the legacy of racism and the belief by some in this country of Black inferiority and white supremacy. If you want to teach Black history properly, you must begin at the root of the problem, which is slavery, sharecropping, segregation, and legally enforced second-class status for Black Americans that did not end until the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court that established separate but equal was overturned by the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. The other way to teach Black history is to recognize that there are other groups whose story of suffering and death should also be taught alongside the story of Black suffering. There is no need to act as if one story is more important or more deserving of attention than the other. That was what we concluded when our trip took us to Israel and to the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center. We walked into the intentional darkness of that museum dedicated, in large part, to the million-plus Jewish children who died in places ranging from Mauthausen in Austria to Dachau in Germany to Auschwitz in Poland. Human suffering happens quickest when people ignore the pain of others and tell only their own stories. When we learn about Andrew Jackson, we should also learn about The Trail of Tears and the suffering that Native Americans have endured since 1492. Black history cannot and perhaps should not be taught only during the month of February. Teach it all year long, alongside the stories of our brothers and sisters whose tears and prayers have cried out for an end to human cruelty. The Rev. Marvin A. McMickle is the pastor emeritus of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland and retired president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday announced the extension of the lockdown by another 15 days from July 1 to contain the spread of Covid-19. The ongoing lockdown is scheduled to end on June 30. Manipurs Covid-19 tally on Sunday stood at 1,185 including 730 active cases while 455 people have recovered. Considering the present situation, the lockdown will be extended for another 15 days, Biren Singh said at a press conference. But despite extending the lockdown, the government is also preparing to resume inter-district bus services. Steps are on to resume inter-district bus services with the strict enforcement of SoP (Standard operating Procedure) besides maintaining social distancing, he said. Other public transport systems will be allowed during the lockdown. The CM also said that a special train carrying 1,258 people stranded in Bengaluru will be arriving in the state soon. Till date 22,000 people have returned to Manipur by trains. Likewise five flights will be arriving here on a daily basis from tomorrow (Monday) onwards, he said. Preparatory measures for the new arrivals in the state are underway. The government is adding 750 beds for treatment of Covid-19 patients while the testing capacity has already been improved immensely, he said. Those who have tested positive for Covid-19 are presently being treated at three Covid care centres - Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, RIMS (100 beds) and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, JNIMS (150 beds) and UNACCO school Meitram (350 beds). With the installation of new machines, around 2,600 samples (against 100 in the recent past) can be tested for the Covid-19 in a day in the state and test results can be provided within 24 hours, he said. Three new testing centres were opened at Senapati,Tamenglong and Ukhrul district headquarters apart from the existing laboratories at RIMS and JNIMS. So far 50,000 samples have been tested in the state. As on June 28, the recovery rate of the Covid-19 cases has increased to 40%, he said. Singh said there is no community transmission of Covid-19 in the state. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:45:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAKAR, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action reported 127 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the country's total number of infections to 6,586. According to the ministy's director of prevention El Hadj Mamadou Ndiaye, a total of 1,179 tests were carried out during the past 24 hours, among which 127 came back positive. Among the 127 new cases, 104 are follow-up contact cases, 15 are community transmission cases and 2 are imported ones detected in Saint Louis, northern border city with Mauritania. This is the first time that imported cases are detected in Saint Louis after Senegal and Mauritania opened their borders on June 22. Ndiaye said that the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 105 with three addional deaths registered in the past 24 hours across Senegal, while the number of patients discharged from hospitals and treatment centers reached 4,291 after 36 patients tested negative. So far, Senegal has reported 6,586 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 105 deaths and 4,291 recoveries, since the outbreak of the pandemic in Senegal on March 2. Enditem Big Brother's Brian Dowling has taken to Instagram to hit back at Davina McCall amid an ongoing row about the reality show and its new Best Shows Ever series. The reality star, 42, wrote on his Instagram Story on Saturday: 'I can't believe I'm in this position AGAIN where I'm having to justify my feelings regarding BIG BROTHER.' He then posted a lengthy statement, directed toward Davina, 52, which read: 'I'm really sad that you have again posted something today which continues to fan the flames of this on social media and in the press. Speaking out: Big Brother's Brian Dowling has taken to Instagram to hit back at Davina McCall amid an ongoing row about the reality show and its new Best Shows Ever series 'On Thursday morning I posted a video on Instagram saying that I was hurt and upset that I wasn't referenced at all as a host of Big Brother in the chat between all the presenters, and how this plays into my general treatment by the production company since they fired me. 'This was not a personal attack on you, Rylan or Emma at all because as far as I'm aware you do not make or edit the show and I'm a huge fan of all of you as presenters.' Brian was initially upset by the new Channel 4 series, which looks back at the most iconic episodes of the show, because he wasn't noted as being a presenter. Controversy: The reality star, 42, wrote: 'I can't believe I'm in this position AGAIN where I'm having to justify my feelings regarding BIG BROTHER' Candid: He then posted a lengthy statement, directed toward Davina, to defend his recent actions He presented the show from 2011 to 2013 before being taken over by Emma Willis - something he claims he wasn't told about and only discovered after reading it in The Sun. During an interview with Emma, 44, Rylan Clarke-Neal asked what it was like to take over as presenter of Big Brother after working with the 'Big Mother' Davina, 52. Emma said: 'You poo your pants a bit, you think you can never follow the Queen so just try and do as good a job as possible.' Hurt: Brian was initially upset by the new Channel 4 series, which looks back at the most iconic episodes of the show, because he wasn't noted as being a presenter Davina defended her statement by tweeting to say: 'This is what he said. He was referring to when she worked with me on C4. 'Clear as day. He never said she took over from me as host.' Brian's statement continued: 'This was me saying that my feelings were hurt, as I felt that my hosting six series of the show was airbrushed out. 'I understand that the Channel 5 shows were not being shown on your new series, however Emma's role as host was specifically discussed and Rylan's Bit On the Side show was also referenced during the series. Drama: Davina defended Emma's statement by tweeting to say: 'This is what he said. He was referring to when she worked with me on C4' 'I felt sad that I was not even referenced as the host bearing in mind there has only ever been three of us. ONLY THREE OF US.' He continued: 'This wasn't about any references to me as a housemate at all, and I really do appreciate the lovely things that both you and Rylan said about me on Thursday night's show. 'Subsequently I wasn't going to say anything else about it. Then on Thursday night after the show aired you personally decided to tweet that I was asked to appear on the series but turned it down and tagged me in the post. Questions: Responding to a fan, Brian shared a cryptic tweet hinting he wasn't offered the chance to take part in Best Shows Ever 'Why did you feel that it was appropriate to post that? Even if you were being asked then surely you would be well aware that it would make me look bad and incite bad comments about me, when you had no idea why I might have declined to take part? 'Did I turn you down personally? No. 'Did you or anyone else ask me why I might have turned it down? No. Drama: The presenter took to Twitter on Thursday night to clarify Davina McCall's claims he'd been offered a chance to appear on lookback series Best Shows Ever 'I did not turn down filming a 10-second clip as an insult to you or Rylan. I said no because it once again highlighted how I am treated by the producers of this show and it triggered lots of mental health issues for me yet again. 'When I was fired I was hurt, upset and publicly humiliated. My mental health and confidence has suffered terribly for the last seven years because of that and other events that occurred whilst I was the host. 'My career came to a halt because I could not even consider working on television for a good number of yeras after that and my reputation damaged. Explanation: Davina took to Twitter to clarify that Brian was offered the chance to appear on Best Shows Ever 'I think that is a very good reason why I did not want to film a 10-second clip, and you have no idea of what really went on seven years ago and what I went through at the time.' He added: 'Once I saw your tweet and the amount of vitriol and abuse I was getting in response to it, I felt I had to post something explaining why I didn't want to film the clip. 'This is not something I wanted to do, but I felt I had no choice bearing in mind how much poison and criticism I was personally getting. 'I certainly don't think I didn't anything unreasonable in posting it - I had to make a comment in light of your very bold ''FYI'' post to your 2.7million followers. 'I haven't said anything since. However it's now Saturday and you are still posting about this today. I genuinely don't understand why, but I would really like to draw a line under this now please, as by continuing to post all you are doing is encouraging more negativity.' MailOnline has contacted reps for Davina McCall and Channel 4 for comment. Angry: But Brian then responded claiming he felt 'tainted' by how bosses treated him during his time as host, adding he learned through the newspapers he'd been axed It comes as Brian hit out at Big Brother bosses for holding 'secret talks' with Emma behind his back to replace him as the show's host, and has admitted he is 'still affected' by the way he was treated. On Thursday night, viewers were looking back at Brian's first appearance on Big Brother in 2001, which eventually saw him crowned series champion. Responding to a fan, Brian shared a cryptic tweet hinting he wasn't offered the chance to take part in Best Shows Ever, writing: 'You are not the only one. Actually at this stage it's getting rather funny. People trying to rewrite history.' Following Brian's comments about his experience working on the show, Davina took to social media to clarify that Brian was offered the chance to appear on Best Shows Ever. She tweeted: 'Just an FYI . We did ask @brianofficial to be part of the show. He was ultimate housemate!!!! That was a no brainer.' Washington: Pakistan is willing to create a bigger South Asian economic alliance to control Indias rising influence on the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), diplomatic observers say. This idea was presented by a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan during its five-day visit to Washington last week. A greater South Asia is already emerging, said Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, during one of his interactions with the media and also added that this greater South Asia includes China, Iran and the neighbouring Central Asian republics. Pakistan cited the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as very important economic route which links South Asia with Central Asia. He indicated that the Gwadar port would be the most accessible warm water port for China and the land-locked Central Asian states. We want India to join this arrangement as well, said Mr Hussain and also added that Indians are unlikely to accept the offer as they are comfortable with the present arrangement under Saarc. This development comes after India influenced other members of Saarc to isolate Pakistan when it announced that it would not attend the regional groups 19th Summit, scheduled in Islamabad on November 15 and 16. India withdrew from the summit on the grounds of Pakistans alleged involvement in the September 18 terrorist attack in Uri. However, Pakistan rejects the Indian allegation and maintains that India has not provided evidence to support the claim. Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan followed India by withdrawing from the summit. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The property industry in Ho Chi Minh City, and in fact the country in general, faces several problems that need urgent solutions, especially with regard to legal provisions. A housing project in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA) Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, general director of Dai Phuc Land, said it took her company 15 years to complete procedures for one of its projects. The long delays often meant by the time a project was underway the design became outdated, she said. But if the company made adjustments to meet market requirements, it would have to apply from the beginning again, she lamented. Tran Quoc Dung, Deputy General Director of Hung Thinh Group, said it took at least one year for a project to complete basic procedures and begin sales, but in most cases it was more like four or five years. The final step of issuing red books the title deeds -- to buyers also faced difficulties, he said. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the HCM City Real Estate Association, said there had been a remarkable decline in the supply of new housing projects in HCM City in recent years. It was down 20 percent in 2018 and 70 percent last year. In 2019 only one project managed to complete legal procedures and begin sales. Conflict and overlapping legal provisions were mainly to blame for the decline, Chau said. "The current licensing process involves four steps, which take a lot of time," he added. Nguyen Trong Ninh, director of the Ministry of Constructions housing and real estate market management department, admitted these regulations were not consistent because they were found in multiple laws. He said HCM City should therefore draft solutions for the difficulties faced by developers, and his ministry and others would give their opinions on them. Asked about the procedures for issuing land use right certificates, he said in general people must be granted the certificate immediately after the deal is completed. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is responsible for the issuance of red books and handles them based on each case, according to Ninh. The Law on Investment prescribes the procedures for adjusting a project and which ones are handled by the Department of Planning and Investment and which ones by others. The law also stipulates that the Department of Construction is the authorised agency to handle issues related to construction procedures and apartment planning and adjustment. He admitted that supply had decreased this year due to not just to the COVID-19 pandemic but also to the overlapping and inconsistent laws. The Government had this year provided many solutions to help revive the market and resolve the difficulties faced by the industry, he added./.VNS Spinks was working as a school librarian in Pontiac, Michigan, when she and a friend, also a librarian, contacted the U.S. Library of Congress and volunteered to visit Washington, D.C., to help organize the Slave Narratives.'- Detroit Free Press The Goa government has allotted land to the consortium of 49 Goan MSME units for setting up Goa Maritime Cluster with an aim to create world class facilities for ship building. In a function held earlier this week, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant handed over 14,380 square metres of land for the project to set up its Common Facility Centre. The project, which is first Maritime Cluster of India, has been supported by the Union shipping ministry, Directorate General of Shipping, and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Suraj Dialani, CMD of the project, said that it is a consortium of 49 Goan MSME units, with direct benefits extending to another 180 units. The cluster aims at creating world class facilities for ship designers, ship and boat builders, ship repairers and marine equipment manufacturers. Envisaging major employment generation and skill and technology enhancement, the cluster will extend its services not just to shipbuilders of Goa but also other manufacturers who may require its services, Dialani said. He also said that Goa has been building ships from time immemorial, strategic location on West coast of India, proximity to major shipping routes, major resources and positive minded Goans have made a natural progression in coastal shipping. Ships built in Goa are serving the entire coastline of India and are being exported to European and Asia- Pacific regions. Goa holds one of the largest and most competent force in terms of skill, manpower and experience in maritime field in the form of 150 strong enterprises spread over two generations, Dialani said. He said that the allotment of land for the common facility center is a major step towards commissioning of the cluster. Dialani said that with the continued support of the Ministry of MSME, Ministry of Shipping and the state government, other milestones will also be achieved very soon, thereby paving path for Konkan Maritime Cluster to shine as pride of Indian maritime, and role model for other MSMEs towards sustainable growth in shipbuilding and other manufacturing sectors. Also read: Delhi fighting difficult battle against COVID-19, will emerge victorious: Kejriwal All western mass media outlets are now shrieking about the story The New York Times first reported, citing zero evidence and naming zero sources, claiming intelligence says Russia paid out bounties to Taliban-linked fighters in Afghanistan for attacking the occupying forces of the US and its allies in Afghanistan. As of this writing, and probably forevermore, there have still been zero intelligence sources named and zero evidence provided for this claim. As we discussed yesterday, the only correct response to unsubstantiated claims by anonymous spooks in a post-Iraq invasion world is to assume that they are lying until youve been provided with a mountain of hard, independently verifiable evidence to the contrary. The fact that The New York Times instead chose to uncritically parrot these evidence-free claims made by operatives within intelligence agencies with a known track record of lying about exactly these things is nothing short of journalistic malpractice. The fact that western media outlets are now unanimously regurgitating these still 100 percent baseless assertions is nothing short of state propaganda. The consensus-manufacturing, Overton window-shrinking western propaganda apparatus has been in full swing with mass media outlets claiming on literally no basis whatsoever that they have confirmed one anothers great reporting on this completely unsubstantiated story. The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have confirmed our reporting, the NYT storys co-author Charlie Savage tweeted hours ago. We have confirmed the New York Times scoop: A Russian military spy unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to attack coalition forces in Afghanistan, tweeted The Washington Posts John Hudson. We matched The New York Times great reporting on how US intel has assessed that Russians paid Taliban to target US, coalition forces in Afg which is a pretty stunning development, tweeted Wall Street Journals Gordon Lubold. All three of these men are lying. John Hudsons claim that the Washington Post article he co-authored confirmed the New York Times scoop twice uses the words if confirmed with regard to his central claim, saying Russian involvement in operations targeting Americans, if confirmed, and The attempt to stoke violence against Americans, if confirmed. This is of course an acknowledgement that these things have not, in fact, been confirmed. The Wall Street Journal article co-authored by Gordon Lubold cites only anonymous people, who we have no reason to believe are different people than NYTs sources, repeating the same unsubstantiated assertions about an intelligence report. The article cites no evidence that Lubolds stunning development actually occurred beyond people familiar with the report said and a person familiar with it said. The fact that both Hudson and Lubold were lying about having confirmed the New York Times reporting means that Savage was also lying when he said they did. When they say the report has been confirmed, what they really mean is that it has been agreed upon. All the three of them actually did was use their profoundly influential outlets to uncritically parrot something nameless spooks want the public to believe, which is the same as just publishing a CIA press release free of charge. It is unprincipled stenography for opaque and unaccountable intelligence agencies, and it is disgusting. None of this should be happening. The New York Times has admitted itself that it was wrong for uncritically parroting the unsubstantiated spook claims which led to the Iraq invasion, as has The Washington Post. There is no reason to believe Taliban fighters would require any bounty to attack an illegitimate occupying force. The Russian government has denied these allegations. The Taliban has denied these allegations. The Trump administration has denied that the president or the vice president had any knowledge of the spook report in question, denouncing the central allegation that liberals who are promoting this story have been fixated on. Yet this story is being magically transmuted into an established fact, despite its being based on literally zero factual evidence. Outlets like CNN are running the story with the headline Russia offered bounties to Afghan militants to kill US troops, deceitfully presenting this as a verified fact. Such dishonest headlines are joined by UK outlets like The Guardian who informs headline-skimmers that Russia offered bounty to kill UK soldiers, and the Murdoch-owned Sky News which went with Russia paid Taliban fighters to attack British troops in Afghanistan after confirming the story with anonymous British spooks. Western propagandists are turning this completely empty story into the mainstream consensus, not with facts, not with evidence, and certainly not with journalism, but with sheer brute force of narrative control. And now youve got Joe Biden once again attacking Trump for being insufficiently warlike, this time because he failed to sanction or impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law. Youve also got former George W Bush lackey Richard Haas promoting a proportionate response to these baseless allegations. Russia is carrying out covert wars vs US troops in Afghanistan and our democracy here at home, Haas tweeted with a link to the New York Times story. A proportionate response would increase the costs to Russia of its military presence in Ukraine and Syria and, using sanctions and cyber, to challenge Putin at home. Haas is the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, a wildly influential think tank with its fingers in most major US news outlets. And indeed, the unified campaign to shove this story down peoples throats in stark defiance of everything one learns in journalism school does appear to be geared toward advancing pre-existing foreign policy agendas which have nothing to do with any concern for the safety of US troops. Analysts have pointed out that this new development arises just in time to sabotage the last of the nuclear treaties between the US and Russia, the scaling down of US military presence in Afghanistan, and, as Haas already openly admitted, any possibility of peace in Syria. This story is published just in time to sabotage US-Russia arms control talks, Antiwars Dave DeCamp noted on Twitter. As the US is preparing for a new arms race and possibly even live nuclear tests the New York Times provides a great excuse to let the New START lapse, making the world a much more dangerous place. Russiagate has provided the cover for Trump to pull out of arms control agreements. First the INF, then the Open Skies, and now possibly the New START. Any talks or negotiations with Russia are discouraged in this atmosphere, and this Times story will make things even worse. US intelligence agencies (ie, organized crime networks run by the state) want to sabotage the (admittedly very inadequate) peace talks in Afghanistan, tweeted journalist Ben Norton. So they get best of both worlds: blame the Russian bogeyman, fueling the new cold war, while prolonging the military occupation. Its not a coincidence these dubious Western intelligence agency claims about Russia came just days after a breakthrough in peace talks. Afghanistans geostrategic location (and trillions worth of minerals) is too important to them. All parties involved in spreading this malignant psyop are absolutely vile, but a special disdain should be reserved for the media class who have been entrusted by the public with the essential task of creating an informed populace and holding power to account. How much of an unprincipled whore do you have to be to call yourself a journalist and uncritically parrot the completely unsubstantiated assertions of spooks while protecting their anonymity? How much work did these empire fluffers put into killing off every last shred of their dignity? It boggles the mind. It really is funny how the most influential news outlets in the western world will uncritically parrot whatever theyre told to say by the most powerful and depraved intelligence agencies on the planet, and then turn around and tell you without a hint of self-awareness that Russia and China are bad because they have state media. Sometimes all you can do is laugh. _________________ Thanks for reading! The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for my website, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on Facebook, following my antics onTwitter, checking out my podcast on either Youtube, soundcloud, Apple podcasts or Spotify, following me on Steemit, throwing some money into my tip jar on Patreon or Paypal, purchasing some of my sweet merchandise, buying my books Rogue Nation: Psychonautical Adventures With Caitlin Johnstone and Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what Im trying to do with this platform, click here. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else Ive written) in any way they like free of charge. Bitcoin donations:1Ac7PCQXoQoLA9Sh8fhAgiU3PHA2EX5Zm2 After the knife attack in a Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, the police has identified the perpetrator. It was a 28-year-old man from Sudan, police said. The man had been injured in the attack on Friday six people had been shot and killed by police officers. The authorities were the object of a terrorist attack. The perpetrator, who lived in the accommodation for asylum seekers used in the Hotel, apparently had psychological problems. The British news broadcaster Sky News reported on Sunday, citing a friend of the Sudanese people. He had suffered under the terms of the accommodation, the well-Known. The family of the killed attacker was shocked by the events and wish the injured a speedy recovery. The police in Scotland announced to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident continue. As in the UK, is common, should also be the use of firearms by the police, an independent review. Speculation be until the conclusion of the investigation is not appropriate, - stated in the message. Before the knife attack, it should already be warnings to the offender have given. The British news channel Sky News and the "the Guardian reported, among other things," on Saturday, citing unnamed sources. Therefore, I contacted a social worker for evidence of other residents of the hotel on Thursday to the staff there. The BBC also reported that the perpetrator had announced the attack. Updated Date: 28 June 2020, 12:19 A Ryanair plane. (Nick Potts/PA Wire/PA Images) Ryanair (RYA.L) said it would shut down two bases and cut 120 pilot jobs in Ireland, its home market, unless the pilots bypass their union and accept a 20% pay cut, according to a memo seen by Reuters. The airline, which resumes flights on 1 July, is demanding pay cuts of up to 20% for flight crew and 10% for attendants across Europe, to compete with rivals that have received state bailouts. However, it faces resistance from trade unions. READ MORE: Virgin Atlantic to restart flights to 17 additional destinations In the memo, director of operations Neal McMahon told pilots the union council representing Irish pilots had walked away from talks. But Forsa, the second-largest trade union in Ireland, has denied this. McMahon also said a union request for an extension of a 30-day consultation on job cuts was a "stalling tactic." The memo sent on the company's internal messaging system asked pilots to click a button to accept a pay cut of up to a fifth of their salary, which would be gradually reversed over four years. It also asked them to agree to split up available work via job shares and unpaid leave, as well as several "productivity improvements." A Ryanair spokeswoman told Yahoo Finance UK the company has "nothing further to add to [the memo]. READ MORE: Coronavirus Holiday bookings surge as travel rules are relaxed The number of job losses, and whether bases at Cork and Shannon airports remained open, would depend on how many accepted. Forsa, which called the proposal unacceptable as it would leave pilots on zero-hour contracts and provide no guarantee job losses would be avoided, said it has requested third-party mediation but not yet received a response from Ryanair. French flight crew have accused Ryanair of redundancy blackmail by similarly informing them they risked losing their jobs if they didnt accept pay cuts. Earlier this month, Europes biggest budget carrier warned it may have to cut up to 3,000 jobs 15% of its workforce as it faces a slow recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Story continues Despite making profit of 1bn (894m, $1.1bn) in the year to 31 March, the financial year ahead will likely be difficult and uncertain, as it may take up to two years for passenger levels to return to 2019 levels, it said. Meanwhile, airline Jet2 is proposing to cut 102 pilot jobs, the British Airline Pilots Association union said last week. The Leeds-based carrier is not due to recommence flying until 15 July by which time it will have grounded its entire fleet for more than three months. The travel industry has been hit hard by the pandemic but things are starting to look up as lockdown rules ease. In the UK, holiday companies have seen bookings surge as COVID-19 travel restrictions are set to be relaxed next week. India has also filled the surveillance gaps to ensure that no enemy aircraft would be able to go undetected. New Delhi: Indian defence forces have deployed their advanced quick-reaction surface-to-air missile defence systems in the Eastern Ladakh sector after PLA air force increased its air activity near LAC in Ladakh and Chinese aircraft were seen last week landing in a Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) airbase. The air defence systems of both Indian Army and the Indian Air Force have been deployed in Ladakh to take on any aerial threat. India has also filled the surveillance gaps to ensure that no enemy aircraft would be able to go undetected. Indian quick reaction air defence missile includes the Akash missile which can take down fast-moving combat aircraft and drones in few seconds. It has been modified to make it suitable for deployment in the high mountainous terrain. A Chinese refueller aircraft is reported to have been seen in Skardu airbase in PoK last week, which is 100 kilometers from Leh air base. In case of a confrontation, Pakistan could provide its air bases to the China to use against India. The Chinese air force is reported to have deployed advance fighters at Hotan airbase in Xinjiang. It has also brought in aircraft like the Sukhoi-30 and its strategic bombers to the rear locations, which have been detected flying near the Indian territory. There has also been an increase in helicopter activity near the LAC. The Indian Air Force has also deployed Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar fighter aircrafts to advanced positions. It is also carrying out sorties in Leh. Last week, IAF chief RKS Bhadauria had visited Leh and Srinagar air bases, which will be important for any action in Eastern Ladakh. He checked the operational readiness and reviewed the preparation of all platforms deployed in these bases. Nihilism is now a pervasive feature of Western society. Friedrich Nietzsche gave us the formulation of nihilism that is now commonly accepted: a sentiment that nothing really matters, and that there is no point in life. In the most extreme manifestations, life itself is considered worthless. Passive nihilism consists of simply withdrawing from life-affirming activities (this was Nietzsches verdict on Schopenhauers pessimistic philosophy). It is demonstrated in the hopelessness and despair of those seemingly condemned to a life constrained by adverse circumstances or their own lack of imagination or resourcefulness. Some go further than resignation -- for example, the slow suicide of opioid addicts attests to the life-denying motivations of passive nihilism. Active nihilism Nietzsches own contribution to the philosophy of nihilism consists of seeking the destruction of what is viewed as being worthless. Contested values -- and their expression -- are marked for abolition and destruction. The idea of value itself may be replaced by the goal of getting ones own way, which does not qualify as a value in itself because it could involve the destruction of the world and everything in it -- the ultimate expression of active nihilism. The political activism of the radical progressive liberal-Left is actively nihilistic in that they are intent on destroying all that stands in the way of imposing their worldview on others. They do not seem concerned that their dismantling of Western culture and civilization will result in the collapse of the West. All that matters is getting what they want: political power. Nietzsche viewed a culture of nihilism as being a necessary stage in the renewal of Western civilization. But he knew there had to be a solution to nihilism before this could happen. His first attempt was in the form of a theory of aesthetics. Art and artists would provide the means by which a culture of noble souls would be fostered by helping us learn about what lies beneath the surface of ourselves, good and bad, so as to inspire us to do something constructive with both. A noble soul is a person who has courage but seeks no recognition, who strives for excellence, who has a self-sufficiency of being, a sense of dignity, and a serene self-assurance that impresses itself on others. But Nietzsche also observed that artists were easily seduced by the attractions of catering to the superficial conceits of the idle and the rich. For the idle, such artists create popular art with all its temptations to perpetual mediocrity; for the rich, they create pretentious pseudo-intellectual nonsense that panders to vanity. Both are exercises in self-deceit. While never giving up on the idea that great artists and the art they create contributes to a culture of excellence of being, Nietzsche recognized that something more was needed. Hence his concept of the Ubermensch. The German word is ambiguous between Overman, Superman, and Beyond-man; all fail to capture the subtlety of Nietzsches ideas. A better characterization would be super-ethical-self, or perfect moral being. The terminology is clumsy but is far closer to the explanation he gives. The Ubermensch is often presented as an ideal of supreme elitism based on oppressive political power, and its beyond good and evil aspect as an exercise in amorality. But careful reading of the relevant texts supports an alternative interpretation. The Ubermensch can be understood as a conceptual exercise in methodological individualism -- the idea that values and ideas originate with the individual and then impact on others in society to form a culture. And the evaluative context -- of personal choice, and even creation, of values -- does not do away with the concept of value, as some have claimed, it just abolishes the idea that value is something that can be imposed by others. The ideal of a perfect moral being is something we can each strive to achieve knowing well never attain perfection (Nietzsche thus betrays his Christian roots), whilst the idea of value as something that one must choose for ones self places moral responsibility solely with the individual. Nietzsche is a moralist after all, but one who does not impose any values. Nietzsche unknowingly anticipated the (rejected) defense used by a defendant at the Nuremberg war trials. I was only following orders is not an excuse in Nietzsches moral universe. But there is a startling corollary to this, because if we are each, individually, personally responsible for selecting and even creating our own ethical values, then moral virtue does not even attach to following instructions that lead to good conduct. To possess moral virtue is to act solely from ones own freely chosen values, not the imposed values of others. The mere appearance of virtue (conformity) is not enough. Nietzsche has thus offered a new formulation of moral character. This is highly relevant to our situation today, because instruction about, and the development of, moral character has been slowly removed from the public education system and even from the realm of public discourse. The demands of moral character -- taking personal responsibility for the conduct of ones life, living according to ones own values, striving for excellence, setting a good example to others, and independence of thought and opinion in defense of ones own value-system -- all these have almost disappeared from public view as the collectivist ideology of radical progressivism has come to dominate in the West. An individual lacking in moral character has no defense against either passive or active nihilism. Such an individual will easily succumb to hopelessness and despair. And the availability of an outlet for the more destructive motivations is provided by radical progressivism, which demands only ideological conformity and suppresses independence of thought and opinion. Nietzsche never considered that a solution to nihilism might lie in the renewal of teaching on moral character, in Christian values and the moral training that goes with them, and in the sense of a moral culture and community that arises from this. Nietzsches views on Christianity acknowledged its role as a bulwark against nihilism, but he believed it had failed due to the rationalistic impact of the Enlightenment, and in any case enslaved its followers with its slave morality. He also argued that the Christian moral conscience had become an intellectual conscience under the secularizing influence of the Enlightenment, thus bringing about the death of God. Nietzsche was looking for a way forward without Christianity. But now the Enlightenment too has failed (which Nietzsche also predicted) and been replaced by the pathological irrationality of radical progressivism and its anti-Western post-modernist philosophy. With no sign of a Nietzschean perfect moral being, or anything close to it, the time is ripe for a renewal of Christian moral teachings. Western culture and civilization are rooted in Christianity. Remove Christianity and the foundations crumble to dust. Which is exactly what we are seeing today as nihilism pervades our culture and society. Teaching moral character as part of a Christian education and moral training benefits all who receive it, even those who, like myself, later lose their faith. It can also benefit those of other faiths, and those who never had one to begin with, which is perhaps why so many non-Christian families seek to send their children to Christian schools. The positive lessons remain with one for life. Image credit: public domain Wen Wryte is the pseudonym of a retired teacher of philosophy who likes a quiet life. There is a status orange rainfall warning in place for three counties. Met Eireann has put the warning in place for Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo. The warning came into effect at 11am and is in place until 12pm on Monday. Further heavy persistent rainfall (an additional 50 to 60mm possible) may lead to river flooding and localised spot flooding, warned the forecaster. A status yellow rainfall warning is also in place for Mayo until 12pm tomorrow. Met Eireann said: Further heavy persistent rainfall (an additional 30 to 50mm possible) will lead to spot flooding. The UK Met Office has also issued a status yellow rain warning for Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry. They said: Further rain, heavy and persistent in places, may lead to some disruption. Met Eireann has also issued a status yellow wind warning for five counties. The warning, for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo, came into effect at 10am and will be in place until 10pm. Met Eireann warned: Westerly winds with mean speeds of 50 to 60km/h will gust up to 100km/h. Earlier: Status yellow rainfall warning in place for seven counties There are two rainfall warnings in place on the island of Ireland today. A status yellow warning for Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo was issued by Met Eireann on Friday. That warning came into effect at 9am on Saturday and remains in place until 9am tomorrow. Met Eireann said: There will be heavy rain and blustery conditions at times, from Saturday morning through to early Monday, leading to accumulations of 40 to 60mm with spot flooding. Higher totals are expected in mountainous areas with the risk of flash flooding. The UK Met Office has also issued a rain warning for Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry. The warning came into effect at 6am this morning and is in place until 3pm on Monday. They said: Rain is likely to become heavy and persistent in places, and may lead to some disruption. There is also a status yellow wind warning in place for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo. the warning is in place until 10pm this evening with Met Eireann warning: "Westerly winds with mean speeds of 50 to 60km/h will gust up to 100km/h." Met Eireann said that while there will be showers in the northern half of the country today, elsewhere will be predominantly dry with some bright spells and just a few passing blustery heavy showers. They said that tonight will be mostly cloudy with rain or showers becoming patchier, a few heavier bursts are still possible in the northwest, while it will remain mostly dry in Munster. Monday will see some bright spells in Munster, however it will be mostly cloudy elsewhere with patchy rain and drizzle at times especially in Ulster. The rest of the week looks likely to remain somewhat unsettled with the best of any sunny spells on Wednesday and Thursday. IN 2018, the insurance company, CLICO submitted a $11 billion claim to its parent company, CL Financial (CLF) which is in liquidation. The liquidation is being managed by Grant Thornton. To date, CLF has only repaid $335,317,275 of the claim. Pantera leo's family tree takes shape As the "king of beasts," majestic lions have been used as a symbol of courage, nobility and strength by rulers for over 6000 years. A lion became the symbol of a Norwegian king at least as early as 1280. It still stands proudly on Norway's Coat of Arms. Wild lions have likely never made their way to Norway, but European cave lions were once found as far north as Denmark. Lions were once far more widespread than they are now, with several subspecies of lions dividing the world between them. They were found in much of Europe and Asia including the Middle East, in Africa, North America and maybe South America. Today, the lion is considered a vulnerable species, and is found only in relatively isolated pockets of Africa and - just barely still - in India. Filling in the lions' family tree Experts disagree on how many subspecies exist now and have previously existed, and presumably there is significant overlap among several of them. We need to know this information to save the lions. "We wanted to find out more about the relationships between the different groups, or populations, of lions," says Michael D. Martin at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) University Museum's Department of Natural History. An international research group has helped expand our understanding of the lion species' family tree. The results were recently presented in PNAS, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Associate Professor Martin is among the contributors. The last author is Professor Tom Gilbert from the same department. He is also head of the Centre for Evolutionary Hologenomics at the University of Copenhagen. Tackling the whole DNA Previously, the cave lion Panthera leo spelaea was found across much of Eurasia and as far as Alaska and Canada. But cave lions died out 13 000 years ago, perhaps partly due to humans, although palaeontologists suspect that climate change played a major role. The American lion P. leo atrox suffered the same fate. The researchers wanted to find answers to several questions. How closely related were cave lions to today's lions? When did cave lions and today's lions diverge? Are some of today's lion populations more closely related to cave lions than others? How much genetic diversity do lions have today compared to in the past? Several groups have previously investigated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) when they were studying the relationships between different populations of lions. (See fact box.) "But mtDNA is only a small part of the overall genetic material. Our group looked at all the DNA to get a more complete picture," says Gilbert. Little interbreeding by cave lions The research team examined two cave lions, from Siberia and Canada's Yukon. They also looked at 12 lions from populations that died out in historical times in Africa and the Middle East. In addition, they examined six lions from populations that are still extant in Africa and India. The geographical spread of these lions corresponds very roughly to the area lions once inhabited, and where they still exist today. "The cave lions don't appear to have mixed much with the other subspecies. We find no evidence of hybridization between the cave lions and the other groups of lions," says Gilbert. The studies also indicate that cave lions and other lions most likely diverged about 500 000 years ago. This is in line with some previous findings, while others believe that they probably parted ways much earlier. Two main branches Not only the cave lions are distinct from other lions. Modern lions also show two main branches that may have diverged some 70 000 years ago. "A northern branch includes Asian, North African and West African lions. A southern African branch includes southern, eastern and South African lions," says Martin. This division is the same as other research groups have found by examining mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) - up to a point. But the new study differs in several areas as well. Studies of mtDNA have previously grouped central African lions with the northern branch, but studies of the entire DNA show that they might belong to the southern one instead. Could help the Barbary lions Furthermore, the North African lions, which are at least extinct in the wild, are probably more closely related to the West African lions than to the Asian lion lineage, which many scientists have believed up to now. "This is important to know for people who may want to bring back the North African lions," says Martin. The North African Barbary lions disappeared from the wild in the 1960s, but captive specimens may be Barbary lions, at least in part. If these captive individuals ever need new external gene supplements to prevent inbreeding, it would probably be best to use West African lions rather than Asian ones. Important to know what we have Perhaps it seems a bit strange to some that several research groups are spending so much time figuring out the relationships between the different lions in the world. "The work isn't interesting only for us geneticists and natural historians, although that's exciting enough. It's also important for people who want to conserve our lions and give them a fair chance to survive as a species outside captivity," says Gilbert. As many as one million lions might have lived in the wild as recently as 1950. Today, a common estimate is between 20 000 and 30 000. Only 600 of the Indian lions are left. Human activity is the main cause of the decline in most places, either directly by humans killing animals or indirectly by our species impacting their habitats. "Some people have claimed that the Indian lions are actually African lions that were released into the wild in India and that it's therefore not as valuable to preserve them. But we've found that the Indian lions are so genetically different from the African lions that this claim can't be true," says Gilbert. Danger of inbreeding The research group is also finding less genetic diversity between the lions today than was found a few decades ago. This may be especially true of the geographically isolated Indian lions. "We have fewer lions than we used to, and groups of lions are actually isolated from other groups, often due to human activity. That increases the risk of inbreeding," says Martin. Inbreeding, which results in lions being more genetically similar, may mean that the population is more susceptible to various diseases and may not be able to reproduce. Of course, this is important to know for anyone who is involved with preserving the lions. ### This research work thus has the potential to help lions remain in the wild in future. Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The evolutionary history of extinct and living lions. Marc de Manuel, Ross Barnett, Marcela Sandoval-Velasco, Nobuyuki Yamaguchi, Filipe Garrett Vieira, M. Lisandra Zepeda Mendoza, Shiping Liu, Michael D. Martin, Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding, Sarah ST Mak, Christian Care, Shanlin Liu, Chunxue Guo, Jiao Zheng, Grant Zazula, Gennady Baryshnikov, Eduardo Eizirik, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Warren E. Johnson, Agostinho Antunes, Thomas Sicheritz-Ponten, Shyam Gopalakrishnan, Greger Larson, Huanming Yang, Stephen J. O'Brien, Anders J. Hansen, Guojie Zhang, Tomas Marques-Bonet, and M. Thomas P. Gilbert. PNAS May 19, 2020 117 (20) 10927-10934; first published May 4, 2020. https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1073/ pnas. 1919423117 This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. On a day when another surge of almost 20,00 new cases took Indias Covid-19 tally past 5.28 lakh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh announced a door-to-door survey like Delhi, Goa, Odisha and Jharkhand to contain the rising number of infections. It was for the fifth straight day that Covid-19 cases in the country rose by more than 15,000. Maharashtra continues to be the state with the highest Covid-19 tally at 1,64,626 followed by Delhi at 83,077. Out of a tally 5.28 lakh, 3.09 lakh people have recovered. The recovery rate now stands at over 58.5%. The Centre said that recoveries have overtaken active Covid-19 cases by over one lakh because of proactive steps Click here for full Covid-19 coverage The graded, pre-emptive and proactive steps taken by the Government of India along with the states and UTs for prevention, containment and management of Covid-19 are showing encouraging results, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement. The number of active cases stands at 2,03,051, while 3,09,712 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his Mann Ki Baat radio address that India will have to focus on defeating coronavirus and bolstering the economy as it enters the unlock phase. He underlined the need to remain more vigilant. Always remember, if you do not wear a mask, do not observe the two-yard social distancing norms or do not take other precautions, you are putting others at risk besides yourselves, especially the elderly and children at home, he said. In Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ruled out lifting restrictions after June 30 because the crisis is not over. Lockdown will not be lifted after June 30 as the risk of infection is not over yet. We are extending our relaxation step by step, Thackeray said in an address. The unlock process, dubbed Mission Begin Again by the state government, is being gradually implemented to put the economy back on track, Thackeray said. Mumbai, which has over 75,000 cases continues to be under severe restrictions with movement beyond a two-km radius allowed only for attending office or medical emergencies. Some salons opened in Mumbai on Sunday after a gap of three months as the government eased curbs under Mission Begin Again. In Delhi, the number of Covid-19 containment zones has risen to 421 after a re-mapping of such areas -- an increase of 141 zones -- in the last two days. A serological survey is currently on in the national capital and is scheduled to end on July 6 after screening every household. We have screened around two lakh people for Covid-19 in a house-to-house survey being conducted across the city. Also, 45,000 people have been screened in Covid-19 containment zones, an official told PTI. Telangana, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are the other states with more than 10,00 cases. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh will also conduct house-to-house surveys. Uttar Pradeshs Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said the state will launch a large-scale campaign from Meerut division in July, where house-to-house survey will be undertaken similar to the pulse polio immunisation. It will be carried out in containment and non-containment zones, he said. The Madhya Pradesh government said it will launch a 15-day Kill Corona campaign from July 1 to control the spread of Covid-19 in the state. During a virtual review meeting Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said a door-to-door survey will be conducted and citizens would be tested for other diseases as well. A total 2.5 lakh tests will be carried out and 15,000 to 20,000 samples would be collected daily, the MP government said in a press release. In Karnataka, which recorded more than 1,000 cases for the first time on Sunday, police said criminal cases will be filed against those who do not wear masks and flout social distancing rules. In a series of tweets, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao issued those warnings in a series of tweets. Melissa Leong appeared on The Sunday Project this weekend and she had a message for the trolls. The 38-year-old MasterChef Australia: Back To Win star hit back at critics who said that she 'wasn't qualified' to judge on the show. 'I didn't know the trolls had a copy of my CV, of my decade-long journey through food!' she joked. Outspoken: Melissa Leong (pictured) appeared on The Sunday Project this weekend and she had a message for the trolls. The 38-year-old MasterChef Australia: Back To Win star hit back at critics who said that she 'wasn't qualified' to be a judge on the show 'But it is a cathartic thing to show my knowledge about food, but there's always more to learn. So let's just add to the CV.' Then, cheekily, she waved to the camera and said, 'Hi, trolls!' Melissa also discussed the topic of diversity on the show, after what has been the most diverse season of the show yet. Nope! 'I didn't know the trolls had a copy of my CV, of my decade-long journey through food!' she joked. 'But it is a cathartic thing to show my knowledge about food, but there's always more to learn. So let's just add to the CV' Then, cheekily, she waved to the camera and said: 'Hi, trolls!' 'I think that when you are in a moment in time like this, you really have to stop and take it in because it is really important, historic moment for Australian television and for media in general. 'I think it really gives me the extra impetus to be reminded of everybody else who hasn't really felt seen and represented so far, and to remind them that their moment is on the way as well.' It comes after Melissa hit back at a troll who called her a vile racial slur, in a post shared by her fellow judge Jock Zonfrillo on Sunday. Melissa also discussed the topic of diversity on the show: 'I think that when you are in a moment in time like this, you really have to stop and take it in because it is really important, historic moment for Australian television,' she said Owned! It comes after Melissa hit back at a troll who called her a vile racial slur. She wrote: 'I couldn't help myself, I had to mark this one up. Grammar is the difference between knowing your s**t, and knowing you're s**t' The rambling message read: 'Having to watch trailers of you and that painful g**k criticise what is put in front of you because a pea is in the wrong place half the stuff no one would ever make geez you are so far up yourselves'. Jock replied in his caption: 'When you used the term 'g**k'. She's actually Melissa, she's my work wife, my sister, my mate... She's a woman whose origin happens to be different than yours, but why does that make you so afraid?' Melissa reposted the comment on her Instagram Stories, marking up the man's grammar mistakes and writing: 'I couldn't help myself, I had to mark this one up. Grammar is the difference between knowing your s**t, and knowing you're s**t.' Their romance is heating up in the Big Brother house. But on Monday, Sophie Budack was forced to deny claims that her connection with Chad Hurst was a 'showmance' orchestrated by producers. The 25-year-old former gymnast told New Idea: 'The feelings are definitely genuine!' Scroll down for video Genuine: Big Brother contestant Sophie Budack (right) has denied rumours she is in a 'showmance' with model Chad Hurst (left) Male model Chad, 27, struck up a romantic bond with Sophie after they entered the house as latecomers in the second episode. Several media outlets have suggested that producers 'edited' scenes to make the pair look more loved-up in the house than they actually were. 'Sophie is very competitive and wanted to win, so she definitely was playing the part of Chad's love interest for the camera,' a source told Woman's Day. However, Sophie has hit back at these reports, telling New Idea: 'It's too hard to play a game and play someone else in it.' Claims: Several media outlets have suggested that producers 'edited' scenes to make the pair look more loved-up in the house than they actually were The real deal: Sophie has hit back at these reports, telling New Idea: 'It's too hard to play a game and play someone else in it.' Pictured right: Chad Hurst Despite rumours their romance had fizzled out after filming the show, Sophie insisted on Monday they were as close as ever. She confirmed they were living in separate states, but said they were still speaking on the phone every day. They've even made plans to live together in Sydney after the coronavirus pandemic ends, she added. TV romance: They have previously been filmed cuddling and kissing on the show, and last week Sophie was busted falling out of their bed topless On Sunday's episode of Big Brother, the couple spoke about taking the next steps in their relationship, leaving their housemates shocked. Sophie casually said they had decided to get engaged despite only knowing each other for two weeks. 'Chad last night, I dont know if you recall this Chad, he asked for my hand in marriage,' Sophie said with a giggle. Fellow housemate Shane Vincent, who is a marriage celebrant, said: 'Say what?! This 17-day romance is peaking!' Separation makes the heart grow fonder? Sophie hopes to relocate from Darwin to live with Chad in Sydney once the coronavirus pandemic is over Chad laughed off the comments, as Sophie joked: 'Youre all invited to the wedding!' They have previously been filmed cuddling and kissing on the show, and last week Sophie was busted falling out of their bed topless. Big Brother Australia continues Monday from 7:30pm on Channel Seven When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? Advertisement Leicester could be the first British city to go into a local lockdown after a spike in coronavirus cases there in June, Home Secretary Priti Patel has confirmed - but the local mayor said the plans had taken him 'by surprise'. There have reportedly been a surge of more than 600 in cases in just two weeks this month in the East Midlands city, which is home to around 340,000 people. The city had 271 Covid-19 deaths up to June 12. Leicester could face stricter lockdown rules as soon as next week if the Covid-19 situation does not come under control, meaning it could miss out on the mass easing expected for next Saturday, when pubs are set to reopen. The Department of Health said it has sent extra testing units to Leicester to try and get on top of the virus and urged residents there to be strict about social distancing and washing their hands. Home Secretary Priti Patel said on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show this morning it was 'correct' that a local lockdown was on the cards, adding: 'With local flare-ups it is right we have a localised solution'. She added: 'We have seen flare-ups across the country in recent weeks, in just the last three or four weeks in particular.' The MP for Leicester East, Claudia Webbe, has actively called for her constituency to be locked down and for her constituents to stay home, saying schools and a supermarket have had to close because the virus is out of control there. The Labour slammed the Government's social distancing rules as 'at best confusing'. However the Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, said the council is not aware of any immediate plans for an isolated lockdown in the city and that suggestions it was set for next week were 'speculative'. He added his team had been 'taken by surprise' as a local lockdown 'certainly wasn't the terms in which we've been talking'. A scientist in Nottingham said trying to lock down the city on its own would be fraught with difficulty because it sprawls into neighbouring villages and council boundaries can cut through the middle of a street. Professor Keith Neal said: ' If Leicester is locked down, how much of the surrounding area do you include? A quick view at the satellite picture demonstrates this problem... many [people] would not actually know where they are.' It comes as one of the Government's top scientific advisers, Sir Jeremy Farrar, this morning warned that England is emerging from its Covid-19 lockdown on a 'knife-edge' and that the situation in the country is 'very precarious'. New cases being diagnosed in Britain are at a three-month low but the Office for National Statistics this week warned that the speed at which England's outbreak is shrinking has 'levelled off' and there are still estimated to be around 51,000 people in the community infected with the virus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted that he won't hesitate to bring lockdown rules back if the virus starts to surge again, but has already announced pubs and cafes can reopen from next Saturday, July 4, and said people will be allowed to visit friends and family in small groups without social distancing. 'Wherever there is a local outbreak, whether in Ashfield or Angelsea, we will empower the local authorities to quarantine everyone who has got it, test back to the moment of infection and make the necessary closures,' the PM told the Mail on Sunday. Concerns about Leicester come after a week which saw huge numbers of people in England abandon social distancing and flock to beaches, street parties and park raves in the scorching summer heat. Police had to try and disperse people from the Dorset Coast, the streets of Liverpool and parks in London amid fears reckless partying could trigger a second wave of Covid-19. In other coronavirus news: The Home Secretary said 'air bridges' between the UK and holiday destinations in Europe will not be available straight away and urged people not to get carried away with booking holidays; One of the Government's top scientific advisers, Sir Jeremy Farrar, said Britain - and England in particular - is 'on a knife-edge' as it eases out of lockdown and that he expects Covid-19 cases to rise within weeks; Police last night struggled to break up mass parties in London parks as thousands of young people abandoned social distancing rules and met up on Tooting Bec and Clapham Common; Long periods of lockdown may weaken people's immune systems because they don't come into contact with as many bacteria and viruses, a scientist has warned; One in 10 pubs in Britain will not be able to reopen next Saturday because of the cost of implementing social distancing rules and many may never open their doors again, according to the British Institute of Innkeeping; Experts have warned about a 'debt bubble' forming in the UK because the coronavirus crisis has left eight million people needing financial help. The Department of Health has acknowledged concerns about a surge in coronavirus cases in Leicester and urged people living in and visiting the city to be vigilant about social distancing and washing their hands (Pictured: A sign in the city centre) A Covid-19 testing centre being run by the military is pictured in Spinney Hill Park in Leicester today, June 28, as the city faces the prospect of being cut off from the rest of England over its surging coronavirus infection rate Testing operations have been scaled up in the city and military-run mobile testing stations set up to help the Government get on top of the area's outbreak (Pictured: Personnel at drive-through testing at Evington Leisure Centre) Labour MP for Leicester East, Claudia Webbe, has encouraged the Government to enforce a lockdown in her constituency. She told Leicestershire Live 'the rate of infections has not been going down' in the area. 'Schools have had to close in Leicester East because of coronavirus; a supermarket had to close,' Ms Webbe said. 'We know the problem is in Leicester East, not spread across the city. People from Leicester East need to be not travelling across the city. 'I don't know how it would work but they have to implement a local lockdown. In my view, we need to go back to the standard of lockdown we had at the beginning.' Five schools in the city have had to to shut after reporting cases among staff, while workers at two Sainsbury's stores also contracted Covid-19. And there have been outbreaks at sandwich and biscuits factories. A Department of Health spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the council and local partners in Leicester to help prevent further transmission of the virus. 'We have deployed four mobile testing sites and made thousands of home testing kits available, to ensure anyone in the area who needs a test can get one. 'NHS Test and Trace will contact anyone testing positive to help them identify their recent contacts and advise who may have been near to someone with the virus to stay at home to prevent the spread. 'We urge the people of Leicester to continue to practice social distancing, wash their hands regularly, get tested immediately if they have symptoms and follow the advice they receive if contacted by NHS Test and Trace. This advice is there to protect communities and save lives.' MP for Leicester East, Claudia Webbe (pictured left), has called for her constiuency to be locked down because 'the rate of infections has not been going down'. Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) said on the Andrew Marr Show this morning: 'With local flare-ups it is right we have a localised solution' A solider is pictured collecting coronavirus swab tests from a car at a drive-through testing centre in Leicester today Members of the public wearing face masks are pictured in Leicester city centre today. There are currently no special rules in place in the city, which is reportedly experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases A group of men play cricket in Spinney Hill Park today in Leicester as lockdown measures are eased across the UK. But the East Midlands city could face stricter lockdown rules if the Covid-19 situation does not come under control Home Secretary Priti Patel acknowledged on the Andrew Marr show this morning that Leicester was on high alert. She said: 'We have seen flare-ups across the country in recent weeks, in just the last three or four weeks in particular. 'There will be support going into Leicester and in fact the Health Secretary was in touch with many of us over the weekend explaining some of the measures, the support on testing, resources that will go into the local authority as well. 'With local flare-ups it is right we have a localised solution in terms of infection control, social distancing, testing and many of the tools actually within the Public Health England space which will come together to control the virus, to stop the spread so obviously we can get on top of the infection.' Concerns about the situation in Leicester come as police were yesterday forced to control traffic chaos in the county as crowds flocked to an annual horse fair in Mountsorrel. HOW COULD LOCAL LOCKDOWNS WORK? Local lockdowns could be imposed on whole towns if there are regional flare-ups of coronavirus cases , Matt Hancock confirmed in May. The Health Secretary said the ability to tighten restrictions in individual regions will be part of the NHS test, track and trace system, which creates networks of at-risk people around every person who tests positive for the coronavirus. Local lockdowns could lead to schools, businesses or workplaces being closed in areas with high prevalence of infection, according to the government's road map on easing lockdown restrictions. Affected areas could also be left out of measure to ease the lockdown which are being applied to the country more widely. For example, pubs are set to reopen on July 4 and people will be allowed to mix with other households in small groups. But areas still experiencing high numbers of cases could be told not to change their rules. Mr Hancock said in a Downing Street press briefing last month: 'We will have local lockdowns in future where there are flare-ups and we have a system we are putting in place with a combination of Public Health England and the new Joint Biosecurity Centre, along with the local directors of public health who play an absolutely crucial role in the decision-making in the system, to make sure if there is a local flare-up there is a local lockdown.' Advertisement The area, off the A6, was overrun with heavy traffic as hundreds of travellers descended on a small field which was hosting the annual horse fair. Police were seen attending the area as rows of cars blocked roads and pedestrians were seen walking across busy carriageways. It is unclear whether the event was authorised by officials but it's currently illegal to meet outside in groups of more than six people from other households. Data shows that more than 1,000 people have been officially diagnosed with Covid-19 since the outbreak began, and 271 had died by June 12. Hospitals in the Midlands region have seen the most deaths of any region outside of London, with 5,707 deaths up to yesterday, compared to 6,090 in the capital. A local lockdown could mean Leicester and smaller areas around it could be denied the new privileges set to be granted to the rest of the country next Saturday, July 4, which will include the reopening of pubs and restaurants. People will also be allowed to visit the homes of family and friends where they will be able to waive social distancing and sleep overnight, for the first time since March. But Leicester could lose out if officials decide a local lockdown is needed there. Other restrictions could also be re-introduced, such as people being told not to meet up with people from outside of their households. The Mayor of Leicester, however, hit back against growing claims that a lockdown is imminent. Sir Peter Soulsby told local news website Leicestershire Live yesterday: 'There is no point speculating about going into a localised lockdown. This sounds very speculative. 'We know that the number of hospital admissions is going down locally and mercifully so is the number of deaths. That is the only firm data we have. 'After weeks of asking, on Thursday we [the council] finally received information from the Government that will help us know much more about which parts of the city might have a particular issue with transmission. 'We are working through that data this weekend. Until we have done that we do not know what interventions might be required.' One scientist said trying to introduce local lockdowns will be fraught with difficulty because boundaries can cut through the middle of streets and many cities sprawl out into the countryside where people consider themselves to live somewhere else. Professor Keith Neal, an epidemiologist at the University of Nottingham, said: 'One of the biggest problems is deciding who is in the lockdown area and who is not. This needs to be understandable to both the people who are inside and the people on the outside. 'People on the inside of the lockdown need to understand why they have been included. There would be nothing to stop people on the outside taking further voluntary precautions themselves as individuals if they were worried. 'Defining the specific area will be one of the largest problems. Local authority boundaries can run down the middle of the street with one side in one local authority and the opposite another. 'Locking down at the regional level would be seen as unfair or worse as Leicester City has really very little to do with rural Lincolnshire. People do not identify with their regional boundaries and many would not actually know where they are. 'If Leicester is locked down, how much of the surrounding area do you include? A quick view at the satellite picture demonstrates this problem. Much of the surrounding area probably does not identify as part of Leicester City itself.' Hospitals in the Midlands have been the worst affected outside of London, NHS England data shows, with 5,707 deaths by yesterday, compared to 6,090 in the capital There are also concerns that Leicester could see a large number of deaths if there is a significant second outbreak of Covid-19 there, because of its large ethnic minority population. Scientific studies and a report by Public Health England found that black, Asian and minority ethnic people are at a significantly higher risk of dying than white people. Around 14 per cent of people in Leicester are of Asian ethnicity, according to local data, which is more than triple the less than five per cent in England as a whole. Other local lockdowns could be targeted at especially busy areas where crowds of people have gathered. The coast in Dorset, for example - Bournemouth beach, in particular - saw hundreds of thousands of tourist visitors this week amid scorching sunshine. The council in the area declared a 'major incident' because the area was so busy and police and politicians urged people to stay away from the seaside resort. Police have also had to break up parties and raves attended by hundreds in London and disperse crowds forming in Liverpool after the city's football team won the Premier League and fans celebrated in the street. A local lockdown could mean Leicester and smaller areas around it could be denied the new privileges set to be granted to the rest of the country next Saturday, July 4, which will include the reopening of pubs and restaurants (stock image) The Home Secretary said the rising numbers of uncontrolled mass gatherings flagrantly ignoring social distancing rules was 'unacceptable' and was adding the risk of Covid-19 returning. Ms Patel said police would continue to break up such gatherings and that the 'full force of the law' would come down on those found guilty of assaulting emergency service workers, after officers were injured in confrontations in London and Liverpool. Ms Patel, speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, said: 'What we've seen with mass gatherings and protests is unacceptable. The violence we've seen against our officers is also unacceptable. 'My message is the same - I would urge people not to participate in gatherings of that nature or protests, but I would also add if people do assault police officers, they will feel the full force of the law.' 'It is simply unacceptable to have people gathering in these awful ways that we have been seeing.' She told The Andrew Marr Show that Liverpool fans 'did not need to go to the football ground and congregate outside the stadium' to celebrate their team's first top flight title in 30 years. Ms Patel warned that a second wave of Covid-19 would devastate the UK's economy, saying she could not 'think of anything worse than us having another wave of this awful disease'. Police bosses warned Brits need to take 'more personal responsibilities' as the number of tickets handed out in the two weeks to June 22 fell to their lowest level. Thousands descended on Bournemouth beach this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his final daily Downing Street briefing this week that he would not hesitate to pull the 'handbrake' on easing lockdown if the virus starts to bounce back. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday today he called on the British people to exercise restraint when pubs, restaurants and hotels open on July 4. He warned that if the crowded scenes on beaches during last week's heatwave were repeated he would not hesitate to order the micro-lockdown of individual towns. Describing the coronavirus crisis as 'one of the biggest challenges this country has had to face in 75 years', Mr Johnson said: 'The Government has done some things right, but the biggest thing of all was the public doing it right. 'I say to those people who are going out in large groups you may think that you are immortal, that you won't be a sufferer, but the bug you carry can kill your family and friends. 'We want to get to a world where we are as close to normal as possible as fast as possible. I don't want a second lockdown.' Britain is 'on a knife edge' in coronavirus crisis and could face a severe second wave in winter when people won't be able to tell Covid-19 from a cold, SAGE scientist warns The UK is 'on a knife edge' in its coronavirus crisis and faces a very real threat of a second surge in the winter, one of the Government's top advisers has warned. Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the London-based research charity the Wellcome Trust, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said he was 'worried' about the prospect of the virus returning. He said he expects the number of people getting diagnosed with the virus to rise in the next couple of weeks and into July. Next Saturday, July 4, is expected to see the biggest loosening of lockdown rules since March in England as pubs reopen and people are allowed to mix with other households. Sir Jeremy said the country faces a 'very precarious situation' and examples are already emerging of people flouting social distancing rules. Crowds were pictured packed onto Bournemouth beach last week, the police have broken up raves and parties in London and Liverpool FC fans celebrating the team's Premier League win have been partying in the streets against official advice. The Wellcome Trust chief said it will be even harder to control a second spike in the winter when people struggle to distinguish Covid-19 from a cold or flu. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that people would have to think more carefully about going into work when they were sick because of the risk it could be coronavirus. Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Government's SAGE committee of scientists, said England is in a 'very precarious situation' Sir Jeremy said: 'In truth, the restrictions started to to be lifted towards the end of May, the beginning of June, around that bank holiday. 'I would predict, I would guess, that we will start to see a few increases in cases towards the end of June or the first week of July. 'We're on a knife edge - it's very precarious, the situation - particularly in England at the moment, and I would anticipate we would see an increase in new cases over the coming weeks.' The Department of Health has diagnosed an average of 1,018 cases of Covid-19 per day over the last week, the lowest weekly average since the end of March. But there are still believed to be tens thousands of people infected with the virus - the Office for National Statistics estimates around 51,000 at any given time. The ONS this week warned that the decline in the number of people getting infected - which had been rapid since May - has now 'levelled off'. This means that the outbreak is not shrinking as fast as it was before and there's a risk it could start to rise again. MILLIONS MORE PEOPLE COULD DIE IN GLOBAL SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19, WHO WARNS AS CASES HIT 10MILLION More than 10million people have now been infected with the coronavirus and millions across the world could die if there is a second wave of infections in Europe and Asia, the World Health Organisation has warned. North and South America are still in the grip of raging Covid-19 outbreaks but much of Asia and Europe have emerged from the worst of the pandemic, data shows. But Dr Ranieri Guerra, an assistant director-general for strategic initiatives at the WHO, said Covid-19 could follow a similar pattern to Spanish Flu and return with devastating consequences. Mr Guerra said the 1918/19 pandemic 'fiercely resumed' in September and October - when temperatures were cooler - after a dip in the summer. He told Italy's Rai TV: 'The comparison is with the Spanish Flu, which behaved exactly like Covid: it went down in the summer and fiercely resumed in September and October, creating 50 million deaths during the second wave.' His warning was echoed by European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde, who said on Friday that 'of course there could a severe second wave if we learn anything from the Spanish Flu of 1918-19.' The Spanish Flu outbreak ravaged numerous countries around the world, including Britain, where there were more than 220,000 deaths and the US, where 675,000 died. The virus first appeared in the spring of 1918 but appears to have mutated when it surged again in the fall, making for a deadlier second wave. It was made worse by the fact it struck as the First World War was coming to an end. 'It came back roaring and was much worse,' epidemiologist Dr. William Hanage of Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health said. Advertisement This is likely because lockdown rules have loosened so significantly in the past six weeks, but it could be a sign of danger if numbers start to rise again. The ONS, which based its estimate on only 14 positive tests from a sample of 24,256 people, said: 'Modelling of the trend over time suggests that the decline in the number of people in England testing positive has levelled off in recent weeks. 'These estimates suggest the percentage testing positive has clearly decreased over time since our first measurement on 26 April, and this downward trend has now flattened.' Although the speed at which England's outbreak is shrinking has slowed down - which would be expected as lockdown is lifted - Sir Jeremy agreed that it is 'reasonable' to continue loosening rules. Doing so a month ago would have been too early, he said, and he still urged people to be 'really cautious'. He was particularly concerned about people being near others while indoors, admitting that being outside was lower risk. He added: 'There is no zero risk in any of this. We're not at the stage where the virus has disappeared... It remains the same virus.' Learning how to contain outbreaks at local levels could avoid a second national disaster like the one which hit the whole UK in March, he said. The autumn and winter is likely to be when a real second wave emerged, Sir Jeremy said - he predicted it could start in October and November. Accelerating this risk would be the fact that normal colds and flu will be circulating by then, and people will struggle to tell the difference between those and Covid-19. The main symptoms of Covid-19 are a new cough or a fever (high temperature), according to the UK Government's definition. The third is a changed or lost sense of smell or taste. All three of these symptoms can be caused by flu and colds and people may end up self-isolating with colds or going into work with Covid-19 amid the confusion. He said: 'The really difficult thing for all us in September, October, is when we all get normal coughs and colds and children are back going to school and they get respiratory infections that are normal at that time of year: have we got the capacity to distinguish normal respiratory infections - influenza and others - from Covid-19? 'Can we interrupt the chains of transmission immediately, within 48 hours, of new cases starting? 'And there will be some disruption of that as people with coughs and colds come into work, come into school places, and people need to think through the consequences of that. 'Through July and August, if we do things sensibly, we can prevent the national catastrophe that happened in March and April. 'If we don't - if we don't have those core national infrastructures in place - then we will see a very nasty rebound in the winter.' The economic relations between the UAE and South Korea have witnessed considerable development in all sectors, said Abdullah Ghurair Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI). At the ADCCIs first online B2B matchmaking event, which witnessed the participation of more than 100 Emirati and Korean businesses, he said the number of Korean companies registered at the UAE Ministry of Economy rose to 138; and the number of the registered agencies at the ministry is 215 ones, whereas the number of registered Korean trademarks is 3,802, a WAM report said. Additionally, the volume of Korean investments in the UAE stood at $2.678 billion. "Non-oil trade between the UAE and South Korea reached $4.9 billion in 2019; $3.8 billion of which are imports from Korea, $715.6 million are Emirati exports to Korea; and $437.4 were re-export from the UAE to Korea. The trade balance surplus was in favour of South Korea with around $2.7 billion." Al Qubaisi stated that these numbers point to a huge progress for the relationship between the two sides in the future, which reflects the will of the two countries leaderships in realising their joint interest in pushing the wheel of economic relations forward. The ADCCI, said that the Chamber tries its best to support the business community and regulate its affairs in Abu Dhabi as well as help stabilise it economically, especially under the current global economic situation. "However, the Abu Dhabi Chamber keeps on supporting the hard efforts of the government in Abu Dhabi and the UAE in confronting the challenges of the pandemic, managing the crisis to insure business continuity, and in activating the role of the private sector in the economic development," he added. Al Qubaisi pointed out that the Chambers Representative Office in Seoul coordinated and agreed with Korea International Trade Association to organise this online B2B matchmaking between Emirati businesses and their Korean counterparts from small and medium enterprises specialised in various sectors including general trading, consumables, healthcare, cosmetics and food and beverages. The Deputy Director General noted that the UAE and Korea are celebrating their 40th anniversary of diplomatic relationship this month thanks to the wise leadership of both countries. For his part, Hyun Chul Kim, Executive Managing Director of Global Marketing Group KITA, said that the meeting is an outcome to the exceptional cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Chamber considering the cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding that bind the two sides together. He added that together the Abu Dhabi Chamber and KITA work continuously to benefit all parties and to promote for investments and trade opportunities that allow Korean businesses to enter Abu Dhabi markets and which would help develop the economic relations between the two countries.-- Tradearabia News Service The Morrison government has denied reports the JobSeeker dole payment will be lifted by $75 per week. The government was rumoured to permanently lift the dole payment when Treasurer Josh Frydenberg makes a long-awaited economic statement next month. News Corp newspapers, citing senior ministers, reported the JobSeeker payment would rise to $75 per day from $40 when the present enhanced version of the unemployment payment ends in September. 'There are no such proposals before the government or under consideration for the economic statement next month,' a spokesperson for Social Services Minister Anne Ruston told AAP. The Morrison government has denied reports the JobSeeker dole payment will be lifted by $75 per week (pictured, a queue outside a Sydney Centrelink office) 'The government is focused on the next phase of short-term measures designed to address the COVID-19 crisis.' The JobSeeker payment, formerly known as Newstart, was doubled to around $1100 a fortnight as a support measure during the pandemic. Treasury has been reviewing both JobSeeker and the JobKeeper wage subsidy. Senior Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek said people who had been forced on to the dole because of the coronavirus pandemic were in for a shock if the JobSeeker payment returned to its pre-crisis rate of $40 per a day. 'It is an inadequate payment, it doesn't allow people to live with dignity,' she told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program 'We now have hundreds of thousands of extra people joining the dole queue, people who have been working full time until very recently that would very much struggle if what's now called JobSeeker went back to the old Newstart rate.' The coalition government has long argued against raising the unemployment payment, which hasn't been increased for 25 years apart from indexation increases. There is widespread support for an increase from Labor, the Greens, welfare groups, business organisations like the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group, economists and the Reserve Bank. The government was rumoured to permanently lift the dole payment when Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (pictured on June 18 in Canberra) makes a long-awaited economic statement next month NewsCorp reported that the federal government was going to announce the permanent Centrelink increase during the mini-budget next month, giving an extra $3,900 a year for Newstart recipients. Thousands are currently receiving $550 extra every fortnight on top of the existing Newstart payment of $559 every two weeks. With the changes, the new fortnightly payment for singles with no dependents was reported to be around $634, or $682.70 for singles with children. The previous JobSeeker or Newstart payment was $559 per fortnight for singles with no children, and $604.70 per fortnight for those with children. An 'anonymous minister' told News Corp it was the only solution considering the state of unemployment across Australia. 'There is no way it can go back to what it was. We have people on welfare that have never been out of work and now they are lining up outside Centrelink,' the minister said. 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 SURREY, B.C. - Deaths and injuries involving police during so-called wellness checks coupled with recent protests against police brutality are generating scrutiny over how officers respond to people struggling with mental health challenges. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/6/2020 (574 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. RCMP Cpl. Scotty Schumann, left, acting sergeant in charge of the Surrey RCMP mental health outreach team, and registered psychiatric nurse Tina Baker talk while posing for a photograph in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, June 25, 2020. They are part of the Car 67 program, a mobile crisis response unit partnership between the Surrey RCMP and Fraser Health Authority that attend calls in Surrey involving emotional and mental health issues. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck SURREY, B.C. - Deaths and injuries involving police during so-called wellness checks coupled with recent protests against police brutality are generating scrutiny over how officers respond to people struggling with mental health challenges. Police departments in Halifax, Toronto, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Kelowna are among those that have partnered with local health-care providers to create mobile response units that pair officers with mental health professionals. They tout these specially trained units as a more effective way of handling calls related to mental health, while advocates say chronic underfunding of mental health services has thrust police into a role for which they're ill-equipped. "There aren't good supports for mental health to begin with, so people end up in distress and their only resort is to call the police it seems, or to call 911," said Margaret Eaton, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Officers have a high degree of discretion when it comes to using force and their presence during wellness checks is rooted in stigma and fear that people with mental illnesses are dangerous, Eaton said in an interview on Thursday. Meenakshi Mannoe, a campaigner with Pivot Legal Society, said police intervention in mental health crises too often leads to people being funnelled into the criminal justice system. The Vancouver-based organization works with communities affected by poverty and social exclusion, with a focus on police accountability, drug policy, homelessness and sex workers' rights. "We see it in the statistics of who's incarcerated, whether it is Indigenous people who have survived intergenerational trauma, or people with mental health issues who were acting in ways that were criminalized," said Mannoe, who is also a registered social worker. "Yet we continue to invest in the most crisis-oriented, escalating approach, which is law enforcement, when we could be investing in foundational institutions that actually prevent crisis." In Surrey, B.C., RCMP officers say they're doing things differently. The detachment has been working with nurses specializing in mental health for 20 years through its Car 67 program, born from a partnership with the Fraser Health Authority. The car operates from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., when police say the volume of calls related to mental health tends to be higher. Surrey RCMP officers attended more than 7,600 calls related to the Mental Health Act last year, and Car 67 handled just under 900 of them. Car 67 may be dispatched directly or called in by other front-line officers, explained Tina Baker, a nurse who's worked with the mobile unit for the last decade. Either way, police assess the situation first to make sure it's safe for Baker or another nurse to attend. When she is called, Baker checks the person's health records, which police cannot do. That provides a baseline understanding of what the person may be grappling with and what treatment they've already had, she said. Whether a person is getting help can influence if they are taken into custody under the Mental Health Act, said Baker. If they have support in the community, "we can liaise with them as opposed to going to the hospital," she added. Apprehending under the act can be traumatizing and confusing, said Baker, especially since it involves handcuffs. When she's on duty with Car 67, Baker said she works with the officer she's paired with to de-escalate the situation. "A lot of people can be quite calm and then the minute you change their environment, whether it be into the police car or into the hospital setting, then they can become agitated. So, we have a role to keep everybody safe until we know that client is going to be OK." Cpl. Scotty Schumann, who leads the Surrey detachment's mental health outreach team, said police are probably taking people to the hospital more often than necessary when a nurse isn't present. The outreach team receives specialized training from the Fraser Health Authority, which team member Const. Maciej Roszkowski said builds compassion and offers insight into the root causes of people's behaviour. "I always picture what if this was my family member in distress," he added. Roszkowski is among a group of officers specially selected based on their interest in working with vulnerable people, said Insp. Wendy Mehat, who oversees the outreach team. "Our policing strategy is not based on arresting and handcuffing our way out of situations. It's developing bonds, negotiating with our clients and getting them the support and referrals and help that they need," she said. At Pivot Legal Society, Mannoe said specialized police training is not a substitute for preventative measures and crisis services that are led by people who have experienced mental health challenges, or in other cases homelessness or substance use. People and communities who tend to be criminalized don't associate the police with safety, she noted, and external accountability can be limited when it comes to police officers' own conduct while responding to mental health crises. "The police attendance at these wellness checks can, in fact, escalate situations and put people at real risk. For people who are using substances or experiencing homelessness or who are racialized, that risk is compounded by systemic racism and bias." Mannoe points to a program in Oregon called Cahoots, which stands for crisis assistance helping out on the streets, as a good example of a community-based program that works. It's dispatched through the local emergency communications centre but doesn't necessarily involve police. Wellness stems from dignified access to health care and basic needs, "not a uniformed officer banging on your door," she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2020. The Congress party kept the heat on the government by once again accusing it of giving in to intruders in reference to the face-off between the Indian and Chinese soldiers in Ladakhs Galwan Valley. India once had leaders with great courage & fortitude. Leaders that never backed down from threat or adversary. Today, as our govt gives in to intruders, we long for those great leaders & the India they made, the Congress said on Twitter on Sunday. India once had leaders with great courage & fortitude. Leaders that never backed down from threat or adversary. Today, as our govt gives in to intruders, we long for those great leaders & the India they made. pic.twitter.com/fVlCyPluBa Congress (@INCIndia) June 28, 2020 The party attached a video with the tweet which talks about India giving a befitting reply to the Chinese in the 60s which shaped the Indo-China relations in the years to come. The Opposition party has been attacking the government since the June 15 clashes. It has accused the government of giving away Indian territory to China after the incident, a charge launched by the Congress after the all-party meeting on June 19 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that not an inch of Indias territory has been taken by the Chinese forces. The attack has been led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, his son and former party president Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh. Two day ago, Sonia Gandhi, son Rahul and daughter Priyanka released three video messages back-to-back in which they stepped up attacks on PM Modi over the India-China border standoff and asked the government to take people into confidence on the extent of territories being occupied by Chinese troops. Sonia Gandhi recalled PM Modis statements that China hasnt crossed into our territory. But, she said, Chinese forces do appear to have occupied Indian territory according to defence experts, satellite images and statements emerging out of the foreign ministry. The Gandhi familys relentless attack on the government has been countered by the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with allegation that Congress Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) was beneficiaries of donations from the Chinese government and its embassy in New Delhi. Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the donation had led the Congress to support China. He also said RGF had pushed for a free trade agreement between the two countries, leading to a huge trade deficit skewed in favour of China, and that the donation led to the Congress supporting China. BJP chief JP Nadda even put out excerpts from annual reports of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to allege that the PM Relief Fund, which receives donations from the public, had gone ahead to donate money to the RGF, when the Manmohan Singh-led coalition was in power. The Congress insists that PM Modis concluding statement at the all-party meeting that Chinese troops were not present in Indian territory contradicted the earlier statements made by the Army chief, the defence Minister and the foreign ministry. The party asked if no Chinese troops had crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC), what was the reason for the face-off. Hoang Dinh Canh, deputy head of Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) speaks to the press on the ministrys plan to expand pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) service to all provinces and cities nationwide. A patient receives consultant before taking HIV preventive measures in Hanoi. Why does Vietnam want to expand PrEP availability? As we know that HIV prevalence in Vietnam has changed in recent years. The rate of HIV infection among injection drug users and female sex workers has decreased while the rate of HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) is still high, especially in big metropolitan areas. The main cause is unsafe sex in these groups. Given that there is currently no vaccine available, antiretroviral (ARV) drug treatment is considered an effective solution. PrEP is the preventive treatment for people at high risk of HIV infection. PrEP has been used by numerous countries for many years. This method doesnt replace an HIV vaccine but is the simplest way which has been shown to reduce up to 90 per cent of HIV risk among MSM through clinical trials. The World Health Organisation recommended that PrEP should be supplemented to those at high risk of HIV infection with the combined HIV prevention package. Acknowledging the effectiveness of HIV prevention of PrEP and the long-term benefits of using ARV to HIV-infected people, the VAAC has piloted the provision of PrEP for MSM and TGW in HCM City. It will provide evidence and information on the feasibility of PrEPs implementation in Vietnam. PrEP is currently provided at 26 provinces and the MoH plans to expand to all cities and all provinces to put an end to the HIV epidemic in the country. Could you please explain more about PrEP and the benefits of PrEP for people who are not infected with HIV? PrEP means that a person with a high risk of HIV infection receives antiretroviral drugs (ARV) every day and will be protected from HIV infection. In Vietnam, PrEP drugs are offered free through sponsored programmes and projects. It is a combination of two types of drugs - Tenofovir and Emtricitabine. When taken daily, the level of ARV in the blood can prevent the HIV virus from invading or prevent it from replicating in the body. Studies have shown that PrEP is highly effective in preventing HIV transmission (up to 90 per cent) if taken daily. Hoang Dinh Canh, deputy head of Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control under the Ministry of Health. Photo Phunuvietnam.vn In your opinion, who can use PrEP and who should not use it? The Ministry of Health has advised the following people use PrEP to prevent HIV transmission: men who have sex with men, transgender women, sex workers, injection drug users and partners of HIV carriers who are not yet treated with ARV or who are on treatment but have more than 200 copies of HIV per millilitre of blood. Those who cannot use PrEP including HIV-positive, people with signs or symptoms of acute HIV infection, people with kidney problems or those allergic to the drug, and people exposed to HIV in the past 72 hours. Because not all people can use PrEP, it is necessary for a person to be consulted, examined and tested by a doctor before deciding to use it. What should a person do when they want to use PrEP? When a person is regularly exposed to high risk of HIV infection such as unsafe sex (not using condoms) and unsafe injecting (sharing needles and syringes), he or she should go to facilities which provide PrEP service. Then, the doctor will consult to know whether the client is at high risk of HIV infection or not. All personal information of the client is kept confidential. If the client is at high risk, the doctor will ask them to take an HIV test. If they are infected with HIV, they will need HIV/AIDS treatment. If the client can use PrEP, the doctor will prescribe and guide the usage. PrEP does not interact with other drugs so it is safe to take them together. Most PrEP users have no serious side effects. However, a small number of people may experience some side effects such as nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness and headache. Normally, these side effects will stop after one to two weeks. It is necessary to call or see a doctor right away if these symptoms persist and affect the client's activities. VNS National campaign for HIV/AIDS prevention launched A national communication campaign for HIV/AIDS prevention, called K=K (Khong phat hien = Khong lay truyen) or U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable), was launched at a ceremony on Tuesday at the Bach Mai General Hospital in Hanoi. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal In early March, New Mexico water managers were cautiously optimistic about snow levels and spring runoff on the Rio Grande. But by May, federal and regional agencies were predicting that summer river flows would be well below average. Now at the end of June, agencies are supplementing the river with water from storage to meet demand. Some stretches of the Rio Grande south of Socorro are completely dry. When the snow melted, we got less (water) out of it than the numbers had suggested, said David Gensler, water operations manager for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. Its really shaping up to be a bad, bad year on the Rio Grande, probably the worst weve experienced here in at least 45 years. The district delivers water to farmers and works with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to manage water supply. As streamflow predictions became reality, New Mexico agencies began stretching water supplies to meet municipal and farmer demand, and to protect fish. Upwards of 95% of water coming out of Cochiti (Lake) is being released from storage, Gensler said. If we stopped moving water, the river would be a trickle coming out of Cochiti. Much of that water is a result of the San Juan-Chama Project, which diverts Colorado River Basin water to the Rio Grande. Dry riverbeds in summer are common on the modern Rio Grande, especially south of Socorro. In the dismal water year of 2018, some stretches were dry before May. This is a really long river through a very dry part of the country, and a lot of what (people) see out there is a result of active management, Gensler said. Many times, if you see water in the Rio Grande on an August day, nature didnt put it there. Somebody arranged for it to be that way. Low flows have already prompted the district to halt some irrigation deliveries. But more river stretches south of Albuquerque will likely go dry without additional rain, said Carolyn Donnelly, water operations supervisor for Reclamations Albuquerque area office. In 2019, the Bureau of Reclamation didnt release supplemental water until August. This year, the releases began in April. Its looking like a tough year, Donnelly said. It seemed like a decent snowpack, but we havent seen it show up in streams and rivers. Some of that snow sublimated. It went directly from snow to vapor and never melted off. Reclamation spokeswoman Mary Carlson said this year is becoming somewhat like 2018, when widespread drought and low runoff prompted releases. The big difference is that in 2018, there was this good pot of San Juan-Chama water that the city of Albuquerque had, and we were able to lease from them to augment the Middle Rio Grande water supply, Carlson said. That $2 million lease agreement in August 2018 between Reclamation and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority for 20,000 acre-feet of water really helped, Carlson said, but a similar supply isnt available this year. New Mexico water agencies entered Article VII storage restrictions in mid-June. Those restrictions take effect when Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs drop below 400,000 acre-feet, and no water may be stored in El Vado or other upstream reservoirs. Lingering drought About 75% of New Mexico is experiencing drought, according to data released Thursday by the National Drought Mitigation Center. A swath of northern and northeastern New Mexico is experiencing the most extreme drought in the state. At the June 18 Interstate Stream Commission meeting, State Engineer John DAntonio Jr. said that if 50% of the state reaches severe drought status, the states Drought Task Force will be required to meet. DAntonio is chairman of the group. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an executive order this month declaring a drought and severe fire conditions throughout the state. The order encouraged local governments to consider fireworks bans. Silvery minnow Reclamation and MRGCD, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are responsible for management activities to promote recovery of the Rio Grande silvery minnow as mandated by the Endangered Species Act. Donnelly said a late May rainstorm in Albuquerque boosted river flows and created some minnow spawning habitat down the river. MRGCD can also quickly adjust river flows to mimic spring runoff and create spawning habitat for the endangered minnow. It may not be a superhigh peak, but it can sometimes double what (water) was passing the diversion prior to that, Donnelly said. Irrigation infrastructure may also be used to divert water to areas of the river where agency biologists think would be most beneficial for the minnow. MRGCD controls diversions and slows drying in some areas so that Fish and Wildlife can rescue the sensitive fish from the drying river, Gensler said. Monsoon outlook Last years abundant snowpack and runoff enabled agencies to keep many stretches of the Rio Grande flowing through the summer. But rain from the 2019 monsoon season was underwhelming, with local forecasters labeling it as hit or miss or the non-soon. The 2020 monsoon outlook from the Albuquerque office of the National Weather Service, released in mid-June, indicates that precipitation in central and northern New Mexico during July, August and September will most likely range from near to slightly below 1981-2010 climatological averages. In the meantime, water managers are crossing their fingers and hoping for rain. Everybodys looking at every possible source of water to tap to get us through the summer, Gensler said. We will pull together to get through this. Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal. Indias fight against Covid-19 has now reached a critical phase. We have gone through three successive lockdowns of decreasing intensity and now are well into the unlocking phase. Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modis vision has expanded from preventing loss of life to saving lives and protecting livelihoods. Despite this, there is a certain amount of fatigue among people who have seen their lives and livelihoods put on hold. The daily news and updates on Covid-19 have left the public exhausted even as the number of recoveries has surpassed the number of active cases across the country. On April 6, the PM warned that Indias battle against Covid-19 would be a long one and that the nation would have to come together in a tireless effort to emerge victorious. Even in the first 10 days of the lockdown, the PM was well aware of the scale of pandemic and economic cost to the nation. Indias early recognition of the seriousness of the pandemic allowed the government to prepare the health care infrastructure to deal with the rising number of cases. Therefore, it was imperative for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to step up and build the foundation, protocol and infrastructure to test, track and treat cases. Countries across the world have had their methods of responding to the pandemic with varying degrees of success. However, the mantra of test, test, test has been a common denominator for all who have flattened the curve. ICMR too has worked towards this and steadily ramped up the countrys testing capacities to meet with the requirements of its huge population. The rapid progress in ramping up testing capacities has been in sync with the vision of saving lives and protecting livelihoods. We are now testing over 200,000 samples every day as we have validated over 1,000 laboratories covering every district. Just over a month ago, Indias daily testing capacity was 100,000 in 555 laboratories. In order to have inclusive and equitable access to testing, the strategy underwent iterative calibration to keep pace with the changing epidemiology and extent of infection. Keeping in mind the thousands of economic migrants returning to rural areas, ICMR worked with state governments to build more testing laboratories along with framing a strategy to monitor, investigate and treat new cases. While several Union ministries developed an economic stimulus and an unlocking plan to prevent the loss of livelihoods in the quest for an Atmanirbhar Bharat, ICMR was ensuring that the expertise, materials, staff and capacity to carry out testing safely, successfully and reliably were being put in place. ICMRs Covid-19 programme has proved to be a flag-bearer of Atmanirbhar Bharat as the government has worked in close coordination with the domestic health care industry to make India self-sufficient in testing. Because of the nationwide lockdown, industries have faced severe operational challenges related to the movement of human resources and procurement of material and machinery. A task force was set up principally to deal with these challenges and help the industry to accelerate production. A case in point is the development of swabs for Covid-19, which was initiated within six days locally. Three companies can now manufacture up to 200,000 swabs per day. Despite the lockdown, the production of viral transport medium (VTM) kits was increased from 500,000 units per year to 500,000 units per day. After expedited approval from the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation, a private company has developed 10 million polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and five million viral extraction kits. In order to ensure that the supplies reached every laboratory in time, the services of the ministry of civil aviation and their airline partners in the government and private sector under Mission Lifeline Udan were availed. They carried ICMR consignments of diagnostic material across the country. In the last two months, approximately 40 tonnes of testing material were transported in more than 150 flight operations, reaching out to the remotest corners. Doorstep deliveries were coordinated with several courier companies and state governments. As the lab network expanded, India Post, which has countrywide operations, was roped in. To cut down transit times, logistical complications and risks of stock outs, decentralised storage of these supplies has been done by building a network of 16 storage depots in a phased manner. Along with the internationally accepted reverse transcription (RT)-PCR test kits, ICMR has also encouraged the use of indigenously developed TrueNAT and CBNAAT testing protocols, which are more cost-effective and can be more easily used in rural areas where migrants are returning. These efforts by ICMR, in collaboration with various state and central government ministries, have facilitated the construction of testing laboratories even in the remotest parts of the country, from Ladakh in the north to all the seven states of the Northeast, as well as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands down south. The construction of 1,000 laboratories capable of conducting 200,000 tests per day within three months has also ensured that the economic activity associated with the construction, procurement and staff for these has built an ecosystem that protects and provides livelihoods. More important, the scientific- and data-driven inputs from the countrys leading epidemiologists and scientists at ICMR have been also been instrumental in formulating the protocols for Unlock 1.0 to restart the economic engine. While our soldiers are securing the territorial integrity of the nation at the China-India border, the warriors at ICMR are saving the lives and protecting the livelihoods of those living in this territory. Dr Balram Bhargava is director-general, Indian Council of Medical Research The views expressed are personal The United States has welcomed the statement by members of the ASEAN countries that South China Sea disputes should be resolved in line with the international law, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said on Saturday (local time). The United States welcomes ASEAN Leaders insistence that South China Sea disputes be resolved in line with international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea). China cannot be allowed to treat the SCS as its maritime empire. We will have more to say on this topic soon, Pompeo tweeted. The United States welcomes ASEAN Leaders insistence that South China Sea disputes be resolved in line with international law, including UNCLOS. China cannot be allowed to treat the SCS as its maritime empire. We will have more to say on this topic soon. https://t.co/IUmzD7OksC Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) June 27, 2020 After the 36th ASEAN summit on Friday, a joint statement was issued by the members of the bloc expressing concerns over the current situation in the South China Sea. The ASEAN leaders stressed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and over-flight above the South China Sea, as well as upholding international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, in the South China Sea, working actively towards the full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety, and the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), consistent with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. They also laid emphasis on the importance of non-militarisation and self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation. Pursue the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, while enhancing mutual trust and confidence, the statement said. Several islands and territories in the South China Sea are claimed by Beijing, but other countries including Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei also have their territorial claim in the hotly contested region. Earlier, Pompeo tweeted on June 2 that the US has sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General to protest Chinas unlawful South China Sea maritime claims. (ANI) Actor Ranveer Singh is excited as his film Simmba is set to release in Fiji and Australia post lockdown. The actor also shared new posters to make the announcement. One of the posters announced: Fiji Blockbuster Returns while the other read in continuation: Australia bringing cheers back. Sharing the second poster, Ranveer wrote: Alla Re Alla, Amcha Simba Alla. After nearly three months of coronavirus lockdown, life is slowly limping back to normal. Earlier this month, came the news that Akshay Kumar-Kareena Kapoor starrer Good Newwz and Ayushmann Khurranas Dream Girl would release after lockdown in United Arab Emirates. Many films were slowly returning back to shooting schedules with governments announcing the unlock procedure, rules and regulations. Reports suggested that the cast and crew of John Abraham starrer Mumbai Saga would begin shoot in Hyderabad in July, while Akshay Kumar would leave for London to shoot his upcoming film, Bell Bottom, also in July. Simmba, an official Hindi remake of Telugu superhit film Temper, starred Ranveer Singh as a corrupt cop. The revenge drama was lapped by audiences and reportedly made Rs 350 crores worldwide, becoming Ranveers biggest blockbuster. Also read: I will get you for this: Twinkle Khanna warns son Aarav as he clicks her taking a 4pm nap However, the films reviews, were anything but glowing. Hindustan Times, writing about it, had said: This is a spinoff of Rohit Shettys alarmingly successful Singham movies, and in my review, I had called the first film Devgnporn, based on its fondness for crotch and caboose shots of its tight-trousered hero. In Simmba, with a cutesy title pointing out the cub of a lion king, Singh seems less concerned about his look than his feel. He embraces the trashy 80s-remake lunacy and creates a corrupt wisecracker more Deadpool than Devgn. Simmba was a Rohit Shetty directorial and also starred Sara Ali Khan as its female lead. It was produced by Karan Johars Dharma Productions. Follow @htshowbiz for more Even if omicron peak nears, Long Beach cases and hospitalizations will still be up for weeks, official says A wedding planner is fighting to have more Black and queer love stories told in the mainstream wedding industry. Earlier this month, Jordan A. Maney the San Antonio, Texas-based CEO and chief wedding planner at All The Days posted a video to Instagram calling for mainstream publications to showcase more love stories that center Black relationships. STEP UP Wedding Industry! We need more than black boxes we need pledges of anti-racism by your company heads and action plans. You have the resources, you can make the time, she captioned the video. Maney followed up her video with a petition on Change.org calling for wedding publications and registry sites like Zola, The Knot, Pinterest, Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings and more to not only make a pledge to tell more Black stories, but to also be actively anti-racist and implement action plans to provide better representation. So far, more than 1,100 supporters have signed. The wedding planner tells Yahoo Life that she has gotten such a heartwarming response to her petition, adding that businesses that were not named in the petition have even reached out to her. Small business owners in an industry massively economically impacted by coronavirus are dedicating themselves to learning, hiring and doing better, she says. That reminded me of the beauty of the industry. Seeing companies in the U.K. and New Zealand reaching out surprised me. Seeing companies like Joy App, that I didn't call out, respond so positively surprised me too. I didn't think anyone would really hear me because I was beginning to think my voice didn't matter. But it does and I'm really grateful for the people who took it to heart. Maney explained that she was inspired to create this petition after seeing a report by Splendid Media, a wedding marketing firm, which found that 2020 wedding media represented just 2 percent of non-white couples. Story continues Haney's petition calls for wedding publications to feature more Black couples. (Photo: Getty Creative) I didn't understand how businesses with valuations of $600 million and more struggled with representation when they had resources and platforms small businesses like mine do not, she says. I couldn't believe the rush to say they support Black lives when we're dying, but their track record of support for us while living and loving was scarce. Thats especially true when it comes to Black queer stories, Maney notes. All people want is to be seen and celebrated, she says. For an industry that's predicated on that, we all need to do better, myself included. I think it ultimately comes down to implicit bias in editorial teams and fear of being seen as taking a political stand. But weddings have always been political. People are politics. So shying away from it is a choice majority white, straight, thin, able-bodied teams and brands can make. Maney adds that she would like the wedding industry to become less reactive and more proactive about their hiring practices, evaluating their own biases and being willing to make mistakes in the effort of doing better. So far, of the companies that she named in her petition and Instagram post, only half have responded to communications she has sent them. The narratives we have about who has access to power, wealth and happiness dictate the trajectory of our lives, she says. If you don't see yourself in an industry dedicated to love, you can begin to believe you don't deserve any. I've had people tell me they've had identity crises because their hair texture, body, skin color, gender identity, the totality of who they are doesn't exist in wedding media. That's heartbreaking. If they don't see you, you begin to think you're invisible or you don't matter. We can convince ourselves that weddings are inconsequential, that the industry is froufrou, but it's not true. If you don't believe love is available to you, if you don't believe it's even possible, what kind of choices do you make? What kind of life is that? Read more from Yahoo Life: Want daily lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Imperial Valley News Center Second Lady Karen Pence Highlights Mental Health in Colorado Visit Aurora, Colorado - Thursday, Second Lady Karen Pence, joined by Deputy Secretary of Interior Katharine MacGregor, visited Rocky Mountain National Park to highlight the mental health benefits of the outdoors and the important work of National Park Service employees as the Nations parks reopen. In addition to the park visit, Mrs. Pence visited the art therapy program for veterans at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Upon arriving to the Rocky Mountain National Park, Mrs. Pence and Deputy Secretary MacGregor received a briefing about the parks employee health and wellness program. National Park officials shared how they want to grow and develop the parks strategic wellness and resilience programs. At the end of 2019, the park began an employee health and wellness program that will help give all of their employees tools to talk about issues they are facing, such as stress, and implement a culture of resiliency. Following the briefing, Mrs. Pence delivered remarks at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center to park employees. In her remarks, Mrs. Pence talked about the benefits of the outdoors for peoples mental health and thanked the employees for all their hard work in reopening and preserving the park during such difficult times. Research shows that spending quality time in the great outdoors can have positive health benefits, such as reduced stress, lessened anxiety, and lowered risk of depression. Following the remarks, Mrs. Pence and the Deputy Secretary hiked around Sprague Lake. As America continues to reopen and people deal with uncertainties and stress, the great outdoors provides many health benefits and fosters peoples physical and mental health, said Second Lady Karen Pence. More than ever before, we must make sure to check in with ourselves and loved ones. Mrs. Pence then traveled to the Marcus Institute for Brain Health to highlight PTSD Awareness Day, which is Saturday, June 27. To further her art therapy initiative and work as the PREVENTS Lead Ambassador, she led a roundtable discussion with an art therapist, three veterans, and other medical professionals on the Institutes staff to highlight the significant ways art therapy is helping veterans heal from the invisible wounds of war. I am thankful for the Second Ladys continued commitment to erase the stigma surrounding mental health issues while emphasizing the curative powers of the outdoors, said Deputy Secretary Kate MacGregor. As America reopens, we are committed to restoring and expanding access to our nations magnificent national parks and public lands and we are happy to welcome back our visitors back for their next big outdoor adventure. More on the Marcus Institute: The Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH) is a clinical care and research institute for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Psychological Health (PH) conditions such as post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. The primary focus of the MIBH is to care for former military personnel who have separated from active duty. Mrs. Pence is the Lead Ambassador for PREVENTS, an interagency task force that stands for the Presidents Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PREVENTS launched a public health awareness campaign called More Than Ever Before. This campaign is designed to help people deal with the stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic by encouraging them to care for their mental health. 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. Prayers go up, search underway after Amish teen goes missing while walking home from church Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Earnest prayers to God and a search are now underway for an 18-year-old Amish girl from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, five days after she went missing after attending church on Sunday. East Lampeter Township police said the teenager, Linda Stoltzfoos, who is about 5-foot, 10-inches tall and 125 pounds, was last seen on a farm around 12:30 p.m. Sunday on Stumptown Road, near Bird-in-Hand where a church service was held. She was wearing a tan dress, white apron and white cape, NBC10 reported. Multiple state, local, federal authorities, as well as volunteers are involved in the search for Linda, and a spokesman for District Attorney Heather Adams office said the case is a top priority. While there is a well-known history of young people leaving the Amish community in rebellion, investigators say this does not appear to be the case with Linda. "This is unlike her," Lt. Matthew Hess told NBC10. "There are certain teenage Amish kids who would have that personality or would express that interest, want to see the world. There was no indication that this is the case for Linda." The simple, family-centered Amish culture in Lancaster County keeps the devout faith community separate from their more secular countrymen. They believe in a literal interpretation and application of Scripture as the Word of God, including biblical commands to separate themselves from the things of the world. They believe worldliness can keep them from being close to God, and can introduce influences that could be destructive to their communities and to their way of life. Sparky Grace who rents industrial space from Lindas grandfather for his wood shop, explained in a statement on Facebook how Lindas father, Lloyd Stoltzfoos, just months ago prayed with him through a difficult period. Now, he said, he has been trying to support her devastated father in his dark moment. Christmas night of 2019 Lloyd (Lindas father) exited the rear of his shop to find me in my truck. I was chain smoking overwhelmed by sadness. His gait is always relaxed and casual. He approached me with concern and held confusion in his eyes. He asked why I was there on such a significant holiday. He could see my tears and his face filled with the most genuine of compassion. He comforted me as I was broken. Little did I realize hed fall into my arms at 4 a.m. on Monday morning, sobbing, and emit these words, We cant find Linda, Grace wrote. Confusion filled my head and my only immediate thought was prayer. The man who once consoled me, now was shattered and broken. Grace also shot down speculations of abuse or suggestions that Linda might just be rebelling against her community. I cant read things posted anymore on this situation. People proclaim suspicions of abuse or a rebellious teenager. Im telling you, that is NOT the case. My last memory of Linda was before Christmas. I drove the whole family to a Christmas party. She was singing hymns with her sisters in the back of the van. Not a word was spoken as these girls serenaded all of us. The moment was surreal and filled with peace from the voices of innocents. Having a two year established relationship with this family, I will tell you theyre beyond rare, Grace said. The kids are always polite and filled with gratitude. The parents and grandparents are people that resonate with wholesome values and unwavering faith. My life will forever be touched by the generous acceptance and compassion by the Stoltzfoos family. I now ache for them beyond what I can express, he wrote. A Facebook page called Amish Girl Missing - Linda Stoltzfoos has been posting regular updates on the search for Linda, including multiple videos of daily prayer and singing to God for her safe return. Another prayer meeting is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Friday. At the dawn of a new day, the hope is alive in finding Linda today. The search continues, the page administrators noted Friday in a post with a serene photo of farmland. Where is Linda? Sometimes you gotta lie in bed, stare at the ceiling and talk to God about confusing things in life and tell Him youre gonna trust Him even though nothing makes sense right now, another post noted. Grace, in his post, said local police have been leaving no stone unturned in the search for Linda and encourage people to just pray for the family. People ask me what they could do. This Amish community is resilient. They even take shifts 24 hours a day to sit by the phone (even all night) in case Linda would call. The reality is; the best thing you could offer is prayer, he wrote. 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. David Frost (left) and Michel Barnier are preparing for an 'intensive' phase of talks - Reuters Britain can agree to the "broad outline of a political agreement" with the European Union over the terms of Brexit this summer, Boris Johnson's negotiating team will tell their Brussels counterparts on Sunday. David Frost, the Prime Minister's chief Brexit negotiator, is arriving in Brussels with a small team of 20 UK negotiators as talks over a deal enter an intensive phase. The news came as Mark Francois, the chairman of the Eurosceptic European Research Group of Tory MPs, warned the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, that a deal selling out UK interests would not be passed by MPs in Parliament. At last week's high-level meeting. both sides agreed to a process of intensified negotiations in the hope of injecting new momentum. The UK now expects those words to be translated into action, officials said. Sticking points remain over the "level playing field" on regulations and access to fishing waters, but a Number 10 source warned that Britain "won't waste time on talks that never move forward". The UK's preparations for leaving the EU without a deal in December are now said to be "well under way". The source said: "The faster we can reach an agreement, the better and there's no clear reason why the broad outline of a political agreement can't be reached in the summer. "The EU needs to realise that these talks cannot be prolonged into the autumn. This week, Michel Barnier referred to 'the real moment of truth' as October. As we have repeatedly made clear, this is far too late. Businesses need clarity on the terms of transition as quickly as possible." Michel Barnier has referred to 'the real moment of truth' as being October - Getty Images Europe Mr Frost said: "Negotiations over the next few weeks won't be easy. There are still fundamental differences between our positions, and a new process in itself isn't enough to breach the gap. "It will require dedication, willing and understanding from both sides. We will work intensively and at pace, as we firmly believe it is possible to reach a broad outline of an agreement in good time. Story continues "But any deal must reflect our well-established position on difficult issues such as the so-called 'level playing field' and fisheries that is, as an independent country we will have control over our laws and our waters. Our sovereignty will never be up for negotiation." In his letter to Mr Barnier, seen by The Telegraph, Mr Francois warned that any deal could not mean that "the UK continues to follow EU laws and judgments, even though we have now formally left the European Union". He said the ERG "fully supports" Mr Frost, adding: "We have confidence in him and his team and strongly urge you to listen when he says that certain EU demands are simply not going to work. "All I and my colleagues in the ERG have ever really wanted is to live in a free country, which elects its own Government and makes its own laws and then lives under them in peace. "We have come a very long way in securing this objective and we have no intention of abandoning it, either now or in the future." Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 09:25:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on Saturday clarified the measures taken to deal with illicit trading on phone-based money transfer platforms, assuring the public that "bona fide" transactions will be processed normally. The central bank said on Saturday night that it was money agents who had been suspended from mobile banking transactions. Meanwhile, the central bank emphasized that all mobile money liquidations should be done through the banking system. Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana on Friday announced the suspension of all monetary transactions on phone-based mobile money platforms as it seeks to deal with the foreign currency black market and economic saboteurs. He said the government had taken a series of measures to deal with malpractices, criminality and economic sabotage committed by people who pretended to be supporting the government. "These measures include the suspension of all monetary transactions on phone-based mobile money platforms in order to facilitate intrusive investigations leading to the arrest and prosecution of offenders ... the measures will also include the suspension of all trading on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange," he said. Panic gripped the market following Mangwana's announcement with many mobile money subscribers wondering how they would liquidate funds in their accounts following the immediate suspension of all transactions. Some businesses, including fuel service stations, on Saturday did not accept mobile money transactions. However, EcoCash, which is the country's biggest mobile money transfer platform, urged its more than 10 million clients to ignore Mangwana's statement. Millions of Zimbabweans rely on mobile money transfer platforms for their transactions. Enditem Illich Ramirez is a longtime Katy resident who is also openly gay. As a member of the LGBT community, Ramirez reflected on the meaning of Pride Month and how people can learn more about his community. What does Pride Month mean to you? Pride Month has changed from when I was younger until now that I'm in my early 40's. Goodness, I feel like the old lady in Titanic that describes her tale on the ship. When I was younger. Pride Month was a time when I liked going out with friends, watching the parade, or walking in the parade. I have walked the parades in Dallas and Houston. The first time in Dallas was exhilarating and scary. We walked with our church, The Cathedral of Hope, which is the largest gay church in the country. The energy was great until we reached a field where there were protesters holding up hateful signs. I know that it's a part of 'putting yourself out there' while walking in a parade, but we continued cautiously, and the experience was really moving. I have also walked the Houston Pride Parade with a friend that worked for Bud Light, and another with MPACT along with the Houston Health Department. Being Hispanic, I really wanted to be an example for a kid that may be watching the parade and wanted to see someone like himself in the parade. Representation matters. Now, Pride Month is a time to reflect and be proud of strides that we have made in the last year personally and as a community. For instance, when the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in June 2015, we were in Las Vegas. and we almost had a drive-thru wedding, but we wanted to have our parents present for our wedding, so we didn't. We were married in July 2015 at Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church as part of a large marriage ceremony with 46 other couples. We didn't want a big wedding since we had already done that in 2003 when we had our Holy Union in 2003, where our sisters gave us away at the Cathedral of Hope. That was truly a special day and cherish that. This year with COVID, Pride events in person have been canceled, but I am still participating in virtual events with the Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce where we also join several other chambers across the state to talk business, pride and connect which is the ultimate point of Pride Month. This year Pride Month has had a special meaning with the Supreme Court decision that decided that the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination, applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This is huge, since before that court decision, LGBT people could get married on Sunday yet be fired from their jobs on Monday due to there being no protections. Personally, I am now a real estate agent and can't be fired from my job, plus my brokerage, eXp Realty has a stance of inclusivity with several groups including ONE eXp, which supports diversity and fairness in the workplace and our eXp Pride Network where LGBTQ agents from all over the world connect in our virtual campus to support each other and do business. Furthermore, Pride Month has had a special meaning for me due to something that my closest friends know which was the day I was attacked about 15 years ago. One night I was out with friends and I was attacked at my car, stabbed multiple times, and left bleeding out in my car. I am still not sure of the cause of my attack, but I was in the Oaklawn area of Dallas, which is where the LGBT bars are at. When I came to, I called a friend to help me, an ambulance came, and I was taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, at the time, my now husband and I weren't married, so the hospital wouldn't tell him anything about my condition due to the brutality of my case. The officer that was at the scene of my attack was a black female police officer, and due to her graciousness, she took my husband to see me in the ER. My straight friends who are just boyfriend and girlfriend wouldn't have had to have a police escort if their partner was dying in the hospital. After surgery and a few days in the hospital, on my way home Celine Dion's song 'I'm Alive' came on, and I truly was glad to be alive. A few weeks later, I went to the scene of my attack and stood where it happened. I vowed to not let evil people steal my spirit. So, Pride Month also reminds me to be glad I am alive and live life in a joyfully jubilant way because when you are that close to death you realize how special life is. I can't believe I just shared all that with you, but at this time in our world it's important to tell our stories. Our full messy stories. It's through sharing that we fully get to know each other and accept each other completely. Whats it like to be openly gay in a community like Katy? It's interesting, to say the least. Katy is an awesome city that feels small, but we have the population of Philadelphia and growing. Katy ISD Is one of the best school districts in the state, and will soon have over 10 high schools, 16 junior highs, and over 45 elementary campuses. Katy is big. With that many people, there are all kinds of folks that come into our sphere. I'll tell you this way- I consider all people my friend until you show me that you aren't, and then you can just go and be hateful someplace else. Maya Angelou used to say, 'When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time,' and I manage my friendships that way. I am a really social person, especially in my neighborhood of Cane Island, where we built the 8th house in the neighborhood, and I am also one of the co-administrators of the Cane Island Neighbors Facebook page. For people to join the page, they must prove that they are Cane Island residents, and then they get to meet me since I am one of the ones that approve their group membership. I organize happy hours in our neighborhood restaurant, The Oaks Kitchen and Bar, where we all get to meet and form bonds around our favorite drinks. During those drinks, we inevitably have lively conversations about all topics, and the gay topic is always one of them. That's when I have the opportunity to tell them about me and how we really aren't that different. We just love differently. We still worry about providing for our families, pay our mortgages, wonder if we are using the correct fertilizer on our lawns, and ultimately exchange phone numbers so we can keep in touch for future neighborhood shenanigans. Through these conversations, I realized why Michelle Obama says that 'it's hard to hate up close'. We get to see each other as people and usually, we can have a lot of fun. The wide majority of our neighbors are incredibly good people and are accepting of us, and we love each others' company, get invited to birthday parties, game nights, organize huge block parties, and such. We have made deep friendships with some folks out here. Several have told me that before meeting us, they hadn't met or been friends with LGBT people. Of course, there are some folks that have been rude to me to my face and behind my back, and it's been my real friends that have come to my defense online, face-to-face, and once I was told there was an incident where a friend defended me at the bus stop. In my neighborhood, we have several LGBT couples and we love it out here. We usually get together a lot, but with COVID our 'driveway parties' haven't happened as much. I feel that Katy is growing in so many ways and you just have to look at the types of restaurants and stores that we have here and opening soon including our new Katy Asian Town and the Katy Boardwalk. Overall, I just focus on expanding the conversations with friends about the issues that those of us in the LGBT community have and how they are important. I find it fascinating when I have a friend that tells me 'I have never thought of it that way' or 'I didn't know you had to go through that' which ultimately makes us more empathetic to each others' lives. We all have struggles in one way or other and through conversations, we become a stronger Katy community. Whats some advice you would have for an LGBT person who is struggling with their identity or the decision to come out? Advice for people that are struggling with their identities, I simply tell them: Do you. My earliest recollection of who 'I am' is at 4-years-old and still lived in Honduras. Growing up, it was difficult at times, especially as all my guy friends had girlfriends and I wasn't interested in girls. So, I focused on my studies and made the 'I am too busy with school' excuse even though I did have a boyfriend. In high school, I had a great group of girl friends, a lot of whom I am still friends with to this day. Having that group of friends really helped me, because while I did hear 'talk' about me, my friends always supported me and realized I was a good person. In college, I became more comfortable with myself thanks to friends I made there. I didn't come out to my parents until I was 21 and in college, since it's such a taboo topic in the Hispanic community. Depictions of LGBT people in the Hispanic community make us look like super flamboyant clowns, and I knew I wasn't that, so I just focused on being the best 'me' possible. In coming out, I always tell people that when they do come out to someone it's like 'the death of a dream'. When you are a baby, your parents have certain dreams, and in coming out, a lot of those dreams won't come true in their current reality. Parents dream of grandkids and weddings and such, but one of the parents' biggest fears is 'what will the neighbors think?' It is one of those things that I had to discuss with my parents to help them realize that the neighbors have their own issues, and if they are our friends, they'll be supportive. If they aren't, then good riddance, because you can't truly justify valuing a neighbor's opinion to the safety and livelihood of your children. Unfortunately, it happens, and parents turn their back on their children, which I feel has to be the ultimate heartbreak for a child, since your parents are your anchor to your sense of being and belonging. There is a disproportionate amount of LGBT youth that are homeless, attempt or commit suicide, do drugs, or turn to prostitution for money, and a lot of it stems from the heartbreak of being rejected from your family. Many parents cite their religion as the reason for not accepting their children, but from what I have learned after many years of reading, researching, attending our church and talking with faith leaders, I came to the conclusion that I am a child of God. If you come to peace with that, most else doesn't matter. The interesting thing about coming out is that we have to do it all the time. We come out little by little with one friend or two, then our 'crew', then our family. Yet, every time you meet someone socially or at work, there is a 'coming out' that occurs, which is quite exhausting at times. For someone contemplating coming out, I would tell them to be true to themselves and consider the best time to do it and with whom. In the 20 years that I've been with my husband, we have had to 'come out' to folks every time we meet new people. Interestingly, in recent years we have had friends reach out to us when their child has come out to them, and I value those conversations, because it's a truly personal thing for the parents and their kids. They need someone to listen to them and help them navigate this new chapter in their lives. There is a huge movement called 'It Gets Better' where LGBT folks and their allies share their stories about coming out and how it gets better, and it does. Youre a former public school assistant principal. What made you decide to leave that career to work in real estate? Yes, I was in public education for 17 years, I taught 2nd and 4th grade bilingual, gifted and special education. I was an assistant principal for children ages 3 to 6th grade. It was a special experience, and I met many fantastic people working to make the lives of children better. We were really good at it too. I helped grow several schools from academically acceptable to 'exemplary,' and with my fabulous team of teachers, one school even became one of the top schools in Texas. Then I realized I had to go through 'the death of a dream' of my own when there comes a point in careers where you get tired, and you just can't keep fighting. I was in a bad place. So, I left before I became one of those educators that didn't edify children. I have always been fascinated by real estate. My family in Honduras owns lots of property, and one of my uncles was really big into real estate. Living in Cane Island, I also walk or bike the entire neighborhood and found the home-building process fascinating. In going from education to real estate, I have really come into my own in a new way. It's my own business and I can truly be myself. You asked me earlier what Pride Month was to me and I feel like owning my own business keeps me in a Pride mood all the time. I was asked by someone if I regretted being in education for so long and then moving to real estate, and I really don't. What I learned as an educator and administrator really has helped me as a business owner and a member of the LGBT community. COVID-19 has caused the bigger celebrations of Pride Month to be canceled. What are some of the ways people can still honor Pride Month even though the events and gatherings wont be taking place? I think one of the ways that everyone can celebrate Pride Month, and perhaps every other celebratory event, is to reach out to their friends and say, 'I See You'. If you know or have friends in the LGBT community, reach out and text them 'Have a Happy Pride Month' in a gesture to let them know that you see them and value their history, present and friendship. That's huge, especially in 2020 when folks may feel so isolated. We need connection. In our day to day lives we send texts to friends at Mother's Day, Father's Day, Hanukkah, Ramadan, and even National Margarita Day, so why not show our solidarity and let our LGBT friends know that you support them during Pride Month? It's easy yet so impactful and it means a lot. There are a lot of virtual events going on during Pride Month to still be able to connect with LGBT folks from all over the country. We need to have a conversation about how we can protect that part of our community. Youve mentioned that a good way for people to become more educated about the LGBT community and history is to watch relevant films or shows or read books on the subject. What are some of your favorite resources and why? Yes, I still consider myself an educator, so I am always looking for resources to help friends know more about good shows and if they are LGBT, then it's a win-win. Reading or watching shows may also help open conversations with LGBT friends. Some of my favorites are: TV Billy Elliott- Movie about a boy that wants to be a ballet dancer in 90s England. Brokeback Mountain- Complicated Oscar-nominated film about a love story. God's Own Country- Beautiful film about a love story in Northern England. In the Grayscale- Haunting film about impossible love. L Word- Show about LGBT friends in Los Angeles. Milk- Movie about a councilman in San Francisco Moonlight- Oscar-winning moving film about being LGBT and black in Miami Philadelphia- Tom Hanks won his first Oscar acting with Denzel Washington about AIDS POSE- Fantastic show set in the mid-80s about ball culture; come for the music, stay for the people Queer as Folk- Mid 90s show about friends in Philadelphia. One minute you are dancing, and the next you'll be in your 'feels'. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy- There are 2 versions, both really good. Schitt's Creek- Comedy about a family in a town where acceptance is just the way of life. Six Feet Under- Fascinating show about a family of morticians who live above their funeral home. Soldier's Girl- A tough movie to watch about a trans woman and a soldier. This will give you an ugly-cry. The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert- Fantastic movie about friends in Australia on a cross-country trip The Normal Heart- Film about friends in New York City at the beginning of the HIV crisis. The Imitation Game- Great film about LGBT man's contributions in wartime Noah's Arc- Awesome show about black LGBT friends and their shenanigans. Will and Grace- timeless show about LGBT friends and super funny, too Books Anything by David Sedaris- dry hilarious humor Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz Call Me By Your Name, by Andre' Aciman Carol, by Patricia Highsmith Dumplin, by Julie Murphy Over the Top, by Jonathan Van Ness Most of Anderson Cooper's books talk about his life as an LGBT person Podcasts Gayish Podcast Let's Talk About Gay Stuff Making Gay History; LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive What is one thing youd like the community to know? I feel that Katy is a fabulous community with so much to offer and we are growing. I am excited about the future of our city. I would like the community to know that there are many different kinds of folks moving in, and we all are adding to the beauty of our city. Just like with getting to know anyone in our lives, we just need to sit down, have a drink and a conversation. Through dialogue, we can discover that we have to be friends. claire.goodman@chron.com 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. Shots were fired during anti-racism protest demanding prosecution of officers who shot dead a woman inside her own home. Authorities were investigating a fatal shooting on Saturday night at a park in the US state of Kentucky, where anti-racism demonstrators had gathered to protest against the death of a Black woman, Breonna Taylor. Reports that shots were fired at Jefferson Square Park came in around 9pm, Louisville Metro police said in a statement, followed by calls that the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department was performing life-saving measures on a male who died at the scene. Shortly after, police were told of a shooting victim across the street at the Hall of Justice. That person was hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries. Video posted on social media appeared to show a man opening fire into the park as people scrambled for cover. The footage later showed at least one person bleeding profusely on the ground. Officers cleared the park and police are trying to gather as much information as possible in order to identify all who were involved in the incident, the statement said. No information about arrests, possible suspects and the victims identities and ages was immediately released. Officials did not immediately release additional information. I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement. It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene. The park has for weeks been the epicentre for anti-racism Black Lives Matter protests in the city after the police killings of Taylor and George Floyd. The Saturday night shooting was at least the second during nearly a month of protests in Louisville over Taylors death. Seven people were wounded on May 28 when gunfire erupted near City Hall, prompting a statement from Taylors mother asking people to demand justice without hurting each other. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed in her Louisville home in March by police who were serving a no-knock warrant. Protesters have been calling for the officers involved in her death to be charged. One of the officers was recently fired. Kenneth Walker, Taylors boyfriend, was originally charged with attempted murder after he fired a shot at one of the officers who came into the home. Walker has said he thought he was defending himself from an intruder. The no-knock search warrant that allows police to enter without first announcing their presence was recently banned by Louisvilles Metro Council. Mayor Eric Garcetti Channels 100-Million Dollars into Renters Assistance Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered news surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. There have been recent spikes in community transmission, city and county leadership are looking to handle the rising threat head-on. June 23 marked the day mobile testing sites came online, the mission is to make testing flexible and available to more people across the county. We recognize that we are not moving passed COVID-19, were just learning how to live with it. Mayor Garcetti continued with a very straight forward message and he outlined four points: COVID-19 is still here, COVID-19 is still dangerous, Los Angeles is adding more testing, and lastly Garcetti emphasized the need for precaution. The county reported 1,260 new cases, this week we have seen a daily average of 2,000 positive reports. The total amount that have been infected is just under 90,000 in L.A. County. 1 out of 400 people have had or do have coronavirus, and they have been infectious to their close contacts. The mayor emphasized physical distancing, in the city there were over 400 new COVID-19 cases found today. The citys case counts reach over 49,000 reports, and there were 34 additional deaths within L.A. County. That brings the death rate to over 3,000 Angelenos, the current track record is showing an increase in transmission among younger age groups between 18-40. 40% of all new cases are from that age group, in comparison to the previous month that was only 33%. The mayor showed his concern in the new spiked and warned the community that we cannot let up. ADVERTISEMENT Each of us can be lifesavers, the flipside of this is each one of us can be killers. Folks that are spreading infection, even if it does not affect you and its important to remember, we have lost the lives of people who are 18-40 years from this coronavirus. Mayor Garcetti touched on the social disparities COVID-19 has exasperated, he stressed the importance of the continual means to get tested. Safety measures needs to be practiced by every member of the community. Although overall, hospitalization has been steady, there has been a slight increase in the admittance. There are still hundreds of beds open and over a thousand ventilators ready for severe patience. Testing has also been a critical tool, its apart of our system of keeping you safe and this is one of the best tools that we have to stop the spread of COVID-19. So as numbers go up, so must testing. Garcetti mandated testing to meet the heightened level of community transmission, looking to scale up testing capacity and availability immediately. There will 13,000 available tests a day, with more appointment options being added all the time. The city spent over 70-million dollars on testing. The mayor reiterated the launch of mobile testing sites that took place on June 23. Mayor Garcetti announced the deployment of mobile testing units on Tuesday. They will be working with HACLA public Housing facilities throughout Los Angeles. The mobile testing sites visits each of the 15 HACLA locations 2-3 times, providing access to 25 thousand Angelenos who reside in public housing. With Black Americans residing in Los Angeles being highly affected by COVID-19, Garcetti described this opportunity as a tool for equity. Garcetti touched on updates within renters assistance, on June 23, the county announced the extension of the eviction moratorium. Its looking to prevent a future surge in homelessness due to the viral pandemic affecting the workforce and economy, there has been an eviction moratorium in place to ban future evictions for all residential and commercial tenants. It has been extended as of Tuesday; the eviction restriction will be in place until the end of July. ADVERTISEMENT Further extensions are approved by monthly assessment, within that announcement Supervisor Hilda Solis stated, Nobody should have to decide between paying rent or putting food on the table. Garcetti declared 100-million dollars towards renters relief program, to help people meet their rent and small businesses stay operational. The legislation was passed on June 24, the program will put at least $2,000 within the hands of the hardest hit households. The system is looking to cover two months rent, those who have a household income is at or below 80% of the area median income are eligible. Mayor Garcetti is looking for ways to change the narrative of underserved and overlooked groups within the city, through multiple levels of resources that include renters assistance, Angeleno Cards, and a number of programs geared towards families that are currently experiencing their darkest days. The City and County continue to meet the needs that have spiked during this time, with the ultimate goal for solidarity and equality in the future. Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. P.B.G. writes: In April last year, I paid Sash Home Improvements 9,600 to replace all the double glazing in my home. One of the windows leaked during bad weather so I contacted the company to claim a repair under its ten-year guarantee. I was told it had gone into liquidation and the guarantee would not be honoured. I then found that Sash had been dissolved in 2016 and replaced since then by a series of companies with the same Bolton works address and involving members of the same family. Can companies really avoid their obligations simply by reinventing themselves like this? Opaque: The Primefold doors (right) and Bolton businessman Peter Gray Sash has more lives than a particularly lucky cat. If you go back far enough, there was a business in Huddersfield that used the Sash Windows name. It folded about seven years ago and one of its creditors, Premier Conservatory Supplies Limited, adopted the name. Premier was run by Bolton businessman Peter Gray, until he put it into liquidation in July last year. Gray also ran Sash Home Improvements Limited, which he set up in 2013. It was compulsorily struck off by Companies House in February 2016. But you would not know this from the website of Sash Home Improvements, which continued to advertise that the business was 'founded two decades ago'. Gray told me that he left the running of Sash to his employees, including all marketing. His only interest for some time was the orders they would bring in for Premier. Then early last year, Premier's main supplier collapsed, and Gray has told me that 'effectively, Premier Conservatory Supplies became insolvent'. His answer was to put it into liquidation last July and set up a new company, Premier Conservatory and Glazing Supplies, which took over the name Sash Home Improvements. But this collapsed too. Gray told me he blames 'a terrible supplier'. He quit as a director and the company went into liquidation last December. The story is not quite over though. For last October, along came Prime Glazing Supplies Limited, set up by one of Gray's salesmen who quit within weeks. One reader found the company he had used for home improvements had been dissolved after trying to contact them to make a claim on their service which had a ten-year guarantee This latest company, which operates from the same Bolton address, is registered to William Gray, the 78-year-old father of Peter Gray, who told me: 'My father took on the business and I am helping to run the sales element.' So, when you contacted what you thought was the same business, at the same address, you were told: 'We are very sorry to inform you that the company you purchased your goods from went into administration on November 24, 2019, and therefore the guarantees given by the company you dealt with are no longer applicable.' This is serious stuff. For a start, the van that brought the glazing supplies to your door was decorated with the logo of FENSA, the industry trade body, yet FENSA's list of accredited businesses shows no mention of Gray's firm. I asked Gray about this, and he blamed an employee who 'took it upon himself'. But even if we ignore this, what about the original paperwork you were given, which offers an insurance-backed 'fully underwritten ten years guarantee'? Who is the insurer? Who underwrites the guarantee? I asked Gray, but he came up with no answers. The best he could offer was to say he would visit you 'and look at helping get any repairs done'. So what happened to the fully underwritten ten-year guarantee backed by insurers? Or was that just a sales tool? As for the latest company, Prime Glazing Supplies, its website displays an impressive series of pictures. For example, there is Primefold, a system of folding glass doors, with the claim that, 'We are delighted to be your manufacturer for Primefold.' You might think that Prime Glazing installed the doors shown. It didn't. Exactly the same picture was being used in advertising by a completely different company in the US as long ago as 2018, before Prime Glazing even existed. Gray explained that the images came from various suppliers, with no intention to suggest they were installations by Prime Glazing. But that still leaves Prime Glazing's own terms and conditions. These offer what seems to be a loyalty scheme called 'Premier Club', with the explanation that, 'The scheme is operated by Premier Glazing Supplies Limited.' Yet according to Companies House, there is no such British company. Perhaps it is next on the list to be formed! Whether or not you accept Gray's offer to help with repairs is up to you of course. The blunt fact is that you were deceived into a contract that offered a rock solid guarantee that turned out not to exist. Gray was in charge when his company tricked you. He has assured me there was no intention to do this. Let's see if he stands up to his word. Shocking: Ms E.T. has sent numerous emails and made numerous calls to Together Energy, requesting a refund, Together, we get a result Ms E.T. writes: My house was divided into two flats over 30 years ago. The upper flat is occupied by a customer of Together Energy. I live in the lower flat and have never been a customer of Together Energy. Nevertheless, for several months Together Energy used the direct debit system to take 147 a month from my Santander account. I have sent numerous emails and made numerous calls, requesting a refund, and while the company agrees a mistake was made, it has not refunded my money. Together Energy told me you and your daughter did telephone to enquire about transferring to it from your existing electricity supplier. However, staff failed to update the National Grid database that shows which company supplies which customers. You told me that you do not agree with this, but as Together Energy failed to register you as a customer and, after I made contact, it has now refunded all your money. Santander told me that when you queried the direct debits, it should have moved faster to apply the indemnity scheme, so it has sent you an apology and 50 to make up for this. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry and joined the British royal family, she was warmly welcomed by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. In fact, it was the Prince of Wales who walked Meghan down the aisle in the absence of her father Thomas Markle. Despite that, however, Prince Charles reportedly knew that the good days of Meghan in the monarchy won't last. After all, he believes there is only one room for a "queen" in the royal family. According to royal author Nigel Cawthorne -- who penned the book "Prince Andrew, Epstein and the Palace" -- Prince Charles "foresaw" the problems with the addition of Meghan in the family (per Fabulous via The Sun). "I think he likes strong women, but in The Firm there is only room for one Queen," Cawthorne said of Prince Charles, referring to the arrival of Meghan. "I think he foresaw considerable problems ahead for The Firm. Harry and Meghan amplified the popularity of the royal family in the way that Prince Andrew and Fergie did at the time." The royal author, however, noted that Prince Charles probably liked the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan from The Firm since it prevents "a constellation of stars in separate orbits" -- suggesting that the Sussexes could have wanted all the attention, which would have divided the royal family. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Royal Exit To recall, Prince Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family last January. It was then made official in April after they served their final royal engagements. In their announcement, the Sussexes noted that they want to live a private life and become financially independent from the royal family. Their initial plan was to continue serving the Queen in a smaller capacity while living their own life away from the scrutinizing eyes of the British press. However, Queen Elizabeth II and the monarchy did not approve of the idea, noting that Prince Harry and Meghan were either in or out of the royal family -- no in-between. The Queen then stripped them off of their HRH titles, though they remained the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. After their exit, Prince Harry and Meghan departed to Los Angeles where they plan to jumpstart their post-royal life. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, their moves have been halted. Queen Elizabeth II Welcomed Meghan Markle Warmly While Prince Charles is probably right about the possible clashing between Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan had the latter stayed longer in the royal family, it is worth mentioning that Her Majesty welcomed the former "Suits" actress with open arms. In fact, according to royal author Lady Colin Campbell, Meghan was given "greater privileges" than any other royal fiancee in the history of the British monarchy -- even more than Kate Middleton. "The Royal Family went out of their way to embrace [Meghan] in a way that they have never gone out of their way to embrace anybody else," Lady C told Daily Star Online. "Meghan was the only fiancee that was ever asked to Windsor before the wedding, and she was the only newlywed who was invited by the Queen to accompany her on a daily engagement." Campbell also pointed out that Meghan was the only newlywed who was invited to stand with the Queen at the Buckingham Palace -- proof that Her Majesty liked the strong-willed and highly opinionated American. It remains to be seen if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will still return to the royal family. However, if Prince Charles is right about his prediction, then the Sussexes' exit might do more good than harm for both sides in the long run. READ MORE: Justin Bieber's Sexual Assault Accusers In MASSIVE Trouble! PATNA The construction of a four-lane bridge on Ganga, parallel to Mahatma Gandhi Setu which links north and south Bihar, is set to get delayed as the Union ministry of road transport and highway (MoRTH) has cancelled the tendering process, which was in final stages. Bihars road construction department (RCD) minister Nand Kishore Yadav on Sunday said the tender was cancelled on technical reasons by the MoRTH on June 25. The project has been re-tendered, he said, without elaborating. The MoRTH had sanctioned Rs 2,927-crore bridge project under the prime ministers special package to Bihar. The mega project included building a 14.5-km-long approach road in Patna and Hajipur of Vaishali district. Senior officials in the RCD said five out of seven firms, which qualified for final bidding, had Chinese partners. This is the first mega project in the state to get cancelled as the contractors had joint ventures with Chinese firms, they said, adding that the selected firms could qualify for fresh bidding if they changed their partners. Officials said Ashok Buildcon, Dilip Buildcon and Tata Projects are among the five companies, which tied up with Chinese partners for technical and resource assistance. Afcons Infrastructure, Gammon India, L&T and SP Singla are the other construction firms in the race to win the contract. Bidding documents of all the seven contenders were to be evaluated this months end. The MoRTH has invited fresh bids for the project. The bids are open till July 30, said principal secretary of RCD, Amrit Lal Meena. Of the total length, a 5.63-km-long bridge is to be built on the river, while 8.87 km was to be covered with approach road from both sides. Meanwhile, Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha on Sunday lashed out at the Central government for allegedly receiving money from Chinese companies in PM Cares fund even as Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) had been encroaching Indian land. Talking to mediapersons in the wake of reports of Nepal deploying its army on the board across Bihar, Jha alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept on misleading the nation about Chinese aggression. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A woman has for the first time completed the grueling 53-week qualification course to become a Green Beret, setting her on track to join one of the last all-male sections of the armed forces. The ban on women becoming Green Berets was lifted by Barack Obama's defense secretary, Ash Carter, in 2015. In 2016, the Pentagon officially opened all combat and Special Operations jobs to women but no one has, until now, ever qualified to serve in those units. Several women have attempted to join the elite special forces, some of them coming very close. The unnamed woman passed a 53-week course to qualify as a Green Beret. Pictured are participants in a Special Forces Assessment and Selection course at Camp Mackall, NC The woman will graduate on July 9, Military.com confirmed. A Special Forces Engineer Sergeant (18C) with the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, the female soldier's graduation will be guarded with an extraordinarily high level of secrecy, SOFREP reported. Her achievement was noted by Elise Stefanik, Republican congresswoman for New York and the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. 'Important milestone and the first of many,' she tweeted. Some commentators on Twitter expressed skepticism at her achievement, with one asking whether she had had to meet the same standards. One Twitter user said he hoped it was not 'a political stunt' to allow her to graduate Approximately 7,000 men currently form the Green Berets, as the Army Special Forces are best known. The unit was created in the 1950s with the primary mission of what would later be called 'unconventional warfare' the covert assistance of foreign resistance forces and subversion of local governments. 'Unconventional warfare missions allow U.S. Army soldiers to enter a country covertly and build relationships with local militia,' the Army says. 'Operatives train the militia in a variety of tactics, including subversion, sabotage, intelligence collection and unconventional assisted recovery, which can be employed against enemy threats.' Elise Stefanik confirmed the news on Twitter on Thursday By contrast, the much smaller Delta unit is designed to execute 'small, high-intensity operations of short duration' like raids and capture missions. Green Berets must pass a 53-week Qualification Course (QC), which encompasses six phases and includes training in small-unit operations, advanced Special Forces tactics, language training and unconventional warfare, according to Military.com. 'This achievement is a testament to this soldier's individual strength, courage and commitment, and also an important institutional milestone for U.S. Special Operations Command as it embraces the cultural change that will continue to make it the most successful and elite Special Operations Force in the world,' Stefanik said. The female soldier reportedly solidified her graduation by passing a three-week exercise known as the 'Robin Stage,' which is a North Carolina-based field exercise that puts candidates into a simulated guerrilla warfare scenario. Soldiers have to rely on previous training, analysis and relationship building with 'friendly foreign forces' in order to survive the task. In December it was announced that a woman had passed the Navy SEAL officer training course. She was ultimately not selected, however. The entrance of the building of the 7th Special Forces at Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg is located just west of Fayetteville, North Carolina Resistance to Carter's 2015 announcement was strong. A voluntary survey conducted by the Rand Corp at the time polled more than 7,600 of America's special operations forces operators, and almost all said they did not want women in their units. They argued that allowing women to serve in Navy SEAL, Delta Force or other Tier 1 units could hurt their effectiveness and lower the standards, and it may drive men away from the dangerous posts. More than 700 female soldiers have now been allowed into previously restricted combat jobs out of the roughly 65,000 women in the Army. In 2017, a woman was accepted into the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite light infantry unit that operates alongside the Army's most prestigious commando teams under the Joint Special Operations Command. More than a dozen women have graduated from the Army's arduous Ranger school, including Capt. Kristen M. Griest, who became the Army's first female infantry officer in 2016. 'I do hope that, with our performance in Ranger school, we've been able to inform that decision as to what they can expect from women in the military,' Captain Griest said when she graduated in 2015. 'We can handle things physically and mentally on the same level as men.' Women have been seeking inclusion in the elite units for decades. Captain Kathleen Wilder became the first woman to be eligible for the Army's Special Forces in the 1980s, but was told just before graduation that she had failed a field exercise and could not be a candidate for the military's premier Unconventional Warfare unit. She filed a complaint of gender discrimination and Brigadier General F. Cecil Adams, who investigated it, determined that she had been wrongly denied graduation. In a letter, the then-commanding officer of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), General Donn Albert Starry, awarded her the Special Forces identification code. Brisbane City Council has partially backed down on a move to scrap the popular kerbside collection program, introducing measures for elderly and vulnerable people to access a similar service. The coronavirus-hit council budget handed down earlier this month suspended the popular annual collection program for two years to save $13 million. Brisbane City Council will scrap its popular kerbside collection program for two years. Credit:Sebastian Costanzo The move sparked a wave of concern from community groups and waste management companies, leaving the council promising to consider the decision. On Sunday, lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said councillors had taken the feedback on board and would introduce measures to fill the gap for vulnerable residents. Image Source: Christoph Scholz New Delhi: Users currently testing the beta version of the upcoming iOS 14 software for iPhones have found that TikTok is recording what they are typing on their phones, which could range from non-sensitive information to passwords or even sensitive emails. The practice is expected to affect iPhone users with TikTok accounts in India and around the world. The final version of iOS 14 is expected to be released later this year. According to a Forbes article, the Chinese-origin TikTok is not the only app that could be exploiting this vulnerability, but it is the most high-profile of all apps caught spying on users in this way. The article adds that TikTok had said it would stop the invasive practice in April, but is still continuing to do so. While multiple pharmaceutical companies across the globe are working towards a coronavirus vaccine, there are only a handful which have managed to reach advanced stages of trials. Moderna, which is entering Phase III of its trials in July for its mRNA-based vaccine, is optimistic of receiving FDA approval. Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified the candidates developed by Oxford University - AstraZeneca and Moderna Inc as front-runners. Moderna has also signed a deal with Catalent for large-scale manufacturing of its vaccine candidate. Catalent will provide vial filling and packaging capacity as well as additional workforce required for 24X7 manufacturing operations. Catalent is already in partnership with Johnson and Johnson as well as AstraZeneca. While the general opinion of most experts and pharmaceutical companies is that a corona vaccine would be ready by mid-2021, researchers are still hoping for a 2020 breakthrough. The WHO, however, said that they are expecting a COVID vaccine by no sooner than a year. Johnson and Johnson, Sanofi, Inovio, Sinovac, CanSino are some of the other companies to have made significant progress. Here's the list of COVID-19 vaccine update from across the world: Europe Zurich's health authority said it had ordered a 10-day quarantine for almost 300 guests and staff of a nightclub after a reveller tested positive for the coronavirus and had been proven to have infected others during his outing. A growing number of COVID-19 cases among people under 35 years of age is a "worrying trend," Ireland's chief medical officer Tony Holohan said on Saturday as the country reported the highest number of new infections for two weeks. Spain is to uphold a ban on cruise liners from docking at its ports to stop the coronavirus spread, according to a ministerial order published on Saturday. America Five states hit record daily highs for coronavirus cases on Saturday, and Vice President Mike Pence cancelled planned campaign events in hard-hit areas as the virus surged in the US South and West, halting economic reopening plans. Workers at California's Disneyland Resort protested from their cars on Saturday, arguing the Walt Disney Co DIS.N has not agreed to adequate protections for employees when the destination reopens to the public. Asia-Pacific Australia's Victoria state will implement mandatory coronavirus tests for returning travellers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks, the state's premier said on Sunday. India reported over 17,000 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, pushing the country's total above 500,000, federal health ministry data showed on Saturday, with infections surging in major cities including the capital New Delhi. Middle East and Africa Iran launched a campaign on Saturday to motivate a reluctant public to use face masks as the country faces a sharp increase in coronavirus infections and deaths. Tunisia reopened its land, sea and air borders for the first time in more than three months on Saturday after it announced it had brought the coronavirus outbreak under control. Medical Developments Brazil announced on Saturday it had signed a $127 million agreement to start producing locally an experimental vaccine developed by AstraZeneca that has shown promise to fight the pandemic. Brazilian Health Ministry authorities said in a press conference that the country will pay $127 million and receive material to produce 30.4 million doses in two batches in December and January. The deal is for a total of 100 million vaccines for a country of about 210 million residents. It will be produced by local vaccine maker Fiocruz. Additionally, China is also experimenting with six candidates on humans and more than a dozen are in different stages of the trial. One of the vaccine candidates is developed by Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products. The candidate has been co-developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical and the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has received approval from the National Medical Products Administration for clinical trials. A COVID vaccine developed in Canada's Alberta is moving forward with human trials this summer. Led by University of Alberta researcher Dr John Lewis, Entos Pharmaceuticals has selected two vaccine prototypes for testing in people. "We have two really excellent candidates that produce a very strong neutralising antibody immune response," said Lewis. The Government of Canada has granted Lewis $4.2 million for the project. Coronavirus Drug in India In India, Hyderabad-based Hetero has shipped its first batch of Remdesivir drug to five states including Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Telangana. The drug named COVIFOR has been priced at Rs 5,400. The following batch of the drug, which is a generic version of Remdesivir will be sent to Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna, Indore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Kochi, Trivandrum, Vijayawada and Goa. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has also announced the launch of antiviral drug Favipiravir for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus patients. "The antiviral offers broad-spectrum RNA virus coverage with clinical improvement noted across age groups 20 to 90 years. Favipiravir can be used in COVID-19 patients with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and heart disease with mild to moderate COVID 19 symptoms," the company said. Meanwhile, corticosteroid Dexamethasone, believed to be effective in coronavirus treatment, is likely to be the next repurposed drug that may set Indian drug makers like Zydus Cadila, Wockhardt, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, GLS Pharma and Wyeth Ltd to work. The drug is low-cost and is priced at less than Rs 3 for a strip of 10 tablets. (With agency inputs) Also Read: Coronavirus update: India crosses 5 lakh mark; reports highest single-day spike of 18,552 Also Read: India's coronavirus recovery rate rises to 58.56%; these states are leading the race 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 A Burleigh County prosecutor seeking a South Central District judgeship was involved in a 2004 Ohio election ballot dispute during which he was accused of deception but not disciplined. Scott R. Miller's attempt to use a middle name he started going by a few months before filing his nominating petition was "an affront to the bar and the electorate," an Ohio Supreme Court justice said. Miller, assistant Burleigh County states attorney since April 2019, ran unsuccessfully for office in Ohio several times in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After losing a Cleveland Municipal Court judge race in 2003, he began "holding himself out as Scott Russo Miller in an attempt to effect a common law name change," according to court documents. He filed a nominating petition for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in 2004 stating that his name was Scott Russo Miller, formerly Scott Ronald Miller. He listed only Scott Russo Miller in a blank asking how his name should appear on the ballot. Russo at that time was the last name of the Cuyahoga county auditor and five county judges. After a protest was filed, the county election board held a hearing and voted 3-0 to strike Miller's middle name of Russo from the ballot. Miller during the hearing said the name change was a way to reflect his Italian heritage but acknowledged that Russo was neither his mother's nor his grandmother's maiden name. He also said he liked the name, the Supreme Court document shows. The board ordered that his name appear on the ballot as Scott Miller. An appeals court sided with the election board after Miller sought to force the use of the name Scott Russo Miller. The Supreme Court of Ohio upheld the appeals court ruling, saying the election board could reasonably infer that Miller intended to deceive Cuyahoga County voters by using the middle name Russo and that the board acted properly in not allowing its use. One justice added in a concurring opinion that Miller failed to show the election boards action was the result of fraud or corruption, or that the board abused its discretion or disregarded the law. The true issue in the case was Millers outrageous behavior, Justice Paul E. Pfeifer said. Millers attempted name change was an affront to the bar and to the electorate, Pfeifer wrote. No disciplinary action arose from the Ohio high courts ruling. Somebody would have had to file a complaint, said Allan Asbury, senior counsel for the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct. Miller told the Tribune that the Ohio case is irrelevant in the current judicial race, which will be decided in the November general election. I do not use the name, and have not for a long time, he said. He was listed on the June primary ballot as Scott R. Miller. Documents for court cases he is prosecuting list him as Scott Ronald Miller. His opponent in November, Bonnie Storbakken, declined comment to the Tribune. Neither candidate has been publicly disciplined in North Dakota, according to information from Supreme Court Clerk Petra Mandigo Hulm, who also serves as secretary/treasurer of the State Board of Law Examiners and secretary of the Disciplinary Board. Lawyers applying for admission to the State Bar go through a character and fitness investigation and are asked to disclose anything in their past -- even traffic tickets. If an attorney applying for admission received any discipline they would have to disclose it, but it would not necessarily keep them from being admitted, Mandigo Hulm said. Miller and Storbakken are vying for the judicial seat vacated by retiring judge Thomas Schneider. Reach Travis Svihovec at 701-250-8260 or Travis.Svihovec@bismarcktribune.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 3 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. 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 MBC Group, the largest and leading media company in the Middle East & North Africa, announces the commencement of MBC Academys programmes. An educational and training platform, MBC Academy was established by the group in support of developing a fully-integrated and vibrant media production industry in Saudi Arabia, as well as the belief in the importance of upskilling Saudi talent across various media sectors. MBC Academy now welcomes applications from Saudis in TV, film, radio, theatre, content production, digital content, photography, music, lighting, editing or comedy. The Academys programmes have been expertly developed internally, and with leading international expertise, to cater to those aspiring to develop their skills, make progress in their career, and potentially win the opportunity to be involved in projects of global magnitude. Leveraging on MBC GROUPs decades-long experience in the Mena media industry, MBC Academys successful applicants will receive intensive, world-class training in media and production, transforming them into distinguished professionals. Prospects will acquire skills to the highest standards in line with international best practices. MBC Group Chairman, Waleed Al-Ibrahim, commented: Here at MBC Group, we believe in telling our own stories; bringing them to the rest of the world. MBC Academy is part of MBC Groups mission to showcase the regions potential, as well as create a more open space for exchanging dialogue and expertise between our region and international entities in similar fields. We believe in investing in our own youth and empowering them with the right skills they need to pursue a thriving and promising career." He continued: Saudi Arabia is home to top-tier talent who has incredibly promising potential. What this talent is missing is a platform to help them reach their full potential, as well as offer them once-in-a-lifetime work experience opportunities not available anywhere else. We cannot wait to provide the space this year for more Saudi youth to achieve their goals and realise their potential. We also cannot wait to showcase to the world what our burgeoning Saudi youth in media is made of. Led by Jana Yamani, executive director of Talent at MBC Group, the Academy will initially focus on three core pillars: Inspiration and Awareness: Focusing on improving the perception of careers in the media and creative industries amongst younger generations, society influencers, and decision makers. Skill development: Increasing the number of world-class media professionals through structured educational and training programmes. Talent management: Connecting talented individuals with local and global opportunities. On her part, Yamani commented: With the major developments occurring in the Saudi media space, as well as in the Kingdom overall, we are witnessing more interest from Saudi youth wanting to pursue a career in media or related creative industries. MBC Academys work revolves around providing an integrated programme that can provide the necessary skills in order to transform promising talent into distinguished professionals who have acquired skills to the highest standards in line with international best practices. The historical success of discovering and upskilling talent within MBC Group has provided an excellent foundation for us to build on with MBC Academy. We believe our value offers a plethora of benefits, including firstly, benefiting from the MBC Groups unrivalled experience that extends over more than three decades in the fields of media and production. Secondly, MBC Academy provides hands-on training opportunities within MBCs studios and departments, working with some of the best in the industry across the region. Last but not least, MBC Academy offers future involvement and management opportunities within the Group for the most promising individuals who have shown great potential." She added: Looking ahead, we will be introducing more initiatives, such as online courses, non-degree programmes, work experience opportunities in Hollywood etc. Stay tuned for further announcements. 2020 Programme MBC Academys 2020 programme is scheduled to welcome its first cohort of successful applicants later this year, with students scheduled to begin training on set at MBC locations pending global conditions from October. This will be followed by a second phase focusing on e-learning courses in various disciplines, such as filmmaking, and screenwriting. The final phase of the programme sees top-performing candidates offered job opportunities within the organisation. - TradeArabia News Service Bringing Voices to life By Paramie Jayakody View(s): View(s): A gainst the backdrop of mental health awareness last month, a recent graduate of Asian International School (AIS), Hemali Rathnaweera released her single titled Voices. A current student of the University of Toronto, double majoring in Economics and Drama, Hemali thinks of any art as a wonderful medium for expression and she hopes to integrate important issues into them that arent talked about enough, in order to create awareness. Voices is a song thats very personal to me as it touches on the topic of mental health. Hemali told us. Personally, the song to me is about anxiety and advice to give yourself when youre going through something like that. Writing the lyrics, I wanted someone who was listening to it to know it was okay. That even though its not spoken about enough in todays society, it exists and there are ways to help ourselves through it. Hemali had always known and understood that music healed, but Voices gave her an opportunity to really deeply understand the concept. The song speaks about the struggles that come with dealing with your innermost thoughts; the voices in your head. Adult or teenage, anyone can struggle with this, she shares. I wrote Voices last year and performed it for the first time at a workshop organized by JAM the Music Society of AIS. Hemali recalls. The final version that people listen to now is the result of collaborations with those whose opinions I value greatly. Hemali further elaborated on how they recorded all the parts separately at Sooriya Village. She recalls with gratitude the help received from Denham Hakel, Natasha Senanayake, and her colleagues from school; Shyalina, Nethmi and Asher, in order to turn Voices into the song it is today. For her, the biggest challenge was really knowing when to let go and accept a final product. One of the most beautiful things about music is our ability to experiment with it. There are so many different ways art can sound, but its important to eventually stick to an interpretation. I found myself listening to different artists and thinking Wow wouldnt that sound great? she said. Performing Voices in itself was a challenge. An extremely personal and emotional song. When youre surrounded by supportive people and you know that there are other people who have felt the same, its a matter of prioritizing those feelings and learning that its okay to be emotive, she said. Despite mental health being a taboo topic, Hemali mentioned that everyone who heard the song, however, whether it be a live performance at an open mic before it was released, or one of the demos made before the final product, was very supportive. In fact, a lot of feedback was positive. Hemali saw that it helped her connect with more people in a way different to anything else. Releasing Voices officially in May, Hemali was surprised with the response. People I had never spoken to before texted me and told me the song had really hit home. That they could relate. What added to this is that the Sri Lankan community is so tightly knit. We all support each other and I think thats amazing and so important, she recalled. The production process of the song wasnt all smooth sailing. Hemali shared with us that due to the situation that arose with the pandemic, communication among the team became a lot more challenging. They managed to persevere and get through the process with online documents, video calls and collaborative tools. On the other hand, quarantine had given her a lot more time to dedicate to writing and shes now in the process of finishing up 3 compositions. I think its important to remember who you are, who you want to be and what you are determined to do in life. When feeling anxious during an interaction, a good reminder is that vulnerability is a way to connect with others. If you find yourself overthinking small things, asking yourself whether itll matter in time really does help, she says. (For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 20:30:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz instructed the army to locate the remains of "Palestinian attackers" held in Israel to use them as "bargaining chip" for captured Israelis in Gaza. Gantz, who is also Israel's alternate prime minister, ordered the military to step up efforts to locate the bodies of "Palestinians killed during attacks against Israelis" whose burials are unknown, the Hebrew-language Ynet news site reported. The move came in the wake of reports on talks over a possible swap deal between Israel and Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian movement and group that runs the Gaza Strip. Israel believes that two Israeli citizens, Avera Mengistu and Hisham a-Seid, who disappeared after willingly crossing to Gaza, are kept in the besieged Palestinian enclave. In addition, Hamas is believed to hold the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, two soldiers killed during Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip in 2014. Israel has been holding bodies of Palestinians as bargaining chips for possible future negotiations. According to B'Tselem, an Israeli-based human rights group, Israel is currently holding bodies of at least 52 Palestinian assailants or whom the army claims attempted such attacks, and is refusing to return them to their families. Enditem UK holiday-makers will soon be able to travel to some countries without quarantining upon return. Photo: S O C I A L . C U T/Unsplash Holiday companies have seen bookings explode as COVID-19 travel restrictions are set to be relaxed next week. According to data and comments collated by the BBC from lastminute.com, tour operator TUI (TUI.L), and the Eurotunnel, bookings have surged since the UK government announced that Brits will be allowed to travel to certain European countries without having to spend two weeks in quarantine upon their return, from 6 July. Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland told the BBC, "we've already seen bookings increase by 50% this week, versus last [week], with holidays to Spain and Greece looking the most popular this summer. Lastminute.com reported an 80% increase on holiday sales compared to last week, attributed to Spain lifting the quarantine for Brits. READ MORE: The top 10 countries Brits will visit once travel restrictions are lifted Spain-holiday.com, the third biggest holiday rental site in Spain, said it experienced record-breaking Saturday sales. Peter Jarvis of Spain-holiday.com, told the Mail Online: Were already seeing a huge increase in online interest in our holiday homes from the UK market, with pool properties being the most popular up 104%. Vigilance is absolutely still needed but with sensible precautions on either end we are confident we will see a safe summer in the sun for Brits again this year. Meanwhile, the Eurotunnel website crashed on Friday as too many customers [were] trying to make a booking, the company said. John Keefe, director of public affairs at Eurotunnel, said phones had been "ringing off the hook." READ MORE: Travel bubbles, air bridges and bilateral discussions international travel in the COVID era However, he added that Eurotunnel saw an increase of bookings weeks ago, suggesting many Brits had already started to "discount the quarantine measures." The full list of travel corridors agreements between countries to let tourists travel without restrictions is set to be announced next week. Story continues Trips to Spain, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Turkey, Germany and Norway are expected to be allowed but not Portugal or Sweden. Travel companies reported their biggest sales ever as holiday-makers rushed to book before the traffic light system letting Brits travel to the safest destinations is announced on 1 July and put into effect on 6 July. The systems will rank how badly countries have been hit by coronavirus, with travel corridors or air bridges opening to green and amber nations. READ MORE: Shocking pictures world slams holiday-goers in Britain's Bournemouth beach Only those travelling to red nations will still have to follow the 14-day quarantine upon return rule, which is enforceable with a 1,000 ($1,233) fine. UK Home Secretary Priti Patel told Sky News: As we see rates of the virus drop with other countries in the world, and also as we see domestic transmission fall, it is right we look at how we facilitate travel and the air corridors, or the travel corridors, that I and my colleagues have spoken about. And a government spokesman told the BBC its measures would give people "the opportunity for a summer holiday abroad" while also boosting the UK economy, but stressed that it "wouldn't hesitate to put on the brakes," if the situation changes. British Airways, a unit of International Consolidated Airlines Group, will cut 350 pilots and put another 300 in a pool for re-hire when needed as part of a deal reached with cockpit crew, The Sun reported. Most of the pilots facing compulsory redundancies worked from Gatwick airport in London, according to the report, which didnt say where the information came from. Captains and first officers who are placed in the pool dont currently have an aircraft to work on and will remain on half-pay, while all other operating flight crew will take a 15% pay cut for now, it said. The carrier has been under fire from unions and members of Parliament over plans to eliminate 12,000 jobs, or about 30% of its staff. The UKs Transport Committee accused the airline of using the crisis as an excuse to shed workers even as the government pays employee wages through a national furlough program. That drew a swift response from IAG Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh, who said, British Airways is fighting for its survival. Like its peers, IAG has been ravaged by the effective shutdown of air travel brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, which is expected to result in $84 billion of losses for global airlines in 2020. It has proposed a pay deal for its flight attendants that would guarantee 80% of current basic salaries while limiting the need for mass job cuts. The Justice Department is warning Americans to be on the lookout for fraudulent face mask exemption cards that bear the agencys logo. The US Attorneys Office in Maine released a statement on its social media feed saying that cards claiming to offer an exemption from wearing face coverings are fake. The office posted an image showing a card that has the Justice Department logo. I am exempt from any ordinance requiring face mask usage in public, the ID reads. The federal government is warning Americans to be on the lookout for fake 'face mask exempt cards' like the one above The Justice Department says that cards bearing the DOJ logo (like the one above) are fake Protesters in New York City wear face masks outside City Hall on Saturday Wearing a face mask poses mental and/or physical risk to me. The ID also has a sentence in bold letters which reads: Under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) I am not required to disclose any medical conditions to you. The card also has a Department of Justice ADA Violation Reporting Number. The 800-phone number listed is the ADA information line. Another exemption that has been making the rounds is one that claims to be from the Freedom to Breathe Agency. There is no government agency which goes by that name. If found in violation of the ADA you could face steep penalties, the card reads. Organizations and businesses can be fined up to $75,000 for your first violation and $150,000 for any subsequent violations. Violating the ADA does carry those penalties, but face masks do not fall under the laws jurisdiction. The Freedom to Breathe Agency has a Facebook page on which it claims to be a movement of proud American citizens who are dedicated to protecting their freedom and liberty. The group also claims that wearing a mask is an unhealthy obstruction of oxygen flow that can lead to hypoxemia and hypoxia, can permanently damage the brain, lungs, heart and about any organ. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (right) defended Donald Trump's decision to not wear a face covering in public during an interview on Sunday in which he claimed the president is tested regularly so wearing a mask isn't necessary We must protect our birth right (sic) to breathe. This is NOT negotiable. FTBA is an agency designed to stop face mask orders from spreading nationwide and globally. These claims are false. In California, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department warned residents last week that cards claiming to exempt the holder from a state order requiring face coverings in public are fake. These postings were not issued by the department and are not endorsed by the department, the county said. The department urges the public not to rely on the information contained in these postings and to visit ada.gov for ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] information issued by the Department. Trump (pictured on June 26 during a meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board) has continued to face mounting bipartisan pressure to set an example for the American people by wearing a face mask Face coverings have become a partisan issue in the United States, where parts of the country are seeing explosive new rises in the number of COVID-19 cases. But there now appears to be a growing consensus in the US that face masks are the most effective way available at the moment to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. President Donald Trump faced mounting bipartisan pressure Sunday to set an example by wearing a face mask, as his health secretary warned the 'window is closing' to gain control of an explosion of infections in conservative-led US states. New coronavirus cases have been surging in more than half of US states, reaching record new highs after months of mitigation efforts applied unevenly across the country and sometimes contradictory messaging from the government. Hardest hit have been southern and western states that pushed for early economic re-openings. But the latest upsurge, pushing the nation's total of declared cases over 2.5 million and its death toll past 125,000, has prompted a growing chorus of calls for much tougher rules and enforcement. 'This is a very, very serious situation and the window is closing for us to take action and get this under control,' Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on CNN. Azar was asked why Trump has refused to set an example by wearing a protective mask in public - even when standing next to mask-wearing health advisers - and reiterated the White House explanation that the president is tested daily and is 'in a unique position' as a world leader. But many Republicans who are normally reluctant to criticize the president have been calling more insistently for mask use, with some urging a clearer example from the nation's leader. 'If wearing masks is important, and all the health experts tell us that it is... it would help if from time to time the president would wear one to help us get rid of this political debate that says if you're for Trump, you don't wear a mask, if you're against Trump, you do,' Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said Sunday on CNN. In some areas, mask-wearing has taken on a political edge rather than being seen as a straightforward health choice. Among Republicans calling strongly for mask-wearing are Senator Marco Rubio of Florida - which has set daily records of new COVID-19 cases; Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; and Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, another state that has seen a major uptick in cases after moving aggressively to reopen its economy. In Phoenix, Governor Doug Ducey wore a mask on Thursday when he warned fellow Arizonans that 'we are getting hit hard right now.' The best defense against COVID-19, he told local media, is to wear protective masks. 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 US court's espionage ruling unfair: Chinese prof's family Global Times By Bai Yunyi Source:Global Times Published: 2020/6/27 21:53:40 The family of Zhang Hao, a Chinese professor from Tianjin University arrested in May 2015 by the US and charged with economic espionage, said the US justice system is unfair, after a federal judge convicted Zhang of economic espionage on Friday. The court rejected evidence presented by Chinese lawyers, a Zhang's family member told the Global Times on Saturday. The family member said the sentencing hearing will be held on August 31, and Zhang faces a jail term of between 40 and 50 months. The family is fighting for a shorter sentence, he said. A federal judge convicted Zhang on Friday of economic espionage, stealing trade secrets and engaging in a conspiracy for the benefit of the Chinese government after a four-day trial, US media reported. The decision came five years since Zhang, then 36, was arrested when he landed at Los Angeles International Airport to attend an international academic conference. The invitation to the conference was reportedly a trap set by the FBI. US prosecutors said Zhang stole secrets from two companies, Skyworks Solutions, based in Massachusetts, and Avago Technologies, based in California, media reported. A source familiar with the case told the Global Times that Zhang's company, ROFS Microsystem, filed a lawsuit in Tianjin in September 2017 against Apple for intellectual property infringement. The suit came after ROFS found their patent technologies being used in filter chips sold to Apple in 2016 by Avago Technologies, now combined into US chipmaker Broadcom Inc. Zhang and his colleague Pang Wei were charged with stealing Avago technology when they worked in the US and brought it to Tianjin University and ROFS. But the source said Zhang and Pang obtained patents for seven technologies in the US and 200 others after they returned to China, which were being used in filter chips Avago sold to Apple. Zhang was released on $50,000 bail on July 29, 2015, but has not been allowed to leave California. His wife previously told the Global Times that he was under great psychological pressure, and his health declined. Zhang is only allowed freedom of activity from 7 am to 9 pm in northern California, and has to wear a monitoring device. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Global coronavirus cases neared 10 million on Sunday according to a Reuters tally, marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months. The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organisation. The milestone will come as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last for a year or more until a vaccine is available. Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into 2021. North America, Latin America and Europe each account for around 25% of cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11% and 9% respectively, according to the Reuters tally, which uses government reports. There have been more than 497,000 fatalities linked to the disease so far, roughly the same as the number of influenza deaths reported annually. The first cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed on Jan. 10 in Wuhan in China, before infections and fatalities surged in Europe, then the United States, and later Russia. The pandemic has now entered a new phase, with India and Brazil battling outbreaks of over 10,000 cases a day, putting a major strain on resources. The two countries accounted for over a third of all new cases in the past week. Brazil reported a record 54,700 new cases on June 19. Some researchers said the death toll in Latin America could rise to over 380,000 by October, from around 100,000 this week. The total number of cases continued to increase at a rate of between 1-2% a day in the past week, down from rates above 10% in March. Countries including China, New Zealand and Australia have seen new outbreaks in the past month, despite largely quashing local transmission. In Beijing, where hundreds of new cases were linked to an agricultural market, testing capacity has been ramped up to 300,000 a day. The United States, which has reported the most cases of any country at more than 2.5 million, managed to slow the spread of the virus in May, only to see it expand in recent weeks to rural areas and other places that were previously unaffected. In some countries with limited testing capabilities, case numbers reflect a small proportion of total infections. Roughly half of reported infections are known to have recovered. Also read: World Bank approves $350 million loan to Ukraine to mitigate COVID-19 economic impact The rapid spread of coronavirus has had a massive impact on many sectors of the global economy, with tourism being among the hardest hit. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) are joining forces to boost the recovery of the tourism sector across the 38 economies where the bank invests. According to analysis by UNWTO, all worldwide destinations introduced restrictions on travel in response to Covid-19 an unprecedented act. While some destinations are starting to ease restrictions, the crisis is far from over and this lockdown has led to a massive fall in international tourist arrivals. In light of such unprecedented events, the EBRD and UNWTO have agreed to take immediate action to facilitate the recovery of tourism. The support is currently envisaged for a number of countries, including Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The immediate response was designed along the three pillars of the UNWTOs Tourism Recovery Technical Assistance Package. It includes measurement of the impact of Covid-19, recovery plans with incentives to revive the tourism sector, protocols to ensure the enhanced safety, hygiene and security of tourists and employees, marketing of measures that can boost tourism demand, capacity-building for tourism officials and training for tourism sector enterprises in adopting the new protocols. A key element is to preserve human capital as well as to adapt and strengthen inclusion. The two organisations are longstanding partners and signed a first Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in 2015, which they renewed in 2019. This cooperation expands the existing partnership and builds on the UNWTOs recently adopted Covid-19 Tourism Recovery Technical Assistance Package, which includes three pillars through which the organisation plans to assist the sector: 1) economic recovery, 2) marketing and promotion and 3) institutional strengthening and the building of resilience. The EBRD is committing all of its activity in 2020-21 to helping its regions counter the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with investment expected to reach up to 21 billion. The Bank will target all sectors of the economy, including tourism and hospitality which were particularly affected by the Covid-19 crisis. - TradeArabia News Service Fans are eager to see how Brittany and Yazans love story plays out on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way. After seeing Yazans reaction to Brittanys arrival in Jordan with alcohol, many viewers are already on the hunt for spoilers and signs about the status of their relationship. They both walked in with issues, and some of those problems extend to the in-laws, specifically Yazans parents. Brittany and Yazan | TLC Brittany is single but shes not As fans know, Brittany came into the show with a secret. Not only was she married before, but her divorce was never handled because her husband was deported back to Haiti. This all played out on the show. When Brittany spoke with her attorney about the issue, viewers learned she and her first hubby met as teens. He lived in the U.S. his entire life but entered the country on a visa. He was deported before she could file the paperwork, and the lawyer told her it could be a up to a year before the divorce is finalized. Shes keeping that detail from Yazan and his family. So far on the show, Yazan believes she is a divorced woman. Will Brittany and Yazan be able to get past their differences? The tension is rising on #90DayFiance: The Other Way, tune in Monday at 9/8c! pic.twitter.com/y7AvbwW9k4 TLC Network (@TLC) June 25, 2020 RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way: Brittany Banks Opens Up About Her Past Relationships Brittany spills on why she hid the truth about her marriage While the audience is curious about whether Brittany will stick with Yazan (some think hes controlling), some wonder if he will break things off once he learns about her marital status. Well have to keep watching, but we can chew on Brittanys explanation for not being open about her divorce. She recently chatted with PeopleTV and host Daryn Carp asked her why she withheld that information. Brittany admitted she was not completely transparent, but she had her reasons. She talked about her first trip to Jordan to meet Yazans parents. When I went the first time to spend time to get to know him, they were asking probing questions about you know my life and stuff which I thought was normal. You probably would experience that in any relationship if you go visit the parents or whatever, she said. I didnt realize the reason they were probing all these questions was because they wanted to kind of push the marriage thing. So when I said to themYeah, Im done with my ex; hes my ex-husband, I wasnt realizing at that time they were trying to calculate a marriage. Brittany said she didnt feel like she purposely lied, but she just thought it was none of their business. Some fans think they should split Fans are divided about Brittany and Yazans relationship, but after seeing how he behaved at the airport, many want Brittany to leave him behind. She even said he reminded her of her ex, and that wasnt a compliment. On Reddit, one person wrote, When you are in the airport parking lot and the relationship has already gone south; time to do an about face and go home. Others agreed Yazan shouldnt speak to women the way he spoke to Brittany. On the flip side, there are some viewers who think Brittany is only on the show for fame, and their relationship isnt real. Time will tell on and off camera if these two are really together and in marital bliss. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Brittany Banks Calls Out Yazan for Cheating on Her with Fans and Doing Drugs SKY News yesterday issued a statement online: An editorial which aired during the Credlin program on Friday 26 June at 6pm AEST, incorrectly linked Melbournes South Sudanese community to a COVID-19 outbreak. Peta Credlin and SKY News Australia accept these comments were inaccurate and sincerely apologise for any offence caused by the remarks which have been removed from all platforms. Peta Credlin will also address this issue on her program on Monday 29 June at 6pm AEST. During her editorial, Peta Credlin reportedly blamed Melbournes recent spike in COVID-19 cases on the South Sudanese community. Pedestrian TV reports Credlin claimed poorly-assimilated migrants from the South Sudanese community had ignored social distancing by having an end-of-Ramadan feast. The comments were condemned by Melbourne-based Centre for Migrant and Refugee Health and Society of South Sudanese Professionals (SSSPA), which pointed out the 90% of the South Sudanese community in Victoria are Christian. The White House has denied that President Donald Trump was briefed on intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan. The rewards were purportedly incentives to the guerrillas to target US forces, as Trump tries to withdraw troops from the conflict-torn country -- one of the militants' key demands -- and end America's longest war. The claim was first reported by The New York Times on Friday. The newspaper, citing anonymous officials, said Trump was briefed on the findings in March, but has not decided how to respond. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Saturday that "neither the president nor the vice president were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence." But she left open the possibility that such intelligence existed. "This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter," McEnany said. However, her denial that Trump was aware of the matter was met with skepticism from Washington's national security fraternity. "The idea that Trump wouldn't be briefed on Russia putting a bounty on US troops is even crazier than him being briefed and doing nothing," Ben Rhodes, a former national security aide to Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter. The Taliban have denied the report, reiterating that they were committed to an accord signed with Washington in February that paves the way for withdrawing all foreign forces from Afghanistan by next year. The militants also said homemade explosives account for most fatalities among US forces. "The 19-year jihad of the Islamic Emirate is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country," the Taliban said in a statement issued in Kabul. The group, widely believed to have received years of support from Pakistani intelligence, also denied previous US accusations it was given arms by Russia. "The Islamic Emirate has made use of weapons, facilities and tools ... that were already present in Afghanistan or are war spoils frequently seized from the opposition in battles," it said. Russia has also denounced the report, with its embassy in Washington tweeting that the "baseless and anonymous accusations" in the Times story had "already led to direct threats to the life of employees" at its embassies in Washington and London. "Stop producing #fakenews that provoke life threats, @nytimes," it added in a later tweet. - Tortured history - Russia has a tortured history in Afghanistan, where the former Soviet Union in its final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamist guerrillas, then backed by Washington. The New York Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban attacks, including a desire to keep Washington bogged down in war. It said Russia may also be seeking revenge over the US killing of Russian mercenaries in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad. According to the newspaper, the Taliban operation was led by a unit known as the GRU, which has been blamed in numerous international incidents including a 2018 chemical weapons attack in Britain that nearly killed Russian-born double agent Sergei Skripal. Search Keywords: Short link: Le Thi Trang, 34, deputy director of GreenViet, has been honored as one of 10 Hotspot Heroes by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). She is the only Vietnamese woman named in the CEPFs list. When she was a student at the Da Nang University of Science and Technology, Trang participated in many investigations on endangered wildlife trafficking in Da Nang City and six provinces in the central region. After school graduation, Trang did not choose a job in environmental technology as she was trained. She studied the activities of poaching and trading wild animals and joined forces with agencies to organize media campaigns to heighten the communitys awareness of wildlife protection. In 2013, she decided to work for GreenViet. Trang and her co-workers have been designing and implementing a lot of media campaigns to bring knowledge about wildlife to the community. Starting with the campaign on protecting red shanked douc langurs on Son Tra Peninsula, Trang and volunteers printed propaganda panels, putting the images of red shanked douc families at bus shelters in the city to better catch peoples attention. Trang noted that though the communitys awareness of wildlife protection has increased, wildlife trafficking continues because the demand for wildlife meat still exists. She believes that education, especially of students, is the best solution to improve peoples awareness and change their behavior. Trangs team has carried out extracurricular teaching activities about nature conservation with the theme "child scientists" at secondary schools. They take children to Son Tra to learn about the peninsula and the red shanked doucs there; and organize photo exhibitions and seminars on biodiversity conservation. The I love Son Tra program organized by Trang helps Da Nangs people and travelers see the beauty of Son Tra and the value of local biodiversity. The I love Son Tra program organized by Trang helps Da Nangs people and travelers see the beauty of Son Tra and the value of local biodiversity. Trang, together with GreenViet, has helped create one of the most successful wildlife conservation stories the campaign of saving Son Tra from uncontrolled tourism development. The campaign is believed to have saved a high number of red shanked douc, a species which is in danger of extinction, and has urged people to join the wildlife conservation movement. Not only has she made every effort to protect the green lung of Da Nang, Trang also has implemented projects in Quang Nam and Kon Tum. Her projects aim to call for peoples participation in works to protect wild animals and build nature reserves. They urge people to protect forests and not hunt wild animals. Le Ha Grey-shanked douc langurs on Son Tra peninsula Visiting Son Tra Peninsula these days, holidaymakers have the chance to see with their own eyes the everyday life of grey-shanked douc langurs one of the worlds critically endangered primates. 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. Flower grower Ruz and his wife Tajinisa weigh rose petals used for making rose sauce at a village in Hotan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 6, 2018. People in the village are good at making rose sauce, and that is an important source of income for them. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) It is an old trick for the US to use amateur "actors" to play victims and smear the vocational education and training centers in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Zhang Xiao, Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan, told the Global Times, responding to the US Embassy in Kazakhstan's recent attempt to release stories on its website and social media accounts, claiming they are "interviews" from people or relatives of those who have been mistreated in Xinjiang. The series of stories as well as the recent Uygur bill signed by the US President Donald Trump last week, attempts to "hype up" the topic of Xinjiang, interfere with China's domestic affairs, creates obstacles for harmony in Xinjiang among the region's ethnic groups, restricts the region's economic development and stability, and sows unnecessary discord between China and its Central Asian neighbors, Ambassador Zhang said. The stories, titled "Voices from Xinjiang," are from those who claim they or their relatives were detained in "training centers" in Xinjiang; for example, one woman, named Bikamal, now based in Kazakhstan, claims her husband is being detained in "camps" in Xinjiang. Ambassador Zhang clarified that Bikamal's husband, Adelhaze, was actually sentenced to prison for nine years in December 2019 by the Intermediate People's Court in Karamay for encouraging acts of extremist terrorism and disturbing the region's social order. In fact, Adelhaze was found acquiring, storing, and spreading a large number of video and audio files which encouraged terrorism and religious extremism, violating China's Criminal Law. Bikamal claimed her husband was detained in a "camp," but the fact is her husband is serving his prison sentence, and was never in any training center. Bikamal and her husband were never fined for having more than two children, and US Embassy's propaganda is "full of lies, without a single sentence of truth," Ambassador Zhang said, noting that it updated "my knowledge of its [the US'] bottom line." For a long time, the US has crowned itself as defenders of human rights, falsely pretending to care about Muslims from around the world; however, it has only stained the world with Muslim mistreatment. For example, after the Cold War, the US has taken its military operations to many Muslim countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Iran, bringing pain and suffering to Muslims (and non-Muslims) around the world. In fact, the majority of those individuals detained and tortured in Guantanamo Bay are Muslims, Zhang noted. The current US administration, since it took office in 2016, only continued to block those wishing to enter the US from Muslim countries, and its policies reflect the country's anti-Muslim agenda, vigorously trampling international laws. It's hard to believe that a country that is so very anti-Muslim would truly argue that it cares about the human rights of Muslims in Xinjiang, several thousands of miles away. With its domestic failure of dealing with COVID-19, and endless protests and social disputes, the US has ramped up its efforts to cover Xinjiang-related topics in an attempt to shift its troubles from domestic issues to blaming China, distracting the public's attention, Zhang noted. The Chinese government's moves to curb terrorism and extremism have earned the support of people from all ethnic groups in Xinjiang as well as across the country; and they also benefit those countries in Central Asia, as well as the international community, the Ambassador said. In fact, there have not been any violent attacks in Xinjiang for nearly three years, and with only three deaths related to COVID-19 among the region's 24 million people, there is clear evidence that the region has been developing, and its people's health is guaranteed. "No matter how hard the US hypes up topics related to Xinjiang, it can never change the Chinese government's resolution to crack down on terrorism and extremism; it can never impede China's development, nor can it drive a wedge between China and Central Asian countries. It can only hurt itself," Ambassador Zhang said. Leave it to Khloe Kardashian to throw an epic, quarantine-era birthday bash at home. More snippets from Khloe's festivities were posted onto Instagram, showing the birthday girl practically wrestling her sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner. At one point, things got a little haywire as Khloe threw her high heel across the room. Birthday fun: Khloe Kardashian found herself in the middle of a wrestling war with her sisters Kourtney and Kendall Jenner on Saturday night while celebrating her 36th birthday The beauty appeared to be trying to stop Kourtney and Kendall, 24, from leaving the event in the early hours of Sunday morning. While a new brunette Khloe laid on the couch, she was seen pulling and tugging at Kendall as she attempted to leave. The birthday girl was lying on top of Kourtney, who was attempting to stop Khloe from hurting her younger sibling. But it was all fun and games with the famous sisters laughing throughout the ordeal while Kylie Jenner filmed. Holding her down: Khloe was lying on top of her petite framed sibling, Kourtney Enough fun: The battle appeared to be because Kourtney and Kendall wanted to leave her birthday bash She's out! Kendall appeared thrilled when she was finally set free No more shoes! Things continued to get out of control when Khloe opted to throw a heel across the room. Kris Jenner's boyfriend, Corey Gamble, watched on and appeared to be confused on how he could help. Things continued to get out of control when Khloe opted to throw a heel across the room. Kris Jenner's boyfriend, Corey Gamble, watched on and appeared to be confused on how he could help. And it wasn't long after the sister wrestle that Kendall and Kourtney managed to get free, running out of Khloe's party to go home. Other videos showcased the the Good American founder drinking champagne from the bottle while Kourtney was running around in a hot pink bikini. Running away: And it wasn't long after the sister wrestle that Kendall and Kourtney managed to get free, running out of Khloe's party to go home Fun! Other videos showcased the the Good American founder drinking champagne from the bottle while Kourtney was running around in a hot pink bikini Dressing up for Khloe: The event also saw momager Kris Jenner pose up a storm while celebrating her third eldest child's special day A camera crew was seen filming the event, possibly for an upcoming season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. The event also saw momager Kris Jenner pose up a storm while celebrating her third eldest child's special day. 'Dressed up in honor of @khloekardashian birthday!!! Thank you @etienneortega and @leajourno for reminding me how a little flam feels! #haventwornadressinmonths #happybirthdaykhloe #itstilltakesavillage,' she captioned. Cake time! Earlier in the evening, Khloe was presented with an epic birthday cake and blew out her candles with True on her lap Friendly: Tristan Thompson penned an incredibly heartfelt message about his 'beautiful and loving' ex-girlfriend Khloe Kardashian, on her 36th birthday Incredible: The birthday girl was treated to a personalised cake from PrettyLittleThing Celebrating: The 29-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers, who shares his two-year-old daughter True with the reality star, gushed that his former flame has shown him 'what it means to be an incredible person' Loved: As she rang in another year of life, Khloe appeared overjoyed, as a number of over-the-top floral arrangements, pink balloon displays and cakes rolled in from loved ones As Khloe rang in another year of life, Khloe appeared overjoyed, as a number of over-the-top floral arrangements, pink balloon displays and cakes rolled in from loved ones. In addition to the sea of pink balloons and donuts that arrived on Friday, she continued to share glimpses of gifts she has received to her 114 million Instagram followers. Delicious: Among her goodies were two massive cakes, one that spelled out, 'Happy Birthday Khloe' and another that had pictures and daughter True printed on it Among her goodies were two massive cakes, one that spelled out, 'Happy Birthday Khloe' and another that had pictures of her and True printed on it. The sweet dessert from PrettyLittleThing was frosted with pastel pink and ivory icing and butterflies. She also received an epic arrangement in the shape of a heart from her best friend Malika. Birthday: The stunning reality star uploaded footage of her two-year-old daughter True playing in a sea of pink balloons The night before, she shared adorable footage of her mini-me playing with her birthday balloons. True appeared to be the most excited about the display of heart-shaped balloons, as she tugged down on the strings and giggled. The Good American founder's tot looked adorable in a floral patterned leotard, white birkenstocks and her beautiful curls swept into two buns. Wow: The night before, she shared adorable footage of her mini-me playing with one of her many birthday balloons arrangements Tristan's post comes in the wake amid growing rumors of reconciliation, while they continue to co-parent under lockdown. Khloe and Tristan split up for good last year, after it was revealed the Cleveland Cavaliers player shared a kiss with former family friend Jordyn Woods. The couple had already overcome another cheating scandal by the time the transgression occurred, while she was still pregnant with True in 2018. 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 Doctor Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, Director of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases (left) and U.K. Ambassador Gareth Ward to Vietnam (right) during the ambassador's hospital visit, June 26, 2020. Photo courtesy of the hospital. Ambassador Gareth Ward thanked medics during his visit to HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases for diligently treating Patient 91 over 63 days. Ward said Friday he was extremely confident in the expertise and ethics of medical staff at the hospital, one of the frontline forces in Vietnams fight against Covid-19. The ambassador and Consul General Ian Gibbons also visited the hospital testing department, which has performed over 15,000 PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests to identify the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of pathogens that help determine if a person is Covid-19 positive. During peak periods, department staff performed nearly 1,000 tests per day. Ambassador Ward said he hoped both Vietnam and the U.K. would work more closely together to continue providing better health care for both British and Vietnamese citizens. The 43-year-old British pilot, Vietnams most critically ill Covid-19 patient, was thought to not survive at times. He spent over two months at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases before being transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in the same city after having shaken off the novel coronavirus. He is currently in good health and can eat without the need of medical intervention. His limb muscle strength and respiratory functions have returned. He can breathe, sit up on his own and walk a few steps on his own with the aid of a supporting frame. In May, the Health Ministry considered a lung transplant for the British pilot as his condition at the time proved much more severe. Computed tomography scan results showed fibrosis had solidified most of his lungs, making him reliant on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) to survive. But as his condition progressed, his lungs slowly healed, meaning he no longer needs the transplant. The patient's insurance company reportedly paid VND3.5 billion ($150,700) for his treatment at the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Laroy Battle (pictured in mugshot) was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in a June 20th shooting Two teenage boys were shot dead on Chicago's South Side after asking the alleged gunman how tall he is while buying candy from a local store. Jasean Francis, 17, Charles Riley, 16, and another teenager went into a convenience store on June 20 and encountered 19-year-old Laroy Battle. The three boys reportedly noticed Battle's height and commented that they hoped to be that tall someday. They were later walking home from the convenience store when Battle allegedly approached them and opened fire. Deputy Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan told CBS 2: 'These individuals were with their friend. Theyd just gone to a mall. They know the neighborhood. They dont ever go out to the neighborhood because its so dangerous,' Francis was shot in the chest, back and left hand, while Riley was hit in the back and left leg. Scroll Down For Video Friends Charles Riley (left) and Jasean Francis (right) were shot dead on June 20 in Chicago, Illinois, after asking the alleged gunman how tall he was They were taken to the University of Chicago Hospital where they both later succumbed to their injuries. The third teenager managed to escape and his identity was not disclosed by police. Authorities recovered nine shell casings from the scene. 'None of it makes sense,' said Deenihan. CCTV surveillance footage shared by the Chicago Police Department showed Battle limping into the convenience store and approaching the counter. Minutes later, the three teenage boys arrive and can be seen stepping through the entrance. The Chicago Police Department said they were eventually able to identify Battle (pictured in CCTV footage) with tips from community members Footage then cuts to Battle sprinting down an alleyway near where he allegedly discarded a gun in a garbage can. 'The security cameras from the area were able to show the offender discarding a gun in the garbage can and then Battle was eventually found hiding out in a motel,' said Deenihan. Battle was arrested without incident and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the double homicide. He was denied bond. Deputy Chief Deenihan said the community was pivotal in identifying and locating Battle, who was found by the Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force in Schiller Park. KMOV4 reports that Battle cut off his hair to change his appearance after spotting a video of himself on social media. Authorities said he has a previous conviction for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Battle has not revealed why he allegedly committed the murders, stumping local law enforcement and Deenihan. Pictured: Surveillance footage shows Battle inside the Chicago convenience store on June 20 before Jasean and Charles were shot CCTV footage captured the moment Battle (pictured) sprinted down an alleyway after allegedly shooting the two teenagers 'There was no altercation. There was nothing that would have set off Battle to be angry at these kids,' said Deenihan, who added that they did not know each other. 'He is about 63, 64, and they literally just asked him how tall he was because he is extremely tall.' The family of the two victims are devastated. Jasean's aunt Keena Hoyle said: 'He was nice to seniors on the block. The nurses looked forward to him coming over there daily. 'They brought over to the family roses. They watched him grow up as a child.' A woman named Rae Simone identified herself as Jasean's sibling on Facebook and shared several heartbreaking tributes. 'Not in a Million Years did I Think Ill Be Having To Lay My Brother To Rest. This I Dont Understand. This I Have No Words For,' she wrote. 'Im My Brothers Keeper. Im His Super Hero Sister That Save The Day. Im His Protector And This Time I Feel As If I Failed. Im Just Sitting Here Waiting On Him To Call And Say That Wasnt Him Or Im On My Way Home. 'Im Still Siting Her Waiting On Him To Call And Say ":Come Pick Me Up. Can I Ride With You?" Im Still Waiting On Him To Mispronounce My Name. Im Sitting Her Ready To Pick Argument With Ja-Sean About Cayln. 'Im Still Her Waiting To See Him Just Walk Through The Living Room Door Or Ja-Sean Asking Me Where My Car? 'My Brother My Baby My Son You Left Me Too Soon . Im So Confused.' Family members shared tributes of Jasean on Facebook after news spread of his untimely death two weeks ago Rae Simone: 'Not in a Million Years did I Think Ill Be Having To Lay My Brother To Rest. This I Dont Understand. This I Have No Words For' Friends and family of the victims attended a prayer vigil held Friday night near the scene of the shooting. A balloon release was held at Thomas Hoyne Elementary School, where Jasean studied in his childhood, and was attended by several community members. Simone further admonished the 'senseless' acts of violence against her brother and Charles by calling for gun violence to end. 'These boys were wonderful kids. They did not deserve what happen to them,' wrote Simone. 'Senseless. We really appreciate each and every one of you. Please stop this violence! Put the guns down Chicago.' A prayer vigil and balloon release was held to honor Jasean and other gun violence victims who recently died in Chicago Pictured: a small memorial was created to honor Jasean after he was killed two weeks ago Last weekend, 78 Chicago residents were shot and 11 died, including small children. A three-year-old boy was shot dead on June 20 while driving in a car with his stepfather. The stepfather was grazed by a bullet, but the young child was hit in the back and died after being rushed to a local hospital. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot condemned the crime, telling the suspects 'they had no shelter to hide.' 'Our citys collective heart breaks to hear the unfathomable news of a 3-year-old boy who was shot and killed tonight on Chicagos West Side. There are simply no words to describe such a heinous, unconscionable act of cowardice to shoot at a toddler. 'A 3-year-old boy who had his whole life ahead of him. To the despicable individuals responsible for this senseless act of violence, you have no place in this city, no home in our communities, no shelter to hide.' A Chicago 7-Eleven store is pictured after it was looted and its windows smashed on May 31 According to the Chicago-Sun Times, overall crime in Chicago fell 20 per cent in May 2020 compared to the same time last year. But police data showed murders spiked as much as 60 per cent and shooting victims increased by 71 per cent. In May, there were 409 shooting victims and 85 murders, compared to the 332 shooting victims and 53 deaths last year. From January to May, there were a total of 1,127 shooting victims in Chicago. During anti-racism protests over the May 30 weekend, authorities said they arrested more than 1,200 people, made 62 gun arrests and recovered 135 guns. Chicago also said its deadliest day in 60 years on May 31 when 18 people were killed in a 24 hour span. The previous record was when 13 people died on August 4, 1991. The victims included a high school student, a local college freshman and a father. 'Weve never seen anything like it at all,' Max Kapustin, the senior research director at the crime lab, said. 'I dont even know how to put it into context. Its beyond anything that weve ever seen before.' Ireland's newly-appointed Rural Affairs Minister, Heather Humphreys, has said that she doesn't think there's any concern about a lack of regional balance in the new cabinet. Taoiseach Michael Martin hasn't appointed anyone from Connacht, the Southeast, or the Northwest to any the top jobs in his new cabinet. Nine of the fifteen ministers come from Dublin and the neighbouring counties of Meath and Wicklow. But speaking on Newstalk this afternoon, Minister Heather Humphreys insisted there is a good regional spread in the new cabinet: Im satisfied that the border region and the west are well-represented. Of course there are a good number of cabinet ministers from the city, but at the end of the day that was a decision that had to be made in terms of putting the right people into the right jobs, and I think that thats important too. However, one rural TD has expressed concern at how the west of Ireland can be suitably represented by a cabinet made up of a majority of urban ministers. Galway East's Sean Canney says there needs to be an emphasis on regional fairness within the new government: "The idea that the west of Ireland can be represented from within the pale, it is worrying. Coupled with the fact that the department of community and rural development have been demoted and mixed in with another department. I have a serious concern as to what voice we will have when the money that will be there, and obviously the limited funds that will be there, how the West and how the regions will fare, he said. Galway East TD Sean Canney believes that the West of Ireland could be underrepresented in the new Government. "We want to make sure that the West of Ireland and the regions from Donegal down to Kerry, again you look at Waterford, Wexford, no representation, Louth, no representation. "We have too much of a concentration in my mind, of senior ministers in the Dublin Wicklow, Meath area, and down in Cork - theres three in one area in Cork," he added There has also been reaction to the total number of women who will be part of the new cabinet. Just four of the fifteen ministers appointed to cabinet yesterday are women. Orla O'Connor, Director of The National Women's Council of Ireland says there's no excuse for including so many men in government: The fact is, women make up over half the population and theres absolutely no reason why at senior level, whether in politics or at all sectors of society, that women need to be in those places in order to reflect the society we live in. So its critically important that the government make this a priority, and that all of the Ministers do, in terms of their roles. The FDIC's official problem bank list is comprised of banks with a CAMELS rating of 4 or 5, and the list is not made public (just the number of banks and assets every quarter). Note: Bank CAMELS ratings are also not made public. CAMELS is the FDIC rating system, and stands for Capital adequacy, Asset quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity and Sensitivity to market risk. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 1 being the strongest. As a substitute for the CAMELS ratings, surferdude808 is using publicly announced formal enforcement actions, and also media reports and company announcements that suggest to us an enforcement action is likely, to compile a list of possible problem banks in the public interest. DISCLAIMER: This is an unofficial list, the information is from public sources and while deemed to be reliable is not guaranteed. No warranty or representation, expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy of the information contained herein and same is subject to errors and omissions. This is not intended as investment advice. Please contact CR with any errors. Here is the unofficial problem bank list for June 2020. Here are the monthly changes and a few comments from surferdude808: Update on the Unofficial Problem Bank List for June 2020. During the month, the list dropped by one to 64 institutions after three removals and two additions. Assets increased by $3.9 billion to $52.4 billion, with all of the increase centered in updated quarterly financials that added $4.2 billion. A year ago, the list held 73 institutions with assets of $55.0 billion. Added this month was The Fowler State Bank, Fowler, KS ($81 million) and Towanda State Bank, Towanda, KS ($11 million). Removals through merger included KEB Hana Bank USA, National Association, Fort Lee, NJ ($243 million); Ben Franklin Bank of Illinois, Arlington Heights, IL ($97 million); and First Citizens Bank of Polson, National Association, Polson, MT ($17 million), which made its appearance on the first list we published way back in 2009. This month the OCC did not release a public update on its enforcement action activity. Usually, the OCC releases an update on the first Thursday after the 15th of a month. The last update from the OCC was on May 21st. The FDIC provided first quarter results and an update on the Official Problem Bank List on June 16th. In that release, the FDIC said there were 54 institutions with assets of $44.5 billion on the official list. With the conclusion of the second quarter, we bring an updated transition matrix to detail how banks are transitioning off the Unofficial Problem Bank List. Since we first published the Unofficial Problem Bank List on August 7, 2009 with 389 institutions, 1,765 institutions have appeared on a weekly or monthly list since then. Only 3.1 percent of the banks that have appeared on a list remain today as 1,701 institutions have transitioned through the list. Departure methods include 1,002 action terminations, 410 failures, 270 mergers, and 19 voluntary liquidations. Of the 389 institutions on the first published list, only 4 or 1.0 percent, still have a troubled designation more than ten years later. The 410 failures represent 23.2 percent of the 1,765 institutions that have made an appearance on the list. This failure rate is well above the 10-12 percent rate frequently cited in media reports on the failure rate of banks on the FDIC's official list. Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. As with many other companies Indonesia Energy Corporation Limited (NYSEMKT:INDO) makes use of debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating? When Is Debt Dangerous? Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Of course, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest at high rates of return. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together. View our latest analysis for Indonesia Energy What Is Indonesia Energy's Debt? The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Indonesia Energy had US$3.11m in debt in December 2019; about the same as the year before. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$12.2m in cash, so it actually has US$9.14m net cash. AMEX:INDO Historical Debt June 28th 2020 How Healthy Is Indonesia Energy's Balance Sheet? According to the last reported balance sheet, Indonesia Energy had liabilities of US$2.74m due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$2.22m due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of US$12.2m and US$350.7k worth of receivables due within a year. So it actually has US$7.63m more liquid assets than total liabilities. It's good to see that Indonesia Energy has plenty of liquidity on its balance sheet, suggesting conservative management of liabilities. Because it has plenty of assets, it is unlikely to have trouble with its lenders. Simply put, the fact that Indonesia Energy has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Indonesia Energy's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts. Story continues Over 12 months, Indonesia Energy made a loss at the EBIT level, and saw its revenue drop to US$4.2m, which is a fall of 29%. That makes us nervous, to say the least. So How Risky Is Indonesia Energy? We have no doubt that loss making companies are, in general, riskier than profitable ones. And we do note that Indonesia Energy had negative earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), over the last year. And over the same period it saw negative free cash outflow of US$985k and booked a US$1.7m accounting loss. While this does make the company a bit risky, it's important to remember it has net cash of US$9.14m. That means it could keep spending at its current rate for more than two years. Overall, its balance sheet doesn't seem overly risky, at the moment, but we're always cautious until we see the positive free cash flow. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 4 warning signs with Indonesia Energy , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay. 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. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. The Brazilian government announced on Saturday an agreement with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to produce a promising coronavirus vaccine that is undergoing tests. Brazilian Health Ministry authorities said in a press conference that the country will pay USD 127 million and receive material to produce 30.4 million doses in two batches in December and January, which would allow it to quickly start inoculation efforts if the vaccine is certified to be safe and effective. The total deal is for 100 million vaccines for a country of about 210 million residents. It will be produced by local vaccine maker Fiocruz. The first to get the Oxford shot would be high-risk groups such as the elderly, people with comorbidities and health and security professionals. Arnaldo Correia de Medeiros, secretary of health surveillance, said distribution will be fast because of Brazil's public health care system. This country has extensive experience in extremely fast vaccination , he said. British researchers started testing the experimental shot in May aiming to immunize more than 10,000 people, including older people and children. The vaccine is one of about a dozen in the early stages of human testing. Brazil, where coronavirus infections are still on the rise, counts more than 1 million confirmed cases and more than 55,900 fatalities. Vijay Rangarajan, the British ambassador to Brazil, told The Associated Press on Tuesday the vaccine maker has the capacity to produce 2 billion doses in its first batch, which is expected by the end of the year. But much of that global production is already purchased. On May 21, the United States announced a deal for at least 300 million doses of the Oxford shot and committed up to USD 1.2 billion to the effort. On June 13, AstraZeneca agreed to supply up to 400 million doses of the experimental vaccine to European Union nations. Other negotiations are ongoing with Russia and Japan, among other countries, the company's CEO said this month. Another experimental vaccine in development by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech will be tested in Brazil in July, according to the Sao Paulo state government. Sinovac has a deal with the state's Instituto Butantan to produce it. Some 9,000 Brazilians are expected to participate. Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: Vaccine alliance finds manufacturing capacity of 4 billion doses a year President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was never briefed about Russian efforts to pay bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan, blasting a New York Times report that he had been told about Moscows cash rewards but had not moved to respond. The White House and the Director of National Intelligence on Saturday denied the report. Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an anonymous source by the Fake News @nytimes. Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us, Trump tweeted, calling on the newspaper to reveal its source. The Times on Friday reported that U.S. intelligence had concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe had offered rewards for successful attacks last year on American and coalition soldiers, and that Islamist militants or those associated with them were believed to have collected some bounty money. Russias foreign ministry dismissed the report. Democrats, including Trumps likely challenger Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden, cited the report and Trumps denial as more evidence of the president ignoring allegations against Russia in a bid to accommodate President Vladimir Putin. There is something very wrong here. But this must have an answer, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC News, adding that Trump has already given gifts to Putin by diminishing U.S. leadership in NATO, reducing U.S. forces in Germany and inviting Russia back into the G8. U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference in New York on Sunday that the report showed the need for tough sanctions against Russia in the defense bill that the Senate will debate this week. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation chief executive Adam Boehler had departed on Sunday for Doha, Islamabad and Tashkent to urge support for all Afghans ahead of Afghan peace talks and would also conduct video meetings with Afghan officials during the trip. Actor Priyanka Chopra on Sunday took to Instagram to celebrate pride month (June 1-June 30). She dropped an encouraging note to show her support. She wrote: I stand for love. Happy #Pride! She also posted a picture which said the following: Love is love, love is non-discriminatory, love is universal, love is beautiful, love is unconditional, love is warmth, love is powerful, love is to be celebrated. Signifying the pride colours, all the words expressing different emotions were in different colours. A number of her fans wrote in to express their appreciation. One user said: Yessss happy pride month everyone. Another one wrote: Very well said mam. A third user wrote: Love is love. Priyanka is vocal on issues of public interest on social media. On the controversy of the deaths of a father-son P Jayaraj and his son J Fennix of Tamil Nadu, she wrote on Twitter: Reeling from what Im hearing. Absolutely stunned sad and angry. No human being deserves such brutality whatever be their crime. The guilty must not be allowed to go unpunished. We need facts. I cannot even begin to imagine what the family must be going through. Sending strength and prayers. We need to use our collective voices to seek #JusticeForJayarajandBennicks. Also read: I will get you for this: Twinkle Khanna warns son Aarav as he clicks her taking a 4pm nap Early into the coronavirus crisis, she had taken part in fund-raising initiative, IForIndia and written: So happy to be a small part of #IForIndia- Indias biggest fundraising concert. I hope you guys are watching and donating.... its on right now!! Link in my bio. #SocialForGood 100% of proceeds go to the India COVID Response Fund set up by @give_india. Some time back, on the issue of child abuse, retweeting a tweet by actor and minister Smriti Irani, she had written: The innocence of a child is so fragile, and the responsibility to protect that is one of paramount importance. Having personally heard so many horror stories, there are too many children who have endured the worst of humanity, and this is simply unacceptable. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Accusing China of committing cultural genocide in Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration on Sunday urged the UNHRC to hold a special session on human rights violations by China in Tibet and other regions under it. Dharamshala-based Central Tibetan Administration, also known as Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay asked the international community to unite and ensure that China fulfils its obligations under international laws including human rights obligations before it is too late. In a statement issued on Sunday, Sangay said that on Saturday 50 UN independent experts from 30 UN Special Procedure mandate called on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to act with a sense of urgency and take appropriate decisive measures including a special session and establishment of a special rapporteur to protect fundamental freedoms in China occupied regions including Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang. The Central Tibetan Administration and Tibetans from both inside and outside Tibet would like to thank the UN experts for their timely intervention and welcome their call for urgent decisive measures against the government of China, he said. Sangay said that In the last six decades and more, Tibetans within Tibet were suffering under the authoritarian rule of China. The Chinese government has stripped off Tibetans of their basic human rights guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, annihilating the distinct identity of Tibetans and denying them their inherent dignity of being human, he added. He said that tortures, enforced disappearances, and destructions of monasteries carried out by China against Tibetans were acts of crimes against humanity and do not fall short of being categorised as cultural genocide. The persecution and suppression via high-tech surveillance by China, Sangay said, have forced 154 Tibetans from different walks of life in Tibet to self-immolate as a mark of peaceful protest against the Chinese authorities since 2009. The unchecked, systemic, and egregious violations by the Chinese regime with impunity in Tibet have emboldened it to carry out similar violations in Xinjiang and now Hong Kong. It is time to hold China accountable otherwise it will have an adverse global impact as evidenced by the Wuhan originated Covid-19 pandemic. As rightly noted by the UN experts, the violations by China are threatening world peace and security leading to human rights emergencies across the globe, he said. CTA and the Tibetans from both inside and outside Tibet strongly support the call of the UN experts on the UN Human Rights Council to take urgent measures against the Chinese human rights violations. We strongly urge the UNHRC and the member states to hold a special session to evaluate the human rights violations being carried out by China and to establish a country mandate of UN Special Rapporteur on China to monitor, analyse and report annually on the human rights situation in Tibet and other occupied regions, he said. Ten fresh cases of Covid-19 surfaced in Punjabs Mohali district on Sunday, while two people tested positive for the disease in the neighbouring district of Panchkula in Haryana. Three men, aged 24, 40 and 80, and a 50-year-old woman, who reside in Kharar and are contacts of previous positive patients, are among the fresh cases in Mohali. A 25-year-old man, who recently returned from Delhi, and his 16-year-old female contact tested positive in Mundi Kharar, while a man and woman, both aged 23, were found infected in Lalru. Other patients include a 61-year-old man from Zirakpur and a 57-year-old woman from Sector 71, Mohali. Meanwhile, three people were discharged from Gian Sagar Hospital, Banur, taking the number of those cured to 194. There are 256 confirmed cases in the district, of which 59 are still active. Doctor tests positive in Panchkula In Panchkula, a doctor working at the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Sector 21 has tested positive. The 34-year-old is a resident of Rail Vihar Group Housing Society in Mansa Devi Complex. According to the hospital management, co-workers who came in contact with him have been isolated. Samples of his family members have also been taken. The other case is of a 74-year-old woman from Sector 17, said civil surgeon Dr Jasjit Kaur. There are 111 confirmed cases in the district, with 61 still active. Meanwhile, the district administration has declared the Government Polyclinic, Sector 26, as a non-Covid delivery care facility. The step has been taken to prevent spread of Covid-19 among pregnant women who visit the civil hospital in Sector 6, which houses isolation wards for Covid-19 patients. Black Southern Baptists urge removal of names of slaveholders from seminary Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Prominent black Southern Baptist pastor Dwight McKissic and others are calling for the removal of the names of former slaveholders from buildings at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Just registered with me, that the college at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky, Dr Al Mohler, President, is named after a slave master, and a man whod spoken with great disregard for people of African dissent. Integrity demands that SBTS change the name, McKissic, who leads Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, wrote in a tweet on Juneteeth when many people generally celebrate the anniversary of the day the last group of slaves in the United States were told of their freedom on June 19, 1865. McKissics initial call to rename Boyce College, the private college located at SBTS, comes amid a general cry from activists across the country for the removal of statues of slaveholders from public spaces as well as their names from buildings. Boyce College, according to the schools website, derives its name from James P. Boyce, founder and first president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is remembered as a Southern Baptist statesman, who sought to innovate the world of theological education by making it more convictional, rigorous, and accessible. In the Report on Slavery and Racism in the History of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, it was noted that the seminarys founding faculty Boyce, John A. Broadus, Basil Manly Jr., and William Williams all owned slaves. Together, they owned more than 50 persons and invested capital in slaves who could earn for their owners an annual cash return. The seminarys early faculty and trustees also defended the righteousness of slaveholding. Current SBTS President Albert Mohler previously noted in June 2015 that he had no intention to remove the names of any of the founders from the schools buildings. I intend to keep those names on our buildings and to stand without apology with the founders and their affirmation of Baptist orthodoxy. But those names on our buildings and college and professorial chairs and endowed scholarships do not represent unmixed pride. They also represent the burden of history and the urgency of repentance. We the living cannot repent on behalf of those who are dead, but we can repent for the legacy that we would otherwise perpetuate and extend by silence, Mohler said. McKissics Juneteenth call on Twitter quickly drew the attention of scholar James White, director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, in Phoenix, Arizona, who has been branded by some critics as racist. Dwight, a quick question: Is the college named Boyce because of his theological work, or his stance on slavery? Oh, and, since he died in 1888, isn't he a perfect saint today? Did he not possess the imputed righteousness of Christ? White asked. It doesnt matter. You cant with a clear conscience endorse, honor & celebrate, one with such callous disregard for the second commandment, of which Boyce was a passionate violator/defender. You cant separate his theology from his practicology. Creation is regurtating racism, McKissic shot back. White insisted that Boyce was honored for his contribution to the seminary and theology and not for slavery. You cannot compartmentalize between his theology & lifestyle. His lifestyle represented his theology related to anthropology. I leave judgement on his eternal destiny to God. Its not within my power to pronounce perfection on him. The slaves wouldnt have labeled him perfect, McKissic argued. Noah Wright, a former Boyce student, said he and others had previously started a petition to change the name of the college but they were denied. We started a petition to change the name after a brave Baptist History professor (whos no longer there) showed us some of Boyces letters where he described himself as ultra-pro slavery. We were denied, Wright wrote. Celucien Joseph, English professor at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida, noted: Not only the College, Southern Seminary's library is also named after James Boyce. It's called James P. Boyce Centennial Library. Also, some of the Halls at the Seminary are named after some of the most racists and segregationists in the SBC. In a blog post on Saturday, Joseph highlighted several reasons why be believes the names of the SBTS founders should be removed from the institutions buildings. The most pressing, he said, relates to the message the seminary is sending to its increasingly diverse community. The most pressing cause I am requesting the removal of the names of the four founders from Southern seminarys halls, library, undergraduate college, chapel, and elsewhere on campus is that they do not belong to todays multiethnic, multiracial, and multicultural Southern Baptist Convention and SBTS, Joseph wrote. The names of these four gentlemen bring too much pain and suffering to African Americans, Black Christians, SBTS Black seminarians and alumni, and the numerous African American and ethnic churches affiliated with the SBC. Also, their names on the Seminarys halls, library, chapel, and undergraduate college remind us of the long-held tradition of suppressing the freedoms and rights of Blacks and people of color in this country and in the Convention, concurrently. To continue to honor these figures at Southern Seminary and the SBC is to express racial insensibility and to undermine the dignity and humanity of Blacks and African American people, and people of color. Development of safe liver sinusoid coating agents to increase the efficacy of gene therapy 5pm on June 26, 2020 - Kawasaki/Japan: The Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), the National Institute for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), and the University of Tokyo jointly announced that a reagent for the selective and safe coating of the liver sinusoidal walls to control the clearance of gene therapy drugs was successfully developed. The contents of this research will be published in Science Advances by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at 2:00 pm on June 26, east coast of the United States (Japan standard time: 3:00 am on 27th): A. Dirisala, S. Uchida, K. Toh, J. Li, S. Osawa, T. A. Tockary, X. Liu, S. Abbasi, K. Hayashi, Y. Mochida, S. Fukushima, H. Kinoh, K. Osada, Kazunori Kataoka, "Transient stealth coating of liver sinusoidal wall by anchoring two-armed PEG for retargeting nanomedicines". Recently, gene therapies have been successively approved in Europe, US, and Japan, and are expected to provide novel therapeutic options for cancer, chronic diseases, acquired and inherited genetic disorders. Whilst this is promising, in reality, when gene therapy drugs are systemically administered to living organisms, they are rapidly eliminated and metabolized in the liver, thus impeding the delivery of a sufficient amount to the target organs and raising the toxicity concerns. This elimination by the liver is caused by the adsorption of the gene therapy drugs to the vascular wall of the liver sinusoid, which is an intrahepatic capillary. To overcome this issue, we conceived to selectively coat the liver sinusoidal wall using polyethylene glycol (PEG). However, a long-term coating may impair the normal physiological functions of the liver, and therefore the coating should be transient. In addition, coating needs to be selective for liver sinusoids, as coating the blood vessels throughout the body would not only cause adverse effects but also decrease the delivery amount of gene therapy drugs to target organs. Towards this end, we have developed a coating agent with two-armed PEG conjugated to positively charged oligolysine, which demonstrated the selective coating on the liver sinusoidal wall, the first-of-its-kind strategy in the world. Interestingly, the coating with two-armed PEG was excreted into bile within 6 hours after binding to sinusoidal walls, while the coating with single chain of linear PEG bound to oligolysine persisted in the walls for a long time. In this way, the precise molecular design was necessary to achieve a transient coating. This coating was subsequently applied to boost the delivery efficacy of gene therapy drugs. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is widely used for viral gene therapy drugs, and its serotype 8 (AAV8) targets myocardium and skeletal muscles. When AAV8 was administered after prior coating of two-armed PEG to the liver sinusoidal wall, the transfer of AAV8 to the liver was suppressed, and as a result, the gene transfer efficiency into the myocardium and skeletal muscles was improved by 2 to 4 times. This approach is promising for the treatment of muscular dystrophy. In addition, we expanded the use of our strategy to virus-free gene delivery systems, which allows more economically attractive and safe gene therapy. We have been working on non-viral gene therapy for malignant tumors using plasmid DNA-equipped smart nanomachine for over 10 years. When the coating agent was used for this system, the adsorption of nanomachines to the sinusoidal wall was suppressed, resulting in an approximately 10-fold improvement in DNA transfer efficiency to colon cancer. As described above, we have succeeded in boosting the activity of gene therapy drugs while ensuring safety by using the coating agent developed this time. The above findings are summarized as follows: - The coating agent with two-armed PEG selectively coated the liver sinusoid wall for several hours and was then excreted in the bile. - The coating agent with single chain of linear PEG is not excreted in bile and coated the liver sinusoidal wall for more than 9 hours, which raises a safety concern. - The coating agent with two-armed PEG had selectivity for the liver sinusoid wall, without coating the blood vessels in the connective tissues. - The coating agent improved the gene transfer efficacy to the myocardium and skeletal muscles using the AAV vector by 2 to 4 times, and the gene transfer efficiency to colorectal cancer using DNA-loaded smart nanomachines by 10 times. - As a result, our approach is expected to allow for improving the effect of gene therapy drugs and reducing their dose needed to obtain therapeutic outcome, which will lead to the reduction of medical cost and adverse event opportunities. ### Innovation Center of NanoMedicine: The Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM) is a leading facility of King Skyfront, that is a biotech and healthtech innovation cluster in Kawasaki City. iCONM started the operation in April 2015 with Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion in order to drive "Center of Open Innovation Network for Smart Health (COINS)" as a part of Japanese governmental research program "Center of Innovation (COI) Stream". Designed for the purpose of promoting "open innovation" through industry-academia-government and medicine-engineering collaborations with state-of-the-art facilities and experimental equipment capable of conducting the R&D from organic synthesis and micro-processing to preclinical studies. This is a very unique research center that is hardly found in the world. https:/ / iconm. kawasaki-net. ne. jp/ en/ index. html National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology: The National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST) was established in April 2016 to promote quantum science and technology in a comprehensive and integrated manner. The new organization was formed from the merger of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) with certain operations that were previously undertaken by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).?QST's mission is to raise the level of quantum and radiological sciences and technologies through its commitment to research and development into quantum science and technology, the effect of radiation on humans, radiation emergency medicine, and the medical use of radiation.?To ensure that research and development delivers significant academic, social and economic impacts, and to maximize benefits from global innovation, QST is striving to establish world-leading research and development platforms, explore new fields, and serve as a center for radiation protection and radiation emergency medicine. https:/ / www. qst. go. jp/ site/ qst-english/ Department of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo: In a society where the population ages and the birth rate declines with the sustainable development being longed for, the Department of Bioengineering aims to contribute to the promotion of health and well-being of the humanity. To achieve this goal, we promote the education and research of bioengineering, which is the multidisciplinary academic field integrating the existing disciplines of engineering and those of life sciences at their interface. The key features of bioengineering are to establish its theoretical basis by understanding and clarifying the interactions of materials and systems with living bodies, and to develop fundamental technologies that control these interactions based on the theory. The control of the interactions with living bodies renders materials and systems far more useful and compatible, promising the birth of groundbreaking medical technologies.? http://www. bioeng. t. u-tokyo. ac. jp/ en/ overview/ index. html This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. DUP MP Gregory Campbell has written to Chief Constable Simon Byrne to voice his concern ahead of the funeral of veteran republican Bobby Storey on Tuesday. Mr Campbell wrote to the Chief Constable to ask what discussions had taken place to ensure that Covid-19 restrictions were adhered to at the funeral. It comes after large crowds gathered for a number of republican funerals during the Covid-19 lockdown, in clear breach of the restrictions. Read More The East Londonderry MP said that there were instances of funerals that had "took place as normal as though no restrictions were in place". While a number of restrictions have been lifted as the coronavirus lockdown eases people are still expected to maintain social distancing and gathering in large crowds is forbidden. Expand Close DUP MP Gregory Campbell / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP MP Gregory Campbell Families up and down the country have had to endure periods of intense grief without the usual neighbourly support network because of Covid-19 restrictions on funerals and wakes," Mr Campbell said "There were clear breaches of the law. I have asked what the status is of investigations into those breaches. "It was unacceptable for those funerals to take place as they did and would be equally unacceptable if Bobby Storeys funeral was to flout the law. It would send a message that there is one rule for law-abiding people and another rule for a paramilitary funeral." Mr Storey (64), who died in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne last week after an unsuccessful lung transplant, was a former northern chairman of Sinn Fein, as well as a former internee. DUP veteran Mr Campbell said that police must show a consistent approach at the funeral. "We cannot have two tier policing or double standards. No one is above the law and no one must be seen to be above it either," he said. In response to Mr Campbell's comments a PSNI spokesperson said: "Any correspondence received by the Chief Constables Office will be responded to in due course." Large crowds lined the Falls Road as Mr Storey's coffin made its way to the family home in Andersonstown on Friday. His remains will leave his home in Owenvarragh Park on Tuesday at 10.30am for 11am Mass at St Agnes Church on the Andersonstown Road, and afterwards to Milltown Cemetery. Expand Close Bobby Storey / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bobby Storey Thousands of mourners are expected to attend with former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams expected to deliver a eulogy at the graveside. Storey was the IRAs former director of intelligence and was reputed to have planned the 1983 escape of 38 prisoners from the Maze, as well as the 2002 Castlereagh RUC base break-in, and the 2004 Northern Bank robbery. He was sentenced to 18 years for possession of a rifle in 1981 and also spent several periods behind bars remanded on other charges. Chingari has amassed one million downloads on Google Play Store. The rising anti-China sentiment has led people to boycott Chinese products and services. Amid the circumstances, people are increasingly ditching popular apps such as TikTok for their Indian alternatives. One such TikTok rival app is Chingari. Chingari has witnessed an exponential increase in popularity in the past couple of weeks. In the beginning of this month, the app had amassed one lakh views on the Google Play Store, which grew up to five lakh downloads by the beginning of the past week. Now, the app has amassed 10 lakh or one million downloads on the Play Store. The apps chief of product Sumit Ghosh told the Times of India that the app has been downloaded 2.5 million times so far. TikTok, on the other hand, has been downloaded over one billion times on the Play Store. Globally, it has registered over two billion downloads so far as per SensorTower report. While there is a huge gap in the popularity of the two apps, Chingari is trying to close the gap steadily. Talking about the app, Chingari is a social media app wherein users can download and upload videos, chat with their friends, browse through the feed and share contents. Users can go creative with GIFs, audio clips and even WhatsApp statuses. What makes this app different from other apps is the fact that it is available in nine Indian languages in addition to English. The list includes Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. A Miss England beauty queen is threatening to sue two former winners, claiming she is a victim of cyber bullying. Bhasha Mukherjee, an NHS doctor, has demanded a public apology from Alisha Cowie, 20, and Katrina Hodge, 33, for remarks they made about her. Her solicitor claimed their criticism on Facebook had incited 'untruthful, racist and hurtful' slurs from others against her. The row stems from a post under Dr Mukherjee's name about a pregnant elephant which was killed after eating a pineapple filled with firecrackers. The junior NHS doctor allegedly wrote: 'When you guys were crying... why corona happened to us?! This is why! How dare we humans even walk this earth with the evil inside us. We deserve corona.' Bhasha Mukherjee, 24, who is also a doctor for the NHS at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, posted the comments to Facebook two weeks ago Miss Cowie, who was Miss England 2018, hit out: 'As an apparent frontline doctor I think your statement of us deserving coronavirus is disgusting.' And Miss Hodge, Miss England 2009, wrote: 'Young children have died! Nearly 50,000 in the UK and you are saying we deserved it for this?!' Dr Mukherjee, 24, who has been treating coronavirus patients at Boston Pilgrim Hospital in Lincolnshire, later apologised for the comments. But trolls targeted her and she complained about harassment to police. Officers are not believed to be pursuing it as a crime. But an email sent by the doctor's lawyer to Miss Cowie and Miss Hodge threatened legal action if they did not apologise within days, saying they had caused her 'extreme anxiety and distress'. Miss Hodge, who lives in Brighton and is a mother-of-two, also claims she was forced to take the day off work after receiving a warning from Miss England director Angie Beasley. In the email, the director claimed: 'I wanted to let you know that the persistent remarks that you and others have posted across social media are being used as evidence for bullying and harassment. 'I am sure that I do not need to remind you, Miss World and Miss England most important ethic is to care and support others.' Katrina Hodge, 33, and Alisha Cowie, 20, (pictured) both former Miss England in 2009 and 2018 respectively, publicly responded to Miss Mukherjee's comments Miss Hodge said: 'I woke up with an email of lies. Miss England felt like Basha was being cyber bullied and harassed by us. I couldn't concentrate on anything. 'Before this incident, I've never even spoken to her before. I was just offering advice. 'They were apparently going to go to the police and it left me feeling like I had a dark cloud over my head. 'I now feel like they're trying to intimidate me so this issue about coronavirus is deflected. 'I believe Angie has a vendetta against me and that's why my name has been dragged into this. I wish for the bullying to stop please!' The former crown said the ordeal had moved her close to tears - after previously speaking about her sexist abuse of being called Combat Barbie in the Army. She added: 'I suddenly went into a panic and overdrive. For 12 years I've been cyber-bullied. 'To be accused of something which I've previously been a victim of completely broke my heart. 'In the past, people have said that if they saw my face, they'd smash it in and I was called a b**ch. 'Angie knows what I've been through and supported me through it. My head was spinning and I felt like I was being spun in the washing machine when she tried to ring me. 'I've been so stressed that my name's going to be dragged through the mud.' Miss Hodge, (pictured) who lives in Brighton and is a mother-of-two, also claims she was forced to take the day off work after receiving a warning from Miss England director Angie Beasley And while Miss Hodge was told that she wasn't required at Sussex Police Station despite Miss Mukherjee's police report, a solicitor's email landed in her inbox. Miss Cowie was also contacted by Quality Solicitors Burton & Co, who stated that the pair had incited 'untruthful, racist and hurtful comments resulting in harassment' - causing Miss Mukherjee to 'suffer extreme anxiety and distress'. 'In order to bring the matter to an end and to prevent a civil action being taken against you, Dr Bhasha Mukherjee is requesting that you use the same social platform to post a public apology for the distress and anxiety she has been made to suffer,' it read. Rachael O'Sullivan, of Quality Solicitors Burton & Co, has urged the pageant beauties to respond within seven days before legal action is taken for damages. And the former models suggested that this incident is just one of many cases - where Miss England stars are 'too intimidated' to speak up. 'I already left the competition because I decided that it didn't align with my morals. I walked away after 12 years', Miss Hodge divulged. 'They were happy to promote me as a former soldier who fought in Iraq, it added credibility to their competition, and as an organisation they've said nothing. 'If she doesn't speak up about it, nobody will. 'A comment condoning corona, whether it's said in anger or not, is quite insensitive. 'Basha is doing an amazing job, as well as all NHS workers, but I was also very conscious that I wasn't just representing Miss England as a brand, but the British Army. 'I thought she would've said that she was hacked or another genuine excuse, but what came next was bizarre. She suggested that her mum had posted it on her profile.' Angie Beasley has been approached for comment. Abdulateef Suleiman, personal assistant to Bello and Ibrahim Shaibu Atadoga, the president of the Kogi customary court of appeal in the state, are both believed to have died from COVID-19 complications, although the state government has refused to confirm or deny. World Evangelical Alliance 'expresses deep concerns' over Israel's West Bank annexation plans International Christian Embassy Jerusalem says Israel has 'historic right and claim to Judea/Samaria' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment One of the worlds largest networks of evangelical churches has expressed concerns over Israels plans to claim sovereignty over large areas of the West Bank, a territory that is home to millions of Palestinian Arabs and over 400,000 Jewish Israelis. The World Evangelical Alliance, a global organization of evangelical churches that represents more than 600 million evangelicals worldwide, has joined a chorus of critics from across the globe who are speaking out against Israels plans to annex parts of the West Bank. WEA issued a statement Tuesday saying that while the organization recognizes the right of self-determination by any nation and the right of any nation to defend itself from harm, WEA expresses deep concerns over plans for Israel to annex large areas of the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised his supporters during his election campaign to extend Israels sovereignty over areas in West Bank, where Jewish settlements exist. The West Bank, located between Israel and Jordan, was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War but was never fully annexed by Israel though it has been controlled by Israel for over 50 years. Sovereignty over the West Bank as well as other regions conquered by Israel during the Six-Day War has long been debated in the international arena with most international actors opposing Israels plans to annex. But under a deal that has led to the formation of the current Israeli government, the process to vote on annexation could begin as early as July 1. The unilateral move that will be voted on at the beginning of next month risks ending any hope for a negotiated peace agreement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, WEA warned in its statement. WEA General Secretary Bishop Efraim Tendero, an evangelical leader from the Philippines, stressed in a statement that WEA has members representing both peoples. [W]e seek and pray for peace and flourishing not only for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Israel and Palestine but for everyone who lives in the Holy Land, Tendero said. Tendero called for a renewed commitment to negotiations where both sides respect each others existence and the needs of both peoples. Tendero also called for an approach that refrains from discrimination and violence and work in good faith toward solutions that will bring lasting peace. While evangelicals around the world have wide-ranging views on the many complex issues in the Holy Land, there is no doubt that the proposed annexation plans are detrimental for Israelis and Palestinians alike, so we clearly oppose such plans, Tendero said. In January, President Donald Trump rolled out what he called a deal of the century with Isreal that includes the annexation of parts of the West Bank. The deal had been in development since 2017 and included 50 pages of the Trump administrations ideas about how to resolve Israels border disputes. The plan sought Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and would give Palestinians control over some neighborhoods in the outskirts of Jerusalem and about 70% to 80% control of the West Bank, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time. Netanyahu pledged that Israel would annex much of the Jordan Valley, encircling a future Palestinian state. Trump administration officials said the plan would not require either Palestinians or Israelis to leave their homes. Trump called the deal a historic opportunity for the Palestinians to finally achieve an independent state of their very own." Trumps plan was praised by conservative evangelical leaders. Mike Evans, a Christian Zionist author who has informally advised the Trump administration, has supported the sovereignty plan. Evans, the founder of the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, told i24News in an interview that all of the accomplishments in Israel in the last three-and-a-half years have happened thanks to the support from evangelicals in the U.S. There's three-quarters of a billion evangelicals who believe this is the Bible land, and that the Bible is not illegal, Evans said. Evans also shot down the notion that Israels plans in the West Bank are annexation plans. There are two issues that people are trying to tie together. They are trying to tie together the sovereignty issue with the peace plan. You cant, he said. You cant tie those together." We evangelicals want the president to come out strong and say, The Bible is not illegal and this is the Bible land,'" Evans continued. "Its no big surprise to people how we feel. We feel very strongly about that. International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, a Zionist organization, said in a statement earlier this month that the term annexation is a misnomer. It commonly denotes the forcible taking of the territory of another. But here, Israel already held a legitimate historic right and claim to Judea/Samaria even before it came into possession of these areas in an act of self-defense in 1967, the statement reads. The question now facing Israel is whether to fully assert its sovereign title to certain of these territories by simply extending its laws there. The Associated Press reported that Whtie House aides have not been able to decide on whether to support Israel's plans. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the Palestinian Authority for not participating in the negotiation process. They simply have rejected this out of hand. We simply asked that they come to the negotiating table based on whats outlined in the Vision for Peace, and they have chosen not to, Pompeo told reporters. They have chosen to threaten, to bluster, to assert that theyre going to deny the ability to do security thats not good for the Palestinian people. Its dangerous for the people that live in those places too. On a warm summers day there are few places on Earth Id rather be than tending my bees. Take the sound from my own colonies during the blazing sunshine weve enjoyed over the past week. The hum and murmur of worker bees inside the hives, mixed with the incessant buzz of activity in the wildflower meadow close by, is breathtaking a connection with nature thats balm for the soul. Ive been a passionate advocate of these ingenious, industrious little creatures since I became a beekeeper myself nearly a decade ago, having fallen for them as a child. I now have almost half a million bees in eight hives in a meadow at our family home, Bucklebury Manor in Berkshire. And Ive whiled away many happy hours with them during lockdown. Im in awe of these incredible insects. They perform a little waggle dance, an insect version of sat-nav, to signal to each other where the best flowers are. Busy bees: James and fiancee Alizee Thevenet at Bucklebury Manor in Berkshire They fly up to five miles a day to seek them out. And the sheer, painstaking effort of their daily task is boggling: in a worker bees five or six-week lifespan, she will produce just one tenth of a teaspoon of honey. Thats ten bees lifetimes to fill a single spoonful. Imagine how much effort goes into a jar! Honey is one of the few foods that never spoils some samples date back thousands of years. It is natures finest medicine: it aids digestion, helps alleviate cold symptoms and hay fever; provides a slow-release form of natural sugar and is even said to promote restful sleep. A book Im reading even has a chapter dedicated to the role of honey in alleviating depression. And, of course, it tastes delicious. But more than that, bees some species of which are endangered pollinate food crops and are vital to the delicate balance of the Earths ecosystem. Insect pollination is worth 690 million to UK crops alone, each year. There are so many reasons, aside from the quiet, immersive pleasure of looking after bees, to keep them. Which is why I was delighted to learn David Beckham has been building a hive at his Cotswolds home during lockdown. Youll be very happy when weve got our own honey, he told his wife Victoria when she asked him if it was his new project. Other celebrity beekeepers such as actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman and Scarlett Johansson have also helped to raise the profile of beekeeping. While Ive been intrigued by the natural world for as long as I can remember as a child I used to have an ant colony and worm farms I suppose my fascination with bees dates back to reading about Winnie-The-Pooh and his honey jar. Id always harboured a longing to keep bees, but it wasnt until I turned 24 in 2011 that the wish became reality. Then, my family mum, dad and my sisters Catherine and Pippa clubbed together to buy what for me was the most fantastic birthday gift imaginable. A delivery van arrived with a large buzzing box with the cautionary label: Live Bees. Inside was the nucleus the start of my colony: 1,000 Buckfast bees. Other celebrity beekeepers have also helped to raise the profile of beekeeping. Pictured: David Beckham and family took up beekeeping during lockdown The driver was terrified of picking it up, so I had to collect it from the van. Before the bees arrival came a cedarwood hive, in kit form all I had to do was glue and nail together the components and the beekeepers uniform of white, hooded overalls, veil, gloves, and the essential tools of hook, scraper and smoker. I was delighted! Hives are highly organised communities presided over by a queen bee. Each hive has female worker, or honey, bees, and a single queen who mates once with a number of male drones the poor guys then die and then her eggs will be fertilised for life (she can live for two to three years). At the peak of her laying season she lays her own body weight in eggs and in her lifetime can mother more than a million offspring. She secretes pheromones, the scent of which spreads throughout the other bees in the hive so they can smell at once if an impostor tries to intrude. As male drones sole purpose is to mate with queen bees, some consider them layabouts, but prior to mating, the drones help to keep the hive cool by flapping their wings. I sit and watch enthralled as the worker bees the bees who make the honey fly in, their bright orange pollen sacks laden with their precious cargo. Weve planted a wildflower meadow close to the hives with cowslip, field scabious, knapweed, buttercups, oxeye daisy, wild hyacinth and lots of clover. The bees love the flowers, especially the clover, and have a banquet of pollen and nectar on their doorstep from early spring right through to autumn. Beekeeping is methodical, patient toil. Ive been stung hundreds of times actually the reaction tends to get worse over time but Im not put off and I never blame the bees. Its always my fault: I havent been careful enough; Ive been lazy about wearing the protective equipment; Ive caught them on a day when theyre feeling grumpy or out of sorts. I always approach the hives with a mix of nervous anticipation and excitement much like the feeling of a first date wondering: What will they be like today? Calm or skittish? Irritable or biddable? Before you open a hive you always blow a little smoke into it its a courtesy and a safety measure because it calms the swarm by masking the guard bees alarm pheromones. I love spending time with my bees, checking, monitoring, treating them and collecting their honey: it is soothing toil; a balm for troubled minds. Ive written in this paper about the clinical depression that first hit me in 2016, and one of my strategies for coping with it is beekeeping. I see it as an active form of meditation, a chance to escape from mental tumult. When Im with my bees its as if someones pressed the mute button on everything thats worrying me. I follow the processes, step-by-step; look for the queen bee, check shes laying. The calmer I am, the calmer the bees are. You have to respect them. And when youre suited up and immersed in the task, the cares of the world recede completely. You cannot neglect your hives or the swarm will leave them. There is pest control to carry out: if a hornet or wasp gets wind of a haul of honey theyll tell their friends and try to destroy the hive, and woodpeckers are avian vandals who can drill holes in hives. Ive been a passionate advocate of these ingenious, industrious little creatures since I became a beekeeper myself nearly a decade ago, having fallen for them as a child Im fortunate that my hives have not been affected by pests such as mites and beetles. But theres plenty to do and in the summer I might while away four hours a week with my bees. Im glad, too, that my fiancee, Alizee, is a convert. Early in our relationship I bought her a beekeeping suit and when shes helping me with the hives, as she has been during the weeks of lockdown weve spent at Bucklebury, she couldnt be happier. My bees are not a business. I give away most of the 50 to 100 jars of honey I make each year as presents to friends thats if my family havent already taken them. As I write this, Im wrapping jars ready to send to those who have run out! What could be nicer than a jar of liquid gold that carries with it the flavour of the flowers that have helped make it? The taste of raw honey is unparalleled. I have a rule too, that I give back as much to the bees as I keep for myself because they need it, of course, for food for themselves. It would be cruel to ransack too much of the honey they have so lovingly produced. While Im delighted there are famous beekeepers raising the profile of the hobby, the fact remains: beekeepers are typically over 60, and Id love it if more schoolchildren were inspired to take it up so a younger generation of enthusiasts comes to the fore. Im planning to buy an observation hive I can take into classrooms to show children how busy bees work. Im sure theyll be hooked, just as I was. There are multitudes of ways to learn about beekeeping. I read books, but you can join a club, go on a course; take part in a communal project with other enthusiasts or shadow an experienced beekeeper. It can be quite expensive to set up an apiary which is why my family all chipped in for my birthday present all those years ago. But although a new hive can cost as much as 500 there are kit versions and cheaper ones on internet auction sites. A basic bee suit can cost as little as 20 and a starter colony of bees costs around 200, although you might get a swarm free from a benevolent beekeeper if youre lucky. Set against this, though, is the perpetual wonder of beekeeping. Today, too, the humble honey bee desperately needs nurturing. Woodland, hedgerows, meadows and wild-flower verges their sources of food are disappearing at an alarming rate. So bees need your help. There are more than 800 wild bee species in Europe, seven of which are critically endangered, a further 46 are endangered, 24 are vulnerable and 101 are near to being threatened. The threat this poses for us all cannot be underestimated. If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live, Albert Einstein is reputed to have said. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man. So Im writing this love letter to them in the hope it will touch you all; my hymn to the honey bee, the solitary bee, the bumble bee. If you dont want to or cant keep them yourself then at least plant some flowers. You dont need a swathe of open green space. A simple window box will do. Choose plants with open flowers and easy access to pollen and nectar. That way, passing bees will have a feast and we will all benefit immeasurably. Less than two hours after the 10-year-old girl was shot and her cousin injured, another 8-year-old girl was grazed by a bullet on her head. The scene in the West Englewood neighborhood was similar to the Logan Square shooting in that the girl was indoors when she was shot, police said. She was sitting on a couch inside a home in the 6600 block of South Wood Street when a bullet came through the window. Pattern analysis of phylogenetic trees could reveal connections between evolution, ecology In biology, phylogenetic trees represent the evolutionary history and diversification of species - the "family tree" of Life. Phylogenetic trees not only describe the evolution of a group of organisms but can also be constructed from the organisms within a particular environment or ecosystem, such as the human microbiome. In this way, they can describe how this ecosystem evolved and what its functional capabilities might be. Now, researchers have presented a new analysis of the patterns generated by phylogenetic trees, suggesting that they reflect previously hypothesized connections between evolution and ecology. The study was led by Swanlund Professor of Physics Nigel Goldenfeld, who also leads the Biocomplexity Group at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The other members of the team were graduate student Chi Xue and former undergraduate student Zhiru Li, now at Stanford University. Their findings were published in a recent article in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, titled "Scale-invariant topology and bursty branching of evolutionary trees emerge from niche construction." The most familiar phylogenetic tree of all life on Earth uses genes from the essential cellular ribosomal machinery to represent species. By comparing the differences between the molecular sequences of the same genes on different organisms, researchers can deduce which organisms were descended from others. This idea led to the mapping-out of the evolutionary history of life on Earth and the discovery of the third domain of life by Carl R. Woese and collaborators in 1977. Real phylogenetic trees are complex branching structures, reflecting the pattern of speciation as new mutants emerge from a species. The branching structures are complex, but it is possible to characterize them in terms of how balanced they are and other statistical features reflecting the topology of the tree. The simplest characterization is to look at each branching node on the tree: does it split into two branches of exactly the same length or are the branches unequal in length? The former is said to be balanced while the latter unbalanced. Despite the complexity of trees, there is a consistent mathematical pattern in topological structure across evolutionary time, one that is self-similar or fractal in nature. Using a minimal representation of evolution, the researchers showed how this fractal structure reflects the indelible imprint of the interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes. Minimal models of nature do not aim to be overly realistic but instead are constructed to capture the most important ingredients of a process in a way that makes simulation and mathematical analysis easy. Goldenfeld's work frequently uses minimal models in order to explain generic aspects of complex biological and physical phenomena that are insensitive to precise details. Other aspects of complex phenomena cannot be described well in this way, but physical patterns such as self-similarity in space are known to be describable using minimal modeling approaches. "Thus, it seemed reasonable to try this approach to describe self-similarity in time too" Goldenfeld said. "We set off to study the topological property of the phylogenetic tree and ended up with an extra 'fruit of explanation" for the tree's special character,'" Xue said. The study revolved around a concept in evolutionary ecology known as niche construction, first proposed about 40 years ago. In niche construction, organisms modify their environment, thereby creating new ecological niches in the ecosystem and changing the environment. In turn, these new niches affect the overall evolutionary trajectory of the organisms that share the environment. The end result is that evolution and the environment are coupled closely together. The idea that evolution is not occurring on a purely static environmental background is controversial, despite being intuitively appealing. Their findings add to the existing body of work by identifying the long term effects of niche construction in a way that can be detected by modern genomics and phylogenetic tree construction. In the work reported here, researchers simulated organisms and associated to them a niche value that described their interaction with their environment. Those organisms with a large niche value contained a large number of ways to adapt to their environment and ultimately led to their survival while those with small niche values were less resilient. "In our model, we relate the niche positively to the speciation probability, in the sense that an organism with a large niche can likely diversify successfully," Xue said. "During the phylogenetic tree evolution, when two daughter nodes emerge from their parent, they get their niches partially from inheriting and partially from construction." Researchers showed that species which run out of niche space can no longer branch or speciate. Mathematically, this was represented as a so-called absorbing boundary condition on the node representing this species. "Its sister node likely still diversifies as long as that niche is still positive, but the two sister nodes are no longer symmetric and the tree becomes unbalanced," Xue explained. "We demonstrated that the absorbing boundary is crucial to generate the fractal structure of the tree and that the niche construction guarantees that some nodes will reach the boundary." The researchers used a simplified model of niche construction and were able to recapitulate the fractal scaling in the tree topology. Their calculations used methods adopted from a completely different field of science: the physics of phase transitions. An example of a phase transition is when a material such as iron becomes magnetic as its temperature is lowered. The magnetism emerges gradually once the temperature falls below a critical value. Goldenfeld explained how this unusual analogy works: "Very close to this critical temperature, a magnet also is fractal or self-similar: it is structured into nested regions of magnetic and non-magnetic domains. This nesting or self-similar structure in space is reminiscent of the nesting or self-similar structure of bifurcating tree branches in time." Using computer simulations and the mathematics of phase transitions, the research team was able to demonstrate how the fractal scaling of the tree topology emerges. "Our model has a small number of components and assumes simple mathematical form and yet, it generates the power-law scaling with the right exponent that is observed in actual biological data," Xue explained. "It's simply amazing to see how much a minimal model can do." "We were able to reproduce not only the power-law behavior but also a non-trivial exponent that's very close to reality," Liu said. "In other words, the simulated trees are not only scale-invariant but also realistic in a way." In addition to describing the fractal topology of phylogenetic trees, the model also accounted for the patterns of evolutionary clades previously documented to occur in microbial communities by Illinois Professor of Plant Biology James O'Dwyer, an ecologist trained in theoretical physics like Goldenfeld. "It was especially gratifying to be able to gain some insight into James' earlier discovery, using a conceptual toolkit that came from statistical physics," Goldenfeld commented. "This work exemplifies the way in which powerful and unexpected results can arise from trans-disciplinary research, painstaking data analysis and minimal modeling." The presence of niche construction creates a significant footprint in the evolutionary trajectory that cannot be eliminated, even across long time scales. The idea that niche construction -- which is based on a much shorter time scale -- emerges as a long-term memory in phylogenetic trees may surprise some people. Indeed, Liu adds that this "scale-interference" is also a hallmark of phase transitions, where the spacing between atoms in a magnetic crystal on the scale of Angstroms can influence the material properties on the scale of centimeters. "When I learned about the idea of scale-interference in Nigel's physics class on phase transitions three years ago, I wasn't expecting any of the following: joining his group, applying this idea and solving a biological problem," said Liu. "Now I'm glad that I didn't doze off during that lecture." ### This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A cat who appears to have eyebrows has conquered thousands of followers online thanks to his sophisticated looks. Cornelius Cornbread, four, from Nashville, Tennessee, is a Bombay cat who has become a popular up-and-coming star on Instagram thanks to the white marks on his forehead. According to his owner, retired teacher Karen Mellette, Cornelius has had 'eyebrows' since he was a kitten because of a lack of fur in the area between his eyes and ears. And the cat's permanent sassy look of concern is loved by his fans, with one admitting: 'Humans would pay for brows like yours.' A cat (pictured above) who appears to have eyebrows has won thousands of followers online thanks to his sophisticated looks Cornelius Cornbread (pictured at home), four, from Nashville, Tennessee, is a Bombay cat who has become a popular up-and-coming star on Instagram thanks to the white marks on his forehead According to his owner, retired teacher Karen Mellette, Cornelius (seen in a cute, blue outfit) has had 'eyebrows' since he was a kitten because of a lack of fur in the area between his eyes and ears Karen explained: 'The "eyebrows" are formed by the white skin revealed through the thinner area of black fur in his brow area. 'The combination of the sparse black "brow "hair and the unique rounded shape of the white skin showing through make him appear to have well-groomed eyebrows. 'His brows are most definitely on fleek,' she joked. Karen began posting pictures of Cornelius online in 2018, and the cute feline now boasts more than six thousand followers. And the cat's permanent sassy look of concern (above) is loved by his fans, with one admitting: 'Humans would pay for brows like yours.' Karen began posting pictures of Cornelius (above) online in 2018, and the cute feline now boasts more than six thousand followers One user commented on a photo of sassy-looking Cornelius, saying: 'Humans would pay for brows like yours,' while another one said: 'He looks like a true gentlecat.' According to Karen, Cornelius actually has a big personality to match his unique looks. Karen said: 'Cornelius has a big personality and loves to be at the centre of the attention, but he's also a sweet, affectionate cat. According to his owner, beloved Cornelius (pictured) actually has a big personality to match his unique looks Karen said: 'Cornelius (pictured) has a big personality and loves to be at the centre of the attention, but he's also a sweet, affectionate cat' 'He loves following us around, curling up on our laps or snuggling up next to us, and unlike many cats, he enjoys being held and carried. 'Bombay cats are nicknamed "velcro cats" because they are so clingy, and Cornelius is no exception,' Karen explained. 'He can be very needy, he does not like to be left alone or ignored, and gets very anxious when he thinks I'm going to leave home without him.' Taliban Refutes Reports on Russia's Alleged Role in Killings of US Troops in Afghanistan Sputnik News 15:38 GMT 27.06.2020 KABUL (Sputnik) - Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid refuted on Saturday the recent reports citing US intelligence assessments alleging that Russian intelligence has solicited killings of US troops by the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying that these rumors are set to create obstacles to US pullout from the country. According to Mujahid, all weapons and tools used by the movement were already present in the country or captured from the opposition. The spokesman stressed that the Taliban's activities are not related to any intelligence organ or foreign country. Mujahid stated that the Taliban was committed to the deal with the United Stated, saying that its implementation would ensure comprehensive peace and stability in Afghanistan. On Friday, The New York Times published an article where it cited unnamed government sources as saying that US President Donald Trump was presented with an intelligence report that claimed that Moscow could have payed bounty to armed Islamic insurgents in Afghanistan to assassinate US soldiers. The outlet said Trump had so far failed to act on the report. In February, the US and the Taliban signed a peace deal that concluded rounds upon rounds of talks pursuing to launch the reconciliation process in Afghanistan after almost two decades of armed conflict and insurgency. Last week, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said that intra-Afghan talks were closer than ever after Kabul and the Taliban carried out a significant exchange of prisoners. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A heartbroken mother has spoken out after allegations that two police officers took selfies next to the bodies of her murdered daughters. Sisters Nicole Smallman, 27, and 46-year-old Bibaa Henry were stabbed to death at a park in Wembley, London earlier this month. They had been celebrating Ms Henrys birthday. Images found on their phones showed them dancing with fairy lights and glow sticks before they were reported missing. Their mother, Mina Smallman, told the BBC she had complained about the initial investigation into her daughters disappearance and said she had to organise a search party herself. "I knew instantly why they didn't care, she said They didn't care because they looked at my daughter's address and thought they knew who she was. "A black woman who lives on a council estate." Sisters Bibaa Henry (left) and Nicole Smallman (right) were stabbed to death at a park in Wembley. Source: Metropolitan Police It was Nicoles boyfriend, Adam, who discovered the two womens bodies and the weapon used to kill them. Senior officers from the Metropolitan Police and Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) visited the distraught family to make them aware of the alleged photographs. Ms Smallman told the BBC she was told the photos showed the girls faces and she was concerned they would appear online. "This has taken our grief to another place," she said. The furious mother condemned the police, telling the BBC it was an example of how toxic law enforcement had become. "If ever we needed an example of how toxic it has become, those police officers felt so safe, so untouchable, that they felt they could take photographs of dead black girls and send them on, Ms Smallman said. Mina Smallman said the allegations against the two police officers took her grief to another level. Source: BBC According to the BBC, the IOPC said the images were allegedly shared with a small number of others, including members of the public. The Met said two officers had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and suspended from duty on June 25. Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said she was "disgusted" with the allegations against the officers. The Mets commander Paul Brogden told The Independent: I am horrified and disgusted by the nature of these allegations; a sentiment which will be shared by colleagues throughout the organisation. Story continues If true, these actions are morally reprehensible, and anyone involved will be robustly dealt with. Detectives believe the sisters were killed by a stranger who repeatedly stabbed them in the early hours of June 6. Nobody has been charged with the murder. 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. Walmart might not be the only place where youll find a welcoming greeter. Rio Rancho Public Schools might consider the idea of having greeters at every school, armed with the latest information and able to answer almost any question posed them, in light of the ever-changing 21st century during the pandemic. It would be part of the emphasis on expanding communications, which was the gist of Beth Pendergrasss report to the RRPS Board of Education at its hour-long virtual meeting last Monday. It was the fifth and final report in three weeks from a reopening task force. Pendergrass, the districts chief communications, strategy and engagement officer, led the Communications and Community Concerns group. The idea of having greeters at the schools, she told the Observer, came from the state school re-entry task forces recommendations to the New Mexico Public Education Department and is something we could consider. Perhaps it could be the same person who takes temps, she said. Pendergrass stressed the importance of communicating with the parents of the districts 18,000 or so students, and explained the myriad forms that will take: text messages, emails, phone calls, signage and social media. She noted the districts followers on Facebook since the pandemic have increased by 1,500 to more than 6,000 followers. Communications from the district will be done on a weekly basis, with text messages kept short and providing a link to a centralized web page for additional information. The communications can be sent in Spanish, Vietnamese and other languages found in the district, Pendergrass said. We want to reach and support all of our families, she said. There will be a lot more signage posted at the schools to inform parents of new protocols at the buildings, with restricted access during COVID-19. Its critical that we continue to engage parents, Pendergrass said, with a handout noting that Parent involvement is important in engaging our community, as parents are usually the most vocal in support of or against the district. With a strong network of parents, word of mouth becomes the districts most-meaningful community engagement strategy The districts communications aspect will be expanded to include the promotion of good news stories happening within the schools, and making sure area media get that information, plus promoting the good work of the districts teachers. Each school will have a person assigned to help collect the good news and send it to the communications team, which can then disseminate it. The promotion of such stories helps the district sell itself to sustain enrollment. The district, she added, is craving positive stories right now. The districts Parent University will continue, Pendergrass said, with its fall topics focused on yet-to-be-determined areas relating to reopening schools. Happily, she concluded, all of the planning she outlined can be done within the current budget. Speaking of the budget, Superintendent Sue Cleveland told the board in light of the just-completed special session of the state legislature, the tentative budget approved at a recent meeting will face some cuts, although Cleveland said, This year looks far better than we were afraid (it would be). We all hope for oil and gas to make a very speedy recovery. In other board matters: Rio Rancho Rotary Club members Tim Sheahan and David Heil presented a $10,000 check for the districts Naviance program, with proceeds going to students as college scholarships. In the fourth year of handing a check to RRPS, Heil said about 20 percent of the money will benefit high school students, with the other 80 percent helping those a little more along in their careers; and Approved a $1.09 million contract to purchase a building and 2.6 acres of land at 481 NM 528, which will be used for the districts Student Support Services. The district previously leased the building, with a variety of departments in that space. The school boards next meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 13. It will also be a virtual session, viewable at the districts website (rrps.net). The sale of Chinese products has been hit in the city after calls to boycott Chinese goods were given post the Galwan Valley face-off between the Indian troops and the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) of China. Traders say that there are no takers for electronics, 90% of which are Chinese. President of Radha Mobile Market in Sector 22B, Maninder Ahuja, said, The anti-China wave has hit both the sale and repair of mobile phones. Earlier, Chinese phones would sell the most, and from over 10 phones a day, we can manage to sell 4 or 5 phones now. People are going for alternatives even though they may be a little more expensive. Due to tensions between the two countries, spare parts for Chinese phones were also becoming hard to procure. For repairing a damaged screen, the cost has almost doubled. Rather than repairing the screen of a Chinese phone for 5,000, people are preferring to put in more money to get a new phone, Ahuja added. Sale of other electronic items such as lights has also been affected, but more from the shopkeepers end. RP Gupta, chairman of the Sector 18 Electronics Market Dealers Association, said, Earlier the market was predominantly filled with Chinese lights, but now people are buying branded LED lights. Shopkeepers, too, arent stocking Chinese lights anymore. INDIAN PRODUCTS NO MATCH As per Anil Dhingra, the proprietor of Ads Mobile Arcade in Sector 22B, people are trying to look for alternatives, but they still end up purchasing Chinese gadgets. Chinese phones are loaded with features for lower prices, so there really is no other option, he said. Most toys in Chandigarh are also made in China, however, as per Shrey Budhiraja, proprietor of Budhiraja Toys Center in Sector 22, it is impractical to totally boycott Chinese made goods. There is no infrastructure for bulk producing battery-powered toys in India. Customers also opt for Chinese made toys, so it would take some effort to switch to Indian toys, he said. The Chandigarh Beopar Mandal hasnt officially told traders to boycott Chinese products, president Anil Vohra confirmed, adding that some members had taken the initiative on their own. We are definitely against Chinese products, but it is important that traders not suffer. We will gradually shift to Indian-produced goods once they become available in the markets, he said. The Saudi Grant Management Committees board has approved the financing of five projects in Egypt with a total fund of EGP 200 million ($12.375 million), Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al Mashat announced on Sunday. Three of the projects are for the Agriculture Bank of Egypt (ABE), and the other two are in the healthcare and value chain support sectors. The Committee was established in 2013 to support the SME sector in Egypt and is affiliated with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD). Under the new facility, the ABE will obtain EGP 100 million in order to finance three projects in cooperation with the agriculture ministry in food security and supporting small farmers, through which small and micro-sized projects can be boosted, according to the statement. Meanwhile, EGP 50 million will finance a healthcare project that is implemented by Contact Company for Leasing Finance, and EGP 50 million will be allocated to provide logistical support for SMEs through the UE Finance Company, which will implement projects in Upper Egypt and other governorates outside Greater Cairo and Alexandria, according to the statement. Without providing details, Al Mashat said that a project will be implemented between the two sides in light of the P&P&P vision that is adopted by the international cooperation ministry. Al Mashat stressed that Egypt pays special attention to such projects based on their significant role in pushing economic growth, creating job opportunities and spurring innovation. In this regard, Egypt has launched several governmental initiatives and established cooperation with its international partners, Al Mashat added. She also lauded the Egyptian-Saudi cooperation in boosting SMEs, adding that the Saudi Grant Committee Board has decided to diversify the beneficiary base through cooperating with new partners in an action aimed at providing finances for projects that the committee was established to support. The Saudi committee has financed 2,176 projects so far in 27 governorates, according to the Ministry of International Cooperation. The committee also extends its finances to SMEs through medium entities including the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and the Medium, Small, and Micro-sized Projects Authority. Financial leasing companies are the major beneficiaries from the committees funds, which are provided directly without resorting to intermediaries. The SFDs capital is worth $31 billion, introducing total funding of $61 billion to 83 beneficiary countries, including Egypt. Saudi Arabias direct investment in Egypt witnessed a drop by 43.3 percent during the first quarter of FY2019/2020, recording $69.3 million, down from $122.4 million during the same period of FY2019/2018, according to the Central Bank of Egypts (CBE) latest data released in January 2020. Search Keywords: Short link: A YouTube live stream from Italy is held as part of the LG Velvet launch seen in this file photo. Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul LG Electronics is attempting to cut the cost of manufacturing its new mobile _ Velvet _ by taking aim at necessary parts and its partner companies that supplied them. Overall, the corporate outlook isn't too bad for LG Electronics given its solid global positioning in its core products, diverse product portfolio and relatively stable financial structure. Fitch Ratings recently said it believes LG's competitive strength in home appliances and televisions will support its overall operating performance. Amid the spread of COVID-19, a plus factor in terms of demand for home gadgets, LG is anticipated to report a quite impressive performance throughout the year. But unsurprisingly, any meaningful recovery in its handset business is unlikely, as its continuous restructuring and cost-reduction efforts aren't enough to offset the company's already-weak market position in the structurally slowing smartphone market. That means LG needs to undertake more cost-cutting. In line with the corporate efforts to relocate its production lines and increase the portion of outsourcing, LG recently unveiled its Velvet smartphone in an attempt for it to be taken seriously as a design leader based on its success in the early 2000s when it had a substantial global share with feature-heavy mobile phones. Now, because LG wants to be seen as a leader with attractive mid-range devices in a world of okay-looking competitive flagship devices, the firm is looking to procure components at lower prices. Such efforts seemed to pay off in its negotiation with local suppliers. However, a sticking point is Qualcomm, which holds the key in determining the overall manufacturing cost of the LG Velvet. The San Diego-headquartered firm is reported to have refused LG's request for a discount on Snapdragon 765 chip systems, according to sources familiar with the issue. "LG Electronics holds intensive negotiations with local and overseas suppliers on a quarterly basis. The session this time was aimed at procuring parts and components at a discount from its suppliers. Most suppliers agreed to sell at a discount," one source said. In 2019, LG and Qualcomm signed a global patent license agreement after the Korean firm had earlier claimed they had been unable to settle their differences. Under the terms of the five-year, royalty-bearing agreement, Qualcomm granted LG a patent license to develop, manufacture and sell 3G, 4G and 5G single-mode and multimode complete devices. The LG settlement is regarded as reminiscent of the surprising settlement between Qualcomm and Apple. Apple is also a very important customer for LG. A rocket carrying the last satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) blasts off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 23, 2020. /Xinhua Editor's note: Lan Shunzheng is a research fellow at Charhar Institute and a member of the Chinese Institute of Command and Control. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN. In June, China launched the 55th Beidou navigation satellite successfully at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and it was the final geosynchronous orbit satellite of the Beidou Global Navigation Satellite System. The launch marked the establishment of the Beidou Global Navigation Satellite Constellation, six months ahead of schedule. But on the heels of its final launch was speculation about China's space ambitions from the West. In a commentary posted on the U.S.-based military website Defense News titled "China wants to dominate space, and the U.S. must take countermeasures", the author argues that China is determined to replace the United States as the dominant space power. It said that,while declaring its peaceful intentions, China is still investing heavily in space infrastructure. Therefore, the United States must devote sufficient resources to preparing a new space force to defend national interests and space security. There is no doubt that the article believes the "China threat theory."The United States is already a superpower in outer space as it has the largest amount of space resources. But it doesn't seem satisfied and intends to further monopolize it. Once Trump took office, the government advocated a series of reforms in the space. On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020 at Andrews Military Base in Maryland, marking the birth of the first space army in human history. The U.S. believes that the rapid development of space capabilities by countries such as Russia and China poses a threat to its space supremacy. As a rising power, China's achievements over the years have been remarkable. China now has more satellites in orbit than any other country except the United States. On May 5, China successfully launched a Long March 5B rocket. It is in the U.S.'s own interest to deter China in its outer space neighborhood. On the one hand, it helps to secure more funding and justification for its own military development in space. On the other, it can mislead the international community and provoke other countries to attack China's space policy. Not long ago, the Pentagon unveiled a new Defense Space Strategy, which calls for maintaining America's military superiority in space in the face of Russia's and China's growing space capabilities. This was the first space strategy since the U.S. created the space force. Some analysts say the strategy is a further reflection of a future in which the U.S. military will regard space as a major war arena, and not just as a complement to other battlefields. Besides, the U.S. still didn't forget to shift blame on China and Russia for challenging U.S. freedom in space. As it's put in the document, the development, testing, and deployment of China's and Russia's space combat ability will be the biggest strategic threat. As a result, it is not hard to find that the U.S. will continue to pursue the militarization of space in the name of "China threat" and the weaponization of space. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a signing ceremony for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., December 20, 2019. /Xinhua First, the militarization of space would limit the nuclear deterrent of a weaker space force. For example, once war begins, the nuclear force of the weak side in space will be threatened by the powerful side's space weapons before the launch And after the launch, with the intelligence support of the space system, the efficiency of the powerful side's anti-missile interception system will be greatly improved. It is believed that the space force will directly participate in the anti-missile interception operation in the near future. Second, the militarization of space poses threats to the global space industry. The development of anti-satellite technology and capabilities will affect spacecraft in orbit. In the face of the other side's anti-satellite capabilities, each country's space industry will be held hostage by the other. With the increasing frequency of space activities around the world, relevant countries are likely to be passive in the international game if there are no corresponding measures to deal with it. Third, the militarization of space directly affects the homeland security of vulnerable countries. Space-based conventional strike weapons have a short preparation time and fast response speed, which can meet the requirements of integrated joint operations. In addition, space-based ground attack weapons are capable of being well concealed and with a high penetration capability. Therefore, the weaponization of space will directly affect the homeland security of the disadvantaged in space. Therefore, other nations should be alerted of the threats and prepare for a United States that will pursue its own course in space, which may undermine international strategic stability and trigger the arms race in space. As fractions within the govt widen, the PM calls for disciplinary action against magistrate responsible for the arrest. The prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sylvestre Ilunga, has threatened to resign after President Felix Tshisekedi ordered the arrest of the minister of justice, highlighting increasing tensions within the governing coalition. Justice Minister Celestin Tunda Ya Kasende was detained for hours on Saturday after clashing on Friday with Tshisekedi over proposed changes to the judiciary. This serious and unprecedented incident is likely to weaken the stability and the harmonious functioning of institutions, and to cause the resignation of the government, Prime Minister Ilunga said in a statement on Sunday. No member of the government can be prosecuted for opinions expressed during deliberations of the council of ministers, Ilunga said, referring to the meeting where Tshisekedi and Tunda reportedly quarrelled over the judicial changes. Ilunga said the magistrates responsible for what he called Tundas brutal and arbitrary arrest should face disciplinary action. The controversial judicial reforms include proposals to define the powers of judges, which critics say is a ploy to muzzle the judiciary in a country known for its instability. In a sign of protest against the changes, Tshisekedis supporters took to the streets for two days last week in violent demonstrations that were dispersed by using tear gas and water cannon by the police. The arrest highlights the growing tensions within the coalition government between Tshisekedis camp and that of his predecessor, Joseph Kabila, who still wields huge behind-the-scenes influence. Both Ilunga and Tunda Ya Kasende are members of the Common Front for Congo (FCC) a grouping close to Kabila which sits alongside Tshisekedis Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) in government and accounts for about two-thirds of cabinet posts. Tshisekedi, previously an opponent of Kabila, came to power in January 2019 after being declared the winner of an election that Kabila was ineligible to contest after 18 years in power. Rio Tinto, Turquoise Hill and the Government of Mongolia have reached an agreement on the preferred domestic power solution for Oyu Tolgoi that paves the way for the Government to fund and construct a State Owned Power Plant at Tavan Tolgoi. The agreement, which is a revision of the Power Source Framework Agreement (PSFA) signed in 2018, states that the Parties will work towards finalising a Power Purchase Agreement by the end of March 2021. In addition, the amended PSFA sets a proposed timetable for development, with construction of the coal-fired power plant set to begin no later than 1 July 2021, and commissioning within four years thereafter. Oyu Tolgoi currently uses imported power and both the Government of Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi have committed to extending the current arrangement to ensure continued stable power is supplied to the mine and underground project until the State Owned Power Plant is commissioned and is able to supply stable, reliable and continuous power. Arnaud Soirat, Copper Diamonds chief executive, said, "This agreement provides a potential pathway to securing a domestic power supply for the Oyu Tolgoi mine and underground project for the benefit of all shareholders and the wider community. We look forward to working with the Government of Mongolia to progress the solution." This announcement is authorised for release to the market by Rio Tinto's Group Company Secretary. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200628005034/en/ Contacts: media.enquiries@riotinto.com riotinto.com Follow @RioTinto on Twitter Media Relations, United Kingdom Illtud Harri M +44 7920 503 600 David Outhwaite T +44 20 7781 1623 M +44 7787 597 493 Media Relations, Americas Matthew Klar T +1 514 608 4429 Media Relations, Asia Grant Donald T +65 6679 9290 M +65 9722 6028 Media Relations, Australia Jonathan Rose T +61 3 9283 3088 M +61 447 028 913 Matt Chambers T +61 3 9283 3087 M +61 433 525 739 Jesse Riseborough T +61 8 6211 6013 M +61 436 653 412 Investor Relations, United Kingdom Menno Sanderse T: +44 20 7781 1517 M: +44 7825 195 178 David Ovington T +44 20 7781 2051 M +44 7920 010 978 Investor Relations, Australia Natalie Worley T +61 3 9283 3063 M +61 409 210 462 Amar Jambaa T +61 3 9283 3627 M +61 472 865 948 Group Company Secretary Steve Allen Rio Tinto plc 6 St James's Square London SW1Y 4AD United Kingdom T +44 20 7781 2000 Registered in England No. 719885 Joint Company Secretary Tim Paine Rio Tinto Limited Level 7, 360 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 Australia T +61 3 9283 3333 Registered in Australia ABN 96 004 458 404 Category: general Eye-witnesses have told how they feared a second Glasgow knife attack was a repeat of Friday's frenzied blade rampage that left six in hospital and one dead. Police rushed to the scene in Glasgow city centre at lunchtime after reports of a stabbing just a few streets away from where Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan, was shot dead by a police marksman. The asylum seekers death came moments after he wounded six at the Park Inn Hotel, including a hero police officer. The attacker was killed in his room within minutes of his rampage. The latest knife attack took place just around the corner from the Hallmark hotel where the asylum seekers from the Park Inn had been rehoused following Friday's attack and only a few streets away from the scene of Friday's carnage. It has been reported a man was seen lying on the ground on the city's Argyle Street, outside a Premier Inn, covered in blood An eye-witness, who asked not to be named, told Mailonline: 'It was horrible. I heard screams and saw the man lying on the ground. He had been stabbed on both legs and there was blood on the pavement. 'An ambulance crew attended to him and took him away. But the screams have stayed with me. I was worried it would be a repeat of what happened on Friday, but it had nothing to do with asylum seekers. I think there had been some sort of argument and next thing the man was left bleeding on the ground. I am in shock. It's so upsetting. As if we don't have enough to worry about without this sort of violence on our streets.' One eyewitness described 'lots of screaming' and a man lying on the ground with 'blood all over him'. The latest violent incident is less than a mile away from a knife attack just a few days ago where 6 people were injured on West George Street Inspector Gareth Griffiths for Police Scotland said: "We were called around 12.10pm on Sunday, 28 June, to a report of an assault in Argyle Street, Glasgow. Officers are currently at the scene. We believe this was a targeted assault and we do not believe there is a threat to the wider public. Another eye-witness said: I didn't see it but I heard a scream and looked out. By the time I looked out of my window the attack had happened. the attack but the noise the man who had been stabbed made. Fridays attack was in my mind. I thought, not again please. A pair of mens trainers, believed to belong to the victim, were left lying on the street for a time before being taken away by police as evidence. Earlier the stab victim had been rushed to hospital after immediate treatment at the scene. Police and paramedics are the scene in Glasgow City centre this afternoon Police respond to an incident just off Argyle Street, in Glasgow, Scotland, this afternoon One eye witness added: The guy's shoes and a load of blood could be seen on the pavement. That was eerie. It is the second time Glasgows city centre has seen a major incident involving knife crime in a matter of days. On Friday, hero police officer David Whyte, 42, was injured when he tried to save the lives of staff and asylum seekers staying at the Park Inn hotel on Glasgows West George Street. Six people, including PC Whyte, aged 17, 18, 30, 38 and 53, are being treated at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The attacker, Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan, had threatened to carry out his attack the day before. David Whyte, 42, was stabbed in the Park Inn Hotel in Glasgow yesterday after racing to save victims. Today he has thanked his colleagues for their bravery Police officers attend the scene after reports of a stabbing rampage in a central Glasgow hotel at around 1pm yesterday Friends say he had decided to return to Sudan and became increasingly prone to threats of violence due to the noises he could hear other residents making while he was in his room. Fellow asylum seeker Siraj, who did not want to disclose his surname, said he was horrified when Adam told him he wanted to knife people. Siraj, 22, from Yemen, added: I saw him the day before the attack and he said hed had enough. He told me he hated people and they hated him. He said, I want to stab people and use the knife. I couldnt believe it. He was normally quiet and, at first, I thought he was joking. I thought he was just doing it to disturb me so I told him to take it easy. He said he was going to attack people and, when he kept saying it, I told people at reception. It was really bad. Siraj said his friend refused to calm down and grew more unstable and irrational before the attack. Seventeen officers with the Department of Correction will be disciplined following a transgender woman's death at Rikers Island, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Layleen Polanco, 27, died last year after experiencing an epileptic seizure in solitary confinement. In a statement, de Blasio said Friday that four officers, including one captain, faced immediate suspension without pay. The disciplinary action facing the other 13 uniformed staff was not stipulated. "The death of Layleen Polanco was an incredibly painful moment for our city," de Blasio said. What happened to Layleen was absolutely unacceptable and it is critical that there is accountability. Polanco's family says new surveillance footage released in recent weeks shows that guards failed to provide her with potentially lifesaving medical care, according to NBC News. Earlier this month, the New York City Department of Investigation and the Bronx district attorney released findings saying they found no evidence to support criminal charges in her death. Crowds carry signs during a march in support of Black Lives Matter and Black Trans Lives in Boystown on June 14, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The disciplinary measures comes after the release of a Board of Corrections investigative report Tuesday that cited multiple failures that compromised her safety and contributed to her death. The board found that staff failed to conduct rounds every 15 minutes and check on Polanco as stipulated in Department of Correction's policy, leaving her unchecked for periods of 40 minutes or more, and in one case, nearly an hour. The board also found failures to maintain accurate and complete logbooks and record-sharing failures. Polanco had been charged with six misdemeanors in April 2019 and was being held on $501 bail until her death on June 7. She spent three days at Bellevue Hospital, where she was prescribed an anti-seizure medication, prior to being taken to Rikers Island. She had two seizures after arriving at the jail before she was sentenced to 20 days in solitary confinement for fighting with other inmates. Story continues Protesting deaths: Two Black transgender women were killed last week, thousands showed up to protest In its report, the board also found the process for identifying people who should be excluded from isolation because of mental or medical issues to be insufficient. David Shanies, an attorney for Polancos family, said that while the discipline was welcome, what's really needed is institutional accountability. Suspending or even firing individual employees will not save the next Layleen from dying, he said in a statement. We need to treat trans women as women. We need to end abusive solitary confinement. We need to treat people in jail as humans deserving safety and dignity. Polanco's death was one of several that sparked outrage and protests in recent weeks. On June 14, thousands stood outside the Brooklyn Museum in New York, largely wearing white and spreading the message Black Trans Lives Matter. The Brooklyn protest, organized by the Okra Project and Marsha P Johnson Institute, also honored the deaths of Riah Milton, 25, and Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, 27. Their deaths were the latest in what advocacy groups have called an epidemic facing transgender people, especially Black trans women. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 17 officers disciplined in death of Layleen Polanco at Rikers Island Kamya Punjabi Says She Had 'Gone Under A Shell' After Break Up With Karan Patel, Took Two And A Half Years To Get Normal Turkey reports 1,396 new COVID-19 cases Global Times Source:Xinhua Published: 2020/6/27 10:57:19 Turkey confirmed 1,396 new coronavirus cases and 19 fatalities in the past 24 hours, taking the total infection cases to 194,511 and the overall death toll to 5,065, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted on Friday. Meanwhile, some 1,492 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the total recovered cases to 167,198. The minister also said 51,198 tests were conducted over the past day, with the overall number of tests reaching 3,186,622. Turkey is currently treating 963 patients in intensive care units, with 382 intubated, Koca added. Turkish Interior Ministry has announced to impose limited curfew across the country over the weekend due to expected crowds for university admission exams. More than 2.5 million students are expected to take the university entrance exams at the weekend. The COVID-19 diagnosed students will take exams in isolated classrooms, said the ministry. A similar lockdown was imposed last weekend due to high school entrance exams. Turkey reported the first COVID-19 case in the country on March 11 and has stepped up for the normalization process since June 1. Turkey and China have supported each other in the fight against COVID-19. Chinese doctors and medical experts held a video conference with Turkish counterparts to share China's experience in treating coronavirus patients, protecting medical workers, and controlling the spread of the virus. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 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. By Graham Keeley BARCELONA (Reuters) - When police ordered a local mayor in southern Spain to take down a rainbow flag put up to celebrate gay pride on Friday because it was illegal, more than 300 households in the village rallied to the cause and flew their own flags. By the time gay pride celebrations took place in Spain on Sunday, the Andalusian village of Villanueva de Algaidas near Malaga was awash with flags hanging from balconies, windows and even a bar in solidarity. Juan Civico, Socialist mayor of the village of 4,000 inhabitants, only found out it was illegal for authorities to fly the flag after three residents complained about the one he had put up. Civico said the local government was bound by a recent ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court that only official flags, of Spain, its regions or the European Union, can be flown from council buildings. "After the complaints, we studied what we had to do. We saw that under the law we had to remove the flag. But the people can put what they like on their balconies, said Civico. Hearing about the police action, Antonio Carlos Alcantara who runs a shop in the seaside resort of Torremolinos, 62 km away, had an idea. He sells rainbow flags in his shop in the resort, which is popular with the LGBT community, but because of the coronavirus they were not selling and he had plenty in stock. After he put out a message on the council's Facebook page asking if anyone in Villanueva de Algaidas wanted to fly a rainbow flag, he received more than 100 requests for the flags, prompting him to drive over and hand out another 300. "The village is full(of flags). It is incredible," Alcantara said. Piedad Queralta hung two flags from her house in the village. I think people should be free to love who they want to as long as it does not cause anybody any harm, she said. In 2005, Spain became the third country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands and Belgium. Story continues A 2013 report for the U.S.-based Pew Research Center found 88% of Spaniards accepted homosexuality, making it one of the most accepting countries of the 39 polled. Antonio Ferre, of the Federation of Andalusian LGTB+ Diversity, said the villagers initiative in Villanueva de Algaidas was especially moving. Manolo Garcia, another resident, was just happy to support the cause. To me it is not good nor bad. Every person should be able to do what they like in their own home and in the public street if it does not offend others, he said. (Reporting by Graham Keeley and Jon Nazca; Editing by Susan Fenton) When journalist Kim Wall disappeared while on assignment, her frantic parents could never have imagined the horror that would unfold. Here, her mother Ingrid speaks for the first time about the living nightmare that followed Kim with her parents Jocke and Ingrid at her graduation, 2011. Ingrid writes: 'Kim has such strength that even a year after her death, she can unite people across the entire globe' In August 2017, Swedish journalist Kim Wall, aged 30, vanished. Shed gone to interview eccentric inventor Peter Madsen on board his homemade submarine in Copenhagen. It was meant to be her last interview in Denmark, where she lived: afterwards, she was due at her own leaving party ahead of moving to Beijing with her Danish partner Ole. Her mother Ingrid recounts, in agonising detail, how all hope for her daughter was lost. Friday 11 August 2017 The quiet of our bedroom is pierced by a ringing phone. Its 5.31am. I answer it while my husband Jocke remains asleep. Its Ole, our daughter Kims partner. He sounds shaken. Kim has disappeared from a submarine near Copenhagen. If there hadnt been such obvious worry in his voice, Id have thought he was kidding. This is how the nightmare began the nightmare we would never awaken from. Our daughter, sister and sweetheart left to do an interview for a story an ordinary work day for a journalist. But Kim never came home afterwards. Instead of writing headlines, she became one. Our daughter left yesterday evening to do a story about Peter Madsen a man well known in Denmark who builds submarines and wants to launch himself into space. Kim was supposed to do the interview on board the UC3 Nautilus, which he had designed and cobbled together himself, and was a recognisable silhouette in Copenhagen. Ole says hes stayed up all night waiting for her. Hes biked all over Refshale Island in the northern part of Copenhagen, looking for her, calling her mobile over and over, searching everywhere. He woke up the submarine mans wife to ask what she knows. Hes also called the police and the coastguard and pleaded with them that this is serious. Ole has done everything he can to find Kim. After her assignment she was meant to be meeting up with him and some friends. We decide theres been an accident. Somethings happened with the submarine that has stopped it resurfacing. Is it difficult, or even possible, to find a boat underwater? How long does the oxygen last? Ole finds out that with two people on board, the oxygen lasts for 12 hours. Its been almost that long since Ole got Kims last text: Were diving now. The clock is ticking entirely too quickly. In Denmark, the rescue crews are already working. Jocke calls the coastguard. Weve got a helicopter in the air and three ships out. Were trying to determine where he sailed. Were certain he left the harbour and was in surface position at around 9.30pm, the officer on duty tells him. Nobody knows where the submarine is. The officer has the same information we got from Ole, that the oxygen on board will last for 12 hours. Times up pretty soon, then. Only two hours left, Jocke says, the worry in his voice obvious. The sea is huge, and our daughter is out there somewhere. Finding a boat on the surface is hard enough. In this case, it might also be beneath the waves. We follow the news on TV; the submarine is the top story. At 7am, the Danish media are already reporting on it. One headline reads: Helicopters and ships searching for private submarine with two on board near Copenhagen. The article briefly reports what is known. As longtime newspaper journalists, the situation is familiar to us. But this time the unfolding news is about our daughter. Its almost impossible to take it in. It feels so unreal that if this were a film, youd turn it off. Its simply nonsense. Suddenly the phone rings. The submarine has been spotted everyone on board is fine! We weep for joy and hug each other when we hear this news has been confirmed by official sources. But this isnt the end of the story. Its not even the beginning. How the nightmare unfolded Thursday 10 August 2017 Around 7pm Kim Wall boards the UC3 Nautilus, the homebuilt vessel belonging to inventor Peter Madsen, at Refshale Island in Copenhagen. Friday 11 August 2017 10.30am The submarine is located in Kge Bay. At 11am the submarine suddenly sinks. Madsen is rescued. 5.44pm The police announce that Madsen is a murder suspect. He denies the crime. Sunday 13 August 2017 11.30am No body has been found inside the submarine. There is clear evidence that it was sunk intentionally. Monday 21 August 2017 A cyclist finds a dismembered body in the water on Amager Island. Wednesday 23 August 2017 The Danish police announce that the remains they have found are Kims. Madsen continues to deny the allegations of murder. Tuesday 5 September 2017 Madsens hearing takes place. He claims the 150lb hatch fell and hit Kim on the head. He doesnt want to surrender his computer because it contains business secrets. Tuesday 3 October 2017 The material on his computer includes videos depicting torture and murder of women. Saturday 7 October 2017 A plastic bag containing Kims head, another with her clothes and a knife, and two legs are discovered in Kge Bay. There are no fractures to the cranium, which contradicts Madsens version of events. Monday 30 October 2017 It becomes known that Madsen confessed during a hearing that he had cut up Kims body and thrown parts of it into Kge Bay. Tuesday 16 January 2018 Madsen is indicted and charged with murder, sexual crimes, desecration of a grave and crimes against maritime law. Thursday 8 March 2018 The trial begins in the City Court of Copenhagen. A total of 12 trial days are planned for the case. Approximately 40 witnesses give testimony during the trial. Wednesday 25 April 2018 Madsen is found guilty of all charges. A unanimous court sentences him to life in prison, the harshest punishment under Danish law. Madsen appeals the penalty. Wednesday 26 September 2018 The Eastern High Court upholds the city courts sentence of life imprisonment. Advertisement Soon Jocke and Ole come back, their eyes filled with worry. The report was wrong, the submarine sank, and only one person has been saved. It cant be true we just heard they found the submarine and everyone was fine. Where is Kim? She is the one who was saved, right? Terror grips me. My doubts start to grow. Too many hours have passed since Kim disappeared. Shed never stay away voluntarily. She wouldnt run away with someone else. She had no thoughts of suicide. On the contrary, her eyes were shining with happiness when we saw her the day before she disappeared. Ole is the love of her life. If Kim has been injured, someone would have found her by now were in a densely populated area in one of Scandinavias capital cities. Were sitting in the police break room to wait for the transcript of our interviews. [Our son] Tom turns on the TV. All of a sudden, breaking news rolls past at the bottom of the screen: Peter Madsen has been arrested for murdering the Swedish journalist. This cant be true. Kim is somewhere out there were just waiting for her to get in touch. The police officers who enter the room see what weve just seen. This is not how youre supposed to receive news of a loved ones death. Monday 21 August 2017 Weve been forewarned that today the police will make public what Peter Madsen said during his detention hearing nine days before that Kim had died when the heavy submarine hatch struck her on the head, and that he had buried her afterwards in Kge Bay. Now it can only get better, I think. I am so wrong. Once home, I discover the Copenhagen police have sent out a new press release. A cyclist has found a corpse on the southern shore of Amager. A while later, at 5.23pm, police investigator Jens Mller Jensen calls. Hes eager to make sure that we get to hear it from him and not from the media. He has a grim message for us. Its a corpse without clothes, a corpse that has been destroyed in a way that I dont think would have happened if it had simply lain in the water. It has no arms. We dont know if its Kim, but I think it is, says Jens. He adds that the police have no record of other missing women it could possibly be. The next few hours are uneasy as we follow the developments on TV. The pictures shown are macabre: a large white sheet lying on the black asphalt bike path. Is that Kim lying under the sheet? Our beautiful, gifted daughter? We are torn between wishing its true and hoping it isnt. In the evening, Jens calls again. Jocke takes the call, and I sit next to him. Oh no, says Jocke. Not just once, but several times. He turns pale. When he hangs up, he says, Jens said that its only a torso they found. No arms, no legs, no head. The world stops. Time stands still. Tuesday 22 August 2017 On Monday, we didnt think it could get any worse. It could. On Tuesday, we learn that the arms, legs and head were removed intentionally. Its not an accident its a conscious act by a human being. In addition, the body has been stabbed several times and has had weights wrapped around it to keep it from floating up to the surface. Someone has gone to great lengths to make sure the body will stay on the bottom of the ocean. The last tiny flicker of hope is still sputtering maybe its not Kim after all. We cling to this thought, although our senses tell us that it is her. The forensic experts are working hard. The toothbrush and hairbrush will give the answer is there a DNA match between the body found at Amager and our daughter? Wednesday 23 August 2017 At 2.05am, Jens calls and gives us the news that there is no longer any doubt. Its Kims mutilated body the cyclist found at Amager on Monday. A few hours later, Jens, dressed in a black shirt and black jacket, stands in front of a crowd of journalists and announces the unthinkable it is our daughter who is dead and violated. Science has given us the answer we dreaded. Over the next year, the investigation into Kim Walls death continued. Initially, Madsen claimed Kim had died accidentally when the submarine hatch hit her on the head. But as the evidence against him built up, his case unravelled. During this time, Kims parents slowly started piecing together their new reality, determined that their daughters legacy would be about her exceptional life not the manner of her death. Friday 1 June 2018 Its a beautiful day when we say our final farewells to Kim. The sun shines and the Baltic, still for once, glitters. Weve chosen to have an outdoor ceremony just a few hundred yards from our home. Here Kim played as a child, jogged as a grown woman, walked the dog and enjoyed the peace so far away from the bustle of some huge metropolis. This is an end, a step along the way, but an incredibly heavy one. Once the guests are seated, Jocke carries the urn with Kims ashes; I follow with Tom and Ole, carrying a portrait of Kim, which I place on a pedestal next to the urn. It is simple, beautiful and so incredibly sad. Later, Jocke says, Thats the heaviest burden Ive ever had to carry. We dont call it a funeral its a final farewell. The message has gone out on the grapevine: we wanted absolutely no TV cameras destroying this time, and there arent any. Who is Peter Madsen? Eccentric, self-styled inventrepreneur Peter Madsen was something of a celebrity in Denmark. Propelled to fame by his DIY submarine, he was an object of frequent media coverage. Eccentric, self-styled inventrepreneur Peter Madsen was something of a celebrity in Denmark Born in 1971, his fascination with ocean and space exploration started when he was six years old. After his parents divorce, he lived with his father, said to be both authoritarian and violent, but who shared and fostered Madsens interests. Madsen was proudly self-taught, having abandoned his university study of engineering. The 17-metre submarine UC3 Nautilus on which Kim Wall died was a crowd-funded enterprise: Madsen claimed it was the worlds biggest privately built submarine. At the time of the ill-fated interview with Kim, he was also pursuing space exploration with the aim of launching a manned rocket. Tellingly, the Rocket Madsen Space Laboratory was a sole enterprise after he fell out with his former rocket-making partners in 2014. His personal life was also beset by conflict. His brother described Madsen as his own greatest enemy and his wife divorced him in 2018. He also had a dispute with the volunteers who maintained the Nautilus, and made the chilling remark, You may think that a curse is lying on Nautilus. That curse is me. Advertisement Friends come from all over the world and it ends up being a lovely farewell, just as we wanted. The municipal official describes Kim in a way that gets us to smile through our tears. When the last guests have placed their flowers and said their goodbyes, I suddenly see a butterfly flitting around the blooms. The beautiful creature with its delicate wings moves from one blossom to the next. For me, its a symbol that Kim is still with us, if in an entirely different form. We end the ceremony by walking a few hundred yards across the beach meadows to Kims heart memorial [made from stones washed up on the beach]. We each take a stone from the sea and form the letters K-I-M. It says everything in its simplicity. One journey is over; another one has begun. Friday 10 August 2018 As the first anniversary of Kims disappearance approached, we knew the media would once again force us to experience that night in August last year. We didnt want to do that. So we hold a run on the anniversary day, to honour Kim and her life. An entrance fee will go to the Kim Wall Memorial Fund [set up to provide grants to female journalists whose work embodies the spirit of Kims reporting]. We imagine there will be about 100 runners on this Friday evening in the beach meadows near our home and Kims stone heart. Kims friend, Mia Dahlgren Winther, comes up with the idea of a global event called Run for Kim. And, indeed, a global event it becomes. Kims friends get involved and arrange races in Beijing, in the Philippines, in New York, in San Francisco and many other locations. In all, there are 15 places in 12 different countries that have a Run for Kim. Were thankful that a day which could have been so utterly dreadful ended up being the opposite one full of love and community. Kim has such strength that even a year after her death, she can unite people across the entire globe. Three hundred and sixty five days. Three hundred and sixty five nights. Its been a year since Kim boarded that submarine; 12 months full of horror during which weve been forced to accept that Kim will never come home to us again. We can accept this, but never understand it. Ingrid and Jocke at the stone heart created in Kims memory, 2018. 'For us, Kim will always be in our thoughts. We live in our memories of her,' writes Ingrid Well continue to keep Kims memory alive. A wise person once said that as long as your name is spoken, youre still alive. Kim will continue to live and be a symbol of good journalism, curiosity and the art of storytelling. The story will take other shapes, but Kim will still be the main character. For us, Kim will always be in our thoughts. We live in our memories of her, and they will be kept alive for a long, long time. This is an exclusive extract from A Silenced Voice: The Life of Journalist Kim Wall by Ingrid and Joachim Wall, which will be published by Amazon Crossing on 7 July, price 19.99. rememberingkimwall.com Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 Ethiopia said Saturday it was on schedule to begin filling a controversial mega-dam on the Blue Nile River within weeks but vowed to try resolving its dispute with downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan. The statement from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office undercut claims made Friday evening by Egypt and Sudan, whose leaders said Ethiopia had agreed to delay filling the dam's reservoir until an agreement was reached. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), set to be Africa's largest hydroelectric project, has been a source of tension in the Nile basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on it nearly a decade ago. Ethiopia says the project is essential for its development, while Egypt and Sudan worry about access to vital water supplies from the Nile. Addis Ababa has been vocal about its plans to start filling the reservoir in July, and Abiy faces intense domestic political pressure to stick to that timeline. The leaders of all three countries spoke Friday evening on a call convened by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current chair of the African Union. But while Sudan and Egypt said afterwards that Ethiopia had agreed to hold off on filling the reservoir as negotiations continued, Ethiopia's statement Saturday made no mention of a delay. "Ethiopia is scheduled to begin filling the GERD within the next two weeks, during which the remaining construction work will continue," the statement said. "It is in this period, that the three countries have agreed to reach a final agreement on a few pending matters." -An 'AU-led process'- Trilateral talks on the dam resumed earlier this month, with the biggest sticking points concerning how to operate the dam during periods of drought and how to resolve disputes. Diplomatic sources said this week that the United Nations Security Council planned to meet Monday to discuss objections to the dam raised by Egypt and Sudan. Ethiopia has been wary about the role of outside parties ever since talks involving the US Treasury Department broke down in February and Abiy's government accused Washington of favouring Egypt. Ethiopia criticised Egypt for detailing its grievances over the dam in a May letter to the UN Security Council -- a move it described as a bad faith attempt to "exert external diplomatic pressure". Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission who was also on Friday's call, said afterwards that Abiy, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok had "agreed to an AU-led process to resolve outstanding issues". Abiy's office similarly said the leaders "underscored that... African issues must be given African solutions". Hamdok's office said Friday night that technical committees for all three countries would try to hammer out a conclusive deal within two weeks as suggested by Ethiopia. "The resumption of trilateral technical talks on the filling and operating rules of the GERD and the involvement of the African Union in them are highly welcome developments," said William Davison, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, a conflict-prevention organisation. He added that it was "appropriate that the AU is now facilitating discussions, as regional efforts should be exhausted before the UN Security Council takes over the process". The Nile is a lifeline supplying both water and electricity to the 10 countries it snakes through. 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. The family of Houston soldier Vanessa Guillen said they requested U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz open a congressional investigation into her disappearance from Fort Hood after accusing military leaders of a cover-up. Natalie Khawam, the lawyer of Guillens family, said she spoke with Cruz on Thursday to formally request a Senate inquiry after a disconcerting meeting Tuesday with leaders of the Army base, where Guillen was posted. The family said they had high expectations that the meeting, arranged with U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, would answer at least some of their questions about Guillens disappearance. Instead, they say it only reinforced their distrust of the military post leadership. The base command did not provide us with the information that they promised us. They were not forthcoming, they were not transparent, they said things that didnt occur, Khawam said. We didnt get anything from them, we have been played and now we need a congressional investigation. Cruz, R-Texas, did not respond to requests for comment on whether he would pursue a congressional investigation. A representative of his office attended the Tuesday meeting. A spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command insists that the agency is investigating all leads. We are doing everything possible to find Pfc. Vanessa Guillen and are aggressively investigating all leads, as we have been doing consistently since April 22 when she disappeared, said Chris Grey, CIDs chief of public affairs. Gray said investigators have information about the case that they cannot share with the public, to protect the integrity of the investigation. During a news conference after the meeting Tuesday, the soldiers mother, Gloria Guillen, gave an emotional speech, vigorously criticizing how the base handled the investigation. She blamed the base leadership for not closing the compound and doing a thorough search as soon as it was clear that Guillen was missing. I demand justice, and I demand a thorough investigation, the mother said, adding that she has given the base leaders information about a soldier who was sexually harassing her daughter. Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt was among the officers who attended the Tuesday meeting. Khawam said she hopes the congressional inquiry will also uncover what the family perceives as a military cover-up. She said the Fort Hood leadership has been untruthful to the family. The goal is to find out what really happened to Vanessa and get evidence (of) whos covering up and lying and distorting the facts to the families and to the people at the meeting, Khawam said. She explained that, for example, the military leaders said they informed the family when Guillen went missing. The family said they learned about her disappearance when they called the base after her boyfriend and one of her sisters had not heard from the soldier after trying to reach her. Khawam rejected assertions from base leaders who said they didnt know that Guillen was missing until around 8 p.m. April 22. If the base said from the beginning that the last whereabouts of Vanessa was between 11:30 and 1 p.m. that day, how is it that she wasnt reported as absent during the afternoon check-ins at 3 and 4 p.m.? According to the attorney, officers said all soldiers were accounted for that day during the afternoon checks. How do you check somebody in whos not there? Khawam said, adding that officers at the meeting characterized it as a mistake. Guillen was last seen at the parking lot of her 3rd Cavalry Regiments barracks. Her car keys, wallet, ID card and barracks key were found in an armory room where she went to work that day. Her disappearance has brought national attention, including from celebrities such as actress and filmmaker Salma Hayek and Houston rapper Baby Bash. They posted about the case in social media. Rewards totaling $50,000 are being offered for information that leads to finding the soldier. 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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 Here are todays leading news stories: Society -- Vietnams Ministry of Health on Saturday evening reported two new novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients, who had returned to the country from Kuwait on June 18 and had been quarantined upon arrival. The countrys tally is now at 355, with 330 having recovered. -- The British Embassy in Hanoi has proposed that a 43-year-old British pilot, who is Vietnams most seriously ill COVID-19 patient, be brought back to his home country on July 12, as he has made remarkable improvement over the past weeks. -- A total of 310 Vietnamese citizens stranded in Singapore due to the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on Saturday afternoon. They were then brought to quarantine centers in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang and Ho Chi Minh City. -- The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has suspended 27 Pakistani pilots who have been working for national carrier Vietnam Airlines after authorities in Pakistan had discovered that over 250 pilots in the South Asian country have been using fake licenses. -- Hot weather caused forest fires in three districts in the north-central province of Nghe An on Saturday. It took firefighters multiple hours to put out the flames. Business -- Vietnam has recorded a year-on-year decrease of 15.1 percent in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to US$15.67 billion in the first six months of 2020, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment. -- Prime Minster Nguyen Xuan Phuc delivered a speech at the 'Hanoi 2020 Investment & Development Cooperation' conference on Saturday, an event that was aimed at promoting post-COVID-19 economic recovery and development in the capital. Lifestyle -- This years Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival is scheduled to take place from June 17 to July 2 at Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1 with a variety of activities and events to celebrate the countrys traditional gown. Education -- A job and education fair was organized in the northern city of Hai Phong and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper and the Ministry of Education and Training on Sunday morning. World news -- The novel coronavirus has infected over 8.9 million people around the world while killing more than 466,200, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health's statistics. Over 4.73 million patients have recovered from COVID-19. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! New Delhi: A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her neighbour, who later brutally thrashed her anddumped in bushes in Anand Parbat area of Central Delhi, police said on Monday. Vivek, father of two, was arrested for allegedly rapingand assaulting the minor, a police official said. The accused, who lives with his family in Kathputli Colonyin the area, is a neighbour of the victim. He made "physicalrelations" with her on the pretext of marriage two years ago. He allegedly called the girl near Sarai Rohilla area lastweek and took her into bushes. "When he forced himself on her, the girl protested andraised the issue of marriage. The accused thrashed her andleft her in the bushes. She was spotted lying unconscious by apasserby who informed us," the official said. The victim was admitted to RML Hospital, where sheregained consciousness after three days, the official said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. Verification and registrar choice After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files. In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days. BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars: GoDaddy Namesilo Uniregistry NameCheap Google Domains Network Solutions Name.com Dynadot Amazon Route 53 123 Reg Gandi 2. We request the name from the seller. Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. A woman accused of deliberately pinning her estranged partner against a wall with a car in Sydney's inner west has been charged with murder. Emergency services were called to a car park at a unit complex on Hill Road near Half Street, Wentworth Point just after 8.30pm on Saturday night. They treated the 31-year-old man at the scene until New South Wales ambulance paramedics arrived, but he died a short time later. A woman accused of deliberately pinning a man against a wall with her car in Sydney's inner west has been charged with murder (the car park pictured) Emergency services were called to a car park at a unit complex (pictured) on Hill Road near Half Street, Wentworth Point just after 8.30pm on Saturday night Police allege he got into an argument with a 44-year-old woman, believed to be his former partner, before she got in the vehicle and deliberately struck the man. The man was pinned against a brick wall by the car, police say. The woman was arrested and taken to Concord Hospital under police guard for treatment for a fractured wrist, she also underwent mandatory testing. She was later taken to Auburn Police Station and charged with murder. Officers from Auburn Police Area Command established a crime scene which was examined by specialist forensic police. They then commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The Quakers Hill woman was refused bail and is expected to appear before Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday. Police allege the pair got into an argument before the woman got in the vehicle and deliberately struck the man in the car park (pictured) Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that the state government will be inaugurate a centre for plasma therapy on Monday following which Maharashtra is likely to become the biggest state to conduct plasma therapy on a large scale. Tomorrow we will be inaugurating a centre for plasma therapy after this it is likely that we will be the biggest state to conduct plasma therapy at this level. Those who got cured shall come forward and donate plasma to fight this pandemic. With plasma therapy nearly 90 per cent patients are getting cured, said Thackeray. Day after tomorrow we will be observing National Doctors Day. They are fighting for us, I offer my gratitude to them. Covid-19 is not over yet, we will tackle this issue together, he added. Further, he said that the process to waive off farm loans has been delayed due to the model code of conduct during local body elections and Covid-19 pandemic in Maharashtra. Now, we have decided to waive off loans of the remaining farmers, he added. Maharashtra CM thanked people belonging to all religion for staying indoors amid Covid-19 crisis while many festivals have passed. Soon we will have Ashadi Wari, I am attending this years Wari. I will pray to god Vitthal to get us out of this pandemic. I want to thank all Dahi Handi organisers, they have canceled this years Dahi Handi without even speaking about it to anybody, said CM Thackeray. I have also requested all Ganpati Utsav organisers that this time, as a part of social duty they shall keep their Ganpati idol height four feet only and make sure social distancing is being followed. During the meeting all the organisers assured to follow the governments directions, he added. Some Mississippi ICUs are now full of COVID-19 patients and Houston's are edging closer to reaching capacity, as the virus continues to accelerate on its deadly path across the South and West. Coronavirus cases in the US soared past the 2.5 million mark on Saturday as several states reported record high numbers in cases since the outbreak first touched down on US soil. A staggering 2,507,874 infections have been recorded in America, making up a quarter of the world's almost 10 million cases, according to a John Hopkins University tally - as fears grow that the worst is yet to come for several states. The US recorded more than 45,000 new infections Saturday, setting a dismal new daily record for confirmed cases since the outbreak first touched down on US soil and LA is said to be approaching a 'critical moment'. Experts are now warning that rural counties could also be hard hit, after small communities in Arkansas and Missouri have seen their cases double in a week. Mississippi, which already suffers from a short supply of ICU beds, has already run out of space in some hospital units, raising questions over how the state will cope in the weeks to come as another 465 people tested positive for the virus Friday. Doctors are said to be grappling to find new non-traditional ways of creating space to take in more ICU patients to meet an uptick in demand. Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state health officer, warned Thursday that the state had seen its highest number of hospitalizations in recent days - something officials have blamed on residents not social distancing or wearing masks and attending large gatherings. Texas continues to report record levels of new cases with another 5,747 confirmed Saturday, after a record high of 5,996 on Thursday and 5,707 on Friday. The mayor of Houston warned the city's ICUs are also almost at capacity and officials of the state's largest county sent an emergency alert to residents Friday evening bumping up the threat level to its highest possible 'LEVEL 1 (RED) SEVERE'. The emergency warning tells residents to stay home and means the outbreak is 'severe and uncontrolled', county officials said. TEXAS: A testing point in Dallas. Texas continues to report record levels of new cases with another 5,747 confirmed Saturday, after a record high of 5,996 on Thursday and 5,707 on Friday TEXAS: People wait in line at a testing facility in Texas as Houston ICUs are edging closer to reaching capacity TEXAS: Texas Governor Greg Abbott gave bars in the state until midday on Friday to close down as officials scramble to contain outbreaks amid record spikes in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Pictured above is the crowded Handlebar in Houston, Texas last month TEXAS: Rafting and tubing outfitters on Texas' popular rivers were ordered to close and outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more must be approved by local governments Texas Governor Greg Abbott was this week forced to backtrack on the state's reopening plans because of the resurgence of the virus. Abbott on Friday ordered bars across the state to close and required restaurants to limit indoor seating capacity to 50 per cent, after the state had been among the first in the country to begin lifting its lockdown measures on May 1. He also said rafting and tubing outfitters on Texas' popular rivers must close and that outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more must be approved by local governments. Local governments within the state have since begun imposing restrictions again as they scramble to contain outbreaks. In Galena Park, a small city of 10,000 people on the outskirts of Houston, officials have implemented a curfew starting on Saturday night that will run from 10pm to 5am daily. TEXAS: The state is now backpedaling on reopening plans after cases have surged over the last couple of weeks Abbott admitted in an interview with KVIA-TV Friday evening that the easing on lockdown had been too hasty. 'If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars,' he said. Florida, another state that reopened its economy relatively quickly, also backtracked on reopening plans this week, ordering bar owners to immediately stop serving alcohol on their premises on Friday. This came as the state set yet another record for new daily infections Saturday - the third day this week a record was broken. More than 9,600 new cases were reported, surpassing Friday's record of almost 9,000. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has taken measures into his own hands as he announced plans to issue an emergency order closing down the county's beaches during the Fourth of July weekend. FLORIDA: Crowds of young people were seen not social distancing on the beach in Miami FLORIDA: Miami residents are itching for a good time after months of lockdown as they are seen in line to enter a restaurant on Ocean Drive on Friday FLORIDA: Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced plans to issue an emergency order closing down the county's beaches during the Fourth of July weekend FLORIDA: The state set yet another record for new daily infections Saturday - the third day this week a record was broken Gimenez warned that he may extend the shutdown if 'conditions do not improve and people do not follow New Normal rules requiring masks to be worn always inside commercial establishments and outdoors when social distancing of at least 6 feet is not possible,' in a statement about the order. The mayor claimed he had seen both businesses and people ignoring safety measures against infection. 'If people are not going to be responsible and protect themselves and others from this pandemic, then the government is forced to step in and restore common sense to save lives,' Gimenez said. Miami-Dade has the highest rate of infections of all counties in the state with more than 30,000 cases to date. In LA County, health officials Saturday warned the state is facing a 'critical moment' for the pandemic and that reopening plans could also be in jeopardy if the current trends in cases continue. FLORIDA: Florida set yet another record for new daily infections Saturday - the third day this week a record was broken with more than 9,600 new cases reported This comes after the state reported 2,169 new coronavirus cases. 'If we can't find it in us to follow these mandates, including wearing face coverings and distancing when around others, we jeopardize our ability to move forward on the recovery journey,' Barbara Ferrer, the county health director, said Saturday. 'Our collective responsibility is to take immediate action, as individuals and businesses, to reverse the trends we are experiencing.' Nevada, meanwhile, reported Saturday that there were nearly 1,100 new confirmed cases in one day, a total that is nearly double the state's previous single-day record. Meanwhile, many rural areas that appeared to have avoided the worst of the pandemic when it peaked in urban cities such as New York are also seeing surges of infections. LOS ANGELES: People in downtown Los Angeles Thursday where officials said the state is facing a 'critical moment' for the pandemic KANSAS: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced that a new citywide mandate requiring residents to wear face masks will go into effect Monday MISSOURI: People wear masks at a rally in St. Louis, Missouri. Fears are mounting over outbreaks in rural areas of Missouri In Kansas, where livestock outnumber people, daily cases have more than doubled in recent weeks with the seven-day average of new cases reaching 211 Friday. This marks a sudden surge from just 96 back on June 5 and has led the US Army commander at Fort Riley in the state's northeast to put soldiers on a nighttime curfew from the nearby restaurant and bar district. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has also ordered employees and patrons of businesses to wear masks. 'Case numbers in Kansas City continue to rise, and we are taking all steps we can to ensure public health and safety,' the Democrat said Friday. Idaho and Oklahoma have seen similarly large percentage increases over the same three-week period. MISSISSIPPI: ICU's in some hospitals are already full sparking concerns as cases surge across the state MISSOURI: In Kansas, where livestock outnumber people, daily cases have more than doubled in recent weeks with the seven-day average of new cases reaching 211 Friday ARKANSAS: Hot Spring County, Arkansas, went from 46 cases to 415 - both spikes were attributed to outbreaks at prison In Oklahoma, the seven-day average for daily new cases climbed from about 81 to 376 and Idaho's jumped from around 40 to 160. Many other rural counties in states including California, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Florida have seen their confirmed cases more than double in a week, from June 19 to Friday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Lassen County, California, went from just nine cases to 172, and Hot Spring County, Arkansas, went from 46 cases to 415 - both spikes were attributed to outbreaks at prisons. Cases in McDonald County, Missouri, more than tripled after Tyson Foods conducted facility-wide testing at a chicken plant there. Missouri itself is also seeing a worrying trend overall and officials in Kansas City, Kansas, and the county it's in also decided to order masks be worn in public starting Tuesday. With cases surging across the nation, Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday announced he was calling off his planned bus tour in Florida. Some officials have put the spike down to expanded testing, but experts say it is signs the virus is making a comeback, as rising deaths and hospitalizations could not be impacted by testing. Deaths are running at about 600 per day which is still lower than the peak of around 2,200 in mid-April. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that cases could actually be far higher than even official figures suggest. Health officials said Friday they believe the true number of infections is about 10 times higher. (Left to right) Jamus Jerome Lim Chee Wui, Ron Tan Jun Yen, Raeesah Begum Farid Khan, Dylan Ng Foo Eng, and Dennis Tan Lip Fong. (PHOTOS: WP) SINGAPORE The Workers Party (WP) on Friday (26 June) unveiled its second slate of five candidates to contest at the 10 July General Election. Three of them are not new to the political scene: former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) and shipping lawyer Dennis Tan, 48; Dylan Ng Foo Eng, 45, director at a wealth advisory firm; and senior assistant manager at National University Health System (NUHS) Research, Ron Tan Jun Yen, 34. All had contested in GE2015. Rounding up the five are 26-year-old Raeesah Begum Farid Khan, founder and director of programmes at Reyna Movement the partys youngest candidate and 44-year-old associate professor of economics Jamus Jerome Lim Chee Wu. The five are part of 21 candidates that the party plans to contest across Hougang and Punggol West single-member constituencies (SMCs) as well as Aljunied, Marine Parade, Sengkang, and East Coast group representation constituencies (GRCs). Four other candidates including former election candidates Nicole Seah and Yee Jenn Jong were unveiled on Thursday in the partys first round of candidate introductions. We have a good slate for this general elections. I look forward to all these candidates representing the party well, and persuading Singaporeans to vote for us. We will continue on track to ensure that we can at least have one-third of the house of parliament in opposition hands, said party chief Pritam Singh, who was speaking at the virtual press conference on Friday. He also said that he will continue to run for the five-member Aljunied GRC, along with party chairman Sylvia Lim and vice-chairman Faisal Manap. Pritam had announced on Thursday that former Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs) Gerald Giam and Leon Perera will contest for the sole opposition GRC. When asked about whether they have confidence in retaining the GRC, Pritam said the performance of Aljunied-Hougang has not had any issues come up of concern or matter which residents ought to be worried about from 2015 through this term. Story continues If you look at the financial performance, for example, I mean it's comparable to any other GRCs in Singapore. More importantly, residents, the MPs, and the town councillors have all worked together to deliver good outcomes to residents. And our commitment is to continue. And to strive for greater heights, he said. In response to a media query about the degree of the involvement in the GE by the partys former chief Low Thia Khiang, fellow former Aljunied GRC MP Chen Show Mao and ex-Hougang SMC MP Png Eng Hua, Pritam said the party has to see what happens in the days that come. The trio will not be standing for this years election. I don't want to speculate as to what will be the degree of engagement, but I'm pretty sure that all of them will support the campaign in one way or another, he added. In response to media queries, Lim said the party intends to release its election manifesto this weekend. Dennis Tan Tan had contested in the Fengshan SMC during GE2015 in his first time running at an election. While he lost to People's Action Party's (PAP) Cheryl Chan, he was appointed an NCMP and has spoken out on issues ranging from public transport to climate change. My years as an NCMP has made me even more convinced that the PAP super-majority in Parliament is bad for Singapore and Singaporeans, said Tan. No ruling party can say they have been there before in a brave new world post-COVID-19, he added. We, therefore, need more diversity of ideas and less groupthink in Parliament. We need a much more balanced parliament with constructive elected opposition to deal with important issues affecting Singaporeans such as jobs, fair hiring, cost of living, retirement adequacy and future economies, said Tan. Tan is set to run for Hougang this upcoming election, where he said he has been helping Png three years ago with the running of the estate and constituency matters. Raeesah Khan Khan, the daughter of 2017 presidential hopeful Farid Khan, said she came from a background of parents with humble roots who worked hard to provide for the family. Because of what they taught me growing up, I've always known that for far too many people, hard work alone isn't enough to get past the hurdles they face, she added. Khan said she has worked with people from all walks of life, including underprivileged families, survivors of sexual abuse, youth activists and migrant workers. In the course of my work, I often ask myself why is it getting disproportionately harder for working-class families to live a decent life?...This is not the Singapore we deserve. What we deserve, is a country of marginalised are cared for, including senior citizens and people with disabilities. We have a right to accessible housing for all, for low cost of living and better protection for workers. Dylan Ng Like Tan, Ng will be running for election for the second time this year. In GE2015, he ran as part of a team for the five-member Marine Parade GRC. The father of two, who has 20 years of experience working in the finance and banking sector, joined the party as a volunteer eight years ago. I hope for a balanced house with diverse views and voices, engaging in robust debate, which will benefit Singaporeans, said Ng. Jasmus Lim The father of one has an extensive educational record: He earned a doctor of philosophy from the University of California, a masters degree from the London School of Economics, a master of liberal arts at Harvard University, a master of arts at the University of California and a bachelors degree in business from the University of Southern Queensland. Prior to entering academia, he worked on policy issues at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, international development at the World Bank, and portfolio management at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Lim returned to Singapore after two decades abroad with a desire to serve his country. He described the local educational system as a pressure cooker with children attending extra tuition and supplementary classes after school. Lim said: Even PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) questions become memes, and of course, this shows that internationally, Singapore boasts one of the world's best-performing school systems. But the question I want to ask is: what has this focus on outcomes actually brought us in terms of opportunities? He spoke of his belief that Singapore has allowed superficial success in its educational system to blind people to the fact that this system isn't working, and our education system is not preparing our children to actually take on, and create good jobs for the future. I want to ask these kinds of questions for the sake of my eight-month-old daughter but I also want to ask them for the sake of all children, Lim said. He also brought up issues of retrenchment, the sandwich generation, and the low productivity of workers as well as whether government budgets can be spent more wisely. I believe that these are real problems, and we can only resolve these most difficult questions when there is actually a healthy, active debate, said Lim. "Today, this debate does not occur because there isn't enough of an opposition voice in Parliament." Ron Tan Tan had contested in the five-member Nee Soon GRC in GE2015. He started volunteering with the WP at the Hougang Constituency Committee since 2012 and has been assisting with the Aljunied Constituency Committee since 2017. Young Singaporeans should step up and take on more responsibilities and be the voice speaking up for their seniors, cohort, and children, said Tan. Their choices and their actions will shape and change Singapore for the future, he added. Tan considered the last three years serving as Lows last legislative assistant as very meaningful but bittersweet. The best lesson I learnt from him is that you have to be responsible to residents. Youre elected to take on the responsibility to look after them, to manage the estate, to be the voice for them in Parliament and to assist them with their day-to-day issues, he added. It can be as simple as the lightbulb outside my unit is not working, can you please help me?...Low does it himself. He will personally follow up to ensure the issues are fixed. Follow Yahoo News Singapores GE2020 coverage here. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories GE2020: Workers' Party contesting 2 SMCs, 4 GRCs, including Hougang, Aljunied, Sengkang, Marine Parade Workers' Party unveils first 4 candidates, including Nicole Seah and Yee Jenn Jong GE2020: Former Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang will not be standing for election Emma DeSouza was not included in the Seanad nominations, despite being tipped (Niall Carson/PA) Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said at least one of the Taoiseachs nominees to the Seanad should have been from Northern Ireland. Micheal Martin announced his 11 nominations to the upper house of the Irish parliament on Saturday. Former social protection minister Regina Doherty and traveller rights activist Eileen Flynn were among the nominees, who included a record number of women. However, no-one from Northern Ireland has been included, despite citizenship campaigner Emma DeSouza being tipped. The previous Seanad included Independent Unionist Ian Marshall, who campaigned against Brexit. Yesterday dealt a heavy blow, I had hoped to be successful in obtaining a nomination to Seanad Eireann as an independent that represents the GFA, instead, no-one from the North was appointed My view: 'A shared Island but one that ends at the border https://t.co/9K8gK5JloX Emma DeSouza (@EmmandJDeSouza) June 28, 2020 Ms DeSouza said she was dealt a heavy blow when she found out she was not included. She said: I had hoped to be successful in obtaining a nomination to the Seanad as an independent that represents the Good Friday Agreement; instead, no-one from the North was appointed. She added: Taoiseach Micheal Martin did confirm on Saturday that there will be a newly formed unit within the department of an Taoiseach to work towards a consensus on a shared island, but this announcement was followed by the row-back on a Northern nomination, immediately undercutting the concept of a shared island and reigniting fears that we in the North will be left behind. Fine Gael councillor Emer Currie is one of the nominees. Her father, Austin Currie, was a founding member of the SDLP. He joined Fine Gael in 1989 and served as a TD in Dublin West in the Republic of Ireland for 13 years. Taoiseach Micheal Martins 11 nominees to the Seanad. pic.twitter.com/8dQGWuS2Cz Aine McMahon (@AineMcMahon) June 27, 2020 Ms McDonald said at least one person from Northern Ireland should have been selected. When Ian Marshall came into the Seanad, we supported his nomination. I think people were taken aback by that but I think it is important that northern society is represented within the Oireachtas, she told BBC NI Sunday Politics. I also think it is important that people from a Unionist tradition are included. So that is a disappointment. Ms McDonald said Sinn Fein has two Senators from Northern Ireland in the current Seanad. It is very important that national politics is reflected in the Oireachtas so the new Government have a unit in the Taoiseachs department about a shared island Well, theyre not off to a very good start in that regards. In my view they should have made at least one appointment from the North. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) Barangay officials are in hot water after photos showing residents performing a festival parade in Basak San Nicolas, a clear violation of the enhanced community quarantine in Cebu City, surfaced online. Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella issued a show cause order to barangay officials of Basak San Nicolas on Sunday. "It is apparent from the occurrence that the barangay has been too complacent in implementing the clear mandate of the law and has been negligent in its duty to enforce the Executive Order," the show cause order said. "This office sternly warns you that these violations are not taken lightly and we will be referring these acts to the appropriate authorities who can impose the sanctions that may be called for after due investigation," it added. According to the local government, Basak San Nicolas is considered a COVID-19 hotspot, with at least 90 confirmed cases. The officials have 24 hours from receipt of the notice to explain why they should not be held administratively liable for gross negligence and dereliction of duty. Basak San Nicolas barangay captain Norman Navarro said he was not aware that Sitio Alumnos held festivities on Saturday afternoon. The festival was held in honor of the Holy Child Jesus. Navarro and the barangay council said they were against the activity, adding that they did not give their approval for the event. The village chairman said Sunday they summoned the organizers of the festival parade to question them regarding violations committed during the enhanced community quarantine. Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella said he has also instructed the City Attorneys Office to conduct a probe into the incident. He added that he might advise City Attorney Rey Gealon to coordinate with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police, which is likewise looking into the violation. Cebu City Councilor Edu Rama, meanwhile, described the incident as "completely unacceptable." Rama said further he wanted the organizers charged because the event led to the crowding of people in Alumnos, putting everyone present at risk. Photos of the festival have been circulating on social media since Saturday, showing people in a street parade with the image of the Santo Nino and several others on bicycles. The photos showed there were festival dancers donning Filipiniana outfits dancing to the Sinulog, and people crowding on the sides of the interior roads in Alumnos watching the procession. Netizens and residents of Alumnos said there were no police personnel in the area that prevented the parade. Cebu stringer Dale Israel contributed to this report. NEW HAVEN The number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations in Connecticut fell overnight, according to the latest statistics released by the Office of Gov. Ned Lamont Saturday. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, there were 106 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Connecticut, down 21 from the day prior. This includes 35 people in both New Haven and Fairfield counties and 24 in Hartford Country. A total of 147 new coronavirus cases were reported, bringing the total in the state to 46,206. The deaths of four more people brought the toll associated with the virus to 4,311. The state also said an additional 12,678 coronavirus tests had been performed statewide, bringing that total to 427,567. Further data, including a list of cases in every municipality, is available by visiting ct.gov/coronavirus and clicking the link that is labeled, COVID-19 Data Tracker, Lamonts office noted in the release. For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ and other guidance and resources, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus, said officials with Lamonts office. Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can also call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. The latest numbers come days after Covid Act Now, a nonprofit that tracks the spread of the virus in real time, named Connecticut as one of only four states on track to contain the virus. New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts were the other states where COVID-19 cases are steadily decreasing and preparedness standards are high. Elsewhere in the country, Florida health officials reported more than 9,500 new COVID-19 cases a one-day record surpassing the previous days total by more than 600 confirmed cases, as officials move to re-close beaches and discourage bar gatherings. Florida is one of many states from which visitors to New York, Connecticut and New Jersey have been asked to self-quarantine. This story includes reporting from the Associated Press. Old letters and photos of Chinese people in Sydney to be displayed at the Museum of Chinese in Australia. [For China Daily] The Chinese community in Australia has made invaluable contributions in shaping the multicultural country it is today. But the journey, which has taken slightly more than 200 years, has not been an easy one. True, there have been periods of hardship and racism during that period, but Chinese communities around the country stood their ground, rose above the noise of the misguided and became an indelible part of the fabric that is now Australia. It is their stories that will form the basis of the Museum of Chinese in Australia, located in the old Haymarket library in the heart of Sydney's Chinatown. John Yu, chairman of the museum [For China Daily] The chairman of the museum, the Australian pediatrician John Yu, said the story of Australia's Chinese is a "remarkable one that needs to be told." The opening date has yet to be decided because of the COVID-pandemic. "It needs to be told so young Chinese Australians, and Australians in general, can see and understand the contribution Chinese (people) have made in building this wonderful country," he told China Daily. Today, some 1.2 million people, either born in China or of Chinese descent, now call Australia home out of a total population of around 25 million. The history of Chinese settlement in Australia can be traced back to 1818, when Mak Sai Ying (also known as John Shying) settled in Sydney. Some historians argue Australia's aborigines, probably encountered Chinese merchants in the north of the country well before the English planted their flag on the shores of Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788, and the colony of New South Wales came into being. Chinese people are now considered the oldest continuous immigrants to Australia, outside those from Britain. In the early years of colonization, the number of Chinese settlers was small. But all that changed with the discovery of gold in the eastern colonies, when thousands of Chinese, along with other nationalities, flooded into the gold fields to make their fortunes. For the Chinese, however, the gold rush brought hardship to many who experienced racist abuse and physical attacks. Still, many stayed on and moved to small towns and the cities of Melbourne and Sydney, and opened stores and laundries. When Britain stopped transporting its convicts to the colonies in the 1840s, many people from Fujian province in eastern China began the long journey to Australia to be employed as laborers. Between 1848 and 1853 more than 3,000 Chinese workers on contracts arrived via Port Jackson, Sydney, for employment in New South Wales (then including Victoria and Queensland). Resistance to this cheap labor occurred as soon as they arrived, and, like such protests later in the century, was heavily mixed with racism. Some stayed for the term of their contracts and then left for home, but there is evidence that others spent the rest of their lives in New South Wales, marrying and founding families that are now rediscovering their Chinese ancestry. Top: Haymarket Chinatown in Sydney in the 1920s. Above: The museum building in Haymarket, Sydney. [For China Daily] At the turn of the last century, in 1901, Australia became a nation in its own right and on Dec 23 that year, the Immigration Restriction Act (better known as the "white Australia policy") came into law. Designed to limit non-British migration especially Asian to Australia, it was endorsed by successive governments, until then-prime minister Harold Holt began to dismantle it in 1966. The policy was officially junked later by reformist prime minister Gough Whitlam, who laid the foundations for Australia's multicultural policy that embraces all people, especially those from China and other Asian countries. While the early days were tough for Chinese, they endured and prospered where today Chinese Australians form an integral part of multicultural Australia. "This is the story the MOCA wants to illustrate," Yu said. Now retired, Yu came to Australia when he was 3 years old with his parents who fled Nanking (now Nanjing) before the Japanese invasion and massacre in 1937. Chinese settlers in Australia faced some "difficult periods" but, on the whole, "life here has been good," he said. "For a long time now, a small group of people have been looking at ways (in which) we could record the history of Chinese settlement, not only in Sydney, but in the (entire) state and Australia." Sydney's Chinatown had not always been in Haymarket but was first established in The Rocks (near Sydney's Circular Quay) and later moved to Belmore Park near Central Railway Station before settling in Haymarket, Yu said. "Many of us felt this long history of Chinese settlement and involvement in the growth of Sydney into a major metropolitan world capital needed to be recorded. "The Chinese have contributed an enormous amount, not only in commerce but in many, many other ways. They are hardworking and tend to blend into the local community. Initially, many settled in Chinatown but over the decades they moved out into the suburbs, regional NSW (New South Wales) and the rest of the country," he said. A street scene in Sydney's Chinatown in the 1950s. Old photographs of the Chinatown will be on display at the museum. [MOCA] Colin Mackerras, a distinguished Australian sinologist, said the contribution of Chinese to multicultural Australia has been "enormous". "Chinese have been coming to Australia for centuries, and in the early days their contribution in the northern part of Australia was more than in the more populous south," he told China Daily. "They endured very great discrimination, and mostly belonged to the downtrodden classes, yet showed the Chinese spirit of persistence. "In more recent times, the number of prominent Chinese Australians has grown greatly, and there are now many doctors, lawyers, business people, academics and teachers who are Chinese. "The academics I know range over various fields science, humanities, medicine, economics and business. At least two universities I know of have Chinese deputy vice-chancellors. "Earlier this year I was invited to a big dinner designed and planned by prominent local Chinese people with the aim of raising money for bushfire relief. That seems to me a major contribution to multiculturalism. It shows a wonderful multicultural spirit, and I think it is typical." There are museums dedicated to Chinese history in Melbourne and Ballarat, Victoria, and other places where Chinese people have settled, but not in Sydney. The later part of the last century saw an influx of Chinese moving to Australia. It coincided with Australia's push to portray itself to the world as a multicultural society. "A lot of people who were involved back then, including me, are getting old and many of us felt the need to record our stories, thoughts and feelings," Yu said, "Otherwise, it would be lost for future generations." "I remember when I was a boy, I went to Fort Street Boy's High School, in Petersham (inner Sydney). At that time there were just two Chinese kids. Today the school is coed and the student population is something like 50-60 percent Asian, including Chinese. That just shows how much Sydney has changed." Yu, like many of this generation, said there was racism in Australia. "But personally, I didn't experience any of it ... perhaps, it was my middle-class upbringing. Yet you heard stories from time to time. "It is sad that some young Chinese feel persecuted or discriminated against. This has been made worse recently with the COVID-19 pandemic." Yu said he is not unique. "Many Chinese just get on with life and are involved in their communities ... they make good citizens. And I think we need to record these not only for the young Chinese coming up but for all Australians. "Young Chinese Australians need to feel proud of their Chinese heritage. When you feel good about yourself, it doesn't matter what other people think or say." Chinese people have made a valuable contribution in shaping the modern multicultural Australia of today, he said. "My hope is the museum will help people better understand the history of Chinese settlement. It is a partnership. I would like to think we have contributed something to the country we call home." (Source: China Daily) Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 19:54:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A man wearing a mask uses a facial recognition device before entering the fourth World Intelligence Congress in north China's Tianjin, June 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ran) TIANJIN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- How can facial recognition work on individuals wearing a mask and goggles? A Chinese high-tech company is offering a solution. At the fourth World Intelligence Congress that opened earlier this week in north China's Tianjin Municipality, IriStar Technology Co., Ltd. displayed a recognition machine integrating infrared heat and iris recognition technology. The machine can accurately and efficiently perform body temperature detection and identity recognition even for fully protected people, according to the company. IriStar is one of the companies that participated in this year's event, albeit in an online form, to share their high-tech products and insights on AI and other intelligent sci-tech industries, hoping to provide more solutions for economic and social development. A series of AI products and technologies have played significant roles in the fight against COVID-19, said Wan Gang, chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, during the event. A woman views the fourth World Intelligence Congress via the Internet in Hexi District, north China's Tianjin, June 23, 2020. (Xinhua) "Data technology helps enterprises resume work and production, health QR codes facilitate people's travel, and the Internet of Everything makes urban management and community services more efficient," said Wan. With the help of AI and 5G technology, the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, a city once hard hit by COVID-19, was capable of quickly transmitting and diagnosing a large number of CT medical images. "The AI medical solution developed by Tencent provided doctors with a reference diagnosis for CT medical images within one minute, which made it possible for the hospital to diagnose more than 24,000 patients in more than two months," said Ren Yuxin, chief operating officer of Tencent. With the widespread application of digital and AI technologies in China's battle against the epidemic, Liu Qingfeng, chairman of voice-recognition giant iFlytek, said AI development in China will face unprecedented opportunities in the post-epidemic era. China has initiated two batches of key projects on new-generation AI technologies, with the investment amounting to 1 billion yuan (about 140.7 million U.S. dollars), according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. The technological innovation of AI should go beyond national boundaries and China will play a more active role in the global R&D of AI technologies, Wan said. "We will jointly safeguard the stability, safety, improvement and development of the global industrial and supply chain with the rest of the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic," said Wan. Serving as a center for Chinas global manufacturing and commerce, Wenzhou is a city where different cultures meet and blend. Hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, African medical professionals living and working in the city have chosen to stay in their second-hometown to tackle the lethal virus, as well as share Chinas experience in curbing the spread of COVID-19 with their own countries. Hosany Sumayyah, a Mauritian doctor working at Panhealth Medical Center in Wenzhou, served as volunteer at the citys highway exit checkpoint for 22 days. Her husband, Zahir Hamad, a doctor from Pakistan, has been helping local authorities check identity information and measure the body temperatures of drivers and passengers, as well as providing locals with useful medical knowledge to avoid the virus. Mauritian Hosany Sumayyah measures body temperature for a driver at a novel coronavirus prevention-and-control checkpoint of an expressway exit in Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 8, 2020.(Xinhua_Weng Xinyang) "We must do something," said the couple, who fell in love while receiving their higher education in China, adding, "China is our second hometown. We hope the epidemic ends soon and people can get back to their normal life." On March 18th, as the first three COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Mauritius, rumors and fear began to spread throughout the local communities. Sumayyah made several video clips on Mauritian social media platforms, sharing the knowledge and experience she gained in tackling COVID-19 in China with the Mauritanian public. Her family, who urged her to come back home when the COVID-19 outbreak took place in Wenzhou, are now fully supportive of her choice to stay, encouraging her to share her experience with those who are in need. Sumayyahs service in China was recognized and repaid by Wenzhou authorities and the public. Her plea for needed medical equipment and medicine for her home country was approved and supported by the hospital where she works, along with support from several other Chinese cities. Since April 18, countless medical products have been sent to Mauritius, with Nando Bodha, the countrys minister of foreign affairs, praising China for its generous help. China has been trying its best to help tackle the pandemic. No matter where you come from, we are all together in this fight against COVID-19, Sumayyah said. Percy David PaPa Akuetteh, a doctoral candidate at Wenzhou Medical University, also made the choice to stay in China when the outbreak took place, and has been helping his community take the temperature of visitors and assist foreigners in need of medical treatment. Percy David PaPa Akuetteh(L), a doctoral candidate at Wenzhou Medical University, also made the choice to stay in China when the outbreak took place. China is doing a great job to tackle the virus, no other nations can gather so many resources to tackle the virus in such a short period, he said. When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? Victorian Premier Dan Andrews is under fire for his handling of the coronavirus crisis as cases soar. The state recorded its biggest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases in almost three months on Sunday as 49 new patients were identified overnight. The Premier has been accused of making three key errors which may have contributed to the spread. He did not enforce mandatory testing for returned travellers, and as many as 5,000 people were allowed home after refusing a coronavirus test. Mr Andrews also employed security guards to police quarantine hotels and some of them caught the virus. The government also encouraged residents who fell sick to self-isolate at home but many broke the honour system which was arguably not enforced strongly enough. This graphic shows the spike in cases within known coronavirus hot spots in and around Melbourne Lieutenant Commander Thomas Miller of the Royal Australian Navy (R) watches as members of the Australian Defence Force perform COVID-19 coronavirus tests on members of the public Victoria's three mistakes 1. The government employed security guards to work at hotel quarantine zones. They reportedly did not get adequate training and some got the virus 2. The honour system of people isolating at home if they were sick was not enforced strongly enough and people broke the rules. 3. The government allowed around 5,000 returned overseas travellers to end hotel quarantine without tests Advertisement On Monday morning Liberal MP Tim Smith described Victoria as a 'national laughing stock' and slammed the premier for banning golf and fishing while failing to keep ill people isolated. 'He's got egg on his face because he's been focused on all the wrong things,' Mr Smith told Sydney radio 2GB. 'He should have been focusing on the one thing that genuinely stops the spread of this virus and that's quarantining people who are sick.' Writing in the Herald Sun, prominent commentator Andrew Bolt said that the Victorian government failed to get tough on the one thing that mattered most. 'It didn't make sure that sick people were put in tight quarantine - and stayed there,' he wrote. Mr Bolt's comments came as Mr Andrews said a cigarette lighter may have contributed to an uptick in cases. Mr Andrews on Sunday said staff at the hotel had followed correct protocols relating to social distancing, but had unwittingly spread the virus after sharing a lighter. '[They were] keeping their distance but sharing a lighter between each other,' he said. 'An innocent thing that can lead to transmitting the virus.' The Premier also said he was aware some staff had been carpooling to work. After Mr Andrews spoke on Sunday, Bolt issued a scathing assessment of Mr Andrews' leadership throughout the crisis. 'So this government is not just incompetent but hysterical, and the whole country is paying for it,' he said. Bolt cited the government's decision to hire security guards to man the doors at quarantine hotels without offering them appropriate training. Some of these security guards were later diagnosed with the virus and contributed to clusters within their family and friendship networks. The second strike for the government, according to Bolt, was operating at-home quarantine on an 'honour system'. Sick people were told to quarantine at home for at least 14 days after symptoms appeared, though evidence suggests plenty were actually ignoring these protocols. Medical staff are seen conducting coronavirus testing at the new Mobile Testing Site at CB Smith Reserve Fawkner in Moreland, Victoria (pictured on Saturday) Victoria has been carrying out a testing blitz in ten suburbs across Melbourne - and warned they could lock neighbourhoods down if COVID-19 infection rates keep rising Last Monday, police had a blitz where they checked on people supposedly quarantining at home. They found 13 people were breaking the orders. Victoria's third failure was addressed on Sunday during a press conference. The Victorian government allowed people to leave their hotel quarantine arrangements even if they refused to be tested for the virus. On Sunday, Mr Andrews said they had changed the policy to limit the room for error. Under the new rules, any returning traveller who does not consent to a test will be forced to stay in hotel quarantine for a further ten days. The government said those in quarantine would be tested twice - first on day three and then again on day 11 of the 14-day quarantine period. Workers are seen carrying out the huge testing blitz in Melbourne on Saturday (pictured) amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections Department of Health and Human Services' community engagement team members are seen door-knocking residents in coronavirus hotspots (pictured in Melbourne on Wednesday) Mr Andrews revealed health officials had carried out 40,000 tests over the past three days as part of a testing blitz in ten hotspot suburbs across Melbourne. Of the 49 new cases reported on Sunday, four are from known outbreaks, 26 were detected through routine testing and the other 19 are under investigation. One of the four cases from known outbreaks has been traced to Melbourne's Stamford Plaza hotel - which is acting as a quarantine hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision follows a sharp spike in cases in Victoria, which is the only state to have reported 12 consecutive days with cases in the double digits. The last day Victoria recorded 49 cases overnight was on April 3, which marked the end of a horror week at the height of the pandemic which saw 511 new cases. Mr Andrews said he would not rule out placing Melbourne's hotspot suburbs under lockdown if cases continued to rise. 'If we have to further limit movement in some of those suburbs, so for instance, a stay-at-home order much like we all, as a community, had to endure for what felt like the longest of times if that is deemed the appropriate public health response, then that is what we'll do,' he said. 'We'll do it if we need to.' Premier Daniel Andrews has announced Victoria is implementing mandatory testing for all quarantined travellers as the state carries out a testing blitz in Melbourne's suburbs amid a significant spike in COVID-19 cases SUNDAY'S NEW CASES FROM KNOWN OUTBREAKS One case from the Stamford Plaza One case from the Coles Keilor Downs family outbreak One case from the North Melbourne family outbreak One case linked to the Brimbank family outbreak Advertisement There were earlier expectations $1,600 fines would be introduced for quarantined travellers who refuse to get swab tested for the virus. Mr Andrews said he wouldn't rule out introducing fines for those who refuse tests in quarantine, but that a decision would be made on Tuesday when more results come in from the testing blitz. 'Anyone who does not consent to a test will not be able to leave hotel quarantine for a further ten days,' Mr Andrews said. 'There is also the opportunity open to us to fine anyone who does not agree to a test. 'But everybody who is leaving today, from right now, if they don't agree to a test, then they will be in our care for a total of 24 days not 14 days. 'It is my judgement that if it was simply a fine and nothing else, then there may be some people in hotel quarantine, people of means... who may well pay the fine in order to get out.' Mr Andrews said those in hotel quarantine in the state are already being tested at a rate of between 80 to 85 per cent. He added 780,000 tests had been conducted in Victoria since January 1 and a new less-invasive saliva testing would start from Sunday. Previously, swabs were taken from the nasal passage and back of the throat. The suburbs being targeted as part of the Victorian government's widespread testing - dubbed the Suburban Testing Blitz by authorities - are Keilor Downs, Broadmeadows, Maidstone, Albanvale, Sunshine West, Hallam, Brunswick West, Fawkner, Reservoir and Pakenham. Guests at the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne are seen wearing masks as they get into taxis on Thursday. Victoria has confirmed another 49 cases of COVID-19 overnight Staff inside the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne wearing masks are seen moving luggage for guests in quarantine on June 25 'Much like a bushfire, putting this out is challenging,' Mr Andrews said. 'Containing it, though, is something we can do, and [testing and contact tracing] is the most effective thing to do.' Health workers are going door-to-door in Keilor Downs and Broadmeadows, with mobile testing vans and expanded community engagement teams on the ground. Residents in the two areas were also sent emergency text messages on Saturday, urging testing. Australian Defence Force medical and support personnel are understood to have arrived in Victoria to help the state's efforts. Melbourne is still on high alert, after it was revealed on Saturday that a Metro worker based at Flinders Street Station, the city's busiest, was infected with the deadly virus. So far 13 other Metro staff members have been forced into home quarantine amid concerns the worker may have been infectious on shift. Military officers are seen lending a hand at a coronavirus testing centre at the Melbourne Showgrounds on Saturday (pictured) Members of the Australian Defence Force are seen putting on PPE as they were drafted in to help perform thousands of COVID-19 tests in Melbourne on Saturday (pictured) There were fears leading into Sunday's press conference that if the rate of infection continues to surge with sustained community transmissions, police road checkpoints may be brought in at six COVID-19 trouble spots - Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin. Although such a move would be unprecedented in Victoria, similar local area roadblocks were introduced in Tasmania when a massive outbreak occurred in the state's northwest in April. The rest of Australia has largely contained any coronavirus outbreaks, with several states not reporting a community infection for weeks, but Victoria has seen a week of double-digit infections. As a result, stay-at-home orders introduced by the federal government in March have largely been eased across the country, but it now appears parts of Victoria could be called to undergo another shut down. Under the heightened restrictions, the only valid reasons for leaving home would be for work, study, essential shopping, care-giving and exercise. VICTORIA'S SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES 28/6: 49 27/6: 41 26/6: 30 25/6: 33 24/6: 20 23/6: 17 22/6: 16 21/6: 19 20/6: 25 19/6: 13 18/6: 18 17/6: 21 Source: Department of Health and Human Services Advertisement On Friday, Victoria's deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen (pictured) acknowledged about 30 per cent of returned travellers have refused a COVID-19 test More than 19,000 travellers have undergone hotel quarantine since returning to Victoria, with at least 200 later testing positive for the deadly virus. But early indications suggest up to 30 per cent had refused the test. In New South Wales, returned international travellers who refuse to have the test on day ten must stay an extra ten days in quarantine. NSW has a two per cent test refusal rate, authorities said on Saturday. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said it was important to test and trace as many people as possible to prevent the spread of the virus. 'It is very important that people do put themselves forward to have these tests because ultimately if someone gets coronavirus they are endangering the lives others across the community,' he told reporters in Melbourne on Saturday. Victorian opposition leader Michael O'Brien said it made no sense that people could refuse the test, and if so, should pay for their stay. 'If people in quarantine refuse a test how about we just make them pay for their own stay, and I think that'll sort it out pretty quickly,' he told reporters on Saturday. People in face masks leave Flinders Street Station on Saturday June 21 (pictured). A Metro worker based at the station has since tested positive for coronavirus Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured on Thursday) was last week forced to roll back eased coronavirus restrictions due to the second spike in cases 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, 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Access Bank has offered to pay stamp duty charge for February to April on behalf of its customers. It also said deductions made be... Access Bank has offered to pay stamp duty charge for February to April on behalf of its customers. It also said deductions made between Saturday and Sunday would be reversed to customers. In a statement on Sunday, the bank said it recognised that it is a tough period for customers. The banks customers had complained using various social media platforms on Saturday and Sunday over stamp duty deductions. We have considered your feedback and have decided to pay the stamp duty on our customers behalf for the affected period only, the bank said in a statement. This means that individuals and SMEs who were debited for the accumulated stamp duty charge for February to April 2020 will be refunded. While we still have to remit these funds via the CBN to the federal government, we realise that we got it wrong by debiting our customers late, and we are refunding the affected stamp duty charge today to all affected customers. We hope this gesture goes some way to make this better. In an earlier statement, the bank had notified customers that it did not deduct stamp duty charges on transactions that occurred between February 1, 2020, and April 30, 2020. The 2019 finance act provides that bank customers pay a N50 stamp duty charge on every N10,000 deposit. The Prairie Doc: Do your part for the person across the table columns An employee takes the fingerprints of a woman who died from the new coronavirus before her remains are cremated at La Recoleta crematorium in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, June 27, 2020. The Ministry of Health reported on Saturday the highest number of deaths in Chile since the start of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix) China has extended COVID-19 tests to newly reopened salons amid a drop in cases, while South Korea continues to face new infections after it eased social distancing rules to lift the economy. In the U.S., Vice President Mike Pence called off off a planned campaign bus tour in Florida following a surge in confirmed cases there. Hard-hit Italy, meanwhile, registered the lowest day-to-day tally of COVID-19 deaths Saturday in nearly four months. No positive cases were found in Beijing's beauty and barber shops in a further sign that the city's recent outbreak has been largely brought under control. Beijing officials have temporarily shut a huge wholesale food market where the virus spread widely, reclosed schools and locked down some neighborhoods. Anyone leaving Beijing is required to have a negative virus test result within the previous seven days. Tens of millions of Chinese traveled during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival that ended Saturday, with no outbreaks reported immediately. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 40 of the newly reported cases were domestically infected, while 22 others came from overseas. The bulk of the local cases were detected in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, linked to nightclubs, church services, a huge e-commerce warehouse and low-income workers. An employee prepares to cremate the body of a person who died from the new coronavirus, at La Recoleta crematorium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, June 26, 2020. The Ministry of Health reported on Saturday the highest number of deaths in Chile since the start of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix) In Hawaii, the city of Honolulu announced that campgrounds will reopen for the first time in three months with limited permits to ensure social distancing. In contrast, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee put a hold on plans to move counties to the fourth phase of his reopening plan as cases continue to increase. In a further sign of the impact on the U.S economy, Tyson Foods has announced that 371 employees at its chicken processing plant in the far southwestern corner of Missouri have tested positive for COVID-19. Pence canceled a planned bus tour in Florida to benefit his and President Donald Trump's reelection, as state health officials on Saturday reported more than 9,500 new cases, surpassing the previous day's total by more than 600 confirmed cases. The figures come as officials move to reclose beaches and discourage bar gatherings. A visitor wears a space suit costume on the pier Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Kansas, Idaho and Oklahoma were also among U.S. states seeing a sharp rise in case. While the rise partly reflects expanded testing, experts say there is ample evidence the scourge is making a comeback, including increasing deaths and hospitalizations in parts of the country and higher percentages of virus tests coming back positive. According to Italy's Health Ministry data, there were eight deaths of infected patients since Friday, raising the nation's known toll in the pandemic to 34,716. There were 175 new cases, bringing the overall count of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country where Europe's outbreak first exploded to 240,136. In a sign the country was emerging from the crisis, fewer than 100 infected patients were occupying ICU beds nationwide for the first time since the very early days of the outbreak, An employee takes the fingerprints of a woman who died from the new coronavirus before her remains are cremated at La Recoleta crematorium in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, June 27, 2020. The Ministry of Health reported on Saturday the highest number of deaths in Chile since the start of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix) European leaders were taking no chances, however. German authorities renewed a lockdown in a western region of about 500,000 people in the past week after about 1,300 slaughterhouse workers tested positive for COVID-19. Serbia's government says Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin tested positive for the coronavirus. Known for his highly pro-Russian stance, Vulin was part of Serbia's delegation led by President Aleksandar Vucic that attended a Victory Day parade this week in Moscow. Vucic met face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it was not clear whether Vulin did so as well. Britain's government is expected to scrap a 14-day quarantine requirement that forced people to self-isolate upon returning home from abroad. India's confirmed coronavirus cases crossed half a million on Saturday with another record 24-hour jump of 18,552 infections. People play beach volleyball Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) A restaurant advertises a re-opening Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Taylor Medina wears a mask as she sells her fashions Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Beach goers cross Pacific Coast Highway Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Demonstrators hold signs as they protest the lockdown and wearing masks Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) A lifeguard keeps watch over a packed beach Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Residents stay at their building to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, June 27, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) A man wearing a protective face mask walks at Plaza Caracas in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, June 27, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Visitors crowd the beach Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) People wearing face masks stand in line for coronavirus tests at a community health clinic in Beijing, Sunday, June 28, 2020. China reported more than a dozen of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, all but a few of them from domestic transmission in Beijing, which has seen a recent spike in coronavirus infections. But authorities in the Chinese capital say a campaign to conduct tests on employees at hair and beauty salons across the city has found no positive cases so far, in a further sign that the recent outbreak has been largely brought under control. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Workers wearing protective suits register people for coronavirus tests at a community health clinic in Beijing, Sunday, June 28, 2020. China reported more than a dozen of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, all but a few of them from domestic transmission in Beijing, which has seen a recent spike in coronavirus infections. But authorities in the Chinese capital say a campaign to conduct tests on employees at hair and beauty salons across the city has found no positive cases so far, in a further sign that the recent outbreak has been largely brought under control. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Vials of liquid for coronavirus tests sit on a table at a community health clinic in Beijing, Sunday, June 28, 2020. China reported more than a dozen of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, all but a few of them from domestic transmission in Beijing, which has seen a recent spike in coronavirus infections. But authorities in the Chinese capital say a campaign to conduct tests on employees at hair and beauty salons across the city has found no positive cases so far, in a further sign that the recent outbreak has been largely brought under control. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) A worker wearing a protective suit swabs a man's throat for a coronavirus test at a community health clinic in Beijing, Sunday, June 28, 2020. China reported more than a dozen of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, all but a few of them from domestic transmission in Beijing, which has seen a recent spike in coronavirus infections. But authorities in the Chinese capital say a campaign to conduct tests on employees at hair and beauty salons across the city has found no positive cases so far, in a further sign that the recent outbreak has been largely brought under control. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) People wearing face masks stand in line for coronavirus tests at a community health clinic in Beijing, Sunday, June 28, 2020. China reported more than a dozen of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, all but a few of them from domestic transmission in Beijing, which has seen a recent spike in coronavirus infections. But authorities in the Chinese capital say a campaign to conduct tests on employees at hair and beauty salons across the city has found no positive cases so far, in a further sign that the recent outbreak has been largely brought under control. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) A man waits for customers in the front door of a parking lot amid the coronavirus pandemic in the Barranco neighborhood in Lima, Peru, Saturday, June 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) Egypt has largely reopened. In Cairo, a metropolis of some 20 million people, coffee shops reopened Saturday to receive in-house customers but the smoking of "sheesha" from hookah waterpipes was still on hold. Deaths in the U.S. are running at about 600 per day, down from a peak of around 2,200 in mid-April. Some experts have expressed doubt that deaths will return to that level because of advances in treatment and because many infections are happening in younger adults, who are more likely than older ones to survive. The virus is blamed for more than 125,000 deaths and over 2.5 million confirmed infections nationwide in the U.S., by Johns Hopkins' count. But health officials believe the true number of infections is about 10 times higher. Worldwide, the virus has claimed close to a half-million lives with nearly 10 million cases. The resurgence in the U.S. has drawn concern from abroad. The European Union seems almost certain to bar Americans in the short term from entering the bloc, which is currently drawing up new travel rules, EU diplomats said. 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. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Santa Fe city government is looking to revisit its ordinances covering short-term rentals with a pair of proposed bills, although one of them has been set aside while the bills sponsors contemplate other changes. I know that there are going to be other amendments as we continue, said Sally Paez, an assistant city attorney who deals with land use issues. That bill, initially scheduled to go before the citys Quality of Life Committee Wednesday, addresses permit limits issued to short-term rental operators, to whom they may be issued, the density of STR units in residential areas, reporting and record-keeping requirements, among other issues. However, a companion bill relating to enforcement of the short-term rental ordinance will move forward as scheduled. Perhaps the most significant proposed change in that bill is to amend the land development code to adopt civil penalty provisions and the ability to assess fines. Right now, to impose fines is actually a criminal process, like a petty misdemeanor. In order to impose a fine there must be a criminal complaint in a criminal court. There is no civil penalty option, so this bill looks to adopt a civil process, Paez said. The civil citation would be issued through the Land Use Department. Anyone issued a citation could request an administrative hearing before a hearing officer appointed by the city manager. The fine schedule is set at $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and $500 for the third offense. Appeals would be made in district court. In addition, under the proposal the land use director would have the authority to withhold or revoke a short-term rental permit if the permittee violates regulations or in the interest of public welfare. The land use director may also impose a one-year application waiting period for any operator who violates the ordinance or fails to pay or report taxes. The provisions are intended to put more teeth into the existing ordinance, which hasnt done much to discourage violators. A lack of resources in the Land Use office has been cited in the past as a problem that has led to a lack of enforcement. The whole issue is why are you putting things in the law that require enforcement if youre not going to enforce it? said Karen Heldmeyer, a former city councilor who now as a citizen has pushed for stricter short-term rental regulations. Heldmeyer attended the June 18 virtual Planning Commission meeting, at which the proposed amendments were discussed. Almost everybody said they wanted better enforcement in terms of getting a permit, making sure those people are paying the taxes they are supposed to be paying, and also in terms of nuisances, she said. Out of hand The short-term rental industry exploded in Santa Fe with the emergence of the sharing economy and online host platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. And with the city lacking the resources to keep up with enforcement, the short-term rental market got out of hand. Ordinances limited the number of short-term rental permits issued by the Land Use office to 1,000. However, a city-commissioned study sponsored by the housing assistance nonprofit Homewise, funded by the Thornburg Foundation and released last year, calculated the total at 1,444 in 2018. That was a 380% increase from just three years earlier when there were fewer than 400 short-term units. In addition, the study showed that only 40% of short-term rental units were registered with the city, another sign of enforcement lapses. As a result, the city was missing out on $3.8 million in unpaid taxes from non-paying short-term rental operators, according to the study. Another study released late last year indicated the number of short-term rentals operating in Santa Fe was even higher. IPX1031, a national company that assists with the financing, sale and purchase of second homes through tax-deferred property exchanges, put the number of short-term rentals in the city at 1,627. Another impact the short-term rental explosion had on the city was to deplete the long-term rental market, which city officials have said has reached a crisis stage. Critics maintain that short-term rentals drive up housing costs by reducing the supply. One housing market study from two years ago estimated that Santa Fe had a shortage of about 6,500 housing units and a shortage of 2,400 affordable homes or apartments. Last summer, in an effort to get a handle on the problem, the city entered into a $60,000 contract with Seattle-based Host Compliance, a private company that searches social media sites to help identify short-term rental units that may be operating without a permit. Thats an area where weve really tried to improve, Assistant City Attorney Paez said, adding that the service helps identify property owners who are operating without a permit and not paying gross receipt taxes. Companion bill Paez said the companion bill may be paused for a couple of months while its sponsors look into adding or revising amendments included in the draft. She said some of the issues that came up during the Planning Commission meeting pertained to areas zoned as residential and those within the Business Capital District, most of which is within the boundary created by Paseo de Peralta. According to the draft bill, the purpose of the short-term rental ordinance is to preserve the character of neighborhoods, prevent speculators from reducing the long-term housing market supply, allow law-abiding residents an opportunity to generate supplemental income and to ensure that operators follow regulations. Subject to change before re-entering the committee process, that bill as written would: Establish a definition for a natural person, as opposed to a business or organization, who may possess no more than one short-term rental permit. The permits are not transferable to another owner or property. If a short-term rental is sold and the new owner wants to continue renting it, the new owner must submit a new application. Require that a local operator be available at all times to respond to complaints. Set the maximum number of short-term rental permits at 1,000 (currently, the ordinance states the limit is set by the governing body). After 1,000 permits have been issued, the Land Use Department would create a waiting list. Set the application fee to operate a short-term rental at $100 and the permit fee at $290. A business license costing $35 would also be required. Mandate that the owner of the rental must provide off-street parking one space for a one-bedroom unit and two spaces for a unit of two or more bedrooms. Limit the number of guests that can occupy a unit to twice the number of bedrooms. Require that owners or operators maintain a record of use dating back three years. Authorize the city to conduct random inspections of properties. With some exceptions, require that short-term rental permits not be issued to units within a 75-foot radius of another short-term rental unit. Currently permitted short-term rental units within that distance would be grandfathered in. Require that host platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo have a business license, and provide monthly reports for rental nights and amount of revenue. A rally is is being held for Ejaz Choudry, 62, who was shot and killed by police in his apartment in Mississauga last week. His family says he suffered from schizophrenia and other illnesses. (Lorenda Reddekopp/CBC) Hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered for a rally outside Peel police headquarters on Saturday afternoon, demanding "justice" for Ejaz Choudry, who was killed by police officers one week ago. The rally, which was organized by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), officially started around 4 p.m. The victim's nephew, Hassan Choudhary, attended the rally, calling for answers in his uncle's death. "At the end of the day, we want answers for what occurred," he told CBC News Saturday. "It's been seven days since the murder of my uncle, and we still haven't got any answers." Ejaz Choudry's family, along with people in the neighbourhood, have described him as a gentle, giving person. His nephew said he would play with young children and talk to all of his neighbours. Mehrdad Nazarahari/CBC "He would just say 'Hello' to everyone," Hassan Choudhary said. "Everybody understood how harmless he was. He was not a criminal." "It's so frustrating; we're grieving for the last seven days but we can't grieve properly because we haven't been given answers." Protesters held signs at the event Saturday, and could be heard chanting "Justice for Ejaz." A Peel Regional Police officer shot and killed Ejaz Choudry, 62, on June 20 in Mississauga, Ont., while responding to a call about a man in mental distress. According to his family, he suffered from schizophrenia and he was having a mental health crisis when police went into his home for a wellness check and shot him. His family said they had called a non-emergency line. Family members have said the officer responsible for the fatal shooting should be fired. Originally from Pakistan, Choudry was a husband and a father of four children. Hundreds of mourners wearing masks gathered in a Mississauga park for a public funeral on Wednesday evening to honour his life. Choudry is the third Canadian in the last month to die after police carried out a wellness check. Story continues His death comes amid growing anger and demands for answers in the death of D'Andre Campbell as well as Regis Korchinski-Paquet, who fell from her family's Toronto apartment balcony after her family called 911. Several rallies have been held in the area of Choudry's home in the days following his death. Lorenda Reddekopp/CBC "The only person he was in danger of harming was himseld," said NCCM CEO Mustafa Farooq in a speech at the event on Saturday. "He was shot, he was killed and he didn't deserve to die." Farooq said he's "tired of hearing the story, again and again, of violence." "We're here so that no more names get added to this refrain," Farooq said, speaking to the deaths of Campbell and Korchinski-Paquet, as well as the beating case of Dafonte Miller. "Change has to happen today," Farooq said to the backdrop of cheering and applause from the crowd. Mehrdad Nazarahari/CBC 'I know and fully understand the grief within the community' Chief Nishan Duraiappah issued a statement on Saturday, saying he continues to extend his "heartfelt sympathies to the family, friends, and community" affected by Choudry's death. "I know and fully understand the grief within the community," Duraiappah said in the statement. "You have my commitment, as the Chief, and that of this entire organization, to continue to be accountable to the people we serve." The province's police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), has said it is continuing to investigate his death. Duraiappah said the officers involved in the "tragic events on June 20" are currently under investigation by the SIU. Once the investigation is concluded, he said police will advise the family and the community about their "next steps." Submitted by Choudry family Duraiappah also said that police are aware that there are "issues regarding the mental health system and the appropriate response to individuals in crisis." "These have been identified as areas requiring immediate, progressive, and sustainable change." 'All we're hearing is condolences' While Hassan Choudhary said he appreciates the chief's condolences, he says police have not been in touch with him or his family "at all." "Nobody understands what's going on," he said. "We want to know exactly what happened." "All we're hearing is condolences but we want an answer." Khizar Shahzad, who is also a nephew of the victim, agrees. Mehrdad Nazarahari/CBC "It's been seven days and those officers are still out there," he said on Saturday. "I don't understand, everyone here knows, everyone has seen the videos." "Just do something about it, enough of your words." Israel is the land of miracles and is also known as the start-up nation. Even during this most difficult time of COVID-19, there are countless Israeli innovations, with more being announced on a daily basis. Here are five, which are striving to help the country and the world tackle this terrible pandemic in the areas of prevention, testing, patient care, and the crucial search for treatments and vaccines. Prevention As United Hatzalahs Founder and President, Eli Beer, lay in an induced coma as he fought his own battle with the coronavirus, his team created one of the first contact tracing apps in the world. United Hatzalah realized the potential to connect publically-available Ministry of Health information on reported cases of COVID-19, with mobile location tracking technology. After one weekend of intense work with developer Uri Feldman, the result was Trackvirus, which was launched in mid-March and is free to use. In its first two months it was downloaded 350,000 times, helping people to know if they need to go into quarantine and helping to prevent the further spread of the virus. Testing There is an expression that medical interns are taught, "When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras." It means look out for common explanations rather than exotic medical diseases when diagnosing a patient. Today, using the power of AI, Zebra Medical Vision wants to help doctors "take care of the zebras." Zebra Medical aims to transform patient care by providing automated, accurate and fast medical image diagnosis. The companys technologies have received five FDA clearances to date, and Zebra was named in Fast Companys top 10 most innovative health companies of 2020 list. With the onset of COVID-19, the expectation is that Zebras software will be used to offer key insights into disease severity, enabling doctors to diagnose, triage and evaluate patients quickly and effectively. Patient care TytoCare was originally developed to help people get medical care without having to leave their home. The platform provides patients with an on-demand medical exam, 365 days a year, no matter their location. When coronavirus appeared, the company realized it could enable doctors to examine COVID patients remotely. Doctors can carry out numerous health checks, including on the heart, lungs, throat, body temperature and more, whether the patient is at hospital or in their own home. The company already works with over 80 health systems across the world, helping to care for patients and protect healthcare workers from catching the virus at the same time. Potential treatments CytoReason calls itself the global hub of pharma R&D data. It aggregates proprietary data from different companies across the industry, and uses it to train its computational models of human diseases. In other words, on a computer, scientists and doctors can see precisely what happens to the body on a molecular level when it is fighting an illness. CytoReason is now offering COVID-19 modeling to help pharma and biotech companies search for a cure free of charge. The company has opened its software to all of its pharma customers worldwide, helping scientists and doctors to see the impact of potential medicines on the body in the global hunt for treatments. The tour is offered by the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company in collaboration with Xuan Truong Enterprise and Ninh Binh Department of Tourism on a Bell 505 helicopter. On the first day of the tour, the new tourism product proved its attractiveness with about 400 visitors registering. A representative from the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company said that the Bell 505 helicopter, imported from the United States, was built in 2019. This is a light-duty helicopter with four seats specialising in travel and sightseeing. The cabin is designed with transparent glass, allowing visitors to enjoy the entire majestic natural landscape. A helicopter coded VN8650 takes off, taking visitors to enjoy the Trang An scenic complex from above. (Photo: NDO/Le Hong) The 10-minute flight allows a maximum of four passengers per trip. The experienced pilots will operate flexible flights at different altitudes, making it convenient for visitors to enjoy the complex. Chief pilot Le Hai Dang of the VN8650 Bell 505 helicopter said that after departing at the pier in Trang An Ecological Tourism Area, visitors will fly at different altitudes, the highest being over 210 m above the terrain. The route will bypass the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist site, Bai Dinh Pagoda and the Hoa Lu ancient capital area. The majestic natural landscape of the Trang An scenic complex as viewed from above. It is part of the stimulating solutions offered by the Ninh Binh tourism industry to recover after the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as preparing new forms of tourism products in order to attract domestic and international tourists and welcome the 2021 National Tourism year as hosted by Ninh Binh province. Hamas says armed resistance main tool to thwart Israeli annexation plan Iran Press TV Friday, 26 June 2020 5:13 PM A senior official from the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas says armed resistance is a main tool to thwart the Israeli plan of annexing parts of the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. "The Israeli annexation plans are a new crime added to the crimes of stealing Palestinian land and resources," Mousa Abu Marzouk said. Abu Marzouk stressed that Hamas would use all means available to thwart those plan, including armed resistance as a main tool. Hamas' military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, on Thursday described the Israeli decision as a "declaration of war" on the Palestinian nation. The Palestinian Authority has already terminated all agreements with Israel over the annexation plan, a brainchild of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has set July 1 as the date for the start of cabinet discussions on the annexation plan. Netanyahu has been driven ahead by US President Donald Trump, who unveiled a "peace" plan for the Middle East in January that effectively sidelines the Palestinians altogether. The plan, which Trump himself has described as the "deal of the century," envisions Jerusalem al-Quds as "Israel's undivided capital" and allows the Tel Aviv regime to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. The plan also denies Palestinian refugees the right of return to their homeland, among other controversial terms. The Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital. Palestinians protest against Israeli plan Tens of thousands of Palestinians took part in a protest called by Hamas in the city of Khan Yunis in the besieged Gaza Strip in condemnation of the Israeli annexation plan. Speaking at the rally, a member of Hamas' political bureau, Salah al-Bardawil, said the Israeli would be expelled from Palestinian lands. He also denounced the normalization of ties between some Arab regimes and Tel Aviv. Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab states that have open diplomatic ties with Israel. However, some of the others, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, have been tilting toward the Tel Aviv regime increasingly openly in the recent past. Israeli forces attack anti-settlement protesters Meanwhile, Israeli forces attacked Palestinians taking part in weekly protests against Israeli settlement construction, in Kafr Qddum, in the occupied West Bank, on Friday, leaving many protesters injured. Nine of the injured were hit by rubber bullets, while dozens of others suffered breathing difficulties due to inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli troops, according to Murad Shetewi, the central organizer of the protests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In recent months, states across the country have rolled back scores of unnecessary regulations that were preventing patients from obtaining much-needed medical care. Montanas law banning doctors from dispensing prescription medications should be next. As family doctors, we see patients almost every day who have difficulty obtaining the medications we prescribe. Sometimes the problem is cost. Sometimes patients forget to fill their prescriptions. Sometimes the issue is the inconvenience of making extra trips to a pharmacy (especially now that people are being advised to avoid unnecessary public outings). But whatever the precise reason, prescription non-adherence is common and has major costs, both to patients health and to society at large. One way to help solve this problem is to allow doctors to dispense common medications, such as antibiotics, at cost, directly to patients in their offices. Forty-four states and Washington, D.C., already allow doctors to provide this beneficial service. And as proponents of the direct-primary-care model which extols the doctor-patient relationship and aims to streamline the provision of care for patients we would like to do the same. But Montana effectively bans the service. Montanas law is backwards. Historically, doctor dispensing was the norm in this country. As one doctor noted in 1722, all our Practitioners dispense their own medicines. That norm remained largely unchanged until the late 20th century, when pharmacy groups lobbied in several states to ban the practice. While some states, like Montana, hewed to the lobbyists wishes, most states have embraced doctor dispensing and a majority of our peers across the country now report dispensing on a daily basis. This makes sense. Doctor dispensing, by making treatment easier and more affordable to obtain, increases the chances patients will take the medications they are prescribed. The practice is also quite safe. A 2014 report from the University of Utah shows that patients experience adverse reactions to medications at the same rate whether purchasing them from doctors or pharmacies. Thats hardly surprising. If doctors are qualified to prescribe you the right medication and we are were certainly qualified to hand it to you on your way out the door. In a way, Montanas ban implicitly recognizes these benefits. The ban does not apply to doctors who work more than 10 miles from pharmacies. Nor does it prohibit doctors from dispensing free samples, dispensing occasionally or dispensing in an emergency. Unfortunately, all three of us work too close to pharmacies to qualify for the 10-mile exception, and the other exceptions are too narrow to allow us to dispense for most of our patients. But these exceptions beg the questions: If dispensing is good for rural patients, why not for urban ones? And if dispensing is good occasionally or in emergencies, why not regularly? The obvious answer is that doctor dispensing is, broadly speaking, a good thing. Giving doctors the freedom to offer more convenient, more affordable care is good for patients. And giving patients the freedom to choose that care is good for their health outcomes and for the broader medical system. That is why we recently teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a constitutional lawsuit to strike down Montanas ban. Simply put, theres no good reason for Montana to remain a national outlier on this issue. Dr. Carol Bridges, Dr. Todd Bergland and Dr. Cara Harrop are licensed family doctors who work in Missoula, Whitefish and Polson, respectively. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Srinagar: The encounter in Pampore area in Jammu and Kashmir, which had entered third day on Wednesday, finally came to an end after security forces killed two militants after a long gun-battle. A group of terrorists had entered a government building in Pampore, triggering a standoff between security forces and militants. Three army soldiers were injured in the exchange of firing. More than 50 rockets, machine guns and explosives were used by the security forces in a bid to kill or flush out the terrorists, who were hiding inside the building for 3 days. The battered building serves the purpose of providing vocational training to young Kashmiris. ALSO READ: Why are terrorists specifically targeting the EDI building in Pampore? Here are the live updates: GOC Victor Force Major General Ashok Narula briefs media on Pampore attack: # Most probably they belong to LeT # There was glass over there, so we had to do a bit of percussion effect.With that, glasses break and you are able to see thru it # Before going into an operation, we do fire from outside so that we are able to take care of it # Day before yesterday in the morning we started, yesterday we kept working and today we in the morning we started clearing of op # We have taken our time, this is one building which has 60 rooms.60 rooms had 60 bathrooms also,it takes time to clear each room # It is sad that its for the second time they had occupied this building, both the times it was targeted # There were chances of civilians being inside, all those people were taken out # This operation was a very tricky operation because it is a very huge building, and we didn't want any collateral damage # Day before y'day, in morn we heard some firing in EDI building, there was presence of terrorists.We cordoned area & started our op # 2 terrorists eliminated, 2 weapons recovered # Encounter between security forces and terrorists in Pampore ends; 2 terrorists gunned down # Search operation continues in EDI building # Security forces recover bodies of two terrorists # Army jawans enter into EDI building #SpotVisuals 3rd day of encounter between security forces and terrorists still underway at EDI building in Pampore (J&K) (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/uPM964tYor ANI (@ANI_news) October 12, 2016 #SpotVisuals 3rd day of encounter between security forces and terrorists still underway at EDI building in Pampore (J&K) (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/E1lBMlXWCT ANI (@ANI_news) October 12, 2016 # Another terrorist killed by security forces in Pampore (J&K) encounter, bringing number of terrorists killed to two: Police Sources # One terrorist gunned down by security forces in Pampore (J&K) encounter: Police Sources # Encounter between security forces and terrorists still underway at EDI building in Pampore (J&K) Watch | One army jawan injured in encounter between terrorists and security forces in Pampore On Tuesday, security forces pounded the government building in Pampore with mortars and blasted IEDs. Most part of the concrete building has been reduced to a skeleton as many of its walls have been blown up. The area around the EDI premises has been cordoned off to prevent the militants from escaping, the official said. Two to three militants stormed into the EDI complex in the wee hours on Monday and took positions inside one of the buildings. After getting inside the complex, the militants set on fire few mattresses inside a hostel room to attract the attention of the police and other security forces, which arrived within minutes of the smoke emanating from the building. ALSO READ | Pampore attack: Act of frustration by Pakistan terms Manohar Parrikar (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 20:00:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A man wearing a protective mask prepares to vote at a polling station during the second round of municipal elections in Paris, France, June 28, 2020. As COVID-19 epidemic indicators keep improving in France, some 16.5 million voters are called to cast ballots on Sunday in the second round of municipal elections under strict health protocol. The second round of mayoral elections was originally planned for March 22, but the worsening coronavirus outbreaks and the anti-virus lockdown had forced the French government to postpone it. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua) by Sonia Ounissi PARIS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- As COVID-19 epidemic indicators keep improving in France, some 16.5 million voters are called to cast ballots on Sunday in the second round of municipal elections under strict health protocol. Of France's 35,000 cities, towns and villages, about 30,000 had already elected their mayors in the first round held on March 15. The second round of mayoral elections was originally planned for March 22, but the worsening coronavirus outbreaks and the anti-virus lockdown had forced the French government to postpone it. TURNOUT IS MAIN UNKNOWN Sunday's voting is taking place in 4,827 municipalities, as well as in the districts of Paris, Lyon and Marseille, where the councils were not elected in the first round. For the voting, the French Interior Ministry recommended voters should keep a safe distance from each other, wear a mask at polling stations and bring their own pens to sign off their vote. At a polling station in Paris' northern suburb of Parmain, staff workers are wearing face masks. Stickers on the ground mark out where people should stand while waiting for their turn, and hand gel is provided upon entry. "I am going to carry out my civic duty. This time, the context is different owing to the epidemic but it does not prevent me from doing what must be done. Certainly, we should adapt to this situation but we keep on living," Mathilde, a 67-year-old pensioner, told Xinhua. Another voter, who gave her name as Nathalie, abstained in the first round due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. "In the second round, things are improving, and the situation is better even if the virus still circulates. But I'm not afraid. With my gloves, mask and pen, I think I can vote in security," she said. Since early March, 29,778 people in France had succumbed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. As of Friday, 8,886 COVID-19 patients were still hospitalized, of whom 634 were in intensive care units. Since May 11, France has eased restriction measures step by step after a months-long nationwide lockdown. "The turnout is the main unknown of this election. It is difficult to know what will happen. The campaign, the longest in the 5th Republic (of France), had low intensity and struggled to gain momentum due to economic concerns and renewed health concerns," said Frederic Dabi, director of the IFOP opinion institute. "What is certain is that we will not be at the same level of 2014," he added, estimating Sunday's turnout to be at 42 percent. In the first round elections, only 44.3 percent of voters came to polling stations due to the risk of contamination, as against 63.5 percent in 2014. CHALLENGE FOR MACRON'S PARTY Facing his first domestic mid-term vote challenge, President Emmanuel Macron had bet on his La Republique en Marche (LREM) party -- which he created in 2016 -- to win control of major cities to anchor power at local levels, and offset losses in the rural zone where his party faces criticism of "doing little" for the working class, local media reported. "Efforts by LREM to build grassroots support have fallen short, with most of its candidates failing to make it past the first round of voting on March 15," said state-owned international news television network France 24. The good news was that Prime Minister Edouard Philippe finished first in the port city of Le Havre, winning 43.6 percent of the vote and consolidating his chance to win the runoff. "Philippe, whose popularity has soared over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, also faces a close fight to regain his mayor's seat in the port of Le Havre. A loss by Philippe would almost certainly force Macron into a broad reshuffle of his cabinet," France 24 said. Opinion polls projected that the ruling party's candidates would fail to re-conquer any big city, which would be a blow to Macron's plan to build a local power base he needs to extend his stay at the Elysee Palace for another five-year term. With 44 percent of vote intentions, the incumbent Socialist Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, had been viewed to be comfortably ahead of conservative rival Rachida Dati's 35 percent. Macron's official candidate and former health minister Agnes Buzyn was deemed to be in third place with 18 percent, a recent Elabe survey showed. Candidates from the European Ecologists and the Greens (EELV) are expected to gain control of key cities, such as Lyon and Bordeaux, after a surge in the support they reported in the first round. Another 14-year-old Hindu girl has been abducted in Pakistan. According to an activist, Rahat Austin, working in Pakistan, the alleged abduction took place on 27th June in Saedabad, Hala Mitiari, of Sindh province Pakistan. In a video shared by the activist, the mother of the abducted girl was seen broken down with grief. She kept on saying that Its a curse to be born in an Islamic country. "It is a curse to born in an Islamic County". Says a Non-Muslim, Hindu mother, while hiting herself with grief, falling unconscious, whose 14-years daughter, Nasiban, is taken for sexual exploitation & forced conversion to Islam in Saedabad,Hala,Mitiari, Sindh-Pakistan.27-6-2020 pic.twitter.com/h8rdVoXJlX Rahat Austin (@johnaustin47) June 27, 2020 As per Rahat Austin, the 14-year-old Nasiban was taken for sexual exploitation and forced conversion to Islam. Pakistan and rampant abduction and forceful conversion of minor girls Pakistan has a history of atrocities against the minority community, especially Hindu girls where they are often kidnapped and forcefully converted to Islam. Many of these girls are minors and are sexually exploited. A minor Hindu girl was abducted in Jacobabad in June this year. Two minor girls, one Hindu and other Christian (hearing and speech impaired) were abducted on different occasions in May. In April, two Hindu girls were abducted from Sindh province and in January, a Sikh girl was abducted, followed by an attack on Nankana Sahib Gurudwara. Calls are mounting for the mayor of St. Louis to resign after she read out the names and addresses of protesters demanding the closure of an 'inhumane' city jail during a Facebook Live briefing. More than 27,000 people have signed a petition demanding Mayor Lyda Krewson's resignation and blasting her for 'directly endanger[ing] the lives of protesters' following Friday's online event. Krewson shocked listeners when she reeled off the personal details of demonstrators - some reportedly up to 10 times - sparking major fears for their safety. She singled out the individuals after they had written to her with their proposals for police reform including cuts to law enforcement budgets. Calls are mounting for the mayor of St. Louis to resign after she read out the names and addresses of protesters during a Facebook Live briefing 'They presented some papers to me about how they want the budget to be spent,' the mayor said with disdain. 'Here's one that wants $50 million to go to Cure Violence, $75 million to go to Affordable Housing, $60 million to go to Health and Human Services and have zero go to the police.' Krewson then proceeded to read the full name of the individual and their personal home address. In the shocking video, she continues with a handful of other protesters who have written to her, also making public their names and addresses to everyone tuning in. Outraged city residents slammed her actions on social media with live comments urging her to stop sharing the personal details of protesters. Krewson shocked listeners when she reeled off the personal details of demonstrators - some reportedly up to 10 times - during Friday's online event (above) The ACLU of Missouri condemned Krewson for the 'shocking and misguided' decision to publicize the information, which they said 'serves no apparent purpose beyond intimidation'. 'Today adds to the list of things we never thought we would have to say,' the statement read. 'To be clear, it is shocking and misguided for Mayor Lyda Krewson of St. Louis, to broadcast the addresses of those who dare to express a different viewpoint on an issue of public concern. 'It serves no apparent purpose beyond intimidation.' More than 27,000 people have signed a petition demanding Mayor Lyda Krewson's resignation The video stayed online for three hours before it was finally taken down and Krewson was forced to issue an apology (pictured) The video stayed online for three hours before it was finally taken down and Krewson was forced to issue an apology. 'Id like to apologize for identifying individuals who presented letters to me at City Hall today. This was during one of my Facebook updates as I was answering routine questions,' she said in a Twitter statement Friday. 'Never did I intend to harm anyone or cause distress. The update is removed and again, I apologize.' Demonstrators are urging the city to shut down the controversial St. Louis Medium Security Institution, also known as the 'Workhouse' (pictured) Protesters have also been calling for the police force to be defunded in the wake of the 'murder' of George Floyd by a cop in Minneapolis The mayor's actions came hours after protesters took to the streets of the city demanding both police reforms and the closure of the controversial St. Louis Medium Security Institution, also known as the 'Workhouse'. Around 50 protesters gathered outside the workhouse Friday for the second week in a row. Demonstrators are urging the city to shut down the city jail, which has long been plagued with allegations of holding inmates in inhumane conditions including forcing them to live among rat and cockroach infestations. The campaign to close the workhouse was started in 2018 by civil rights group ArchCity Defenders. Protesters have also been calling for the police force to be defunded in the wake of the 'murder' of George Floyd by a cop in Minneapolis. Union home minister Amit Shah has said he disagrees with Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia that the national capital will have 5.5 lakh Covid-19 cases by the end of July. Around the second week of June, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that by July 31 there will be 5.5 lakh persons infected with the virus. He said that there will be no place left, no beds left and the situation will be difficult. This created a lot of fear in the minds of people in Delhi, Shah said in an interview to news agency ANI. I do not want to go into whether estimate was right or wrong. But a situation of fear arose and some people started mulling an exodus (out of Delhi), he added. Also Watch | Manish Sisodias 5.5 lakh Covid cases by July remark spread fear: Amit Shah Shah also said that there is no community transmission in Delhi. I have talked to three senior-most officials - Dr Paul (from Niti Aayog), ICMR chief Dr Bhargava and Dr Guleria (AIIMS New Delhi Director). This situation has not come to Delhi. Such situation appeared because of the total tests done, earlier 30 per cent turned out to be positive and that was happening because tests were done at the last moment. Now that we have started doing 20,000 tests on average, this condition is not there. I have held technical discussions on this...today this situation is not there in Delhi. There is no need to fear, the home minister told ANI. On June 9, Sisodia had said that the cases in Delhi would rise to 2.5 lakh by July 15 and the government would require 33,000 beds. He further told mediapersons that till July 31, there will be 5.5 lakh cases in the national capital. Sisodia was addressing a press briefing after a meeting called to discuss if there was community transmission of Covid-19 cases in Delhi. I can say now with confidence that situation of 5.5 lakh cases will not come on July 31, Shah said on Sunday, adding that a crucial meeting was called after Sisodias comment. The Centre stepped in after the spike of Covid-19 cases in the national capital. Shah held a series of meetings with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and even the civic officials of the national capital to understand the situation and launch a programme to check the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease. A revised plan to combat Covid-19 was formulated and the Delhi government started door-to-door surveys which are expected to complete by June 30. The Centre had emphasised on increasing testing and formulating a plan for containment zones. A serological survey also began in some parts of Delhi on Saturday - the announcement was made by the Union home ministry spokesperson on Thursday. Blood samples will be taken from randomly selected people as part of the survey, which involves rapid tests for antibodies, to study the scale of undetected infections. Samples of 20,000 people will be tested by July 10 to ascertain the population-level presence of the IgG antibody, which indicates past infection. Kejriwal, meanwhile, announced that his government was deploying five weapons - testing and isolation, providing oximeters and oxygen concentrators, plasma therapy, screening, and survey - in the fight against the infection. A security guard inside Penn Square Mall as it reopened in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on May 1. Associated Press US coronavirus cases are rising sharply in 29 states. A growing body of evidence suggests a mask-wearing requirement could stymie the virus' spread significantly. The University of Washington's infectious-disease model projects that by October 1, more than 179,000 people in the US could die from COVID-19 57,000 more than have died already. But if 95% of the population were to wear face masks in public, the projected number of deaths falls to 146,000. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. With 29 states reporting increases in new coronavirus cases and some breaking daily records it's clear the US's coronavirus-prevention strategy isn't robust enough. One public-health measure is increasingly being cited as a way to significantly prevent the spread of the virus if deployed on a national scale: face masks. A growing body of research indicates that contrary to information put forward early in the pandemic, masks do prevent coronavirus transmission. On Wednesday, the widely cited coronavirus model from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's updated its projections to assess the benefits of mask wearing. The IHME publishes forecasts predicting the country's coronavirus cases and deaths, constantly tweaking them based on how the epidemic curve changes and which preventive measures, like social distancing or mask requirements, are put in place. The latest model predicts that by October 1 more than 179,000 people in the US will die from COVID-19. So far, more than 122,000 people have been killed by the virus, so the forecast expects 57,000 more deaths in three months. Those numbers are based on current social-distancing measures and rates of mask wearing. But when the model took into account how transmission might change if 95% of the population were to wear face masks in public, the number of projected deaths fell to 146,000. Story continues The IHME model of projected COVID-19 deaths by October 1, comparing projections based on the current trajectory to the estimated outcome with a national mask requirement. IHME "There is no doubt that even as states open up, the United States is still grappling with a large epidemic on a course to increase beginning in late August and intensifying in September," the IHME's director, Christopher Murray, said in a statement. "People need to know that wearing masks can reduce transmission of the virus by as much as 50%, and those who refuse are putting their lives, their families, their friends, and their communities at risk." States could save lives with mask requirements The IHME's models also estimate how mask requirements might change the course of specific statewide outbreaks. Take Florida, for example, which does not have a statewide mask mandate, though a few counties do. If Florida continues on its current trajectory, according to the IHME model, there would be nearly 15,400 COVID-19 deaths by October 1. Currently, the coronavirus has killed 3,300 people in the state. But if 95% of all Floridians started wearing masks now, the prediction falls dramatically, to 7,500 deaths by October 1. Compare that with California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom started requiring all residents to wear masks last week. The coronavirus death toll in California on October 1 is projected to be 11,600. With even more widespread mask use, the projected death toll would drop to 8,700. Both the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the World Health Organization recommend that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings, especially in areas with significant community spread. But in the absence of national policy in the US, states have been implementing varying mask requirements in a piecemeal fashion. At least 38 states have instituted some sort of mask requirement: In California, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia, the mandate applies to all residents who go outdoors. Other states, like Oregon, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, require masks for workers at local businesses. In North Carolina, masks are recommended but not required for the general public, though cities like Raleigh and Durham require them outside. The hair stylist Zak Moukhtabir working on the hair of Cheyenne Foster at the Georgetown Salon & Spa in Washington on June 1. Associated Press According to an analysis by The Philadelphia Inquirer, coronavirus cases seem to be rising overall in states with relaxed face-mask rules. By contrast, The Inquirer found that new cases had fallen by 25% in total over the past two weeks in states that mandated masks in public. On aggregate, the states that require mask wearing by both employees and customers at local businesses (depending on the state, those rules might apply to restaurants, retailers, or personal care) have seen a 12% drop in cases. Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington all fall on that list. States that require masks only for the employees of certain businesses, however that includes Florida, Georgia, and Nevada have seen a 70% increase in new cases, on average. A growing body of evidence indicates that masks prevent coronavirus transmission In Springfield, Missouri, last month, two hair stylists at the Great Clips salon tested positive for COVID-19. They had seen 140 customers since the salon reopened. But of the 46 customers tested, none were positive. The likely explanation for this lack of transmission was that all employees and customers had worn masks. "Which mask worked, the hairdresser's or the client's? I think the answer is yes. They both worked," Robin Trotman, an infectious-disease specialist in Springfield, told The Washington Post. Masks make a difference because coronavirus particles pass between people in tiny droplets of saliva and mucus. If a sick person sneezes, coughs, talks, or eats within 6 feet of someone else, the particles could land on them and enter the eyes, nose, or mouth. That's how infection spreads. So a mask that covers our nose and mouth helps block those particles. "It does have some protection for the wearer," Dr. Ramzi Asfour, an infectious-disease doctor in the San Francisco Bay Area, previously told Business Insider. "If you think about somebody sneezing on you, there's a lot of these droplets that come out. Well, a lot of those droplets are big and they'll easily be stopped by the mask." Other case studies have found benefits of mask wearing. Recent research from UK scientists found that the more people who wore masks in a community even if the masks were only 50% effective at blocking the virus the closer the community could get to containing its outbreak, even without a lockdown. "These results are striking in that the benefits accrue to the face mask wearer as well as to the population as a whole," the researchers wrote. "There is, therefore, a clear incentive for people to adopt face mask wearing." Another study from Indian researchers found that infectious droplets traveled about three times as far when a person wasn't wearing a cloth mask up to 16 feet, compared with just 5 feet when particles leaked out the sides of a face mask. Public-health officials testifying in a House hearing on the Trump administration's response to pandemic. Getty Dr. Anthony Fauci said during an interview with the Sacramento Press Club last week that politics shouldn't get in the way mask requirements. "It should not be a political issue. It is purely a public-health issue," he said. "Forget the politics. Look at the data." Aria Bendix contributed reporting. Read the original article on Business Insider Shanghai (Gasgoo)- FAW-Toyota's Prado officially bowed out of production on June 23, 2020 with its outputs ending at 346,706 units, as it has not suited China's regulations on fuel consumption and emission. At the same time, Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor also decided to shift the annual capacity of 45,000 units from producing the Prado 3.5L SUVs to making the Avalon vehicles. In April 1990, Toyota added the long-wheelbase 5-door versions to the Land Cruiser 70 wagon and van, of which the wagon model was separated as the Land Cruiser Prado to compete in the market that was then dominated by the Mitsubishi Pajero. With the second-generation model released in May 1996, the Land Cruiser Prado line steered toward a more passenger-oriented 4-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle. The third-generation Land Cruiser Prado was released in October 2002, and was introduced into China in 2003 for local production. Then the automaker launched the fourth one in September 2009. (Prado, photo source: FAW-Toyota) After China issued the Measures for the Parallel Administration of the Average Fuel Consumption and New Energy Vehicle Credits of Passenger Vehicle Enterprises (called the Dual Credit Policy for short) in 2017, the Prado, whose unique selling points are large displacement, powerful off-road performance, was under the threat of being discontinued due to its over 11 liters per 100km of combined fuel consumption. According to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Sichuan FAW Toyota posted negative NEV credits of 105,199 points and 166,003 points in 2018 and 2019 respectively, more than that of most companies who recorded negative credits. On the other hand, the parallel-import Prado SUVs will also disappear in the domestic market after the production was ceased. Importers are allowed to declare the parallel-import cars to customs as long as they receive the 3C Certificate, or CCC (also called China CCC Certification), a mandatory product certification system with the aim protecting consumer's security through the supervision of products concerning health, hygiene, security, environment and anti-fraud. However, the premise on which the release of the 3C Certificate is based is that the vehicles to be imported must have corresponding Chinese-spec versions on sale, according to a document issued by China's Certification and Accreditation Administration. For a long time, few people in the small Belgian town of Halle paid much attention to the monuments. They were just fixtures in a local park, tributes to great men of the past. But these are very different times, and yesterdays heroes can be todays racist villains. And so it was that three weeks ago, a bust of Leopold II, the Belgian king who has been held responsible for the deaths of millions of Congolese, was spattered in red paint, labeled Murderer, and later knocked off its pedestal. Nearby, a pale sandstone statue formally known as the Monument to the Colonial Pioneers has stood for 93 years. It depicts a naked Congolese boy offering a bowl of fruit in gratitude to Lt. Gen. Baron Alphonse Jacques de Dixmude, a Belgian soldier accused of atrocities in Africa. These monuments, and others across Europe, are coming under scrutiny as never before, no longer a collective blind spot on the moral conscience of the public. Protests sweeping the world that followed the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed last month by Minneapolis police, are focusing attention on Europes colonial past and racism of the present. Eric Baranyanka, a 60-year-old musician who came to Halle as a refugee from Belgiums African colony of Burundi when was 3, said he has always found the statue of Jacques humiliating. I had this pride being who I was. It was in complete contradiction with that statue, he said. But Halle Mayor Marc Snoeck appears to be more representative of his citizenry. He said he never really noticed the monuments until an anti-colonial group raised awareness of them a dozen years ago in the town of 40,000 people about 15 kilometers (10 miles) south of Brussels. Im part of an older generation and I heard precious little during my studies about colonialism, the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo, said the 66-year-old Snoeck, noting he was taught about how Europeans brought civilization, not exploitation and death, to the heart of Africa. Statues of Leopold, who reigned from 1865 to 1909, have been defaced in a half-dozen cities, including Antwerp, where one was burned and had to be removed for repairs. Its unclear if it will ever come back. But Leopold is hardly the only focus. Snoeck found it remarkable that protesters have not targeted the statue of Jacques, which he called possibly even worse. The mayor said the statue is known locally as The White Negro, because of the hue of the sandstone depicting the Congolese youth offering the fruit to the colonial-era Belgian who condoned or was responsible for murders, rapes and maiming workers in the Congo Free State. Baranyanka was lovingly raised by a white foster family in Halle and said he never experienced prejudice until after he had been in Belgium for about a decade. His 98-year-old foster mother Emma Monsaert recalls others in town asking her if she was really going to take in a Black youth in the 1960s: I said, Why not, it is a child after all. But at school, Baranyanka found out how others felt about race. ALSO READ: Legacy of late Italian journalist stained by colonial past One teacher poured salt on his head, he recalled, saying it would make it whiter. When he wanted a part in a school play of the 17th century fairy tale Puss in Boots, he was denied a role, with a teacher telling him: Mr. Baranyanka, in those days there were no Blacks in Europe. He counts himself lucky to have had a close circle of friends that survives to this day. As a teenager, he often talked to them about the monuments, his African roots and Leopolds legacy. They understood, and they were grateful I explained it, he said. On Tuesday, Congo celebrates 60 years of independence from Belgium. The city of Ghent will remove a statue of Leopold to mark the anniversary and perhaps take a healing step forward. Eunice Yahuma, a local leader of a group called Belgian Youth Against Racism and the youth division of the Christian Democrats, knows about Belgiums troubled history. Many people dont know the story, because it is not being told. Somehow they know, Lets not discuss this, because it is grim history, said Yahuma, who has Congolese roots. It is only now that we have this debate that people start looking into this. The spirit of the times is different, she said. Black people used to be less vocal. They felt the pain, but they didnt discuss it. Now, youth is very outspoken and we give our opinion, Yahuma added. In this Friday, June 19, 2020 file photo, a couple stop to look at a bust of Belgium's King Leopold II, which has been damaged by red paint, graffiti and cement, at a park in Ghent, Belgium. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File) History teachers like 24-year-old Andries Devogel are trying to infuse their lessons with the context of colonialism. Within the next decade, they will be expecting us to stress the impact of colonialism on current-day society, that colonialism and racism are inextricably linked, Devogel said. Is contemporary racism not the consequence of a colonial vision? How can you exploit a people if you are not convinced of their second-class status? The colonial era brought riches to Belgium, and the city of Halle benefited, building a rail yard that brought jobs. Native son Franz Colruyt started a business that grew into the supermarket giant Colruyt Group with 30,000 employees one of them Baranyankas foster father. Halle has escaped the violence seen in other cities from the protests, and officials would rather focus attention on its Gothic church, the Basilica of St. Martin, as well as its famous fields of bluebells and Geuze beer. Baranyanka, who will soon stage a musical show of his life called De Zwette, The Black One, returned recently to the park and the monuments. Despite the hostility and humiliation he felt as a youngster, he didnt consider their destruction as the way to go. Vandalism produces nothing, perhaps only the opposite effect. And you see that suddenly such racism surges again, he said. It breeds polarisation again. This thing of us against them. Devogel, the teacher, says it is the task of education to let kids get in touch with history. Otherwise, it will remain a copper bust without meaning, he said of the Leopold II monument. And you will never realize why, for all these people, it is so deeply insulting. (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 Check on celebrity lovebirds Bamike Olawunmi and her husband Tope Adenibuyan, better known as Teddy A, in this loved up photo shared by Bam Bam as shes fondly called. The couple who got married in 2019, welcomed a daughter Zendaya few months ago and the duo couldnt hide their joy as new parents to a lovely girl. BamTeddy is a name they got when they were paired to work together as former housemates of the 2018 Big Brother Naija show. Bamike and Teddy A held their traditional wedding in Ilaro, Ogun State, Bam Bams hometown and had a lavish white wedding in Dubai with family and friends in attendance. Related College teachers will collaborate with the health department, which has recently launched a mental health tele-counselling service number 1075 to help address mental health concerns during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. As part of the collaboration, college teachers will be trained to further expand the scope of the helpline and ensure that students avail the service. Colleges are also exploring the possibility of including conversations around mental health as part of lesson plans. To address the concerns of students and guide colleges in chalking out the modalities of mental health support, a team of doctors conducted a webinar for college principals on Saturday. They discussed various issues pertaining to rising mental stress and anxiety during the pandemic and coping mechanisms. Pooja Khullar, the principal of Dronacharya Government College, said that mental health concerns due to the spread of the pandemic were afflicting students as well. Students are slipping into depression and anxiety due to various reasons. They are confined to their houses and struggling with uncertainties. Some of them are also facing parental pressure at home. Recent incidents of celebrity deaths have also generated a conversation around mental health concerns, which necessitates that students are made aware of the various options where they can avail support, Khullar said. She said that doctors had advised teachers to play a proactive role and ensure that students can share their concerns in appropriate forums. We are considering the possibility of approaching the university and introducing changes in the curriculum. We can design the curriculum in such a way that every week, we have one or two sessions dedicated to discussing mental health, Khullar said. She said that the department was working on the modalities, but for now, the health department would be sharing necessary resources on dealing with mental health issues, which would be circulated among the student community. Satyamanyu Yadav, the principal of Government College in Sector 9, said that teachers had been asked to popularise the state mental health helpline number among students and motivate them to avail help from experts if needed. Based on requirements, the department was also willing to hold separate webinars for college students, Yadav said. With no end to the pandemic in sight, students are worried about their future. Such concerns can be dealt with better communication and help from experts. Doctors from the health department said that theyd be training teachers so that they can communicate better and reach out to students, Yadav said. As Egypt decides to ease restrictions in the fight against the coronavirus, the country's international film festivals which are scheduled for the coming months continue preparing for their 2020 editions. During the first half of the year, the global film industry was severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic leading many film production companies to delay new releases. Large international film festivals were canceled, like the Cannes Film Festival, or postponed, like the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes. However, filmmakers and film critics still hope theaters will welcome filmgoers for festivals in the second part of 2020; the film festivals in Venice and San Sebastian are set to go ahead as planned, while the Toronto International Film Festival has announced plans for a smaller 2020 edition with virtual red carpet premieres and drive-in screenings. The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), Alexandria International Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries and El-Gouna Film Festival are also preparing for this year's editions in the hope their events can take place in the fall and early winter months, in theaters with an audience. The organizers of the festivals are planning to take extensive precautionary measures, such as increasing the number of theaters, decreasing the number of available seats and regularly sanitizing the theaters. On June 12, CIFF announced that it is accepting submissions for its 42nd edition, which is scheduled to be held on Nov. 19-28. According to an official statement, CIFF will implement the guidelines by the Egyptian government and the World Health Organization in order to ensure high healthy safety measures. In the statement, CIFF President Mohamed Hefzy said, The coronavirus pandemic has imposed a considerable challenge to the international film industry. Nevertheless, CIFFs management is committed to holding a successful and safe edition if the situation allows, while emphasizing the safety and well-being of its staff as well as local and international guests. While Egypt has recorded close to 60,000 confirmed cases with over 2,400 deaths, the government has already opened a small number of hotels in some coastal cities; further relaxation of the lockdown measures are expected in the coming weeks. The latest decisions could benefit El-Gouna Film Festival, which is scheduled to take place on Sept. 26, as it is located in el-Gouna, a luxurious Red Sea resort. We started preparations for the festival in late January and since last month our team has been working on how to achieve high health safety measures and social distancing in our theaters, Amir Ramses, artistic director of El-Gouna Film Festival, told Al-Monitor. When asked if the festival will show the same number of films like last year, Ramses said that in four to six weeks time it will be clearer of what the festival will look like this year. The number of filmgoers and participants may decrease, but we may be able to keep the same numbers as last year, he said. But, despite Egypts announcement that it will resume international flights starting July 1, this is still not a green light for festival managers. As an international festival committee, we are looking forward to the opening of airports around the world not just in Egypt because our guests come from different destinations, Ramses added. In July, some airports in Europe and the Middle East, including in Egypt, Greece, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, will reopen. However, other countries may not reopen their airports for international flights until September. We are still waiting for more decisions from the government. For now we have one option which is to work on the preparations and be ready with plans to cope with the changes. And thats what we are doing, Ramses said. Al-Amir Abaza, head of the Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries, said that he is also preparing for the festival, which is set to take place in October. We are making festival preparations, but we still need to make sure that everything will be alright, Abaza told Al-Monitor. We will definitely increase health safety measures and will consider decreasing the number of available seats." Recently, some international festivals have successfully organized online events, such as the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival and the Cannes Marche du Film. Egyptian festival managers are considering holding some events online, too. The virtual/online experience has proved to be very powerful as online events are accessible to more people. We will definitely consider holding some of the events or activities of the festival online like the panels and seminars. But of course we will not go totally online, Ramses noted. Abaza said that some events of the Alexandria film festival can be posted online, but film screenings cannot, so its important for the festival to be held in a theater. But some believe that these festivals can pose a health risk given the fact that Egypt has not yet witnessed a decline in coronavirus cases. Abaza commented in this regard, We are dealing with the virus now, but maybe next month its impact will have declined. We will adjust to whatever the doctors or health experts say. We are preparing for the festival in the hope it can go ahead. Im always optimistic. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:38:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China's reserve military forces will be brought under the centralized and unified command of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Central Military Commission starting from July 1, according to a decision issued by the CPC Central Committee. Currently, the reserve forces are under the dual leadership of military organs and local Party committees. Noting that reserve forces are an important part of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the decision, which was made public on Sunday, said the adjustment in the leadership structure is aimed at upholding the CPC's absolute leadership over the army and building a strong military in the new era. It calls on relevant military and civilian units to take active and coordinated measures to implement the changes to the leadership structure. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 20:55:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran's major carmaker Iran Khodro (IKCO) has introduced 175 projects to engage domestic auto parts producers, Eghtesad Online news website reported on Sunday. To this end, Iran's Tejarat Bank has agreed with the IKCO to financially support small and medium-sized domestic auto parts producers, CEO of IKCO Farshad Moqimi was quoted as saying. The projects include production of a large number of key parts for passenger and commercial vehicles at IKCO auto production lines, according to the report. Localization of auto parts will create jobs and minimize the country's dependency on foreign sources, besides saving forex reserves, Moqimi noted. The projects are expected to curb capital flight by 246 million euros (276 U.S. dollars), added Moqimi. Also, Reza Dolatabadi, the head of Iran's Tejarat Bank, said Thursday that the bank will help develop the auto industry and strengthen its role in the auto sector. According to IKCO, the company has already signed several agreements with domestic industrial units and small and medium-sized enterprises to mass produce 32 key auto parts. Enditem Chinas lawmakers have reviewed a draft of the national security bill for Hong Kong during a meeting held by the standing committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPC), state media Xinhua reported on Sunday. In the meeting, Shen Chunyao, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPCs standing committee, presented a report on the bill, Xinhua said. The NPCs Standing Committee usually meets every two months, but the three-day meeting starting on Sunday is the second meeting in June to review the bill. The committee is widely expected to pass the bill into law before the meeting ends on Tuesday. The proposed bill has raised concerns among Hong Kong democracy activists and some foreign governments that Beijing is further eroding the extensive autonomy promised when Britain handed the territory back to China under a one country, two systems formula in 1997. China has said, however, the bill will target only a small group of troublemakers as it tackles separatism, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong. Full details of the legislation have not been made public. Hundreds of Hong Kongers marched silently through the citys streets on Sunday to protest the bill. Riot police armed with shields were present and used pepper spray on protesters when scuffles broke out in Mong Kok during the event. Chinas Global Times editor-in-chief, Hu Xijin, said in a tweet on Sunday the Hong Kong national security bill will overwhelm HK Human Rights & Democracy Act, which US uses to interfere in HK affairs. In HK, people whove harmed natl security have shown fear of the upcoming law. Its good. He said the bill could be passed within days and is expected to be enforced powerfully. Victoria has recorded its biggest single-day spike in coronavirus cases in almost three months as it battles to contain outbreaks across Melbourne. Premier Daniel Andrews announced the state would be enforcing mandatory testing for all quarantined travellers after 49 new cases were confirmed overnight. Under the new rules, any returning traveller who does not consent to a test will be forced to stay in hotel quarantine for a further ten days. The government said those in quarantine would be tested twice - first on day three and then again on day 11 of the 14-day quarantine period. Mr Andrews revealed health officials had carried out 40,000 tests over the past three days as part of a testing blitz in ten hotspot suburbs across Melbourne. Of the 49 new cases reported on Sunday, four are from known outbreaks, 26 were detected through routine testing and the other 19 are under investigation. Medical staff are seen conducting coronavirus testing at the new Mobile Testing Site at CB Smith Reserve Fawkner in Moreland, Victoria (pictured on Saturday) One of the four cases from known outbreaks has been traced to Melbourne's Stamford Plaza hotel - which is acting as a quarantine hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision follows a sharp spike in cases in Victoria, which is the only state to have reported 12 consecutive days with cases in the double digits. The last day Victoria recorded 49 cases overnight was on April 3, which marked the end of a horror week at the height of the pandemic with 511 confirmed cases. Mr Andrews said he would not rule out placing Melbourne's hotspot suburbs under lockdown if cases continued to rise. 'If we have to further limit movement in some of those suburbs, so for instance, a stay-at-home order much like we all, as a community, had to endure for what felt like the longest of times if that is deemed the appropriate public health response, then that is what we'll do,' he said. 'We'll do it if we need to.' There were earlier expectations $1,600 fines would be introduced for quarantined travellers who refuse to get swab tested for the virus. Premier Daniel Andrews has announced Victoria is implementing mandatory testing for all quarantined travellers as the state carries out a testing blitz in Melbourne's suburbs amid a significant spike in COVID-19 cases Victoria has been carrying out a testing blitz in ten suburbs across Melbourne - and warned they could lock neighbourhoods down if COVID-19 infection rates keep rising SUNDAY'S NEW CASES FROM KNOWN OUTBREAKS One case from the Stamford Plaza One case from the Coles Keilor Downs family outbreak One case from the North Melbourne family outbreak One case linked to the Brimbank family outbreak Advertisement Mr Andrews said he wouldn't rule out introducing fines for those who refuse tests in quarantine, but that a decision would be made on Tuesday when more results come in from the testing blitz. 'Anyone who does not consent to a test will not be able to leave hotel quarantine for a further ten days,' Mr Andrews said. 'There is also the opportunity open to us to fine anyone who does not agree to a test. 'But everybody who is leaving today, from right now, if they don't agree to a test, then they will be in our care for a total of 24 days not 14 days. 'It is my judgement that if it was simply a fine and nothing else, then there may be some people in hotel quarantine, people of means... who may well pay the fine in order to get out.' Mr Andrews said those in hotel quarantine in the state are already being tested at a rate of between 80 to 85 per cent. He added 780,000 tests had been conducted in Victoria since January 1 and a new less-invasive saliva testing would start from Sunday. Previously, swabs were taken from the nasal passage and back of the throat. The suburbs being targeted as part of the Victorian government's widespread testing - dubbed the Suburban Testing Blitz by authorities - are Keilor Downs, Broadmeadows, Maidstone, Albanvale, Sunshine West, Hallam, Brunswick West, Fawkner, Reservoir and Pakenham. Guests at the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne are seen wearing masks as they get into taxis on Thursday. Victoria has confirmed another 49 cases of COVID-19 overnight Staff inside the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne wearing masks are seen moving luggage for guests in quarantine on June 25 'Much like a bushfire, putting this out is challenging,' Mr Andrews said. 'Containing it, though, is something we can do, and [testing and contact tracing] is the most effective thing to do.' Health workers are going door-to-door in Keilor Downs and Broadmeadows, with mobile testing vans and expanded community engagement teams on the ground. Residents in the two areas were also sent emergency text messages on Saturday, urging testing. Australian Defence Force medical and support personnel are understood to have arrived in Victoria to help the state's efforts. Melbourne is still on high alert, after it was revealed on Saturday that a Metro worker based at Flinders Street Station, the city's busiest, was infected with the deadly virus. So far 13 other Metro staff members have been forced into home quarantine amid concerns the worker may have been infectious on shift. Military officers are seen lending a hand at a coronavirus testing centre at the Melbourne Showgrounds on Saturday (pictured) There were fears leading into Sunday's press conference that if the rate of infection continues to surge with sustained community transmissions, police road checkpoints may be brought in at six COVID-19 trouble spots - Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin. Although such a move would be unprecedented in Victoria, similar local area roadblocks were introduced in Tasmania when a massive outbreak occurred in the state's northwest in April. The rest of Australia has largely contained any coronavirus outbreaks, with several states not reporting a community infection for weeks, but Victoria has seen a week of double-digit infections. VICTORIA'S SPIKE IN CORONAVIRUS CASES 28/6: 49 27/6: 41 26/6: 30 25/6: 33 24/6: 20 23/6: 17 22/6: 16 21/6: 19 20/6: 25 19/6: 13 18/6: 18 17/6: 21 Source: Department of Health and Human Services Advertisement As a result, stay-at-home orders introduced by the federal government in March have largely been eased across the country, but it now appears parts of Victoria could be called to undergo another shut down. Under the heightened restrictions, the only valid reasons for leaving home would be for work, study, essential shopping, care-giving and exercise. One of the major concerns for Victorian health authorities is the alarming rise in the number of quarantined travellers who are refusing to get tested for COVID-19. Department of Health and Human Services' community engagement team members are seen door-knocking residents in coronavirus hotspots (pictured in Melbourne on Wednesday) Members of the Australian Defence Force are seen putting on PPE as they were drafted in to help perform thousands of COVID-19 tests in Melbourne on Saturday (pictured) On Friday, Victoria's deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen (pictured) acknowledged about 30 per cent of returned travellers have refused a COVID-19 test Up to 30 per cent of forced quarantine travellers have declined nose swabs. But simply dishing out fines is not easy as Victoria has signed up to a human rights charter which bans such penalties. More than 19,000 travellers have undergone hotel quarantine since returning to Victoria, with at least 200 later testing positive for the deadly virus. Dr van Diemen said on Friday it was 'getting a little bit complicated' to discuss cases linked to outbreaks as there are 'quite a number of outbreaks at the moment'. Three of the new cases were linked to the north Melbourne family outbreak and one is part of the Wollert outbreak, she said. Two new cases were linked to Albanvale Primary School, one is connected to Stamford Plaza Hotel and another is associated with the Keilor Downs outbreak. 'All bar one are close contacts who have been identified who were already in quarantine at the time of diagnosis,' Dr van Diemen said. Dr van Diemen confirmed about one third of returned travellers have refused a coronavirus test. Estimates suggest that this could mean as many as 5,000 people could have left quarantine without a test. Workers are seen carrying out the huge testing blitz in Melbourne on Saturday (pictured) amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections People in face masks leave Flinders Street Station on Saturday June 21 (pictured). A Metro worker based at the station has since tested positive for coronavirus In New South Wales, returned international travellers who refuse to have the test on day ten must stay an extra ten days in quarantine. NSW has a two per cent test refusal rate, authorities said on Saturday. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said it was important to test and trace as many people as possible to prevent the spread of the virus. 'It is very important that people do put themselves forward to have these tests because ultimately if someone gets coronavirus they are endangering the lives others across the community,' he told reporters in Melbourne on Saturday. Victorian opposition leader Michael O'Brien said it made no sense that people could refuse the test, and if so, should pay for their stay. 'If people in quarantine refuse a test how about we just make them pay for their own stay, and I think that'll sort it out pretty quickly,' he told reporters on Saturday. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured on Thursday) was last week forced to roll back eased coronavirus restrictions due to the second spike in cases NASA is supporting a new project to search the universe for signs of technology that may provide evidence of intelligent life. The U.S. space agency has approved a financial award for researchers to look for evidence of progressive technology on other planets in the universe. Scientists call such evidence technosignatures. NASA describes technosignatures as signs or signals, which if observed, would allow us to infer the existence of technological life elsewhere in the universe. The best-known technosignatures are radio signals that scientists have identified coming from outer space. But NASA notes, there are many others that have not been explored fully. Improvements in space technology have led to the discovery of many new planets that researchers want to study. Since 1995, scientists have discovered more than 4,000 exoplanets. These are planets that orbit a star outside the solar system. Some exoplanets have already been identified as having similarities to Earth that could possibly support life forms. Scientists have long centered their research of other planets on biosignatures. These are chemical or physical markers suggesting the presence of simple life forms elsewhere in the universe. But in recent years there has been increased interest in studying technosignatures, including among NASA scientists. The new NASA-supported study is a joint project involving researchers from the University of Rochester in New York, Harvard University and Americas Smithsonian Institution. A statement from the University of Rochester said it is the first NASA-backed project to explore non-radio technosignatures. The NASA award represents an exciting new direction for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, the statement said. The research will attempt to seek answers to two main questions. Could there be technosignatures created by a civilization on another planet that can be seen from Earth? And, could these technosignatures be even easier to identify than biosignatures? The researchers plan to begin their work by examining two possible technosignatures that might provide evidence of technological activity on other planets. One thing they will search for is signs of solar panels. One of the projects leaders, University of Rochester professor Adam Frank, says some planets might be getting energy from a star, just as Earth gets energy from the sun. Using solar energy would be a pretty natural thing for other civilizations to do, Frank said. He said evidence of solar energy usage could be discovered by the presence of light waves that could be reflecting off solar panels. The researchers will attempt to identify where these waves might appear to help in the search for technosignatures. The other thing the scientists will start looking for is evidence of pollutants in the atmosphere of other planets. There has already been a lot of research aimed at finding biosignatures from chemicals identified in planetary atmospheres. This research, however, has centered on chemicals produced naturally by life, such as methane gas. The new search for technosignatures will be aimed at finding evidence of artificial chemicals and gases that could be produced by widespread industrial activity by another civilization. The researchers said their search for signs of possible intelligent life will also include evidence of city lights, very large structures and big collections of satellites. Another project leader is Avi Loeb, an astronomy professor at Harvard. He said in a statement he hopes the new research will lead to new discoveries about alien technological civilizations that are similar to or much more advanced than our own. Loeb added that the general question the scientific team will seek to answer is: Are we alone? But he added, Even if we are alone right now, were we alone in the past?" Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the University of Rochester, the Center for Astrophysics and NASA. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - NASA Supports New Project to Search for Intelligent Life on Other Planets Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story infer v. form an opinion or guess that something is true because of the information you have civilization n. a society with well-developed social organizations panel n. a piece of equipment that attaches to the surface of something reflect v. to send back or bounce off artificial adj. made by people, often as a copy of something natural alien n. relating to creature from another planet advanced adj. modern and well developed https://www.aish.com/jw/s/The-Year-of-the-Vilna-Gaon.html Long after most of its once-vibrant Jewish community is gone, Lithuania is embracing the legacy of the Vilna Gaon. Visitors to the only remaining Jewish cemetery in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius witnessed something unusual on April 23. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the area filled with cars, and out of one spilled high-ranking Lithuanian officials, including Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius. Careful to observe social distancing, they all joined Israeli Ambassador to Lithuania Yossi Levy near one of the headstones to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Torah scholar Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Shlomo Zalman, better known as the Vilna Gaon. The Vilna Gaon was born on April 23, 1720, in the village of Selz in modern-day Belarus. When he was living, Vilnius, known as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" was anything but Lithuanian, and home mostly to Poles and Jews. The Holocaust changed that forever. Although the now-independent Lithuania is home to only a tiny Jewish population, the locals try to remember the rabbi, who helped make their capital famous throughout the Jewish world. One of the streets in the old city of Vilnius has been renamed after the rabbi. In 1997, a statue of him was erected in what used to be the city's Jewish quarter. The Vilna Gaon lived near the city's great synagogue, which was later badly damaged in World War II and completely destroyed by the Soviets. Still, much of the area remains as it was during his life. The nation's Jewish museum is named after the Vilna Gaon, and another site in Vilnius linked to the rabbi is the Widow and Brothers Romm print shop, which published the first version of the Talmud with the Gaon's commentary. Ironically, the first version of the statue to commemorate the great scholar portrayed him without any head covering, an error that was later fixed. Although there are many images of the rabbi, no one knows what he really looked like, as all 11 "portraits" were painted long after his death. The Vilna Gaon monument, Vilnius (Ariel Bulshtein) The 300th anniversary of the Gaon's birth inspired decision-makers to step up their efforts to commemorate his life. The Lithuanian Parliament declared 2020 the Year of the Vilna Gaon and the Year of Jewish History. But even before 2020, Lithuanian authorities sought to have the Gaon's manuscripts included in UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme. The Lithuanian Central Bank issued a special commemorative coin to mark the celebrations of his birth and legacy. The celebration scheduled originally included nearly 70 separate events, but coronavirus upended everything. An international conference on Jewish study and intellectualism in Lithuania from the 18th to 20th centuries has been postponed until October, and possibly to next year. His sons said he never slept more than two hours a day, divided into four half-hour parts. The Vilna Gaon himself would probably wonder, and maybe be dismayed, if he knew the honors being heaped upon him in his homeland, which since his lifetime has been nearly emptied of its Jewish population. He was noted for scholarship and modesty, so much so that he consistently refused an official position with the local rabbinate, as the job would have disrupted his studies. His sons said he never slept more than two hours a day, divided into four half-hour parts. It's hard to imagine him making time for the "nonsense" of national honors. The unusual interest in the great scholar's life seems quite appropriate to Lithuanian Ambassador to Israel Lina Antanaviciene. "The Jews were an inseparable part of society in Lithuania from the days of the great duchy in the 14th century," Antanaviciene said. "The Jewish community made an important contribution to the rise of Lithuania, its history, culture, and science. We see the 300th anniversary of the Gaon's birth an opportunity to promote knowledge of the history of Jews in our country, and improve and preserve their legacy and invest more in keeping that legacy alive. In the broader sense, this is an opportunity for the Lithuanian people and for the entire world to learn more about the achievements of Jews who were born in our country and lived and created for our country, and to be proud of them," the ambassador said. The Lithuanians' desire to show pride in a spiritual authority who was active in their capital city is worthy of praise, but it is a challenge. The Vilna Gaon's work, his thinking, rulings, and innovations to the Talmud and the Kabbala are not immediately comprehensible to anyone who is not familiar with Jewish texts, and virtually inaccessible to anyone who does not read Hebrew. And without the content, the Vilna Gaon could be reduced to a folkloric figure, as happened with Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague, whom residents and visitors associate with the famous legend of the Golom. The organizers of the year of events honoring the Vilna Gaon will try to bridge knowledge gaps with an exhibition titled "The Years of Eliyahu," which is scheduled to open in October at the National Library of Lithuania and will focus on the rabbi's enormous influence on Judaism. State authorities plan to borrow the famous notebook from the Gaon's own synagogue, which is currently preserved at the Yiddish Scientific Institute in New York, for the exhibit. The Lithuanian national broadcast company is making a special effort to bring the Vilna Gaon's work to the general public. A special radio program devoted to the Gaon shared some of his pearls of wisdom with listeners, and stressed his critical approach as well as his broad familiarity with general subjects like mathematics and astronomy. The Gaon wrote a book on the sciences, and was also knowledgeable about engineering, biology, geography, linguistics, and music. The broadcast underscored the Gaon's importance as a spiritual authority not only to the Jewish people, and shared a piece of his practical advice: "Today, this teaching from the Vilna Gaon is important to us. If a person desires to understand something, he must follow three rules: to look at what he is shown, to hear what he is told, and to feel all this in his heart." Ambassador Antanaviciene agreed that the legacy of the Vilna Gaon includes universal messages. "The Vilna Gaon's philosophy is as relevant in the changing world of today as it was in the 18th century. Living in a community, while developing independent thought and aspiring to make positive changes in society that teaches us an important lesson about the development of modern democracy in Lithuania," she said. This article originally appeared on Israel HaYom Alabama elected officials and health professionals are redoubling their efforts to encourage, or require, people to wear cloth face masks in public as the number of new coronavirus cases per day has gone up sharply over the past seven days and hospitals begin to fill with COVID-19 patients. The cities of Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma already require people to wear masks in public. Jefferson County, which contains Birmingham and many of its outlying suburbs, has announced a county-wide mask order that will go into effect on Monday. Combined, those areas are home to about 18 percent of Alabamas population. Mayors across the state, regardless of party, have promoted mask wearing to their citizens as local hospitals feel the strain of COVID. And some say they are looking at passing ordinances this week. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin released a video Friday about the use of masks in the city, urging Birmingham residents to abandon a I, me mentality and wear masks for the good of the community as a whole. Face coverings are for the health and well-being of not just you, not just ourselves, but for those around us, especially those communities who are at risk, Woodfin said. Birmingham, please hear me when I say this. It's time to rid ourselves of a "me" and "I" mentality and embrace a "we, us, our" mindset. For the sake of your families, your neighbors and your community, please social distance and wear face coverings. COVID-19 is real. pic.twitter.com/bH1qrYSVq7 Randall Woodfin (@randallwoodfin) June 26, 2020 Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson is sponsoring a local mask ordinance for his city that will go before the city council next week. Stimpson posted appeals on Twitter to Mobile city councilors to support the ordinance. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said on Twitter Friday that he believes the city council will pass a mask ordinance as well. The city of Huntsville has not implemented a mask ordinance yet, but the city promoted a video clip on Friday in which David Spillers, CEO of Huntsville Hospital urges everyone to wear a mask. Im not trying to make a political statement, I think its just logical that if people have on masks, theyre going to be less likely to transmit or receive the virus, Spillers said. I think thats the single most important thing we could do to try to limit the spread of coronavirus. And I think its an inconvenience, but I think its a small price to pay if it keeps your loved ones or your friends or other people in the population from getting COVID. "I'm not trying to make a political statement," Spillers said at the June 22 #COVID19 briefing. "It [wearing a mask] is just logical."#HuntsvilleAL #ShowYourCoverHsv pic.twitter.com/Q2bCYmYhbl @huntsvillecity (@huntsvillecity) June 26, 2020 Madison Mayor Paul Finley told reporters Friday that his city of 50,000 west of Huntsville will require masks to enter public buildings, but that he would not support a broader mask order at this time. Alabama COVID cases surge in June Alabama saw three consecutive days of more than 950 new COVID-19 cases in late June and hospital ICUs have filled to more than 80 percent of their capacity, according to Don Williamson, head of the Alabama Hospital Association. Of Alabamas more than 34,500 total cases of COVID-19, more than 11,000 were reported after June 12, the first day the state reported more than 1,000 new cases in a day. Since that day, the state has exceeded that threshold three more times, all in the past week. The seven-day average of new cases per day is almost 800. That increase casts an ominous shadow over Alabamas already stressed hospital system. In the coming days, many of those people who recently tested positive will get sicker and some will require hospitalization, filling more of the dwindling supply of available hospital beds. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said there is often a delay between large increases in case numbers and an increase in hospitalizations. She said Childrens Hospital in Houston began taking adult patients this week because the citys regular ICUs were full. If we are seeing this very big peak in cases right now, the hospitalizations and death rates as we know, typically lag two to two and a half to three weeks behind those case reports, Marrazzo said. So could we be seeing a situation in the middle of July, particularly with the July 4th weekend, people getting out and about, where we are in a situation like Houston is facing right now or New York City, New Jersey, Boston, some of the other cities that have sustained really large burdens of in-patient demand, have experienced in the past? That is entirely possible. Dr. Beth Lewis, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at UABs School of Public Health, said masks are one of the few tools, aside from total closures of businesses and restrictions on social gatherings, that local governments have to fight the disease and avoid the kind of dangerous hospital surges. We dont have a lot of tools to fight this, Lewis said. And so we all need to be responsible and do our part. Because if the hospitals become overwhelmed, like they were in New York, people died who wouldnt normally have died, and we really dont want that to happen here. 'Very political, very divisive' Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson, who announced Jefferson Countys policy Friday, said he decided to require masks because too many people were ignoring recommendations. Frankly Ive found that were losing the support of the public, Wilson said. People are getting careless. Ive been very reluctant to issue an order because orders are not popular. Unfortunately this particular topic has become very political, very divisive, which is rather bewildering, frankly. Wilson said he would like to see a mask order in place for the entire state. I think it would be great if this could be done statewide, Wilson said. The entire state of Alabama is in trouble. Alabamas Safer at Home order, which recommends all Alabamians wear masks in public and requires masks for employees and/or customers at certain businesses, expires on July 3. Gov. Kay Ivey has not yet announced whether she will extend or modify that order going forward. U.S. Sen. Doug Jones in a press conference Thursday that the economic toll from the virus would only get worse the continued spread of the virus, citing Alabama restaurants that have had to close again after staff members became infected. As we open back up, if we dont control this virus, our economy is going to go back down, Jones said. There is no question about that. Jones also asked local leaders, elected and otherwise, to step up and set a good example by wearing masks themselves and encouraging others to do so. If we want to get our economy rolling again, I think its so important that businesses step up also, churches, everyone step up on this mask-wearing and lets get everybody used to this and it not be such a political issue, it doesnt [need to] be such a social stigma issue, Jones said. Its just something we do, like buckling a seatbelt when we get in a car. Dr. Lewis, the chair of the UAB Epidemiology Department, said that one key difference is that a seatbelt primarily only protects the person wearing it, while facemasks can protect everyone else. Because people can spread COVID-19 before they develop symptoms, and young, healthy people especially may only experience mild symptoms over the course of their infection, people may be infected and spreading the virus without realizing they have it. Marrazzo said that recent virus data, particularly in Florida, shows people in their 20s and 30s are making up a higher percentage of recent COVID cases, and may be spreading the disease to more vulnerable populations without realizing it. Consistent facemask use could significantly reduce transmission of #COVID19. The effect is greatest when 100% of the public wears facemasks. When should you be wearing a mask to protect yourself and those around you from the spread of COVID-19? Follow our helpful guide below. pic.twitter.com/XtKTocJTe9 UAB Medicine (@uabmedicine) June 26, 2020 Many of the infections that people are transmitting are coming from people before they develop their symptoms or when their symptoms are really, really mild, Marrazzo said. Or maybe they never get symptoms, but they still can transmit the virus. Younger people tend to have milder cases, less symptoms, theyre not as likely to stay home, they may feel relatively okay, like they can go out and do their usual thing. That puts them at great risk for serving as an intense focus of transmission in the community. Fighting COVID, Lewis said, has to be a team effort, with everyone in the community doing their part. I certainly wouldnt want to be responsible for bringing something home and infecting your grandmother, Lewis said. And that could very well happen. People can infect their family members and their friends. They can cause a business to shut down because they went to their favorite restaurant and breathed on a bunch of people and gave them COVID-19. I certainly wouldnt want to be responsible for that, but it could happen if you dont play on the team. Some of them claimed that they had quit their job as Zomato has a sizeable Chinese investment Group of Zomato food delivery platform employees in Kolkata tore and burnt their official T-shirts. (PTI Photo) Kolkata: A group of Zomato food delivery platform employees in Kolkata tore and burnt their official T-shirts on Saturday in protest against the killing of 20 Indian soldiers by the Chinese Army in Ladakh last week. During the protest at Behala, some of them claimed that they had quit their job as Zomato has a sizeable Chinese investment and urged people to stop ordering food via the company. In 2018, Ant Financial, part of Chinese major Alibaba, had invested USD 210 million in Zomato for a 14.7-per-cent stake. The food delivery major recently raised an additional USD 150 million from Ant Financial. "Chinese companies are making profit from here and attacking the Army of our country. They are trying to grab our land. This cannot be allowed," one of the protesters said. Another protester said they were ready to starve but would not work in companies having investment from China. In May, Zomato laid off 520 employees or 13 per cent of its workforce in a huge retrenchment exercise due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. There was no immediate reaction from Zomato and whether the protesters were among those who were retrenched was not known. Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in a fierce clash with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15. Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga, Senior Advisor to the ASEAN 2020 National Secretariat and Vietnams representative at the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry (AWPR) said this was ASEAN leaders first meeting of highest level regarding gender equality in the region. Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga, Senior Advisor to the ASEAN 2020 National Secretariat and Vietnams representative at the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry, speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) It is time for ASEAN members to discuss measures to carry out the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 amid the digital age and the impact of COVID-19, thereby determining new challenges and chances to implement international commitments, she added. The session reflected the determination and clear message of Vietnam and other ASEAN nations in promoting multilateral cooperation in gender equality, Nga said. Vietnam is playing an active role and a pioneer in gender equality, especially in policies and policy framework, as it is among main targets in the countrys socio-economic development, she said. Head of the National Assembly (NA)s Committee for Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Anh said the session offered an opportunity to assess achievements in gender equality and womens empowerment in the digital age. For Vietnam, this is the last year of the implementation of the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the 2011-20. The country has reaped fruitful results in meeting its annual targets. In particular, the proportions of female NA deputies, leaders and entrepreneurs have been on the rise, she noted./. Chesapeake Energy Corp., the archetype for Americas extraordinary shale-gas fortunes, filed for bankruptcy, becoming one of the biggest victims of a spectacular collapse in energy demand from the virus-induced global lockdown. The Oklahoma City-based company filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas. The company also entered into an agreement to eliminate about $7 billion in debt and secure $925 million in debtor-in-possession financing, Chesapeake said Sunday in a statement. We are fundamentally resetting Chesapeakes capital structure and business to address our legacy financial weaknesses and capitalize on our substantial operational strengths, Chief Executive Officer Doug Lawler said in the statement. Despite having removed over $20 billion of leverage and financial commitments, we believe this restructuring is necessary for the long-term success and value creation of the business. Chesapeake is partly a victim of its own success -- and that of its peers -- in extracting gas from shale basins, which contributed to a global glut and weighed on prices. Even before the coronavirus, the company had struggled for years with a heavy debt load accumulated during an earlier period of aggressive expansion. NEXT? Chesapeakes demise marks end of shale model that changed the world About a decade ago, Chesapeake was a $37.5 billion giant led by the late Aubrey McClendon, a colorful and outspoken advocate for the natural gas industry. It was at the forefront of the fracking revolution that transformed the U.S. oil and gas industry by setting off a scramble for previously untapped shale reserves. The company cut eye-popping checks to Fort Worth businesses and residents as inducements to drill on their land in the Barnett Shale of North Texas, Americas first shale field to hit the big time. Those heady days didnt last. U.S. natural gas slumped after the financial crisis as the frackers overwhelmed demand, and prices still havent revisited their previous highs. Investors soured on Chesapeake, which by that point wasnt only debt-laden but saddled with a real estate empire that included shopping centers, a church, and a grocery store. McClendon was ousted in 2013 and was killed in an auto accident three years later. In subsequent years, management sought to compensate for the decline in its gas fortunes by shifting into oil exploration as fracking turned the U.S. into the worlds largest producer of crude as well as a major exporter. However, any optimism about that strategy evaporated with oils recent price collapse amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Lawler took over Chesapeake in 2013 with an aim of reducing its debt load that was larger than Exxon Mobil Corp.s, a company 29 times Chesapeakes market value at the time. He had counted on capital spending cuts and asset sales to cover debt obligations. The company was in talks last year with Jerry Jones, the billionaire Dallas Cowboys owner, about a $1 billion sale of shale assets, but no deal resulted. In May, Lawler was forced to discard his companys full-year outlook and write down the value of $8.5 billion in assets as energy demand tumbled amid the Covid-19 lockdown. By then, the producers market value had dropped to less than $200 million. The bankruptcy follows that of another high-flyer in the U.S. oil patch, Whiting Petroleum Corp., which filed for Chapter 11 at the start of April after championing what was once the premiere U.S. shale field, the Bakken of North Dakota. Wines get better with age but time is not on New Mexico wineries side. The clock continues to tick as to when New Mexico wineries can reopen to the public. The wineries, which were temporarily closed in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were not included in the governors recent public health order that allowed breweries to reopen at 50% capacity. Updates to the public health order are currently on hold. I thought the communication has been poor and we were caught in between, said Chris Goblet, executive director of New Mexico Wine. When breweries and distilleries were announced as closed they meant wineries as well but they never mentioned us (to reopen) It just seems odd. Sheehan Winery is running out of storage room and online sales have dropped significantly since restaurants, breweries and distilleries have been allowed to reopen. The winery went from $1,000 a day in sales in April to currently $1,000 a week. Its just like falling off a cliff, said Sean Sheehan, founder of Sheehan Winery. We have a bunch of wine that needs to be bottled. The thing is once its in a bottle its safe but if its sitting in a tank or in barrel it gets better for a while and then it gets worse. For me, Ive got to pay for all this glass and corks and labels to be able to just protect it, which its going to take me a couple years to sell it probably given the current climate. Sheehan added that it is not only New Mexico wineries that are taking a hit but also the local growers many wineries get their grapes from. Weve seen vineyard acreage on the decline in New Mexico over the last 10 years and a lot of these growers dont have anywhere to sell their grapes this year because a winery like mine, we usually take 50 tons of grapes every year, in addition to what we farm ourselves, we generally buy like the better part of 50 tons of grapes from local growers, he said. We last year supported 12 different small growers from throughout the state and we expect maybe to buy 10 tons this year, maybe less. For us its a mixture of finances and legit square footage. Theres just nowhere to put the stuff. Everything is stacked to the ceiling here. Some wineries have reopened around the state. Casa Rondena Winery has opened its patio to wine lovers and its 1629 Club to members. Our production center, located in the ancient village of Los Ranchos, has over 250,000 square feet of licensed area where our patrons and members can be safe and socially distanced while drinking the regions finest wines, and enjoying the efforts of our world class chef, said John Calvin, Casa Rondena owner and winemaker. With space for over a thousand socially distanced wine lovers, we take pride in the cultural institution Casa Rondena has become. Wineries with a small brewer license have been able to open as well as those that do more than 50% in food revenue. Businesses with a small brewer license are those that are currently allowed to open, which primarily encapsulates breweries, said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett. The governor absolutely understands the ongoing frustrations and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the state continues to make data-driven decisions that protect the lives of New Mexicans. Goblet said many other wineries do not have the ability to open under the current health order and are growing weary. We do think its strange no other state in the United States has separated their beer from their wine industry and were all craft producers and were in this with the distillers and some distillers have a small brewers license, some wine growers have a small brewers license, so there are people who are open legally and those are the ones that have multiple licenses or do more food prep, Goblet said. The rest of them are sort of out there floating. Relaxed business restrictions may occur in July depending on the states data on the spread of the disease. Certainly we hope to be able to allow more establishments to open as we continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and move forward, Meyers Sackett said. Additional businesses are likely to be part of a next phase of reopening depending on New Mexicos success at continuing to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure an available health care delivery system.a Goblet is concerned that reopening wineries might not be possible as more time passes. It seems to me were going to be continued to be caught in this situation and whats going to happen is if they start to roll back closures because of spikes in COVID or because bars and breweries are willy nilly, doing whatever, we would have never gotten the chance to open and we wont get the chance to open, he said. Thats my bigger fear is that somehow weve been categorized. Weve been pushed into a corner that no one wants to acknowledge. DECATUR On the corner of where her 28-year-old son was killed last year, Janet Hill looked to the sky with tears in her eyes and called out to him. I know youre here with me in spirit. I love you son. As long as I have breath in my body, I will always remember, said Hill. Saturday was the first time Hill visited Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Division Street since just over a year ago when her son, Suave Turner, was fatally shot. About 75 men, women and children stood still behind her, along with other mothers who also have lost loved ones to gun violence. Hills words to her son brought several in the crowd to tears. Aint nothing wrong with crying, it cleanses the soul, said Jera Gentry, whose 24-year-old son, Ashton Gray, was shot to death in September 2018. We (are) allowed to feel what we got to feel. Dont let nobody tell yall to be strong. We dont always gotta be strong. It is our right to cry sometimes. Holding signs with photos of family members and friends, the group on Saturday evening marched from Hess Park through neighboring streets. Hill is the president of Hearts of Angels, the organization that co-hosted the march with Pain To Peace. Red and silver balloons were released before the march in memory of those who were lost. Several who spoke after the walk on Saturday are mothers of gun violence victims. Jennifer Kirbys 17-year-old son, Caleb Whitty, was shot and killed nine years ago. She said there needs to be a focus on youth to bring an end to violent gun crimes. Targeting the low income and poverty stricken youth of the community would be the most effective way to stop gun violence and other types of violence, said Kirby. Educating the community with events similar to Saturdays march is one way Elijah England said he copes with personal experiences of losing loved ones to gun violence. We want to wake the community up and really work to help strengthen our community from the inside out, England said. The march comes two weeks after parents held a vigil honoring children lost to gun violence. While police data shows that overall violent crime was down in Decatur last year, the number of homicides, 11, was the highest it had been since 1996. There were 46 shootings between January and May, the most recent period for which data was available from the Decatur Police Department. Protesters nationwide have been marching following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis police custody in May. Hundreds in Decatur marched peacefully on two occasions through downtown. The march in June was held in honor of Floyd and the second was meant to honor Black women who are victims of brutality. Hills advice to grieving families is to live each day honoring those they have lost. Dont never let them forget about your baby. Keep your sons or daughters legacy, keep their name alive, said Hill. Do not let Decatur, Illinois forget your babys name because I am Suave Turner. PHOTOS: Victims of gun violence were remembered during the March for Peace and Balloon Release at Hess Park Contact Analisa Trofimuk at (217) 421-7985. Follow her on Twitter: @AnalisaTro Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Cole Sprouse appeared relaxed as he took a drag from a cigarette, a week after he was 'falsely accused of sexual assault alongside three Riverdale co-stars.' While the 27-year-old Riverdale star enjoyed a smoke after dinner in Malibu on Friday, he sported a pair of grey trousers and a matching three-quarter button-down. He layered his hipster ensemble over a white tank and wore a red bandanna around his neck. Carefree: Cole Sprouse appeared relaxed as he took a drag from a cigarette, a week after he was 'falsely accused of sexual assault alongside three Riverdale co-stars' The Disney alum steadily glanced down at his phone, as he stepped out looking tan and at ease after the allegations. His Riverdale co-stars KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Vanessa Morgan and KJ Apa were also accused of sexual misconduct by several anonymous Twitter accounts, which all four have vehemently denied and called 'false.' Cole spoke out about the allegations in a series of Tweets hours later, with him and Lili looking into legal action. Causal: While the 27-year-old Riverdale star enjoyed a smoke after dinner in Malibu on Friday, he sported a grey trousers and a matching three-quarter button-down The actor wrote: 'Earlier today myself and three other cast mates were falsely accused of sexual offense by anonymous accounts on twitter. I take these accusations very seriously, and will be working with the right teams to get to the root of it.' Cole continued: 'False accusations do tremendous damage to victims of actual assault. Furthermore, I would never silence anybody. I encourage that people look into the accusations themselves, as the events detailed were factually untrue.' Lili, who was accused on another anonymous account, quoted his tweet minutes later and added her statement: 'I have always taken sexual assault allegations seriously. But it was proven that this account was specifically to create false stories about me and my cast. His statement: Cole took to Twitter on Sunday to deny the accusations made against him and his three other cast mates She said: 'I can't think of something more twisted than lying about sexual assault. It invalidates the men and women who are brave enough to come forward with the truth. This kind of lie can ruin lives and careers - and I can call it a lie because the person who made the allegations already admitted that the stories were fabricated.' She wrote: 'We are looking into taking legal action. This kind of sick behavior only harms true survivors. This was incredibly triggering for me and scary because I've always supported survivors and believed them.' Lili, 23, concluded: 'I hope and pray that this does not discourage real survivors from speaking out about their experiences.' Her statement: Lili quoted his tweet minutes later and added her statement The accusations against Cole came from an anonymous account with the handle @Victori6680029; the user alleged sexual misconduct by Cole at a party in 2013 at New York University. Accusations against Lili, Vanessa and KJ arose from other anonymous Twitter accounts, with one of those accounts later tweeting: 'Do you see how easy it is to lie and you guys believe it? Vanessa Morgan and Kj Apa didn't do jacks**t. You will believe anything,' via Us Weekly. Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch came to their defense and tweeted: 'As someone who has been sexually assaulted, I am deeply disturbed that anyone thinks that it is okay to falsely accuse someone of sexual assault. Speaking out: Riverdale co-star Madelaine Petsch came to their defense 'This is why real assault allegations can sometimes not be taken seriously, you should be ashamed. This is disgusting.' While Camila Mendes also spoke out against the allegations, saying it was 'sickening' and 'incredibly destructive to falsely accuse people of sexual assault.' 'It's so insane to me that somebody would do such a thing, to prove a point. It seems so trivial,' the actress pointed out on The Jess Cagle Show. Amid losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many liquor traders in Uttarakhand have applied to the government for surrendering their licenses to run wine shops. In their applications, the traders have cited low sales and huge losses along with the pressure of paying the Minimum Monthly Guaranteed Duty (MMGD) every month. There are about 650 wine shops in the state and the sale of alcohol is one of the major sources of revenue for the government which rakes in over 3,000 crore annually. The government gives licenses on a yearly basis every year to liquor traders. Baburam Jaiswal, a prominent liquor trader in Nainital said, The condition of liquor traders in the state is bad since the pandemic started. First, we had zero sales during the lockdown period from March 22 to May 3 and now in Unlock 1.0, the demand is lower than usual. It has hugely affected our earnings. Jaiswal claimed that at least 90 liquor traders have applied for surrendering their shops, added, On top of the losses, we have the pressure of MMGD which is a monthly fixed duty that we have to pay to the state excise department irrespective of the sales we make. It ranges from 40 lakh to 1 crore depending on the sales and the location of the shop. These are the reasons that many of us have applied for surrendering the shops but are yet to get any reply from the authorities concerned. Citing other reasons he claimed that earlier the earning share in the liquor sales for the traders was 20 pe rcent which has now been reduced by the government to 14.5% after the Corona tax was implemented on liquor. Another liquor trader who wished to be identified only by his last name Bansal, said, At present, there are several issues being faced by the liquor traders in the state including a shortage of labour in shops and low sales. First we suffered in the lockdown and now when the shops have opened the sales are very low because there are no tourists and almost no weddings in the state. Despite this, we have to pay the monthly revenue to the government, said Bansal. He wanted the government to provide liquor traders some respite. The government should only take tax on the sales we make and not the MMGD or else we wont be able to survive, Bansal said. The state government in an effort to give some relief to the liquor traders, had earlier decided to waive off the tax on the unsold liquor during the lockdown period in which the shops were closed. The waived off tax is about 230 crore. However, a few days ago a petition was filed in the Uttarakhand High Court against the government move alleging that the government favoured the liquor traders by waiving off the tax. The HC while hearing the petition, issued notice to the government demanding reply on the same in three weeks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The bleeding of formal jobs in Mexico should end in July and some employment gains are expected no later than August, the president said on Sunday, as he aims to revive the economy following months of coronavirus-led contraction. Widespread confinement measures in place since late March have dealt a major blow to Latin America's second-biggest economy, as it suffers through its deepest recession in decades. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in an eight-minute recorded video message on Sunday that he expects a "fast recovery," noting that after the workforce shed about 900,000 formal jobs in April and May, he expects to lose only 70,000 in June. "We will stop the fall," he said, seated behind his desk at the ornate national palace and wearing a casual guayabera shirt. If the economy does not add formal jobs in July, Lopez Obrador predicted there will be such gains in August, referring to jobs registered with social security institute IMSS. Formal jobs stem from contracts and include defined pay and tax obligations, while informal jobs mostly operate in cash and outside the law. Slightly more than half of Mexico's workforce is thought to be informal. The government has previously announced a gradual economic reopening from June 1, allowing "essential" industries including carmaking and mining to resume operations, but increasing novel coronavirus infections and deaths could dampen the recovery. Lopez Obrador, a leftist populist in his second year in office, also heralded a reworked North American trade pact with Canada and the United States set to go into effect on July 1. "This will mean more investments, this will mean more jobs, more well-being for Mexico," said Lopez Obrador. He added that he expects remittances this year through June from Mexicans in the United States to relatives back home to have grown by 10%. (Reporting by David Alire Garcia; editing by Grant McCool) She has just returned home from a modelling shoot in Italy with BFF Hailey Bieber. And the summer fun continued for Bella Hadid on Sunday, who wore next to nothing for a pool day on her Pennsylvania farm. The 23-year-old beauty took to her social media where she was lying face down on a pool floatie. Baring all: Bella Hadid shared a series of incredibly racy topless shots during a pool day on Sunday Bella was only wearing an incredibly tiny red G-string in the photos. She was topless and ensured her kept modest by laying on her stomach while out and about. The model's hair was out and wet and she appeared to be makeup free. Minimal: Bella was only wearing an incredibly tiny red G-string in the photos More pics: Bella also took to social media to share a series of sultry shots on her feed Bella also took to social media to share a series of sultry shots on her feed. 'Flower child,' she captioned the photos. The beauty stunned in a sheer mini dress that had a floral print on it. She accessorised the shots with a bunch of flowers. Bella's brunette tresses were styled out with a fringe and she rocked a full face of makeup. Bella has spent the majority of lockdown in Pennsylvania on her mom, Yolanda Hadid's, farm. Besides Yolanda, Bella's been there with her pregnant sister Gigi Hadid and her boyfriend, Zayn Malik. Gorgeous: The beauty stunned in a sheer mini dress that had a floral print on it. She accessorised the shots with a bunch of flowers Gorgeous: Bella's brunette tresses were styled out with a fringe and she rocked a full face of makeup Yolanda purchased the property back in 2017 with hopes of becoming closer to her children, who live in Manhattan. 'It's where we can all come and feel like ourselves again,' she told Elle recently. 'When I'm here, I just get in my truck and go to the store. Kids get excited at the market, but they don't take their phones out.' 'They want us to feel normal, and that's very appreciated.' Yolanda is also the mom to son, Anwar, 21. He has been isolating in London with his girlfriend, Dua Lipa. 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 While popular beach towns in Vietnam are overrun with tourists during their peak seasons, an archipelago off Kien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta offers respite from Vietnams typical tourist trail with an alluring, tranquil seascape and refreshing sea breezes for the summer. Spanning a total area of 11 square kilometers and administered by Tien Hai Commune, the Hai Tac (Pirate) archipelago, also known as Ha Tien Islands, sits just 15 kilometers off Ha Tien, a famous beach city in Kien Giang Province. Accessing the islands is relatively easy, as visitors can take an express boat ride from Ha Tien City. Reservation is highly recommended on weekends and public holidays, as only two companies offer these rides, with merely 100 passengers each ride. Visitors depart for the islands at 8:00 am and 8:30 am, and return to the mainland at 2:00 pm and 2:30 pm. More rides will be offered during peak times. A stone slab erected near one of the white sand beaches reiterates Vietnams sovereignty with its French name Archipel des Pirates (Archipelago of Pirates), probably a trace of the colonial era. According to what is written on the stele, the archipelago consists of 11 islands, namely Keo Ngua, Kien Vang, Tre Lon, Tre Vinh, Gui, U, Giang, Cho Ro, Duoc, Bo Dap, and Doi Moi. The number of islands, however, fluctuates between 14 and 16 in different documents. Visitors can take a tour around the islands and be treated to tales told by boat owners about the 17th and 18th centuries, when Ha Tien remained free from the local government grip and groups of pirates crouched on and attacked trading vessels passing through the waters, which enjoyed an auspicious position. Circulating rumor that the islands were a treasure trove left behind by the pirates and some locals did strike gold adds a flavor to the tours. Apart from the tales, holidaymakers are also captivated by the striking, serene landscape and unspoiled beaches which offer fantastic views and refreshing swims. Among the islands, only six or seven are inhabited, with Tre Lon or Doc Island boasting the largest population of around 3,000 residents. A road meandering along the coast serves as the islands artery, along with three other newly-built ones. It takes around half an hour to tour the islands, and tourists will take delight in a wooden bridge stretching to a ledge whose edges are flanked by lush greenery, eerily shaped rock formations, and golden-yellow sandy beaches, making it the ideal place to admire gorgeous coastal sunrise and sunset. Hammocks hung at intervals can come in handy for visitors exhausted from a long trek. Hiking, riding bikes along the coastal roads, swimming in the crystal-clear water, and coral reef diving are perfect choices for young people hoping to make quick weekend escape trips. Food is another delight on the islands. The only sweet soup shop, snugly nestled on the artery road, offers a wide array of must-try sweeties. Irresistible food options on the islands, particularly fresh seafood, include everything from eateries to small street food vendors. Charcoal-grilled sea urchins, which are aplenty and of good quality in the areas thanks to its pristine sea ecosystem, make tempting, nutritional delicacies. Life here has been more comfortable since a project in October last year connected the community to the national grid and has thus brought electricity and joys to islanders, while enriching nightlife for tourists in those remote areas. Most residents now earn a decent living by going fishing or providing tourism-related services. Despite the vibrant vibes the islands have recently put on, visitors who prefer to be alone can still find a world of their own on sparsely populated or uninhabited islets, readily accessible to the main island in only five to ten minutes by boat. Visitors can hire motorized boats to take them around the islands for sightseeing and fishing. Boat riders will drop visitors off on an uninhabited island where they will relish swims and cook their catch, before the riders return to pick them up some time later. If tourists are into coral reef diving, boat riders will take them to atolls where they will find themselves swimming with schools of richly-colored fish and admiring stunning coral formations beneath. The Hai Tac archipelago off Ha Tien City in Kien Giang Province, located Vietnams Mekong Delta, boasts green-covered islets and stunning beaches. Photo: Gia Tien / Tuoi Tre A rather off-the-radar, white-sand beach on Tre Lon Islet, part of the Hai Tac archipelago, nestled off Ha Tien City in Kien Giang Province, Vietnams Mekong Delta. Photo: Gia Tien / Tuoi Tre A stone slab reiterating Vietnams sovereignty is found on a beach in Tre Lon Islet. Photo: Gia Tien / Tuoi Tre Tourists can unwind in hammocks while relishing sunset in the Hai Tac archipelago off Ha Tien City in Kien Giang Province, Vietnams Mekong Delta. Photo: Gia Tien / Tuoi Tre Fresh, nutrient-rich seafood is one of the irresistible attractions in the Hai Tac archipelago off Ha Tien City in Kien Giang Province, Vietnams Mekong Delta. Photo: Gia Tien / Tuoi Tre A fresh catch is charcoal-grilled on the spot in the Hai Tac archipelago off Ha Tien City in Kien Giang Province, Vietnams Mekong Delta. Photo: Gia Tien / Tuoi Tre Coral reef diving is one of the attractions in the Hai Tac archipelago, nestled off Ha Tien City in Kien Giang Province, Vietnams Mekong Delta. Photo: Gia Tien / Tuoi Tre A bustling wharf in a residential area on Tre Lon Islet, part of the Hai Tac archipelago off Ha Tien City in Kien Giang Province, Vietnams Mekong Delta. Photo: Gia Tien / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! CLEVELAND, Ohio As the congregants of St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Church filtered out in a socially-distanced manner after 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday, they gathered reverently on the front steps holding crosses and paper signs that reflected their thoughts, their wishes, their questions. Black Lives Matter! Vote for Change. Lord, who is my neighbor? The parishioners have been gathering this way after every Sunday service since May 25, when George Floyd, an unarmed African American, died at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, more than 700 miles from their Glenville neighborhood. And they end their weekly vigil with nine minutes of silence roughly equivalent to the time the officers knelt on Floyd as he cried out for help. The only things that puncture the silence are the honks of support that come from cars passing by on St. Clair Avenue and the voice of one parishioner, who reads names of other unarmed individuals killed by law enforcement in the U.S. Sister Mary Jean Raymond, St. Aloysius pastoral associate, said that after Floyds death, she found a website that lists names of unarmed Black and white individuals who lost their lives to police violence in America. I pulled the first 89 names from 2014 to 2020, Raymond told cleveland.com. Im sure Ill have to add more as the weeks go on. The church plans to continue these weekly vigils at least through the summer and fall, but possibly longer, until there is substantial societal change. Those names are written in black marker on wooden crosses, which are hammered into the ground across the street from the church, facing St. Clair Avenue. A few of the crosses already on display hit close to home; the names of Tamir Rice and Tanisha Andersen -- both killed by Cleveland police -- are written on large crosses closest to a Black Lives Matter banner. Longtime St. Aloysius parishioner Gregory Clifford said he knows just how important it is for Catholic churches, especially those in predominantly Black neighborhoods and with predominantly Black congregants, to denounce racism in their communities. Racism in America is entrenched. It is insidious, Clifford said. Clifford, who has been the Chief Magistrate for the Cleveland Municipal Court since 2001, said he recognizes how police officers who kill unarmed individuals have often been treated with impunity in America, by the public, judges and juries. Now, in the era of cell phone videos, Clifford said, we are seeing things [like police violence] that weve always had an idea about, but couldnt always prove. In the wake of international protests following Floyds death, Clifford says he has hope for change both societally and politically. The sleeping giant has been awoken, Clifford said. America cannot be asleep any longer. Read more on cleveland.com: What happens after declaring racism a public health crisis? A Wisconsin county offers a clue Bridging Ohios racial chasm requires Statehouse Republicans to listen, not grandstand Large crowd attends peaceful Berea for Justice candlelight vigil (photos) Earlier, three Maharashtra ministers including Congress Ashok Chavan, NCPs Jitendra Awhad and Dhananjay Munde had tested positive Mumbai: As the Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Maharashtra, two more MLAs one each from BJP and Congress have tested positive for the coronavirus. The 40-year-old BJP legislator is from Bhiwandi in Thane district, whereas the Congress MLA is from Nanded district. The BJP MLA had distributed food and vehicles for migrant labourers in his constituency. He is presently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mulund after he complained of fever, cold and cough. His test report has come positive. His family and staff have been quarantined. The Congress MLA, who was feeling uneasy since Friday, had tested himself in a private hospital in Nanded. His coronavirus report came positive. The legislator is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. He had come in contact with a local corporator, who was a Covid positive patient, the official said. Earlier, three Maharashtra ministers including Congress Ashok Chavan, NCPs Jitendra Awhad and Dhananjay Munde had tested positive. All three have been discharged from the hospital after recovery. Meanwhile, Maharashtra's coronavirus case tally rises to 1,59,133 with 5,318 new patients detected, death toll reaches 7,273 with 167 new fatalities. The increase in cases surpassed Friday's one-day highest figure of 5,024, said a state health official. 4,430 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recovered coronavirus patients in the state to 84,245 The swarm of locusts which was seen in different parts of Delhi NCR including Gurugram and south Delhi on Saturday has reached Kasganj in western Uttar Pradesh after an unsuccessful attempt to control it, a top official of the Locust Warning Organisation said on Sunday. We couldnt control the entire swarm. They flew again early on Sunday morning. We have arranged for drones, fire brigades, apart from seven teams with sprayer mounted on vehicles. We are trying our best to control it. Control operations will begin again tonight. Teams are moving with the swarm, said K L Gurjar, deputy director, Locust Warning Organisation. LWO also has several teams in Rajasthan that are trying to control fresh swarms coming in from Pakistan and Iran. Control operations have been strengthened at the border to ensure swarms dont come in, Gurjar said. Meanwhile with monsoon approaching the arid regions of Rajasthan, breeding of locusts have started in several pockets, Gurjar had said on Saturday. Locusts have laid eggs and hoppers have emerged. But we will manage to control these hoppers immediately. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) released its Desert Locust Situation update on Saturday evening where it said that although control operations continue, a general northerly movement of swarms will occur in three countries. Some of the swarms in northwest Kenya are expected to transit through South Sudan to reach the summer breeding areas of Sudan where some rains have already started. If these rains are not enough, there is a risk that swarms could continue to eastern Chad and spread westwards across the northern Sahel of West Africa. Swarms that accumulate in northern Somalia are likely to migrate across the Indian Ocean to the summer breeding areas along the Indo-Pakistan border. In Southwest Asia, spring-bred swarms are present along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border where they are awaiting the onset of the monsoon rains that will start in the coming days and allow the swarms to mature and lay eggs. Control operations continue, the update said adding that swarms and adult groups in India are mainly present in Rajasthan west of Jaipur but some infestations continue to be reported in parts of Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh. There are successive breeding cycles in the Horn of Africa. Some swarms from there are moving towards west Africa while some are moving towards Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen. These can also come to India in July. Some are expected to directly move to India from the Horn of Africa with the monsoon winds, Gurjar said. The winds are moving from the direction of the Horn of Africa towards India. The wind direction is south-westerly during monsoon. I will not be able to comment on whether they will carry these swarms with them, M Mohapatra, director general, India Meteorological Department had said last week. While so far, the impact on food security due to locust invasions hasnt been much, LWO said the Kharif crop especially maize and cotton is likely to be impacted if the two locust threatsfrom Indian Ocean and from breeding sites in India arent controlled. Union home minister Amit Shah made a scathing attack on former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of indulging in shallow politics. We are fully capable of handling anti-India propaganda but it does pain when a former president of such a big political party does ochhi rajiniti (shallow politics) at a time of problems, Shah said in an interview to news agency ANI. Gandhi has been leading the Congress attack on the face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Ladakhs Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. He even accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of surrendering Indias territory to China using the words Surender Modi for him on Twitter. Also Watch | Congress should introspect: Amit Shah on Rahul Gandhis Surender Modi tweet It is a matter of self-introspection for him and Congress that his hashtag is being taken forward by Pakistan and China. It is not for me. It is a matter of concern for Congress that hashtag of their leader is being encouraged by Pakistan and China. You say what China and Pakistan like. And at this time of crisis, said Shah. He also said that the government is ready for discussion on the issue in Parliament. There will be Parliament (session). If you want to discuss, we will. Let everything be discussed from 1962 to today. No one is afraid of discussion. But when the soldiers of the country are making efforts, the government is taking solid steps after taking a stand, at that time, making statements that please Pakistan and China should not be done, said Shah. He also took on Congress for not appointing anyone apart from the members of Gandhi family its president. After Advaniji, Rajnathji, Nitinji, Rajnathji again, I became (party president) and now Naddaji. Is there a member of the same family? After Indiraji, tell me a Congress President who is outside the Gandhi family. What democracy they talk about? said Shah. Gandhi and the Congress party have been attacking the government since the June 15 skirmish. On Friday, Gandhi posted a video and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should tell the truth as several accounts were saying that China has made incursions in Eastern Ladakh. His mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi accused the PM Modi-led central government of mismanagement which led to a full-blown crisis on the borders with China. True to its character, the government is in denial. The intrusion was detected and reported on May 5. Instead of a resolution, the situation deteriorated rapidly and there were violent clashes on June 15-16. Twenty Indian soldiers were martyred, 85 injured and 10 went missing until they were returned, she said at a virtual meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the partys highest decision-making body. Today again, the Congress party accused the government on Twitter of giving in to intruders. Critics have called on civil servants to lead by example and save Britain's high streets by getting back to the office. City centres are facing financial ruin after officer workers were told to continue working from until next summer, despite the easing of lockdown. There are fears that such a move could spell disaster for shops, bars and restaurants that are reliant on trade from commuters and office workers. The Home Office has already indicated to staff in Whitehall it could be 12 months until they are back in the office, while only 30 staff have returned to the Westminster office of the business department, a tiny fraction of its workforce. The business department is tasked with kick-starting the economy and critics have called on ministers to lead by example and get civil servants back in the office, or risk stalling any economic recovery. Only 30 staff have returned to the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy building in Westminster, a tiny portion It follows the government's decision last week to relax its two-metre social distancing rule to one metre. Theresa Villiers, the former Conservative cabinet minister, told the Sunday Times: 'The government should lead by example and ensure many more civil servants return to Whitehall. 'Thousands of shops and small businesses in our city centres depend on people heading back to their workplace. Let's get on with it.' However, Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary at the Home Office, last month told staff they were unlikely to return to Whitehall soon: 'For most, it is likely that this situation will remain the case for the next six to 12 months, so if you are currently working from home you should not expect to be back in your usual workplace any time soon.' Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said he was keen to bring staff back to the office on a staggered basis. He presides over around 250 civil servants. Lucille Thirlby, assistant general secretary of the FDA union, said civil servants had proved they were capable of working 'efficiently and effectively' from home. Theresa Villiers, the former Conservative cabinet minister, said: 'The government should lead by example and ensure many more civil servants return to Whitehall' However, Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary at the Home Office (pictured in Westminster), last month told staff they were unlikely to return to Whitehall soon The Cabinet Office said: 'Like employers across the UK, the civil service will continue to follow the latest government guidance to keep staff healthy and safe in any further return to workplaces.' Presently, official advice is that you should 'work from home if you can'. However, with schools set to finally reopen in September, non-essential shops open from June 15 and pubs and restaurants open from July 4, there is a feeling that Britain is getting 'back to normal', with civil servants urged to lead the way. Dominic Cummings' long-running war with the Civil Service Dominic Cummings has written prolific blogs on government over years that give a glimpse into his thinking. In June last year, shortly before joining Mr Johnson at No10, he penned a 10,000-word post calling for an end to the 'Kafka-esque' influence of civil servants on politicians. He proposed creating independent 'Red Teams' to challenge official advice to ministers - who would be rewarded for overturning the orthodoxy. Mr Cummings has previously slammed support for ministers as 'extremely bureaucratic and slow' and said the civil service had presided over 'expensive debacle after expensive debacle'. He dismissed Westminster as 'the blind leading the blind', saying that for top mandarins 'management, like science, is regarded contemptuously as something for the lower orders to think about, not the ''strategists'' at the top'. Mr Cummings has been upsetting the Westminster establishment for years. He memorably nicknamed the educational establishment 'the blob' when he was adviser to Mr Gove at the Department for Education. In 2014, David Cameron reportedly branded him a 'career psychopath', and Mr Cummings resigned from government and accused him of 'bumbling from one shambles to another without the slightest sense of purpose'. Mr Cummings described Lib Dem former deputy PM Nick Clegg as 'a revolting character', which triggered Mr Clegg to dismiss him as a 'loopy ideologue'. Advertisement It comes as Intu properties, the owner of Manchester's Trafford Centre among several of Britain's biggest shopping centres, collapsed into administration, while popular coffee chain Pret A Manger revealed that takings have plummeted since it reopened. The Civil Service has repeatedly come under fire in recent days after Boris Johnson's top aide Dominic Cummings was reported to have warned that a 'hard rain' was coming. Mr Johnson is also set to axe the head of the civil service and could replace him with a captain of industry or other non-Whitehall figure as he plots sweeping changes at the heart of the Government machine Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill is set to be ousted - perhaps as soon as tomorrow after he was accused of lacking the skills to deal with the coronavirus crisis. No10 has been revealed as plotting a raft of wide-ranging reform as ministers seek to pin the blame for pandemic failures on departmental figures and scientists. Home Secretary Priti Patel stokes the fires this morning when, asked about Sir Mark's future, would not guarantee his job was safe. He was appointed National Security Adviser by Theresa May in 2017 and made Cabinet Secretary a year later - and was allowed to do both jobs despite criticism. A source told The Sunday Telegraph that Sir Mark is 'fighting to stay as National Security Adviser' and is resigned to losing his post as Cabinet Secretary. They said: ''He is fighting to keep the national security one but they want to take everything off him and give him a non-job.' And another source told the Sunday Times: 'One option is to appoint someone from the business world.' Appearing on Sky's Ridge on Sunday today, Ms Patel said: 'Reform of the Civil Service is a matter that gets discussed in Government and obviously a big role like that is subject to the Prime Minister. 'But I think the fact of the matter is right now, this government is focused on getting on and doing its job; delivering for the country, levelling-up in the way in which we spoke about earlier on on the economic agenda, focussing on social injustice. 'This is the people's government delivering on the people's priorities and effectively, any reforming government will be based around the type of delivery that our Prime Minister wants to drive for our great country and obviously have the right kind of support around him to deliver that.' Mr Cummings, the chief architect of the Leave vote in the 2016 referendum, is preparing to take an axe to the Civil Service after the coronavirus exposed 'fundamental' flaws in the government machine. He is said to have told colleagues the Cabinet Office will be stripped of powers after being found wanting during the crisis. There were even claims of a bruising exchange between the PM and Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill at a meeting on the lockdown 'exit strategy' recently. The Cabinet Office has been criticised for being unwieldy, unfocused and unresponsive to political pressure as ministers have attempted to avoid crises on personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilator shortages. - Vice Ganda sought the help of Mayor Isko Morena in a Tweet message following the arrest of the LGBTQIA+ community - Vice is a member of the said community and felt that the arrest was unjust - The Pride protest observed social distancing measures and yet they were still arrested - It was not only Vice who aired her frustration but also other celebs like Catriona Gray PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Vice Ganda is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Those who staged a peaceful protest, following social distancing measures in Mendiola, were arrested. Vice Ganda seeks help of Mayor Isko Source: Facebook Vice expressed her indignation over the incident and called for help from Mayor Isko. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedbacks. Aside from calling out the name of the Manila mayor in a tweet, he also stated in a separate tweet that Manila is an LGBTQIA friendly community, even Mayor is friendly. Other celebrities also reacted to the incident. One of them was Catriona Gray. Aside from Vice and Cat, Twitter roared with so many netizens who likewise defended the Pride protesters. 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 KAMI report, Vice Ganda aired his sentiments over the bashing that Kim Chiu and Coco Martin received after they expressed their opinion on the shutdown of ABS-CBN. Vice Ganda is a comedian, host, and endorser. He has made several top-grossing movies in the Philippines. He is a host of the famous noontime show on ABS-CBN, It's Showtime. He also had one of the highest-grossing movies in the Philippines. He is currently in a relationship with ion Perez and is very happy with their relationship. 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 Play Travel is hoping to replicate the success of its backer Afterpay in enticing Millennial consumers to get through the coronavirus-induced squeeze on the travel sector, with the start-up's founder Andrew Paykel saying the buy now, pay later model works just as well for paying for a holiday as it does for clothes. Mr Paykel launched Play, initially called LayAway Travel, in 2015 after almost 20 years working in his family business Fisher & Paykel which was sold to Chinese appliance manufacturer Haier. The online travel agency lets customers book holiday packages, including flights and accommodation, and pay for them in weekly instalments over three to 12 months. Andrew Paykel started travel start-up Play Travel in 2015. Having started off "on the smell of an oily rag", according to Mr Paykel, the business has managed to attract the attention of Afterpay and AP Ventures, the Sydney-based investment vehicle 44 per cent owned by the buy now, pay later behemoth, which last year pumped $15 million into Play. While Mr Paykel had no prior experience in the travel industry, he saw a gap in the market for a product inspired by the layby offered at Fisher & Paykel and the success of Afterpay in the overall payments market. The 450,000 Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are a diverse group, ranging from ultra-Orthodox to secular moderates, who hold varying views on Israel's impending decision on annexation. From July 1, the Israeli government aims to take its first steps toward implementing part of a US-proposed Middle East peace plan that paves the way for annexing key parts of the West Bank, including settlements long considered illegal by the majority of the international community. The controversial plan also envisions the creation of a Palestinian state, but on reduced territory and the Palestinians have rejected it outright. From Yitzhar to Efrat, AFP asked Israeli settlers how annexation would change their lives. - Yakov Sela, settlements 'fulfil destiny' - Above the West Bank settlement of Itamar, the wildcat outpost Givat Arnon is home to 27 Israeli families, both secular and observant Jews. The peace plan put forward by the United States could see it annexed by Israel, but surrounded by an independent Palestine. Yakov Sela, a 33-year-old father of three, said living in an outpost fulfils a "destiny to build the land and settle it". Part of the outpost site is owned by the Israeli state and part is private Palestinian land, Sela said. "As far as we're concerned, it's all ours." Sela described his "elation" in January when US President Donald Trump unveiled his controversial plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, which opened the door to Israel annexing West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley. "We were thrilled," he said. But Sela is concerned that Israel will be compelled to approve the establishment of a Palestinian state, which would turn the outpost into an Israeli enclave. "We can't really accept the recognition" of Palestinian statehood, he said. - Tzvi Succot, opposes Palestinian statehood - To Tzvi Succot, an Israeli presence in the biblical Jewish homeland, including his settlement Yitzhar, goes beyond temporal politics. "We're here because of the bible, because of the belief that God gave us this territory," he said from his backyard, where his four young daughters played on swings and a trampoline. The 29-year-old son of an ultra-Orthodox family in a West Bank settlement near Jerusalem, Succot wears a knitted skullcap, curly sidelocks and a short beard. Yitzhar, on a hill just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus, is notorious for residents' clashes with the neighbouring Palestinians and also occasional confrontations with Israeli security forces. "We want this place to be owned by Jews," he said of what brought him to Yitzhar some 15 years ago. Relations with the Palestinians in the towns below are tense and often violent. "They don't want us to be here, we don't want them to be here, but meanwhile we're both here," Succot said with a chuckle. As for annexation, "we're obviously in favour", he said, while remaining opposed to Palestinian statehood. "I don't think there's one person in the world who thinks there will be a Palestinian state here, in two days or two years." - Shmil Atlas, favours dialogue - Shmil Atlas, 51, works for the Efrat local council. A government-recognised settlement in the southern West Bank, Efrat is adjacent to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem and about 15 kilometres (9 miles) south of Jerusalem. Efrat is home to about 11,000 Israelis. Like the residents of Givat Arnon, they are a mix of secular and observant Jews. Atlas has lived in Efrat since leaving Jerusalem in 2015, lured by the settlement's lower property prices. The father of three said he bought a four-bedroom house in Efrat for the price of a studio apartment in the city. "My wife and I work in Jerusalem, we were looking for a place close to the city," he said. Atlas favours annexation but also dialogue with the Palestinians. "I firmly believe that if we can sit down and negotiate on a common future, life will be better for them and for us," he said. - Carine Suissa, fears further bloodshed - French-born Carine Suissa, 53, immigrated to Israel in 1992 and moved the following year to the West Bank settlement of Kfar Adumim. "I came... with the aim of being able to raise my children in a place with nature, with a quality of life, living in a small village, nothing ideological," she said. Kfar Adumim lies on the edge of the Judean desert between Jerusalem and the ancient Palestinian city of Jericho. The location, she said, has few reminders that it is in occupied territory. "Here it's a bit like living on the moon with empty spaces like landscape paintings... I would never have gone to live in a locality with barriers or surrounded by Arab villages." But she remains ambivalent about the potential fallout from annexation. "This plan is not going to lower tensions and I do not see how it could advance peace," she said. "I fear that we are on the verge of years of fresh conflict and that the blood will continue to flow on both sides." Above the West Bank settlement of Itamar, the wildcat outpost Givat Arnon is home to 27 Israeli families, both secular and observant Jews Yakov Sela, a 33-year-old father of three and resident of the Itamar settlement, said living in an outpost fulfils a 'destiny to build the land and settle it' Tzvi Succot, the 29-year-old son of an ultra-Orthodox family, says an Israeli presence in the biblical Jewish homeland, including his settlement Yitzhar, goes beyond temporal politics The Israeli settlement of Efrat in the southern West Bank is adjacent to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem and home to about 11,000 Israelis Shmil Atlas, a 51-year-old employee of the local council of Efrat Settlement, favours annexation but also dialogue with the Palestinians French-born Carine Suissa, 53, immigrated to Israel in 1992 and moved the following year to the West Bank settlement of Kfar Adumim Flash Fianna Fail party leader Micheal Martin was elected as new prime minister of Ireland in a vote held on Saturday at a special meeting of the lower house of the Irish parliament. Announcing the voting results, Sean O Fearghail, speaker of the lower house of the Irish parliament, declared that Martin has won the election by receiving 93 votes in favor, 63 votes against and three votes in abstention. There are altogether 160 seats in the current lower house of the Irish parliament with one seat going to the speaker of the house who was not involved in the vote. O Fearghail is a member of Fianna Fail. All the 84 parliamentarians of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Green Party, the three parties which will form a coalition government led by Martin, have voted for his nomination as the new prime minister while nine independents also supported his nomination in the vote, reported Irish national radio and television broadcaster RTE. Following the announcement of his win in the vote, Martin delivered a short speech to the deputies sitting sparsely in the 2,000-seat auditorium of the Convention Center Dublin, a venue deliberately chosen to ensure social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his speech, Martin said that there is no question of what this government's most important work will be and there is no part of his country that has escaped untouched from the COVID-19 pandemic. There are nearly 900,000 people relying on special pandemic payments, in what is the fastest moving recession ever to hit the country, he said. But "Our country has shown time and time again that we can overcome the toughest of challenges -- and we will do so again," Martin said. He also said that the three parties involved in the coalition come from very different traditions, and do not and could not be expected to agree on everything. It is the first time in Ireland's history that two rival political parties in the country -- Fianna Fail and Fine Gael -- have agreed to enter a coalition government. Following his speech, Martin headed to the official residence of the Irish president where he received the seal of office of prime minister from President Michael D. Higgins. After his meeting with Higgins, Martin traveled to Government Buildings, where his office is located. On Saturday evening, Martin revealed the make-up of his new government at a renewed meeting of the lower house at the Convention Center Dublin. The new government consists of 15 cabinet members in addition to three ministers of state attending the cabinet and one attorney general. Of the 15 cabinet members, six go to Fianna Fail, six to Fine Gael and three to Green Party. The three newly appointed ministers of state are also equally distributed among the three parties. Fine Gael leader and former Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar has been appointed as the new deputy prime minister of Ireland and minister for enterprise, trade and employment while Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has been appointed as the minister for climate action, communication networks and transport. The lower house approved the appointments of the new government members through a vote. The appointed members of the new government later traveled to Dublin Castle where they each received the seals of their office from President Higgins, marking the final step in forming the new government that has been delayed for almost four and a half months following the general election held in Feb. 8. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong checks the company's home appliances at its home appliance division in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, June 23. Korea Times file By Kim Hyun-bin, Kim Yoo-chul After an independent review of the ongoing prosecution investigation into Samsung Electronics Vice President Lee Jae-yong, a panel of experts concluded Friday that the de facto head of the Samsung Group should not be indicted. "The members of the panel decided that prosecutors should stop their investigation of Lee and halt attempts to indict him. This recommendation was delivered to the top prosecutors' office," the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced. The recommendation is a clear win for Samsung as the recommendation allows its lawyers to challenge any justification for the investigation to continue. The probe had zeroed in on alleged malfeasance by Lee and group executives in a controversial 2015 merger of two affiliates that would have cemented the transfer of control of Samsung to Lee from his father Lee Kun-hee, who has been incapacitated for three years following a heart attack. Although the panel recommended that Lee not be indicted, the prosecution doesn't necessarily have to accept this conclusion. However, previous recommendations in eight cases have been respected by prosecutors, raising expectations that this latest decision will have an impact on the ongoing investigation. Samsung's legal counsel said; "We respect the panel's decision as it will help Samsung and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong focus on business activities to overcome the current challenges." The panel's review, held behind closed doors, began at around 10:00 a.m. and ended at 07:40 p.m. Analysts had earlier predicted that the process would be over by around 6:00 p.m. Samsung's Lee Jae-yong didn't attend the meeting. The 15-member committee was comprised of outside experts including lawyers, professors and representatives of civic groups. They listened to respective arguments from Samsung and the prosecution through presentations, and then questioned both sides before retiring for a vote. "During the presentations, prosecutors argued that they should continue their investigation into Lee, saying there was sufficient evidence to indict him. Samsung's lawyers presented a 50-page positioning statement refuting this. According to a source familiar with the proceedings "the vote on the recommendation wasn't unanimous, but there was a majority decision." Civic groups have been calling for the prosecution to continue its investigation of Lee who has allegedly been involved in bribery and malfeasance. Unsurprisingly, the business sector worries that such an investigation will hurt Samsung and if Lee is indicted it will be a "devastating blow" to the country. After President Moon Jae-in visited Samsung factories for a second time a rare move for a sitting president the conglomerate announced a massive investment in electric vehicle batteries and logic chips, industries identified by Cheong Wa Dae as new growth engines. Also, since Japan implemented export restrictions on certain products needed by Samsung, the firm has supported local component companies developing core materials crucial to industries here. South Korean companies still rely upon Japan in sourcing some core materials. In line with President Moon's fight against COVID-19, Samsung has teamed up with local partners to supply masks and has provided its hospitals to treat those who tested positive for the contagious disease. Lee apologized for his alleged wrongdoings in the past and promised to the public not to hand down control of Samsung to his children in an unprecedented nationally televised news briefing. Industry officials said while there are lots of outstanding issues that Samsung needs to address, prosecutors need to consider its role in various matters affecting the country. "Whether you like Samsung or not, now is the time for the country to team up with conglomerates to address pending issues," an official said. In accordance with President Moon's efforts to tackle COVID-19 and highlight South Korea's role in handling the virus, Samsung Biologics, a core part of Lee's succession plan, is partnering with top pharmaceutical companies to mass produce "potential drugs." The prosecution believes that the controversial merger in question between Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T was designed purely to help Lee get greater control of the entire conglomerate. Lee has spent a year in prison and was released two years ago after the Supreme Court suspended his sentence. Spirits giant Diageo said Saturday it will be pausing paid advertising globally on "major social media platforms" beginning in July. The company, which is the maker of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, said it will "continue to discuss with media partners how they will deal with unacceptable content." The company didn't immediately return requests for comment on which platforms this includes or for how long. Tweet Diageo is the latest major advertiser to make such an announcement amid a boycott that began with Facebook but is now hitting other social media platforms. Coca Cola on Friday also said it would pause advertising on all social media platforms globally, while Unilever is halting advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the U.S. through Dec. 31. After a group of organizations called on Facebook advertisers to pause their ad spend during the month of July, more than 160 marketers including Levi's, Patagonia, REI, Lending Club and The North Face have announced their intention to join, according to a running list from Sleeping Giants. The organizations said they're asking Facebook to more stringently police hate speech and disinformation by taking a number of actions, including creating a "separate moderation pipeline" for users who say they've been targeted because of their race or religion, or to let advertisers see how frequently their ads appeared near to content that was later removed for misinformation or hate, and allow them refunds for those advertisements. Last year, Facebook brought in $69.7 billion in ad revenue globally through its millions of advertisers. And though some of them command much higher Facebook budgets than others, it would take a large group withholding spend to make much of a financial dent. But the financial dent isn't the end goal, Sleeping Giants said in a tweet Friday: "...It's about a broader reckoning around the platform's lack of moderation of hate and disinformation. Advertisers don't want to sponsor violent, bigoted content or lies." In 2019, the diabetes treatment and drug market in the United States reached a landmark valuation of over $15 billion. By 2025, the total valuation of the U.S. and European diabetes treatment markets is expected to top $16 billion and $10 billion, respectively. If you have been thinking about investing in diabetes stocks, there are a few in particular that present particularly attractive buying opportunities at the moment. Since its founding in 1876, Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) has remained a kingpin in the pharmaceutical industry, and it boasts a variety of insulins and treatments for diabetes in its product offerings. A serious competitor to Eli Lilly's star power is the world's leader in the diabetes market, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) Here's why you may want to consider adding one or both of these diabetes stocks to your investment portfolio. 1. Eli Lilly Eli Lilly has an impressive variety of insulin and diabetes medications currently on the market. Many of these diabetes drugs, treatments, and therapeutics have been significant revenue drivers for the company. Two notable examples are Eli Lilly's type 2 diabetes medications, Trulicity and Jardiance. In 2019, global Trulicity sales totaled more than $4 billion, representing a sharp year-over-year revenue increase of 29%. Sales of the drug in the United States cleared $3 billion in 2019, a 25% rise from 2018. As for Jardiance, 2019 global revenues of the drug were about $944 million, a 43% spike from the year prior. Looking at Eli Lilly's full-year earnings results in 2019 across all product segments, the company reported a 4% boost to its top and bottom line from 2019 and reached more than $22 billion in revenue. In the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Eli Lilly's revenues showed a significant year-over-year rise when it reported earnings results for Q1 2020. In the first three months of the year, the company experienced a 15% revenue boost with sales nearing $6 billion worldwide. The impact of Trulicity and Jardiance sales was also apparent in the company's Q1 2020 report, where global sales were up 40% and 31%, respectively. Global sales of Trulicity surpassed $1 billion in the first quarter of the year, with Jardiance comprising about $267 million of the company's worldwide revenues in Q1 2020. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently gave the green light for Trulicity to be used as a preventative medication for heart disease patients. Two of Eli Lilly's other diabetes products worthy of mention are Basaglar, a long-acting basal insulin, and Humulin, which is an intermediate-acting insulin. Global sales of Basaglar were up 39 percent in 2019 to just over $1 billion, while Humulin accumulated revenues of about $1.3 billion last year, a slight 3% year-over-year decrease. However, global revenues for Humulin were up by 6% in Q1 2020 at about $316 million, while Basaglar revenues were up 21% to roughly $304 million in the first three months of this year. Eli Lilly is anticipating 2020 revenues across all segments to be as high as $24 billion. The company has also been on the forefront of the coronavirus race. Eli Lilly has forged notable partnerships with biotechs like China's Junshi Biosciences and Canada's Abcellera to evaluate various potential antibody treatments for COVID-19. Clinical trials are ongoing. Eli Lilly stock is up by about 23% YTD, and shares have been hovering at about $160 each since the end of April. The company pays a modest dividend of about 1.8%. Thanks to its stalwartness during the bear market and its versatile, high-performing product portfolio, investors should take a second look at this diabetes stock. 2. Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk has forged a highly successful path in the diabetes care space for nearly a century. The company's global leadership in diabetes therapeutics and treatments has been apparent since its founding in 1923, when it began producing insulin, which was at the time a relatively unheard-of drug. In 2019, the company's share of the worldwide diabetes market was an astonishing 29%. Novo Nordisk hopes to increase its share of the diabetes care market up to over 33% by 2025. In addition to various diabetes treatments and therapeutics, including insulin pens, long-acting insulin, and oral anti-diabetics, Novo Nordisk's product lineup also includes hormone replacement therapy and anti-obesity medications. The company's non-insulin injection, Ozempic, designed to help individuals with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels, has quickly become a blockbuster for the company. Ozempic received the FDA's stamp of approval back in 2017, and has been approved in more than 30 countries. North American sales of Ozempic were up by 6% (in Danish kroner) in 2019. Last year, worldwide Ozempic revenues totaled 11.2 billion Danish kroner, which is about $1.7 billion. Novo Nordisk also completed its launch of type 2 diabetes medication Rybelsus, which is an oral drug taken in tablet form once per day, in the U.S. in the last quarter of 2019. Like Ozempic, Rybelsus is anticipated to be another blockbuster product for Novo Nordisk. The company's full-year revenues in 2019 were up by 9% on a year-over-year basis at 122 billion Danish kroner, or approximately $18.4 billion. Despite the pandemic, sales of Novo Nordisk's products were up by 16% in Danish kroner in Q1 2020, or 14% taking into account constant exchange rates. Novo Nordisk's sales in its diabetes and obesity care segment rose 15% to 28.6 billion Danish kroner, or about $4.3 billion, in Q1. Ozempic sales were up well over 200% in Q1 2020 at 4.8 billion Danish kroner ($722.6 million), as compared with the first quarter of 2019, where sales for the medicine totaled 1.4 billion Danish kroner ($210.8 million). Rybelsus sales totaled 229 million Danish Kroner in Q1 2020, which is around $34.5 million at today's rate of exchange. Novo Nordisk attributed part of its sales growth in the first quarter to retailer and consumers stockpiling medicines in response to the pandemic. The company also noted that ongoing and future clinical studies may be delayed due to the impact of COVID-19. The company still expects its 2020 revenues to increase by as much as 6% at constant exchange rates. Novo Nordisk stock fell along with the broader market in March, but has since recovered and is up about 13% since the beginning of January. The company's dividend payout isn't huge, totaling just about 1.9%. But, the stock's cheap price is hard to overlook. The stock has been priced at about $60 per share since the start of April, as opposed to its March low around $50 per share. Novo Nordisk's lineup of diabetes therapeutics, insulin medications, and other drugs were in demand before the pandemic. Undoubtedly, these lifesaving products will continue be equally important to the millions of individuals with diabetes around the globe. If you're thinking about buying up shares of diabetes stocks, Novo Nordisk should definitely be on your list of investment candidates. Copyright 2006-2021 Exchange Rates UK. All rights reserved. The advice provided on this website is general advice only and does not constitute as a financial recommendation. Any news, opinions, research, analysis, values or other information contained on this story, by Exchange Rates UK, its employees, partners or contributors, is provided as general market commentary. Exchange Rates UK will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information. Kelly Asbury helped birth characters that enchanted the world, directing the Oscar-nominated Shrek 2 and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and earning credits on blockbusters from Frozen to Toy Story to The Little Mermaid. The animator also sneaked in the occasional scene from his native Beaumont and maintained close ties with family and friends back home in Texas. He was a natural comedian, and one of the wittiest human beings alive, said his sister, Gwen Asbury Speed of Tomball. Asbury, 60, died Friday of abdominal cancer in Los Angeles, where he built a successful Hollywood career on some of the most popular animated movies of his generation. He worked with studios like Dreamworks, Sony Pictures Animation and Pixar on a roster of films that also includes James and the Giant Peach, The Prince of Egypt, Chicken Run, Shrek, Wreck-It Ralph and Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas. Asbury grew up in north Beaumont, his sister recalled by telephone on Saturday. He was a 1978 graduate of French High School, where the art teacher Minnie McMillan inspired him to pursue a career in the field. Asbury Speed said her brother was a creative child and literally excelled with art. He loved watching anything created by Disney Studios or Chuck Jones, she said, and especially liked the fluid animation of the Road Runner cartoons. Jones later became a mentor and invited Asbury several times to his San Francisco home. High school friend Brett Thacker, a former San Antonio Express-News managing editor, recalled working with Asbury at Frenchs student newspaper. He said Asburys cartoons often included hidden messages that made students laugh but eluded the attention of administrators. At that early age, youre trying to find your group, Thacker said. In Kelly, I found a fellow subversive and sharp sense of humor, but he was never a bad guy. We had a great time together. Later, he said, he visited Asbury at the studio where The Nightmare Before Christmas was being created. Asbury treated Thacker and his family to a tour of the studio, showing them all of the sets and characters. Asbury Speed said her brother left a a surprise for her in the Tim Burton cult hit. She spotted it during the premiere, in a scene that featured a living room inside one of the homes in Christmas Town. It was kind of a 50s design, and I immediately saw it, she said. It was our living room in Beaumont. Thacker described his friend as the rare person who achieved his Hollywood dreams but never let success go to his head. He was a humble guy, he said. Even after he made it big, he was down to earth and didn't want to be treated like some celebrity. After high school, Asbury attended Lamar University for two years before leaving for the California Institute of the Arts. Professor Jerry Newman helped him present his portfolio. Upon graduation, Asburys skill earned him a presentation in front of Disney executives, to whom he showed a short featuring a cowboy riding a mechanical horse. He joined the company soon after and got one of his first movie credits in 1985 on an animated Disney film called The Black Cauldron. Asbury continues to inspire children in Southeast Texas through a video that plays to visiting school groups, Museum of the Gulf Coast director Tom Neal said. In the video, prepared while Asbury was working at Sony Studios, he discusses his work and his upbringing in the community. He is someone who can get their attention because they know his work, and then they listen to him talk about how he worked to get where he is today, Neal said. He is someone that is easily accessible to them, but is also incredibly inspirational. Neal said it is powerful when kids hear someone like Asbury describe watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Beaumonts Jefferson Theatre and dreaming about bringing his own drawings to life. They are amazed that so many people that have made their mark in the world came from here, Neal said. And he is a part of that inspiration for our kids. When his last film, Ugly Dolls, launched in 2019, Asbury sent the Port Arthur museum thousands of items to give to children. Asbury also describes in the video his relationship with his father and the drawing games they would play together that inspired him to become a storyteller. He talks about his fathers death from cancer when Asbury was 12. I think what that did, you know, was really instill in me early on that I was going to have to grow up, he says. He said his mother ingrained him with a work ethic and an attitude to view anything worth having as something worth working for. But he could also be a prankster, as his sister recalled. He had this thing with me, when I would visit in California, where he would bring me where celebrities hung out, she said. But we never seemed to catch them. So he started to pick out celebrities from look-a-likes in the street and fool me every time. Asbury Speed said her brother battled his own cancer for seven years, mostly in private, so he could continue to work without worrying about a studio passing him over. Only his close family members knew, she said, and, of course, his wife and two stepsons, who adored him. It helped him not to focus on it, I think. Nursing assistant Tang Guilian at Kangzhu Nursing Center in Beijing's Fengtai District talks with Duan Qixiu, who received care at the center. [For China Daily/Feng Yongbin] Chen Huixian, who is 81, pushed away a caretaker, mumbling something unintelligible. Then she suddenly fell asleep on a chair outside her room. It's been a week since Chen came to the nursing center. She has Alzheimer's disease and often calls the wrong name of the nursing attendant, confused by the new environment and seemingly numb when her husband visits her from home. Diagnosed in 2008, she had been taken care of by her husband at their home in Beijing's Fengtai District over the past few years. Chen and her husband, Cai Jingbo, both retired aerospace researchers, have a son who seldom has time to devote to his mother. He lives in another district of the capital. For a long time, her husband was her main caregiver. As they both aged, the pressure of tending to her became greater. The time commitment was relentless. In Chinese society, where the average age is rising rapidly, their plight is not unique. To address the problem, anew service model respite service was introduced to provide support for family caregivers in the form of a few days' rest each month. For those who tend to the needs of disabled seniors or those with dementia over an extended time span, respite service carries a welcome meaning: a short time away a four-day vacation of sorts to relieve the caregivers' burden so they can refresh and run their own errands. "We heard the concept in late December, and decided to send her to the respite service center in January to see how it works," said Cai, the husband. Respite care, a concept still unfamiliar to Chinese people in most areas of the country, offers four days per month in which a home aide takes over. Alternatively, ailing seniors can be placed a nursing home environment a few hours a week. The concept was first tested in Beijing's Fengtai district as a pilot in November 2018. Providing care for the elderly, which often also means infirm and vulnerable, is a tradition in Chinese families. The proverb "Raise a child against old age" indicates the importance of filial piety for younger generations. Duan Qixiu watches as a caretaker helps another resident at a care center for the elderly. [For China Daily/Feng Yongbin] Aging on the Rise But as the elderly population has expanded in society, the traditional concept of taking care of parents has become much harder to fulfill. According to a report released by the China Development Research Foundation recently, the country's elderly population is expected to top 300 million by 2035. The population is not likely to peak and start declining until around 2030, when the total population is projected to be as high as 1.44 billion. The population will then drop to around 1.38 billion by 2050. Zheng Bingwen, director of the Center for International Social Security Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an online news conference on June 11 that the demographic structure in China had changed during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20). For one thing, the number of births has dropped compared with the previous five years The trend characterized by an aging population combined with fewer newborns has become more obvious in recent years, although the total population in China is still growing, Zheng said. That's largely due to longer life spans. "The ratio of people caring for the elderly has been raised in the past decade, up 10 percent from a decade earlier, which means the younger generation now bear so much greater financial burden than before," he said. The discrepancy is more prominent in big cities, such as Beijing. Some middle-aged people in the capital wanted to have more free time after work; instead, they found themselves spending more time taking care of their elderly parents. For families with seniors who are disabled or who have Alzheimer's, long-term care is even more challenging. According to the National Health Commission as of the end of 2018, the number of elderly people over 60 years old had reached 249 million. Of those, more than 180 million had chronic diseases and nearly 40 million were disabled or partially disabled. An at-home respite worker talks with Wang Shulan in her apartment in Beijing's Fengtai District. [For China Daily/Feng Yongbin] Pilot in Fengtai District "Many in the younger generation who took care of their elderly parents were exhausted after attending to their needs for a long period of time, and they were eager to take a break," said Xing Yinli, director of Jingkangyuan Nursing Center, one of the eight institutions in Beijing's Fengtai district that has provide dintermittent care for more than 1,200 seniors since the pilot program started. "Some even said that they would rather not face their parents if it wasn't necessary," said Xing, describing the feeling that some middle-aged people expressed. Being a caregiver is just hugely time-consuming. Fengtai district, located in the capital's southwestern area, had the highest proportion of elderly in Beijing, including more than 10,000 disabled seniors or those with dementia, according to the local civil affairs department. And so it was a welcome relief when, in 2018, the first batch of around 400 seniors received respite care services either at home or in institutions by health care professionals in Fengtai. Under Fengtai's regulations, any household with an elderly male over 60 years old can apply for the short-term care. The standard nursing expense is set at 220 yuan ($31) per day all of it covered by the government. "It's really a relief for me," said Song Xueying, who had taken care of her 92-year-old mother, Wang Shulan, at home for 15 years after her mother suffered a blood clot. In the daytime, Song hardly left her mom. She mostly bathed and cleaned the elder woman herself. To stay close, Song took an apartment next to her parents' home. Song had operated a chain restaurant before, but because of her mother's frail health, which required a person to attend to her continuously, she decided to stay at home. "I was extremely worried that something would happen when I left them, so over the past decade, I chose to take care of them myself, doing the best I could," Song said. The 58-year-old has lumbar muscle strain herself and almost never has time to exercise. Previously, Song had tried to employ a home care worker to assist her. But the high expense eventually killed the idea. In January, her family welcomed a nursing worker provided by the respite care service program from Jingkangyuan Nursing Center. The worker provided short-term in-home, care four days a month free of charge. "Some daily care activities, like cooking, washing hands or helping my mom take her medicine, were handled by another person instead of me, and I was very glad," Song said. "I love my mom so much, but increasingly, I feel I can't afford to shoulder the entire burden." Seniors dance in a park in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, in May. [For China Daily/Geng Yuhe] Halo Effect The impact of short-term care when people with dementia are placed in a healthcare center, even temporarily, is huge in the long run, said Jia Yaqun, geriatric care manager at Jingkangyuan, who is also responsible for the respite service care provided by the center. She recalled an elderly man with dementia who received short-term care at the center in 2018. The man was mentally withdrawn and not very responsive whenhe arrived at the center. Numb would have described his condition. He had spent a long time at home on his own without talking to others, and his relatives had little time to care for him. After a month of short-term care in the center, he began to wave his hands and took the initiative to communicate with others before his time was up and he returned home, Jia said. "This man's situation became much more positive after he returned home," Jia said, adding that man often spoke of moments he remembered at the care center. He was simply happier. "Respite care may seem short time, but there's a halo effect for the elderly men who received the care over time. That, in turn, helps the family quite a lot," she said. Home Care Recommended Of the two tracks for respite care in-home or at a care center Jia doesn't hesitate to recommend home. "After all, an entirely new environment adds to a vulnerable person's discomfort, and that will not strengthen their mental health or aid in their recovery," she said. Given the aging population in Beijing, more attention should be paid to elderly care, as parents of the one-child generation enter their sunset years. "More than 500 seniors are added to the population every day, on average. Of those, more than 120 are over 80 years old," said Li Hongbing, deputy director of the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau. The respite service piloted in Fengtai District may be a good starting point for the city to explore multiple ways of taking care of its elderly, while at the same time relieving the stress of those who for so long have tended them, Li said. "One day, there will be more elderly people than younger people in Beijing, and the aging trend is gaining speed lately," he said. "Respite care service, or short-term care, is not the solution to all problems, but it's a good approach to spur the future development of home care services for seniors, and to make more people realize the severity of the situation." Cai Jingbo, Chen's husband, initially accompanied his wife during her time in the nursing center, day and night, paying out of pocket for an extended stay. He slept in another bed in the same room to keep a close eye on her. After a week, Chen had become familiar with the place and decided to return home. But he continued to visit once every a couple of days. "Even if she was fine at the nursing center, I couldn't stop worrying about her," Cai said. "And after one period of respite about 30 days I took her home again." (Source: China Daily) Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 23:04:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The head of the Iraqi Medical Association, Abdul-Amir al-Shimmary, called on Sunday for imposing full curfew to contain the continuing increase of daily infections with coronavirus. Al-Shimmary's comment came as the Iraqi Health Ministry recorded 2,140 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 45,402. "As a result of the increase in coronavirus infections, it became very necessary to impose a full curfew with strict health measures for a period of no less than three weeks to reduce the number of infections," al-Shimmary said in a statement. "Otherwise, we must accept huge loss of life, as well as the possibility of the collapse in health system and the subsequent chaos," al-Shimmary warned. The ministry also confirmed 96 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 1,756 in the country. A total of 21,122 patients have recovered from the disease. The new cases were recorded after 10,595 testing kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, and a total of 520,948 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the pandemic. On June 13, the Iraqi authorities decided to partially lift the nationwide curfew, but the full curfew will continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday every week. However, the continued increase of COVID-19 cases pushed some Iraqi provinces to re-impose full curfew, including Basra province and Maysan in southern Iraq. China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic. From March 7 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and install an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad. Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section guitarist Jesse Willard Pete Carr, who played on hits including Kodachrome, Tonights The Night and Down on Mainstreet, died today at the age of 70. Praise and accolades immediately began rolling in for one of the musicians other musicians call great. Carr, who was considered in the same league with Duane Allman, moved from Florida to Alabama in 1966 to play guitar for a band called The Five Minutes. He replaced Eddie Hinton, who left that band to pursue studio work, and Carr told interviewers later that irony and fate led him to replace Hinton again when Hinton left the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Rest In Peace to the great Muscle Shoals guitarist Pete Carr. It was an honor to know the man. Pete played lead guitar on Kodachrome, Tonights The Night, Down On Mainstreet, so many others. Fantastic producer and engineer as well. Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) June 27, 2020 As the lead guitarist for the Muscle Shoals session band and a close friend of the Allman brothers, Carr would meet and play with Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr., among others. Carr worked with Phil Walden in Macon, Georgia, on the then-new recording label Capricorn. And he had his own group LeBlanc and Carr that released the album Midnight Light. He also loved to produce and engineer music. I even loved doing the final mix downs of the projects, he told an interviewer. I loved all the different ways you could affect the sounds of the drums, guitars and vocals when mixing the final product. That really is the make or break phase of recording. Asked once to rank his biggest thrills in music, Carr cited meeting Paul Simon. He would play guitar at the Simon & Garfunkel concert in Central Park before almost a half-million people. Since the President lives in the Villa, no one can, legally speaking, choose or dictate to him where he can sit to hold meetings. So, what is wrong in the President presenting himself before a camera and a TV screen in a digital conference at a given location within the Villa? A police forensics investigator picks up a bullet casing at the scene where a three-year-old boy was fatally shot while in the car with his father in Chicago on June 20 - John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP A one-year-old boy was killed and his mother wounded in a Chicago drive-by shooting that has stunned authorities accustomed to rampant gun violence in America's third-largest city. The 22-year-old mother was driving home on Saturday afternoon when the attacker pulled up next to her car and fired about eight shots, striking the infant in the chest and grazing her head, police said. "This is happening far too often," Chicago police operations chief Fred Waller told reporters near where the shooting took place in the city's south. "When is this going to stop? When are we gonna say enough is enough?" The incident came a week after the shooting death of three-year-old Mekhi James, who died in similar circumstances while travelling in a car with his father on the city's west side. "We'll catch the person that killed that three-year-old. We'll catch the person who killed this kid," Mr Waller said. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police superintendent David Brown asked the city's residents to speak up if they had information on Saturday's attack. "We all need to be outraged by the violence we are seeing in our city. This baby, and all of our residents, deserve better," Supt Brown said. No arrests have been made and police are continuing to investigate both cases. Donald Trump said last week that Chicago was worse than Afghanistan as he discussed violence in American cities and doubled down on his tough "law and order" stance. The US president said that residing in one of the countrys urban centres with high crime rates was like living in hell. The comments came amid an alarming spike in shooting incidents in some US cities including Chicago, New York and Minneapolis. In Chicago more than 100 people were shot over a recent weekend, higher than any other weekend since 2012. Fourteen people died. 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. She's been friends with her model buddy for years, and they just got back from a whirlwind work trip to Italy's beautiful island of Sardinia. Hailey Bieber was seen arriving back in Los Angeles, California on a private jet on Saturday afternoon, after her brief trip to pose in a photo shoot with fellow beauty Bella Hadid. The model, 23, sported a black crop top as opposed to the white one she wore when she boarded the plane in Italy that still showed off her enviable midsection. Traveling in style: Hailey Bieber was seen arriving back in Los Angeles on a private jet on Saturday afternoon, after her brief trip to pose in a photo shoot with fellow beauty Bella Hadid Hailey's dirty blond hair was secured neatly with a hairclip, and she wore a black leather blazer. She had on her light-wash jeans, and a pair of classic black and white Vans. Hailey also covered up with a basic blue surgical face mask. Earlier in the week it was revealed that Hailey and Bella, also 23, had landed their very first campaign with Versace. Touching down: The model, 23, sported a black crop top as opposed to the white one she wore when she boarded the plane in Italy that still showed off her enviable midsection Back home: Hailey's dirty blond hair was secured neatly with a hairclip, and she wore a black leather blazer Bikini babe: Hailey later took to her Instagram story with photos of her in a sizzling yellow bikini. She caught some sun and took a dip in the gorgeous pool Relationship goals: She also shared a sweet photo of herself posing with Justin in the desert The supermodels were combining work and play while abroad in Europe and recently shot photos for the luxury Italian brand in Corsica, France. The duo were seen living it up on a yacht during their trip, showing off their stunning figures and stripping down into very skimpy bikinis. Hailey and Bella are officially the new faces of Versace's upcoming campaign, set to launch in the beginning of 2021, according to Page Six. The partnership with the label will mark Hailey's first campaign with Versace, while Bella has been featured in a handful of previous ones. The wife of Justin Bieber's professional windfall comes as the pop star, 26, recently filed a $20 million defamation lawsuit against Twitter users who accused him of sexual assault. On Monday, after taking time to consult with wife Hailey and 'his team', Bieber posted a series of tweets denying the assault allegations leveled against him and threatening legal action against his accusers. Later in the week he filed a $20 million lawsuit against Twitter accounts belonging to Danielle and Kadi who each alleged they'd been victims of his, in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Pretty friends: Hailey and Bella are officially the new faces of Versace's upcoming campaign, set to launch in the beginning of 2021; seen in 2015 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 23:51:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Rescuers disinfect the street in Bifeng Town of Zheng'an County in Zunyi, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Xu) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for all-out efforts in the prevention, rescue, and relief work regarding floods and geological disasters, and ensuring people's lives and safety as the top priority. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction, since the country has entered its rainy season. More rainstorms have been reported since June in many parts of southern China, triggering floods and geological disasters. Xi commended the efforts made by local governments, noting that positive results have been achieved in flood prevention and rescue work. Aerial photo taken on June 23, 2020 shows the Foziling dam discharging flood at Huoshan County, east China's Anhui Province.(Xinhua/Huang Bohan) As many places have entered their flood seasons, with some facing tough situations amid the approaching typhoon season, Xi required the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, and other departments, to strengthen coordination and provide effective guidance in flood and typhoon prevention. Xi stressed the need to put people first, and value people's lives most in the combat against floods. He also underscored the necessity to coordinate epidemic prevention with flood control and disaster relief work, combine prevention preparations with emergency response, strengthen flood monitoring, and promptly identify risks. He also demanded all-out efforts from relevant departments to organize emergency rescue and disaster relief, help the afflicted get back on their feet, maintain social and production orders in the disaster areas, and make solid efforts to ensure people's lives and safety as the top priority. As the days go by and I remain confined at home for the most part, I seek solace in other worlds. Sometimes it is through travel and food shows that take me to destinations I cant visit. At others, it is by scrolling through the Instagram feeds of friends who share my passion for travel, and revisiting their old posts. But more often than not, I venture into different worlds by simply picking up a book and reading. Okay, make that picking up my Kindle and reading. Over the past couple of months, when bookshops and physical books have not been available to us, I have taken to downloading the latest titles and reading them on my devices (I even have the Kindle app downloaded on my phone). And unlike book snobs who insist that they need the actual feel, touch, smell and whatever else of a book, the printed word on a screen serves me just fine. As I have written earlier, I started off the lockdown by trying to read worthy books, which required oodles of concentration, so that I could make best use of the stretches of empty time that I now had to negotiate. That didnt last long. As my anxiety about the pandemic grew, so did my inability to digest new and complicated information. So I fell back on my comfort reads, the books that have sustained me for years now, seeking refuge in the words of my favourite authors. Although book snobs insist they need the actual book, the printed word on a screen serves fine! Well, that phase lovely though it was while it lasted ended a few weeks back, once I realised that lockdown was going to be a way of life now. And slowly and cautiously, I dipped my toes into the waters of new releases, starting off with some light fiction, graduating to memoirs, and taking in biographies along the way. So here, based on my own recent reading, is a list of books that I enjoyed reading and that you may want to read as well. Rodham: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld: What if Hillary Rodham had turned down Bill Clinton when he asked her to marry him? How would her life and career have developed if she hadnt been weighed down by her husbands serial infidelities? Would Bill Clinton still have become President of the United States if he didnt have Hillary by his side? This book tries to answer these questions, retelling the story of Hillary from the time she met Bill in college. The first half of the book can get a bit tedious because it goes over events we know all too well. But the second half, in which Sittenfelds imagination takes flight, more than makes up for it. The Art Of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump by Mary Jordan: Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States of America, has often been described as the most famous unknown person in the world. Mary Jordan, in this painstakingly-researched biography, tried to fill in the portrait of Melania with details from her childhood in Slovenia, her modelling days in Milan, her arrival in America as a little-known model, and how she finally made it to the White House, on the arm of her husband. Even if youre no fan of the Trumps, this insightful book, written in a relaxed, easy style, should keep you entertained. The Mirror And The Light by Hilary Mantel: Okay, it pains me to say this but say it I must. This last instalment of Mantels trilogy after Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies is not a patch on the two earlier books. Unlike the two others, which were sparkling and effervescent, this one seems stodgy in parts and entirely too weighed under by extraneous details about the Tudor court. But dont give up after a couple of chapters. If you persist, you will be rewarded by a book that not only brings Oliver Cromwell to life but takes him to his death as well. Lady In Waiting: My Extraordinary Life In The Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner: I picked up this book thinking it would be a light and easy read, written as it was by the lady in waiting to Princess Margaret, Anne Glenconner, whose husband, Colin Tennant was the man behind the development of the island of Mustique. But what I found was a searing tale of love and loss, written by a woman who has endured more adversity and bereavement in her world of privilege than you could possibly imagine. That she remains optimistic and upbeat despite all she has gone through, and that she has managed to write a book that sings and soars, is a remarkable achievement. The Mothers: Five Women. Five Secrets. One Missing Husband by Sarah J Naughton: If you are looking for a nice, light read, that delivers a few surprises along the line, then you cant go wrong with this one. The Mothers refers to five women who meet in their antenatal group but remain good friends even three years later, catching up with each others lives during boozy evenings. Everything falls apart, however, when one of their husbands goes missing and the police are called in. The ladies band together as the investigation begins but cracks soon start showing up as the book builds up to a surprising reveal. If you liked Big Little Lies, you will love this (as will Reese Witherspoon, if she hasnt already bought the film rights!) Journalist and author Seema Goswami has been a columnist with HT Brunch since 2004 Spectator appears every fortnight From HT Brunch, June 28, 2020 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Florida Democrats have expressed concern about Karen Bass being Joe Biden's potential Vice President, because of the California Congresswoman's response to Fidel Castro's death in 2016. 'As Cuba begins nine days of mourning, I wish to express my condolences to the Cuban people and the family of Fidel Castro,' Bass partially stated in November 2016. 'The passing of the Comandante en Jefe is a great loss to the people of Cuba. This week the Miami state Rep. Javier Fernandez said that Bass' reference to Castro as 'commander-in-chief', in Spanish, was 'troubling'. US Rep Donna Shalala said she 'disagrees' with Bass' comments. Castro was the leader of Cuba after seizing power in 1959, until stepping down in 2008 when his brother Raul succeeded him. He died in 2018 at the age of 90. He is widely viewed as a tyrannical dictator, and hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles who fled the regime still live in Florida. In November 2016 Karen Bass said in a statement: 'The passing of the Comandante en Jefe is a great loss to the people of Cuba.' Fidel Castro is pictured right Biden is reportedly considering Bass as a running mate for the November election after Amy Klobuchar urged him to select a woman of color The Florida Democrats were asked to comment amid closer scrutiny on the head of the Black Caucus after it was recently reported she is being considered as a running mate for Biden. During debates with Bernie Sanders, Biden said he planned to select a female VP candidate. 'I disagree with the Congresswoman's comments on Cuba. I invite people to come to Miami where we can educate them on the tyrannical dictatorship that has decimated Cuba for 60 years,' US Rep Donna Shalala, told Politico. 'The comments are troubling,' Miami state Rep. Javier Fernandez told the outlet. 'It shows a lack of understanding about what the Castro regime was about. So I have to learn more about her position and perspective on Fidel Castro. 'Praise like the one that was given by Bass at the time of Castro's death is inconsistent with my family's experience with what the regime did and continues to do to people on the island, which is to suppress human rights, keep people under a totalitarian thumb and stifle economic growth.' Other parts of Bass' statement on Castro were not a far departure from what President Barack Obama and US Secretary John Kerry as they tried to strengthen relations between the US and Cuba. US Rep Donna Shalala said: 'I disagree with the Congresswoman's comments on Cuba. I invite people to come to Miami where we can educate them on the tyrannical dictatorship that has decimated Cuba for 60 years' Bass continued in her 2016 statement: 'I hope together, our two nations will continue on the new path of support and collaboration with one another, and continue in the new direction of diplomacy.' Obama said in part: 'Today, we offer condolences to Fidel Castro's family, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Cuban people. In the days ahead, they will recall the past and also look to the future. As they do, the Cuban people must know that they have a friend and partner in the United States of America.' Kerry's statement included: 'We extend our condolences to the Cuban people today as they mourn the passing of Fidel Castro. Over more than half a century, he played an outsized role in their lives, and he influenced the direction of regional, even global affairs...' Former 2020 Candidate Bernie Sanders came under fire in February when he defended his 1985 comments about Casto. He told 60 Minutes that while 'we're very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba... it's unfair to simply say everything is bad.' 'When Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program,' he told Anderson Cooper during the interview. 'Is that a bad thing, even though Fidel Castro did it?' Coronavirus Updates:Coronavirus LIVE Updates:The Ministry of Home Affairs has releases Unlock-2 guidelines which will be in force till 31 July. Lockdown shall continue in containment zones till 31 July. Auto refresh feeds Five more inmates of Mandoli Jail have tested positive for COVID-19, prison officials said on Sunday. With this, the number of COVID-positive inmates in the jails under the Delhi Prison department went up to 45, they told PTI. The state government had on 31 May said that it will not open religious places till 30 June despite the Centre's new guidelines which allowed places of worship to reopen under 'Unlock 1'. The Rajasthan government on Sunday allowed religious places in rural areas, where a limited number of devotees visit, to reopen from 1 July. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said all precautionary measures, including physical distancing, will be mandatory at these places. The national capital had reported the highest single-day spike of 3,947 cases on June 23. Recently, Delhi had eclipsed Mumbai as the city worst-hit by the pandemic in the country. Delhi recorded 2,889 fresh coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the tally in the city over the 83,000-mark, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 2,623, authorities said. The number of containment zones in the city also jumped to 417 on Sunday from 315 on Saturday, according to a Delhi health department data. A 14-day lockdown in Guwahati came into force last evening in order to fight the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city, reports PTI. Kamrup Metropolitan district, under which Guwahati falls, was completely locked down from 7.00 pm yesterday till 6.00 pm on July 12 with even shops of grocery, meat and all other items downing the shutters. Only pharmacies have been allowed to function. With over 25.5 lakh reported cases till date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, Russia, India and the United Kingdom. Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 10.1 million, 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 5 lakh. Indias COVID-19 cases on Sunday rose by 19,906 to 5,28,859. This is the highest daily rise in cases so far. The toll was up to 16,095, with 410 more deaths reported. On Saturday India's coronavirus case count rose to 5,08,953 with a surge of 18,552 cases, while the toll climbing to 15,685 with 384 fatalities, according to Union health ministry data. India registered 38,458 new cases, 794 deaths over the weekend as states continue to re-open, lifting lockdown. Over 7,000 citizens violated rules of phase-wise unlocking by taking their vehicles out for non-official/non-medical/non-emergency reasons on 28 June, tweeted Mumbai Police. In the last 24 hours, 21 more Border Security Force (BSF) personnel tested positive for COVID-19 and 18 have recovered. There are 305 active cases and 655 personnel have recovered till date, reports ANI. Overall the US still has far and away the most total cases, At more than 2,450,000 - roughly twice that of Brazil. The tally Sunday from the UN health agency eclipses the previous record a week earlier at over 183,000 cases, showing case counts continue to progress worldwide. Brazil recorded the most new cases over the one-day span at more than 46,800, followed by the U.S. at over 44,400. India had nearly 20,000. The World Health Organisation has announced another daily record in the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases across the world - topping over 1,89,000 in a single 24-hour period, reports Reuters. Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in India have risen to 5,48,318, according to the latest update from the Union Health Ministry. India reports 19,459 new cases and 380 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. With this, the countrys total tally rises to 5,48,318 and toll stands at 16,475. The number of coronavirus cases in Bengaluru doubled from 1,556 on June 23 to 3,419 on June 28, ANI quoted the state minister Dr Sudhakar K as saying. The city makes up for 25.92% of the total caseload of Karnataka, he added. Nagaland reports 19 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 434, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom told ANI. Of these, 164 people have recovered and no deaths were reported so far. Odisha on Monday detected 245 new COVID-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases to 6,859 including 4,743 recoveries, 2,086 active case, and 21 deaths, according to state health department, reports ANI. The Mumbai Police appealed to residents to follow the personal safety and social distancing norms, else they will take strict action against offenders. Movement beyond two km is permitted only for attending office or medical emergencies, a senior police official said, adding that movement outside this radius for shopping is strictly prohibited. Mumbai Police on Sunday urged the city residents not to move beyond a two-km radius of their homes for the purpose of exercise or visiting shops and salons, in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. The 52-year-old doctor served in the front line of the war against the pandemic at the government facility, and died of novel coronavirus infection in an ICU of a private hospital on Sunday. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday paid tribute to the senior doctor of city government-run LNJP Hospital who died battling COVID-19, saying the society has "lost a very valuable fighter". He further said, " We salute his spirit and sacrifice. His family will be given compensation amount of Rs 1 Crore by our government." Telangana's Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali tested positive for Covid-19 and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital, say reports. The 68-year-old was having symptoms since the last four days, reports Indian Express. The AAP government has decided to start a Plasma bank for COVID-19 treatment, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal during an online briefing on Monday. "Delhi govt will set up 'Plasma bank'; request people to donate plasma to save lives of COVID-19 patients. The government has so far conducted clinical trials of plasma therapy on 29 COVID-19 patients and the results have been positive. The bank will start operation in two days. This 'Plasma Bank' will be set-up at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in Delhi. Anyone who needs plasma will need a recommendation from a doctor." The Centre allows export of Personal Protection Equipment medical coveralls, with a monthly quota limit of Rs 50 lakh, said Union Minister Piyush Goyal. The Karnataka government has modified its order of 15 June, banning online classes for LKG to Standard V, reports LiveLaw. The new order now allows classes for a limited period as interim arrangements till the government can come out with guidelines after considering expert committee recommendations. Earlier this month, the Karnataka government had banned online classes for students below class five. The Karnataka government has put out a schedule of the amount of time each level of student can have for online classes. This is an interim arrangement and will be in force until the government comes out with guidelines based on the report of the expert committee. "We have got arrangements for 4,246 beds out of which 2,014 are ready, another 949 beds have been kept reserved in private sector. A total of 52 govt and 195 private hospitals have been booked for COVID-19 cases. We'll have over 600 ventilators soon, " he added. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said he will not let the coronavirus pandemic spread in his state, reports ANI. If there will be any chance of the spread of Covid-19 infection in my state, I will act firmly, he adds. I have to do my best. The gap between recoveries and active cases of COVID19 is 1,11,602 as of today. So far, as many as 3,21,722 patients have been cured. The recovery rate is 58.67%, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reports ANI. Andhra Pradesh on Monday reports 793 new cases and 11 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases rise to 13891 including 7479 active cases, 6232 discharged cases and 180 deaths, ANI quoted state COVID19 nodal officer as saying. Delhi High Court extends the suspension of the functioning of the High Court and subordinate courts till 15 July, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports ANI. All pending matters listed before the Court in this period stand adjourned. Hearing in urgent matters to be held via video-conferencing. Kerala Technical University (KTU) has postponed all its exams including that of the final semester, reports ANI. The exams were earlier scheduled to be held from 1 July. The decision was taken in wake of increasing coronavirus cases. Earlier many students and parents had raised concerns regarding the KTU's decision to conduct the examination during this time The swab sample of the MLA was collected on Sunday and contract tracing had begun as per protocol, Pandey informed. The MLA had earlier said he was going into self-isolation after a fellow legislator from Mandsaur tested positive for the virus on 20 June. The two MLAs had come in contact during the Rajya Sabha polls in the state on 19 June. A BJP MLA from Rewa in Madhya Pradesh test positive for novel coronavirus on Monday, district chief medical health officer RS Pandey said. Three legislators, two from the BJP and one from the Congress, have been detected with the infection this month. The Maharashtra government has extended lockdown in the state till 31 July, reports ANI. According to News18, an official order has been issued by Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta. People will be allowed to travel only for those purposes as allowed under Mission Begin Again. In areas where cases are rising, local authorities may enforce additional restrictions on non-essential activities and movement of people. Lockdown will remain in force in COVID-19 containment zones till July 31 and district authorities to demarcate zones, according to the guidelines. Night curfew will remain in force between 10 pm and 5 am throughout country, except for essential activities. The Ministry of Home Affairs has releases Unlock-2 guidelines which will be in force till 31 July, reports News18. According to the new guidelines, schools, colleges, educational institutes will remain closed till 31 July. Online/distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged. According to the new guidelines, schools, colleges, educational institutes will remain closed till 31 July. Online/distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged. Lockdown will remain in force in COVID-19 containment zones till July 31 and district authorities to demarcate zones, according to the guidelines. Night curfew will remain in force between 10 pm and 5 am throughout country, except for essential activities. Under the Unlock 2 guidelines, Social/ political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/ religious functions and other large congregations remain prohibited. Metro Rail services shall remain shut and cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places will also not be allowed to open. All activities apart from those prohibited will be allowed outside containment zones. #UNLOCK2 : National directives for #COVID19 management; wearing of face cover is compulsory in public places, workplaces and during transport. pic.twitter.com/WJTjkhxqO9 Centre issues national directives for COVID-19 management, wearing of face masks made compulsory in workplaces, public places. Work places to operate with staggered timings. Domestic flights and passenger trains have already been allowed in a limited manner, state the new guidelines. adding that their operations will be further expanded in a calibrated manner. There shall be no restrictions on interstate and intra state movement of persons, goods including those for cross land-border under Treaties with neighboring countries. No separate permission/approval/e-permit will be required for such movements Indias first Covid-19 vaccine - COVAXIN, developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV) has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for phase I and II human clinical trials, reported The SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated in NIV, Pune and transferred to Bharat Biotech. Human clinical trials are scheduled to start across India in July. reported CNBC TV18 . Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla writes to Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs, urging them to ensure compliance of #UNLOCK2 guidelines and direct all concerned authorities for their strict implementation. pic.twitter.com/w9bKEqNCDf Coronavirus Updates: The Ministry of Home Affairs has releases Unlock-2 guidelines which will be in force till 31 July. Lockdown shall continue in containment zones till 31 July. Tamil Nadu extends general lockdown in state till 31 July, while intense lockdown in Chennai, its suburbs and Madurai will continue till 5 July, said reports. Maharashtra reported 5,257 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the state to 1,69,883. The death toll reached 7,610 after 181 new fatalities were reported. Tamil Nadu on Monday reported 3,949 new cases and 62 deaths, taking the total number COVID-19 cases in the state to 86,224 and toll to 1,141, reports ANI quoting the state health department. The Maharashtra government has extended lockdown in the state till 31 July, reports ANI. In areas where cases are rising, local authorities may enforce additional restrictions on non-essential activities and movement of people. The AAP government has decided to start a Plasma bank for COVID-19 treatment, which will be operational in the next two days, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal during an online briefing on Monday. Meanwhile, The recovery rate of India has risen to 58.67 percent. India reports 19,459 new cases and 380 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. With this, the countrys total tally rises to 5,48,318 and toll stands at 16,475. India registered 38,458 new cases, 794 deaths over the weekend as states continue to re-open, lifting lockdown. Indias COVID-19 cases on Sunday rose by 19,906 to 5,28,859. On Saturday India's coronavirus case count rose to 5,08,953 with a surge of 18,552 cases. India's coronavirus case count mounted to 5,28,859 on Sunday with a spike of nearly 20,000 cases in a day and the toll rose to 16,095 with 410 fatalities reported in the past 24 hours, said the Union health ministry. Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh announced a door-to-door survey, joining several states and UTs which have opted for the exercise in their efforts to check the surge. Meanwhile, the Manipur government extended the lockdown in the state till 15 July. India reports 19,906 new cases, 410 deaths in 24 hours The Union health ministry's data updated at 8 am showed 19,906 new cases, while 410 persons succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours. According to news agency PTI, this is the fifth consecutive day that India has added more than 15,000 coronavirus infections to its tally. The country saw a surge of 3,38,324 infections from 1 June till date as lockdown restrictions were eased. Of the 410 new deaths reported till Sunday morning, 167 were in Maharashtra, 68 in Tamil Nadu, 66 in Delhi, 19 in Uttar Pradesh, 18 in Gujarat, 13 in West Bengal, 11 each in Rajasthan and Karnataka, nine in Andhra Pradesh, seven in Haryana, six each in Punjab and Telangana, four in Madhya Pradesh, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Bihar, Odisha and Puducherry. Of the total 16,095 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra has reported the highest with 7,273 deaths, followed by Delhi with 2,558 deaths, Gujarat with 1,789, Tamil Nadu with 1,025, Uttar Pradesh with 649, West Bengal with 629, Madhya Pradesh with 550, Rajasthan with 391 and Telangana with 243 deaths. Maharashtra continues to lead the case count with 1,59,133, followed by Delhi at 80,188, Tamil Nadu at 78,335, Gujarat at 30,709, Uttar Pradesh at 21,549, Rajasthan at 16,944 and West Bengal at 16,711, according to the ministry data. The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 13,436 in Telangana, 13,427 in Haryana, 12,965 in Madhya Pradesh, 12,285 in Andhra Pradesh and 11,923 in Karnataka. "Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said, adding that 7,839 cases are being reassigned to states. Recoveries exceed actives cases by more than one lakh The number of active cases stands at 2,03,051, while 3,09,712 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data. The Centre noted that recoveries now exceed active COVID-19 cases by over one lakh, stressing that "proactive steps" taken by it along with the states and Union Territories are showing "encouraging results". According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 82,27,802 samples have been tested up to 27 June and 2,31,095 samples have been tested on Saturday. India now has 1,036 diagnostic labs dedicated to COVID-19. This includes 749 in the government sector and 287 private labs, said the health ministry in a statement. More vigilance required as curbs are eased, says Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country will have to focus on defeating coronavirus and bolstering the economy as it begins to "unlock". India has always transformed adversities into stepping stones to success and this year won't be different, PTI quoted him as saying. He said people have to remain more vigilant compared to the lockdown period. "Always remember, if you do not wear a mask, do not observe the two-yard social distancing norms or do not take other precautions, you are putting others at risk besides yourselves, especially the elderly and children at home," he cautioned in his monthly "Mann ki Baat" radio address. Restrictions in Maharashtra to continue beyond 30 June Along the same lines, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the restrictions in the state will continue even after 30 June as the crisis is not over. "Even if I am not using the term lockdown, do not misunderstand and lower your guard. In fact, we need to show more stringent discipline," he said. "We can't leave this war halfway in this final phase. I am sure that you will continue to cooperate with the government to ensure that lockdown is not reimposed," he said in a televised address. The unlock process, dubbed "Mission Begin Again" by the state government, is being gradually implemented to put the economy back on track, Thackeray said. The state reported the biggest single-day spike of 5,493 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally of patients in the state to 1,64,626. The state also reported deaths of 156 coronavirus positive patients, due to which the number of victims grew to 7,429. In Mumbai, police urged the city residents not to move beyond a two-km radius of their homes for the purpose of exercise or visiting shops and salons. Movement beyond two km is permitted only for attending office or medical emergencies, a senior police official said, adding that movement outside this radius for shopping is strictly prohibited. With the further easing of coronavirus-induced curbs in the state, some salons opened in Mumbai on Sunday after a gap of three months while many remained closed due to lack of workforce. Thackeray also said the 'Chase the Virus' initiative, which was launched on 27 May, received good results in worst-hit Mumbai and will now be expanded to other parts of the state. As part of the campaign, 15 close contacts of a COVID-19 patient will be compulsorily kept in institutional quarantine. Manipur extends lockdown till 15 July Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh announced that the government has decided to extend lockdown for another 15 days from 1 July to 15 July, reported ANI. According to AIR News Imphal, the chief minister said that inter-district buses would be allowed to operate from 1 July with all guidelines and SOPs. No other public transport system will be allowed during this period, he said. We have decided to extend the lockdown in Manipur for another 15 days from 1st-15th July: State Chief Minister N Biren Singh pic.twitter.com/g17Gt63uZi ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2020 Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao held a meeting with Health Minister E Rajender and officials as the number of infections in the state rose to 14,419 and the toll reached 247. The Telangana government said that a strategy to control the spread of COVID-19 cases in the city following a sharp rise in infections, including a proposal to reimpose a lockdown in Hyderabad, would soon be finalised. Rao said the government would examine all relevant issues and take a necessary decision as several issues have to be considered if it decides to re-impose lockdown in GHMC limits. "If lockdown is imposed, it should be implemented strictly and totally. There should be a day-long curfew with one or two hour relaxation to buy the essentials," a press release quoted him as having said. In Delhi, where the case count crossed 83,000 with 2,889 fresh cases, the number of containment zones went up from 218 to 417 after a re-mapping of such areas under a revised strategy. As part of a massive house-to house survey to limit the spread of the contagion, around. 2.45 lakh people have been screened. "We have screened around two lakh people for COVID-19 in house-to-house survey being conducted across the city. Also, 45,000 people have been screened in COVID-19 containment zones," an official told PTI. In an exclusive interview with news agency ANI, Home Minister Amit Shah said there was no community transmission in Delhi and said that 30,000 hospital beds would be made available by end of June. The National Capital has so far reported 2,623 fatalities with 65 being recorded on Sunday. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh announce surveys Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh said they will also conduct house-to-house survey like Delhi, Goa, Odisha and Jharkhand in an attempt to increase surveillance. Uttar Pradesh's Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said the state will launch a large-scale campaign from Meerut division in July, where house-to-house survey will be undertaken similar to the pulse polio immunisation. "It will be carried out in containment and non-containment zones," he said. The toll due to viral infection in the state reached 660 with 11 more fatalities, while the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state climbed to 22,147 after 606 fresh infections were reported on Sunday, Prasad said. As the number of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh climbed to 13,186 and the toll touched 557, the state government said it will launch a 'Kill Corona' campaign from 1 July to control the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Under the campaign, door-to-door survey will be conducted and tests would also be done on citizens for other diseases as well, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said during a virtual review meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic Chouhan said during the 15-day campaign, 2.5 lakh tests will be carried out and 15,000 to 20,000 samples would be collected daily, according to a press release. Karnataka saw a record rise of 1,267 cases, of which 783 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone. The Bengaluru Police said criminal cases will be filed against those flouting face mask and social distancing rules and people can call police in case someone refuses to follow the COVID-19 preventive norms in the city, While police and civic body officials will patrol city roads and enforce the mask rule and social distancing, the public can also do their bit and ask every other person to follow them, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said in a series of tweets as the government stepped up efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus. Among others, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Goa on Sunday reported an increase in cases and fatalities. Global cases cross 10 million The global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday according to a Reuters tally, marking a grim milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months. The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organisation. while the number of fatalities more than 497,000 fatalities is roughly the same as the number of influenza deaths reported annually. The milestone comes as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last until a vaccine is available. Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns. The first cases of the new coronavirus were confirmed on 10 January in Wuhan in China, before infections and fatalities surged in Europe, then the United States, and later Russia. With inputs from agencies Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 02:06:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Turkey on Saturday stressed the importance of cooperation on maintaining common border security, official IRNA news agency reported. The remarks were made in a telephone conversation between Iran's Border Guards Commander Ahmad Ali Goodarzi and Commander of Turkey's Gendarmerie Arif Chetin. Chetin expressed hope that mutual coordination and cooperation would lead to a further deepening of friendship between the two nations. Goodarzi said that cooperation between Iran and Turkey and regular meetings on border issues would provide security and peace for the two countries across common borders. Iran and Turkey have 500 kilometers of common borders and both countries are fighting cross-border armed groups for decades. Enditem India gave a befitting response to those who eyed Indian territory in Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday referring to the violent stand-off between India and China along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh without naming China. Indian and Chinese troops had clashed in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army soldiers, including the commanding officer of 16 Bihar Regiment, were killed. India has shown the world its sense of fraternity during the coronavirus pandemic as well its strength and commitment to protecting its sovereignty and borders, PM Modi said as he addressed Mann Ki Baat, his monthly radio programme. In Ladakh, a befitting reply has been given those coveting ur territories. India knows how to maintain friendships but it can also look someone in the eye and retaliate and give an apt reply, PM Modi said during the 66th episode of Mann Ki Baat. Our brave soldiers have shown that they will not let any harm be done to Mother Indias pride. India bows to our brave martyrs. They have always kept India safe. Their valour will always be remembered, he added. This is the first Mann Ki Baat episode after the face-off in Ladakh. The Prime Minister also extended his condolences to the families of the soldiers who were killed in the Galwan Valley clash. The inner sense of pride that families feel on the supreme sacrifice of their brave sons and their sentiment for the country, constitutes the true power and the might of the country. The external affairs ministry has squarely blamed China for the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), saying China had massed troops along the disputed frontier since May, violated a recent understanding to disengage in Galwan Valley and disregarded all mutually agreed norms for border patrols. Accusing China of triggering several face-offs by trying to unilaterally change the status quo along the LAC, the Indian side rejected the Chinese sides unjustified and untenable claim on Galwan Valley. The statement also acknowledged both sides remain deployed in large numbers in the region. The war of words between the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) over Indo-China border clashes further escalated on Sunday with a fresh round of accusations and counter accusations levelled by leaders from both sides. First, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi poked PM Narendra Modi raising the issue of national security after his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address, then Union home minister Amit Shah accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of shallow politics aligned with Pakistan and Chinas interests. It has now been followed with a verbal attack by Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who has alleged that the PM CARES fund received money from a Chinese firm associated with their military. He has also alleged that several BJP presidents over the years have toured China and interacted with their ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). No president of any political party in this country has had to continuous exchanges with CCP like BJP Presidents right from Rajnath Singh to Gadkari ji to Amit Shah. There have been visits and delegations between BJP and CCP, repeatedly, Singhvi said on Sunday. Also Read: You say what China and Pakistan like: Amit Shahs scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi On Saturday BJP had accused the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, chaired by Congress President Sonia Gandhi of having received funds from the Chinese Embassy between 2005 and 2009 during the Congress-led UPA governments tenure apart from other allegedly dodgy contributions and transactions into the fund. The Congress had issued an explanation later in the day and claimed that the BJP was dragging Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to distract attention from the governments handling of the current border crisis with China that saw 20 Indian Army soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Singhvi built on the theme by alleging that despite some pointed questions by the party on the Chinese incursions since May 2020, the government was sidestepping them. In last few days weve given you maps, points, locations, satellite images, photos but answer has only been- Rajiv Gandhi foundation. I am deliberately making a statement which I need not & I dare PM, govt & ruling party to falsify my next statement, Singhvi was quoted as saying on Congress partys official website. He went to raise questions over the alleged donations to the PM CARES Fund, established recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mobilize relief money to deal with crises such as the coronavirus pandemic. Rs 7 crore in this fund has been received from Huawei. Everyone knows Huawei is the alter ego of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) hence the Chinese government. 30 crores has come from Chinese company tiktok. Paytm with 38% Chinese controlled shareholding has donated, Singhvi was quoted as saying on the official website of the Congress party. Earlier today, in an interview to news agency ANI, Amit Shah said that the NDA government was ready for discussion on the Indo-China border conflict in the Parliament. There will be Parliament (session). If you want to discuss, we will. Let everything be discussed from 1962 to today. No one is afraid of discussion. But when the soldiers of the country are making efforts, the government is taking solid steps after taking a stand, at that time, making statements that please Pakistan and China should not be done, said Shah. Also Read: When will there be talk of nations security? Rahul Gandhi asks PM Modi He also hit out at Rahul Gandhi for alleging that PM Modi had surrendered Indian territory to China by denying Chinese incursions and occupation of Indian territory in the last two months. It is a matter of self-introspection for him (Rahul Gandhi) and Congress that his hashtag is being taken forward by Pakistan and China. It is not for me. It is a matter of concern for Congress that the hashtag of their leader is being encouraged by Pakistan and China. You say what China and Pakistan like. And at this time of crisis, said Shah. At the age of 19, rosy- cheeked Robert Jenrick knew his life would be a success. In an interview with Cambridge student magazine Varsity in 2001, the history undergraduate was asked what he would like to be in ten years time. Jenrick, with a quiff and a born-to-rule demeanour, replied: A millionaire businessman fighting my first election to Parliament. He was soon on the way - standing as a no-hope Tory for the constituency of Newcastle-under-Lyme in 2010 after a stint as a corporate lawyer and a brief foray into the top end of the antiques world. Within nine years of that interview, he was a politician with a multi-million-pound property empire, albeit with a little help from his hot-shot lawyer wife. Michal Berkner (left), nine years older than her husband Robert Jenrick (right), is thought to be the main breadwinner in the household FAMILY ASSETS: Housing Secretary Robert Jenricks grand country manor house north of Hereford The student newspaper verdict of the self-described driven, political, cultured Tory boy was that he would treat you to a nice meal but you cant help feeling theres something hidden behind it all. Prophetic words perhaps in light of the now Housing Secretarys infamous Tory dinner with billionaire developer Richard Desmond that left him open to a cash-for-favours row and has his nascent Cabinet career in jeopardy. Mr Jenrick first piqued Westminsters attention at the 2014 Newark by-election when he overcame Nigel Farage, who was at the height of his swagger, in a battle almost as vicious as the towns Royalist routing of the Roundheads in 1644. The newest and youngest addition to the Tory benches was quickly tipped for big things. The only blemish on an otherwise faultless campaign was a whiff of privilege around why he formed a limited company to renovate the Pimlico townhouse on the exclusive Vincent Square that he purchased for 2,550,000 in 2013. Suggestions this was perhaps a vehicle to reclaim VAT on the 850,000 worth of work were angrily denied. And in another prophetic warning, it later emerged that an extension to the house was blocked thrice by planning officials, before the intervention of the local Tory council. EXCLUSIVE ADDRESS: Robert Jenrick's 2.55m townhouse in Pimlico The townhouse, less than a mile from the Commons, is registered in both Mr Jenricks name and that of his wife, Michal Berkner. Ms Berkner, nine years older than her husband, is thought to be the main breadwinner in the household. The pair met at Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom a New York law firm which has done work for Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, including Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich. Ms Berkner is now a partner at American law firm Cooley, where she leads cross-border mergers and acquisitions and works alongside a high-profile client base. One Newark constituent told the Conservative Home website this week: Its perfectly clear who wears the trousers and it isnt him. She indulges his little hobby of being an MP. However, Mr Jenricks career on the backbenchers quickly became more than a hobby. Despatched to the Treasury by Theresa May a traditional nursery for rising stars Jenrick was an early backer of Boris Johnson in last years Tory leadership election. And his loyalty was rewarded with a plum role at Housing, making him the first millennial Cabinet Minister at the age of 37. A strong Commons performer, and a steady pair of hands on broadcast appearances, Mr Jenrick quickly become one of the few Cabinet Ministers allowed into the current administrations circle of trust to represent the Government on TV and radio. Jenrick was also a regular feature at coronavirus press conferences, with No 10 believing he has had a good Covid-19 war. SOLID INVESTMENT: His wife Michals rented out flat in Marylebone His only blip was a hotly disputed trip to visit his parents at the height of lockdown. Insisting that he was delivering medicines to his shielding family, the episode put the spotlight on the Housing Secretarys other million-pound house 40 miles away from his parents in neighbouring Herefordshire. The country pad which he also jointly owns with his wife is one of the grandest manor houses in England. His wife also owns a flat in London that is rented out, and Mr Jenrick rents a 2,000 per month house in his Nottinghamshire constituency, despite promising in 2014 to buy in the area. The Four Houses Secretary has become a favourite quip by Labour MPs. No 10 continues to throw a protective arm around one of their favourites, but there was another note of warning in Mr Jenricks student interview. The teenage undergraduate claimed ex-Foreign Secretary Lord Curzon was his political inspiration. It was Winston Churchill who tartly remarked of Curzons career: The morning had been golden; the noontide was bronze; and the evening lead. Will the same be said of Robert Jenrick? Even if omicron peak nears, Long Beach cases and hospitalizations will still be up for weeks, official says Dont go to a state with a high COVID-19, come back to New York and expect to get paid sick leave benefits. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order Saturday that strips the paid sick leave protections for New York employees who voluntarily travel to high-risk states after June 25. "If we are going to maintain the progress we've seen, we need everyone to take personal responsibility," Cuomo said in a statement. "That's why I'm issuing an executive order that says any New York employee who voluntarily travels to a high-risk state will not be eligible for the COVID protections we created under paid sick leave." The order is the latest crackdown by Cuomo to avoid a surge in coroanvirus in New York as its infection rates have been at record lows, but have hit record highs in parts of the South and West. On Wednesday, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut agreed to implement a 14-day quarantine on anyone visiting from eight states with high rates of COVID-19. The states are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Texas. California and several other states are also expected to be added to the state. Travel to the same states will lead New Yorkers to have to forgo COVID-19 paid sick leave that Cuomo and the state Legislature approved March 17. The criteria for a state to make the list is a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or higher than a 10% test positivity rate over a seven-day rolling average. The sick-leave order does not apply if the employee travels for work or at the employer's request, Cuomo said in a news release. The order expands on an mandate earlier this year that made New Yorkers ineligible for paid sick leave if they travel to a country with a level two or three travel health notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For employees in the private sector who have to take mandatory or precautionary quarantines or isolation because of COVID-19 exposure, the Legislature passed a law to provide paid sick leave with various benefits depending on the size of the employer: Employers with 10 or fewer employees and a net income less than $1 million need to provide job protection for the duration of the quarantine order and guarantee their workers access to Paid Family Leave and disability benefits, including wage replacement for their salaries up to $150,000.Employers with 11 to 99 employees and employers with 10 or fewer employees and a net income greater than $1 million must provide at least 5 days of paid sick leave, job protection and guarantee the same benefits.Employers with 100 or more employees, as well as all public employers, need to provide at least 14 days of paid sick leave and guarantee job protection for the duration of the quarantine order. The order Saturday was announced alongside a directive from Cuomo to have the state Department of Health investigate COVID-19 exposure at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, Westchester County, during a high school graduation ceremony earlier this month. An attendee has tested positive for the virus and since then, four others tested positive. "As we are seeing in other states who reopened quickly, the pandemic is far from over and we need stay vigilant," Cuomo said. 2020 Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y. Visit Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y. at www.uticaod.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A man and woman were shot dead in broad daylight in New York City by a gunman wearing a blonde wig and trench coat. According to the New York Post, the shooter fired more than 20 rounds outside of 551 Van Siclen Avenue around 12.38pm on Saturday. Chioteke Thompson, 23, and Stephanie Perkins, 39, were identified as the victims by sources who also told the newspaper that Thompson was shot once in the face and Perkins hit once in the back. Chioteke Thompson, 23, and Stephanie Perkins, 39, were identified as the victims by sources. Police pictured at the scene following the shooting on Saturday The shooter fired more than 20 rounds outside of 551 Van Siclen Avenue around 12.38pm on Saturday. Police gather at the crime scene on Saturday Following the shooting, the suspect fled the scene according to witnesses. Authorities said both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. It's unclear if Thompson and Perkins were targeted. Photos taken by the New York Daily News showed dozens of grieving family members and neighbors near the scene. Police recovered about 23 shell casings from the scene and canvassed the area for video evidence. As of Sunday morning, no arrests have been made in connection to the murders. The relationship between Perkins and Thompson was not immediately clear, but a neighbor told the Post that he believed the two were mother and son. Authorities said both victims were pronounced dead at the scene (file image of the home where the shooting occurred). It's unclear if Thompson and Perkins were targeted Photos taken at the scene showed dozens of grieving family members and neighbors. Police taped off the area as they continued their investigation A wave of gun violence has washed over New York City since the beginning of June leaving dozens of victims in its bloody wake, with a dramatic spike of 28 shootings between June 19 and June 21. Latest crime statistics released by the New York City Police Department show a whopping 342 per cent jump in shootings last week 53 compared to 12 the same time last year. The numbers from the NYPD also show a 414 per cent increase in the total number of people shot between June 15 and June 21 74 compared to 14 in 2019. According to police, there were a total of 28 shootings with 38 victims across four of the five boroughs in the 72-hour span between June 19 and June 21. The recent broad daylight shootings come just a week after 35-year-old clothing designer and graffiti artist Kenneth Singleton, was seen on surveillance video being shot in the neck at point-blank range while washing his car outside his home in the East New York section of Brooklyn on June 20. So far, no arrests have been made in Singleton's murder. Numbers for the first three weeks of June in New York City paint a similarly troubling picture, with a total of 125 shooting incidents reported across the five boroughs. RTHK: Trump hits back at Taliban-bounties report US President Donald Trump denied on Sunday he had been briefed on intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan. In a pair of early morning tweets, Trump angrily slammed the report by The New York Times as "Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax." "Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an 'anonymous source' by the Fake News @nytimes," he wrote. "Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us..." "Nobody's been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration." On Friday, the Times reported that US intelligence had concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill troops of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan. The rewards were purportedly incentives to target US forces as Trump tries to withdraw troops from the conflict-torn country one of the militants' key demands and end America's longest war. Citing anonymous officials, The Times said Trump was briefed on the findings in March, but has not decided how to respond. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany earlier issued a denial similar to Trump's but left open the possibility that such intelligence existed. "This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter," McEnany said. Others were sceptical that Trump would not have been informed of such an explosive conclusion. "The idea that Trump wouldn't be briefed on Russia putting a bounty on US troops is even crazier than him being briefed and doing nothing," Ben Rhodes, a former national security aide to Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter. The Taliban have denied the report, reiterating that they were committed to an accord signed with Washington in February that paves the way for withdrawing all foreign forces from Afghanistan by next year. The militants also said homemade explosives account for most fatalities among US forces. "The 19-year jihad of the Islamic Emirate is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country," the Taliban said in a statement issued in Kabul. The group, widely believed to have received years of support from Pakistani intelligence, also denied previous US accusations it was given arms by Russia. "The Islamic Emirate has made use of weapons, facilities and tools... that were already present in Afghanistan or are war spoils frequently seized from the opposition in battles," it said. Russia has also denounced the report, with its embassy in Washington tweeting that the "baseless and anonymous accusations" in the Times story had "already led to direct threats to the life of employees" at its embassies in Washington and London. "Stop producing #fakenews that provoke life threats, @nytimes," the embassy added in a later tweet. Russia has a tortured history in Afghanistan, where the former Soviet Union in its final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamist guerrillas, then backed by Washington. The Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban attacks, including a desire to keep Washington bogged down in war. It said Russia may also be seeking revenge over the US killing of Russian mercenaries in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad. According to the newspaper, the Taliban operation was led by Unit 29155, an arm of Russia's military intelligence agency GRU, which has been blamed in numerous international incidents including a 2018 chemical weapons attack in Britain that nearly killed Russian-born double agent Sergei Skripal. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Florida banned alcohol consumption at its bars Friday as its daily confirmed coronavirus cases neared 9,000, a new record that is almost double the previous mark set just two days ago. The Florida agency that governs bars announced the ban on Twitter just minutes after the Department of Health reported 8,942 new confirmed cases, topping the previous record of 5,500 set Wednesday. State officials have attributed much of the new outbreak to young adults flocking to bars after they reopened in most of the state three weeks ago, with many of them ignoring social distancing restrictions aimed at lowering the viruss spread. Bars, like restaurants, were supposed to limit patrons to 50% of their normal capacity, under the states emergency orders. Patrons had to sit at tables, with groups 6 feet (2 meters) apart. No congregating at the bar or on the dance floor was permitted. The new order prohibits any establishment that makes more than 50% of its revenue from alcohol sales from serving alcohol for consumption on site. Bars are still permitted to sell alcohol in sealed containers for consumption offsite. Restaurants that primarily sell food can still serve alcohol to customers seated at tables. Business and Professional Regulations Secretary Halsey Beshears said he issued the order because too many bars and patrons were breaking the rules, overwhelming his departments inspectors. This was more than we could keep up with, Beshears said. He said people got tired of being cooped up and maybe thought the threat of coronavirus had lessened because news coverage shifted to the protests caused by the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. People in general just wanted to get out and experience a normalcy, he said. He said there is no timetable for rescinding the order. Sadly, 90% are getting it right. Its the other 10% that are ruining it for everybody, he said. The state had suspended the license of a popular Orlando bar near the University of Central Florida earlier this week after at least 13 employees and 28 patrons tested positive. The bar may have been linked to 150 cases, state health officials said at the time. More than 24,000 new cases have been reported statewide since Saturday, more than a fifth of the 111,724 cases confirmed since March 1. The death toll climbed Friday to 3,366, a one-day increase of 39. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he still doesnt plan to issue a statewide order requiring masks. He said that is best handled at the county and city level. Miami, other cities and several counties including Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Orange are requiring masks in public places. On Friday night, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced he would sign an executive order closing beaches in the county over the Fourth of July weekend. DeSantis said the median age for people testing positive has dropped from in the 60s early in the outbreak to 33 now. He said that has helped decrease the fatality rate the disease hits older people harder but may be increasing the spread as younger adults are more likely to be asymptomatic and to congregate. He urged younger people to wear masks to avoid spreading the disease to their older family members and others who have underlying medical conditions. While this may not be affecting you negatively, you can pass it along to other folks, he said. Dr. Rajiv Bahl, who works in an Orlando emergency room, said he has seen more patients between the ages of 20 and 40 with COVID-19 symptoms over the past few weeks. Prior to that he had mostly seen older people. State officials have said the youth of the newly infected may be why the rising infection total hasnt been accompanied by an increase in deaths, which have averaged about 35 per day for a month. Bahl said treatment methods are also improving. Tampa bartender Colleen Corbett said she is worried about being unemployed again, but thinks the states action is the right move since no one could follow the guidelines and everyone was getting sick. Most of her bartender friends have been infected and she is awaiting test results. Corbett, 30, said the two bars where she works have been packed. She said staff werent required to wear masks and almost no customers did. It was like they forgot there was a pandemic or just stopped caring, Corbett said. Bruce Owens, 66, wearing a mask as he walked Friday in St. Petersburg, said he isnt surprised by the states skyrocketing case numbers. He blamed it on state officials. Theyve handled it extremely poorly, he said. They havent really listened to the experts. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter The Tamil Nadu government has decided to transfer the probe into the death of a father-son duo, alleged victims of police torture in Tuticorin district, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Sunday. The government's decision will be informed to the Madras High Court, which is seized of the matter, and secure its approval before transferring the case to the central agency, he told reporters here. "The government has decided that the CBI will probe the case," Palaniswami said. P Jayaraj and his son Fennix, arrested for 'violating' lockdown norms over business hours of their cellphone shop, died at a hospital in Kovilpatti on June 23, with their relatives alleging they were severely thrashed at the Sathankulam police station by police personnel earlier. The incident has triggered a national furor, leading to the suspension of four policemen, including two sub-inspectors. Sir Keir Starmer has overtaken Boris Johnson as the nation's choice of best prime minister, a shock new poll reveals today. After a week in which the Government has been mired in a 'cash-for-access' row over a Tory donor and continued concerns over its handling of coronavirus, the Labour leader has taken a two-point lead. Sir Keir is now on 37 per cent, with Mr Johnson on 35 per cent. He has gained plaudits for his swift action to sack remove Rebecca Long-Bailey, his leading Corbynista rival, as shadow education secretary for allegedly peddling an 'anti-Semitic conspiracy theory'. In contrast, Mr Johnson is continuing to stand by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick despite documents showing the extent to which he tried to help Richard Desmond, the former Express owner, avoid tax on a 1billion property development. Opinium, which carried out the poll for the Observer, said that while Sir Keir had been enjoying a higher approval rating than the Prime Minister for the past six weeks, it is the first time the former director of public prosecutions has polled higher when asked about who would make the better PM. Robert Jenrick faces fresh questions in planning row A Housing Department whistleblower has cast fresh doubt on Robert Jenricks handling of a Tory donors 1 billion property development. Beleaguered Mr Jenrick last week released a cache of documents relating to the Westferry Printworks saga and admitted making mistakes. Last month, this newspaper revealed the Housing Secretary had been lobbied about the application to build 1,500 flats in Londons Docklands by billionaire tycoon Richard Desmond at a Tory Party fundraiser. The former owner of the Express later made a 12,000 donation to the Conservative Party and was in text message contact with Mr Jenrick on November 18 last year after swapping numbers at the exclusive dinner. Mr Jenricks decision to give the green light to the Westferry development was challenged in the High Court over the appearance of bias and he did not contest the case. He told MPs on Wednesday that he alerted his officials to his relationship with Mr Desmond one month later on December 17, even though he had asked to speed up the project a day after the dinner. However, The Mail on Sunday has seen an account from one civil servant working on the Westferry application that casts doubt on this version of events. The official has accused Mr Jenrick of playing fast and loose with the case and said the connection to Mr Desmond was not shared with those working directly on it. The whistleblower wrote: I can confirm that at no point did Mr Jenrick or his Special Advisers alert us to the fundraiser dinner he attended with Mr Desmond or the short conversation he had with him about the application. They added that if staff had known, We would have pushed much harder for the decision to be rethought given the conflict of interest. Advertisement Adam Drummond, its head of political polling, said: 'Boris Johnson's approval rating remains narrowly negative, while Keir Starmer's remains substantially positive (moving from a net +22 last week to +27 this week). 'Politically, the ''new normal'' is that for the first time in over a decade Labour has a leader who outperforms their party while the Conservatives have a leader who under performs theirs, and the crossover in preferred prime minister is a reflection of that.' Sir Keir replaced Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in April following a disastrous election defeat for the party in December. The Conservatives, according to the results published on Saturday, still hold a four-point lead in terms of voting intentions, despite Sir Keir's public popularity. Out of those polled, 43 per cent said they would vote Tory at the next election, compared to 39 per cent choosing Labour. Both parties are down one percentage point since last week. The poll also found that there is strong public disapproval of the Government's latest handling of the Covid-19 crisis, with the majority fearing the lockdown is being eased too quickly. The survey was carried out in the first week of June and before this week's confirmation from Mr Johnson that pubs, restaurants and the country's tourism sector will be able to reopen, albeit with reduced social-distancing measures in place, from July 4. According to Opinium, 54 per cent of people believe the UK is coming out of lockdown too fast - up eight points from last week. The weighted results are based on an online survey of 2,002 UK adults aged 18 or over, and took place between June 4-5. Sir Keir last night appointed banker-turned child poverty activist Kate Green MP to replace Ms Long-Bailey. For Ms Green, it is a return to the shadow cabinet after serving as shadow minister for women and equalities under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. She quit after the referendum, in what was seen by left-wing critics as a coup against the Islington North MP, and went on to chair Owen Smith's failed leadership bid. Sir Keir gave her the role of shadow minister for child poverty strategy in April, before elevating her to education spokeswoman two months on. The Stretford MP worked for Barclays Bank from 1982 to 1997 after university. Rebecca Long Bailey (right), was sacked from the frontbench by Sir Keir (left) for allegedly peddling an 'anti-Semitic conspiracy theory' Welcome Guest! You Are Here: National security law to be introduced to students: HK education chief Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/6/27 10:16:58 The national security law for Hong Kong will be introduced to local students through courses, Hong Kong Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung told media on Friday. Legislating for Hong Kong's safeguarding of national security is very important for both the country and its Hong Kong, Yeung said. The Hong Kong education bureau will study how to help students more deeply understand the significance of the law, its key contents, and the influence on young people after the legislation becomes effective, he said. The bureau is introducing the Constitution, the Basic Law and the National Anthem Ordinance through various subjects. It may promote the study of the national security law among students in the same way, Yeung said. He added that the bureau will devise more details after the law's specific provisions are released. National security is crucial to every country in the world and a very important task for every government, Yeung stated, calling on Hong Kong citizens to support the legislative work to safeguard national security in this area. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ana de Armas has been enjoying some quality time with her new man Ben Affleck during quarantine. The new Bond girl has even appeared to win over his kids, two years after his divorce from Jennifer Garner. She teased her taut midriff Saturday in a black crop top as she went shopping with Ben and his kids in their upscale neighborhood of Brentwood, California, during a break from quarantine. Backless in black: Ana de Armas teased her taut midriff Saturday in a black crop top as she went shopping with Ben Affleck and his kids in their upscale neighborhood of Brentwood, California The 32-year-old paired the backless top with some skintight faded jeans, which were ripped at the knee. She finished the ensemble with a pair of black wayfarers, her gold broken heart necklace, matching bracelets, a white leather belt with a gold buckle and green Converse All Stars. Ben, 47, sported a grey t-shirt with a black lightning bolt, paired with black denim jeans and matching sneakers. He finished the look with a retro green and black bomber jacket, purple aviators and a blue printed face mask. Blue jean baby: The 32-year-old paired the backless top with some skintight faded jeans, which were ripped at the knee Stay gold: She finished the ensemble with a pair of black wayfarers, her gold broken heart necklace, matching bracelets, a white leather belt with a gold buckle and green Converse All Stars Cool dad: Ben, 47, sported a grey t-shirt with a black lightning bolt, paired with black denim jeans and matching sneakers They were accompanied for the outing at Brentwood Country Mart by his daughter Seraphina, 11, and son Samuel, eight. Ben also shares daughter Violet, 14 with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, to whom he was married from 2005 to 2018. A source told E! News last month: 'Ana loves kids and couldn't wait to meet them and spend time with them. She knows how much they mean to Ben and so she was anxious to be a part of that. Retro vibes: He finished the look with a retro green and black bomber jacket, purple aviators and a blue printed face mask Family outing: They were accompanied for the outing at Brentwood Country Mart by his daughter Seraphina, 11, and son Samuel, eight Not pictured: Ben also shares daughter Violet, 14 with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, to whom he was married from 2005 to 2018 'She is very sweet and kind to the kids. They immediately warmed up to her and like her a lot. They are all comfortable together and she's very nurturing. Everything has worked out very well.' Ana was first romantically linked with Ben in March, after they filmed their upcoming movie Deep Water in the fall. They were later spotted vacationing together in Costa Rica and her home country of Cuba, before returning to Los Angeles to quarantine together. There are only a few episodes left before the ultimate end of the hit series Vikings. The mid-season finale brought all sorts of questions to mind about how things are going to play out. Weve compiled a list of questions that need to be answered in season 6B. Read on to learn more. What happens to Bjorn Ironside? Alexander Ludwig | Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images In the mid-season finale, Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) is stabbed by what looks like Ivar (Alex Hgh Andersen), his brother. Fans have remarked that this seems impossible considering Ivar is nowhere near the beach when Bjorn is stabbed. Others believe it could all be battle preparations in Bjorns head and hes still alive. Either way, we need to know what happens to Bjorn. Who wins the battle between the Rus and the Vikings? There was a major battle in season 6 between the invading Rus Vikings and the people of Scandinavia. The Rus are led by Prince Oleg (Danila Kozlovsky) who wants to take back his ancestral homeland. Ivar has joined him and is hoping to become the King of Kattegat again. In episode 10, the battle finally takes place and there is a lot of action. Its unclear who wins the ultimate fight though. Will King Harald (Peter Franzen) surrender and make it out alive? After all, he is now king of all Norway. He was last seen wounded in battle when his crown is stolen. Will Ubbe find the Golden Land and Floki? RELATED: Vikings Season 6B: Why a Recent Photo of a Vikings Actor Has Fans Talking About the New Season Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith) has left to go searching for the Golden Land, which is supposedly an untouched place of splendor. He also leaves in search of Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) who has not been seen or heard from in some time. Will Ubbe manage to find him? Could the Golden Land be America? In the trailer for upcoming episodes, the Vikings encounter a new threat. Did they reach the Golden Land or did they just walk into their death? Its still unclear, but Ubbe and Torvi (Georgia Hirst) land somewhere, thats for sure. Will the sons of Ragnar ever make peace? Since the death of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), the sons of Ragnar have struggled to find their places in the world. They have clashed and fought against each other, and Bjorn and Ivar especially dont get along. Can they ever make peace together and live in harmony? If Bjorn is really alive still, there is a chance he and Ivar, as well as Hvitserk (Marco Ils) could sit down and talk things out, though that would be hard to manage with the Rus now at their doorstep. Will Ingrid marry King Harald if Bjorn is dead? Before the battle with the Rus, Harald rapes Bjorns wife, Ingrid (Lucy Martin). He tells her that he will marry her if Bjorn dies in battle, which is something fans are hoping doesnt happen. If Bjorn dies and Harald lives, there is a chance that he might try and force her to marry him, since he has already hinted he would like to marry her. There are a lot of lingering questions when it comes to season 6B of Vikings. Hopefully fans will get the answers they need when the second half of season 6 finally premieres. I am horrified that a shooting recently occurred at a protest near Old Town. I pray each day for the victim. The events that gave rise to the shooting remain on my mind, and the heavily armed militiamen who intimidated protesters trouble me greatly. Americans are acting to do right by our communities of color. Massive protests across the country push for change to rules and laws that govern policing. Im inspired by this movement as I work in Congress to pass strong and effective legislation to treat everyone with respect. Additionally, root causes of these injustices go well beyond law enforcement and are manifest in systemic racism that excludes communities of color from experiencing the true promise of this country. Both Hispanic and Native Americans have experienced systematic racism. Native children were carted off to boarding school, separated from their families. Generations of Hispanic students were punished for speaking Spanish in school. But we havent allowed those injustices to derail our drive to move our state forward. We acknowledge that Don Juan de Onate perpetuated murderous acts against the Pueblo Indians and influenced others to do likewise. As a result of Spanish colonization, many Pueblo Indian villages were decimated. Franciscan priests Catholicized us and enslaved my ancestors. As New Mexicans, this history belongs to all of us, and we must work together to heal and move forward. During pueblo feast days, our homes are open for everyone to share a meal and join conversation at the table. Its not lost on me that pueblo feast days are Catholic saints days. We have mass, honor the saints from the church, and we dance, sing, and pray. We care for our mission churches as if they were our own homes. Our feast tables are flush with traditional pueblo oven bread, which we have because the Spanish brought both wheat and hornos. Our families raise cattle and sheep, which are part of the cultural exchange of our ancestors. Squash and corn, pueblo farm staples, are cooked into calabacitas that seemingly every Hispanic household calls their own. Our food makes our state unique, a combination of Spanish and Pueblo Indian. I know our history is painful, but we are all New Mexicans, and we accept each other into our families, we work together and converse in each others languages. When I sit down with Spanish land grant communities, I feel like Im sitting with my aunties, uncles and cousins because we share history and deep spiritual connection to the land. Should we remove statues of Onate? Perhaps we should erect statues of local heroes who have been a strong voice or remedied injustice. Would removing the statues erase the pride that Hispanic communities should feel? No, their generations of families have made our state what it is today. We all should be proud of the Hispanic heritage in New Mexico. We are in tumultuous times. Native, Black and Hispanic communities have the highest rates of coronavirus per capita; Asian American communities face racist attacks. Stark economic inequities abound. Some Native communities face 40% unemployment, and some Spanish land grant families have an average annual income of just $16,000. We are in the same struggle to lift up our communities and demand the health care, education, and equity that all our children deserve. We must be united. When I ready myself to dance for feast day, I dont think about the injustices my people faced centuries ago. I think about being in the field with my grandfather, picking worms off the corn and helping him irrigate. I think about my grandmother making homemade blue corn tortillas, and the deep friendships I have made across this state and how I cherish them all; I have to believe that many of you think about those things also. This is our state, and we must celebrate who we are: New Mexicans. Pakistan reported the first murder of journalists in the subcontinent in 2020 where Aziz Memon (50) was found dead on 16 February in an irrigation channel near to his Mehrabpur locality residence. by Nava Thakuria As the year 2020 rolls on, Indian subcontinent sets to improve in its journo-murder index with only two casualties this year till date. First half of the year witnessed the murder of one scribe each in Pakistan and India for their journalistic works, where as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet (presently under China), Sri Lanka and Maldives evaded any incident of journo-casualties in the last six months. journalism in Asia Pakistan reported the first murder of journalists in the subcontinent in 2020 where Aziz Memon (50) was found dead on 16 February in an irrigation channel near to his Mehrabpur locality residence. Hailed from Sindh province, Memon used to work for the privately-owned KTN television and Sindhi-language daily Kawish. Two other Pak journalists namely Javed Khan and Zulfiqar Mandrani also lost their lives in separate bomb blasts. India lost a young scribe on 19 June at Unnao locality of Uttar Pradesh to assailants. Shubham Mani Tripathi (25), who was associated with the Kanpur-based Hindi daily Kampu Mail as a correspondent fell prey to bullets of two shooters as he was returning home on a two-wheeler. Seriously injured Tripathi was brought to a Kanpur hospital, but he succumbed to serious injuries in his head, chest and back. A resident of Brahmnagar in Unnao district, Tripathi was a born patriot and used to report on illegal sand mining practices in his locality. Recently married to Rashi Dixit, Tripathi even received threats from unknown individuals, suspected to be illegal miners, for his news-contents. But the courageous scribe did not bother and continued his journalistic activities. Lately, the UP police arrested three individuals namely Afshar Ahmed, Abdul Bari and Shahnawaz Azhar suspecting their involvement with the murder. The police also launched searches for Divya Awasthi, blamed for various land grabbing & sand mining incidents. Her name was mentioned in the first information report filed by the victim family. Earlier, an Orissa based scribe named Aditya Kumar Ransingh (40) was killed on 16 February along with a Congress leader in Banki locality under Cuttack district. Engaged with a news portal, Ransingh was hacked to death by two criminals, who were later arrested by the police. It was reported that the scribe maintained bitter relationships with both the accused namely Sushat Pradhan and Himanshu Bhusan Routray. According to the international media rights body Reporters Sans/Without Borders (RSF) nearly 20 journalists have lost their lives due to their journalistic activities in 2020. Mexico and Iraq top the list with three journo-casualties each followed by Syria (2), Somalia (2), Afghanistan (1), Yemen (1), Nigeria (1), Paraguay (1), etc. India as a whole witnessed nine incidents of journo-killing in 2019, but only one incident could emerge as a case of targeted murder. Andhra journalist K Satyanarayana (45) of Telugu daily Andhra Jyothy faced the fate because of his activities as a journalist. He was hacked to death on 15 October. Local scribes informed Satyanarayana was targeted in earlier occasions too. Others who were killed in India last year included Jobanpreet Singh (Punjabs online journalist was killed in police firings), Vijay Gupta (Kanpur-based scribe shot dead by close relatives), Radheyshyam Sharma (Kushinagar-based journalist murdered by his neighbours), Ashish Dhiman (Saharanpur-based photojournalist shot dead along with his brother by neighbours), Chakresh Jain (Shahgarh-based freelance journalist died of serious burn injuries), Anand Narayan (news channel contributor of Mumbai murdered by miscreants) and Nityanand Pandey (magazine editor in Thane killed by an employee). Keralas journalist K Muhammed Basheer lost his life as a government officer driven vehicle mowed down him. Guwahati-based scribe Naresh Mitra died after sustaining head injuries in a mysterious accident inside the city. Bihars scribe Pradeep Mandal was targeted by miscreants, but he survived luckily. Mandal contributed a number of news items against the local liquor mafia for Dainik Jagaran and invited enmities from the goons. Contrary to number of journalists, eliminated by assailants, the novel corona virus pandemic takes a bigger toll as no less than seven journalists died of Covid-19 complications in the subcontinent. Bangladesh alone lost six journalists to the virus infection where nearly 200 other media persons tested positive for Covid-19. India also witnesses nearly 150 journalists infected with the virus with three casualties. Pakistan reports over 50 media persons infected with the virus. At the same time, the pandemic resulted in the killing of hundreds of mainstream media outlets across the subcontinent. Many surviving newspapers close down editions, reduce pages, cut salaries and even lay off employees including working journalists citing the reason of shrinking advertisement revenues in the last three months. However, as usual, only a few media bodies dared to raise voices against the media managements for their arbitrary decisions that finally turned humiliating for the journalists. The author is a northeast India based media activist 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 Roberson, a security guard in Mannys Blue Room Lounge in Robbins, apprehended a gunman one night in November 2018 when shots were fired and several people were struck. When police arrived, Midlothian officer Ian Covey opened fire on Roberson, killing him. Roberson was dressed in black and was carrying a gun for his job, but he was not wearing anything identifying him as security. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 07:03:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on June 20, 2020 shows a roller coaster at the reopened Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, the United States. (Photo by Lie Ma/Xinhua) "We need folks to be part of this effort and work together as a community for the sake of our health, our economy, and all our neighbors," says Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. HOUSTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. state of Texas announced on Saturday more than 5,700 new COVID-19 cases, according to the Texas Health and Human Services. As of Saturday 143,371 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported across the state, 5,747 more cases than the total on Friday. The state added 5,707 and 5,996 new cases on Friday and Thursday, respectively. In Texas Harris County, where the U.S. fourth largest city of Houston is located, Judge Lina Hidalgo wanted to issue another stay-at-home order after local officials lifted the previous one. "We need folks to stay home. We need folks to be part of this effort and work together as a community for the sake of our health, our economy, and all our neighbors," local media quoted Hidalgo as saying. File photo of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, as exhibited on the website of the Office of Harris County Judge. (Photo credit: Office of Harris County Judge) Texas Governor Greg Abbott has the final; say on this matter. On Friday, the governor announced the scaling back of the reopening of businesses in the state as Texas saw sharp increase of spread of COVID-19 in the past day. Following the announcement, League City in Texas said the traditional fireworks celebration on July 4 will be canceled. The festival was supposed to be a drive-in event. However, Texas Republicans are moving forward with their plans to hold an indoor convention in Houston next month, The Texas Tribune reported. The Texas GOP convention is expected to draw about 6,000 attendees, said the report. Iran launched a campaign on Saturday to motivate a reluctant public to use face masks as the country faces a sharp increase in infections and deaths from the coronavirus. Iran was one of the worst hit countries early in the pandemic, and since restrictions to stem its spread were gradually lifted from mid-April, cases have increased again, with the death toll topping 100 a day in the past nine days for the first time in two months. Some 2,456 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 220,180, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state television. She said 125 people had died, bringing the total to 10,364. Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi told the Iran's Young Journalists Club semi-official news website that in one province, 120 people had been infected after attending a wedding party. He did not identify the province. Launching the "#I wear mask" campaign, he pleaded with citizens, especially young Iranians, to take the disease seriously. "In our country, every 33 seconds, one person is infected with the coronavirus, and every 13 minutes, one person dies from it," he said. I desperately - and in a friendly way - plead with people to cooperate in observing medical protocols for their own sake and that of others, Harirchi said. Wearing a face covering to avoid spreading the virus is not mandatory in Iran and the guidance is widely flouted. Harirchi said on television that wearing masks reduced the risk of the spread of the virus by 85 percent. State TV on Friday aired interviews with several patients in hospitals who said they contracted the virus after attending wedding parties, wakes and other gatherings The director of Cinema Organization of Iran Hossein Entezami said 18,000 people went to movie theatres when they reopened on Friday. Search Keywords: Short link: 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. Neetu Kapoor shared a heartwarming post as she remembered Rishi Kapoor. The veteran actor died on April 30 after a long battle with leukaemia; he was 67. Big or small We all have a battle to fight in our heads you may have a huge house with all the luxuries and still be unhappy whereas have nothing n be the happiest its all a state of mind!! she wrote, adding, All one needs is a strong mind n hope for a better tmrw !!! Live with gratitude ,hope ,work hard !!!! Value your loved ones as thats your biggest wealth. The post was accompanied by a photo of her with Rishi where they are at a social event. Daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, who has been living with Neetu after Rishis death, was among the first few to react to the post. So beautiful ma, she wrote. In an Instagram AMA session, a fan inquired about Neetus wellbeing to which Riddhima had replied, We drive strength from each other -- We are well. Riddhima has been active on social media, often sharing updates and throwback photos of the family. She has also been sharing photos of the new addition to the family -- Shih Tzu puppy is called Doodle that she gifted to Neetu. Cant thank @riddhimakapoorsahniofficial enough for this cute button Doodle, Neetu had written with a photo of the pup, to which her daughter replied, Ufffffff in love with this button. Recently, Riddhima also shared a photo featuring her, Neetu and daughter Samara. Three generations - love & only love, she captioned the post. While Riddhima has been living with Neetu, Ranbir Kapoor often visits them. Sharing a photo of three of them, Riddhima had written, Always and forever. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Image tweeted by @jmsdf_pao_eng New Delhi/IBNS: India and Japan on Saturday held a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean involving two naval ships each from both the countries, said a media report. We are using the exercises for strategic communications, Vice-Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, director-general of the National Maritime Foundation was quoted as saying in an HT report, adding that the navies were not there for combat purposes but for signalling." We need to be proximate with our friends and the Chinese know there is a direct ladder of escalation between Japan and the United States, the Vice-Admiral was further quoted in the HT report. The Indian navy training vessels INS Rana and INS Kulush were joined by the Japanese navys JS Kashima and JS Shimayuki, the report said. 27 JUN, JS KASHIMA (TV 3508) and JS SHIMAYUKI (TV 3513), the JMSDF Training Squadron, conducted an exercise with INS RANA and INS KULISH, Indian Navy at the Indian Ocean. JMSDF promoted mutual understanding with Indian Navy through this exercise. pic.twitter.com/obiXOSVULH Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (@jmsdf_pao_eng) June 28, 2020 Indo-Japan naval exercises are a routine affair now and this was the 15 th such exercise in the span of last three years, the Japanese embassy in New Delhi has said, it added. Indian Navy conducts joint exercises with its Japanese counterpart bilaterally and also as part of the Malabar Exercises, in which the United States Navy is also a participant. Vice-Admiral Pradeep Chauhan underscored that while the deployment of the Indian Army was sector-specific, India needed to apply pressure across military theatres and exercises like these reminded China that India could quickly deny air cover to its naval assets in the Indian Ocean adding that They are still far away from deploying a carrier in the Indian Ocean," the HT report said. Japan Navy has been expanded and upgraded over the years because of the territorial disputes with an increasingly aggressive China. It has deployed a helicopter destroyer and is building a helicopter carrier which has a full flight deck, said the HT report. Further, the Japanese Navy also boasts of best non-nuclear submarines in the world and cutting edge anti-submarine warfare technology. WASHINGTON Following pressure to disclose the number of minorities on their staffs, the campaigns for former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump released diversity statistics Saturday that show less than half their senior teams are made up of people of color. In a summary of staff data obtained by NBC News, the Biden campaign disclosed that 35 percent of the full-time staff and 36 percent of senior advisors are people of color. The campaign did not break down statistics based on race and ethnicity. After the Biden campaign revealed its numbers, the Trump campaign followed, announcing that 25 percent of its senior staff are people of color but declining to provide information for all full-time staff. Image: Donald Trump (Alex Brandon / AP) Both campaigns touted that a majority of their staffs are comprised of women. The Trump campaign said women comprise 56 percent of its senior staff and 52 percent of full-time staff. Similarly, the Biden campaign said 58 percent of its senior advisers are women, including 53 percent of its full-time staff. Nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd have shined a spotlight on unequal opportunities in the U.S., pressuring companies, organizations and political campaigns to release internal diversity data that would help them confront inequalities within their own ranks. Biden was recently pressed to release campaign staff diversity data after criticism that the presumptive Democratic nominees closest circle of advisers were a majority white and male. He was asked Saturday why his campaign did not disclose the staff numbers during an Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote presidential live stream, Biden immediately instructed his staff to release them. He also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that his cabinet would look like America if elected, from the Vice President to straight down through Cabinet members, to major players within the White House and the court is going to be a reflection of who we are as a nation. Story continues The Trump campaign has twice faced criticism this year about its diversity, most recently after Vice President Mike Pence posted a picture of himself with staff at campaign headquarters in Virginia for not following health code orders, including wearing a mask. However some were quick to point out that many in the room were white. Jennifer Lawless, a politics professor at the University of Virginia, noted the difference between the Trump and Biden campaigns ethnic diversity in their senior staff. It might not seem like a huge deal, but the disparity between a quarter and more than a third of people of color, especially in this environment, matters a lot, she said. Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Darby, Pa., on June 17. (Matt Slocum / AP file) Inclusv, a diversity group that aims to increase diversity numbers in politics, announced it would be working to increase the Biden campaigns minority staff numbers. The campaign itself pointed out that it continues to hire and will prioritize filling key roles with people of color. Hopefully, as the Biden campaign staffs up in the states, they will continue to prioritize recruiting and hiring diverse applicants with the hope that by the end of the cycle, they can reach a benchmark of 45 percent, Inclusv co-founder Alida Garcia told NBC News. She said that while the Trump campaign may call its numbers diverse, the presidents policies do not share the values of increasing diversity. A president who is the candidate of separating families and dehumanizing protestors who are advocating to defend Black life, then it doesnt matter who makes up his team," she said. "His values of a diverse and inclusive America are very clear. During the APIA Vote live stream, Biden slammed Trumps recent racist references to the coronavirus as Kung flu and China flu and said Trump only knows how to speak to peoples fears, not to their better angels. Asian Americans are being targeted with violence in subject to xenophobic rhetoric from the mouth of the president himself, Biden said. This is the president who instead of bringing our country together, does everything he can to fan the flames of hate and division in this country. Trump campaign surrogate Guam Gov. Eddie Baza Calvo dodged criticism about Trumps use of the racist phrases, instead pointing to incidents of looting that occurred around the same time as Black Lives Matter protests across the country and suggested that Biden was culpable. Ten years later all sides would be advised to do some honest stocktaking. It would be a democratically mature gesture if the representatives of the entire political spectrum were able to agree on a shared diagnostic of the events, without cheating for the sake of self-justification. Only then would Spain and Catalonia manage to make some progress in history thus escaping a loop imposed through violence in whichever direction the people wish to go, without trickery, illusions or blackmail, neither by ones own ranks nor by someone elses. Ten years ago the people of Catalonia and their representatives were expelled from Spains constitutional consensus borne out of the political Transition [that followed General Francos death]. Catalonias proposed new special Charter, the Estatut, was passed in 2006 by the Catalan Parliament and subsequently approved by the Spanish lower and higher chambers, after being watered down there by the likes of Alfonso Guerra. It was then ratified by Catalan voters in a referendum. Nevertheless, the Spanish Constitutional Court struck down key aspects of the Charter, putting an end to an inclusive or simply ambiguous but useful interpretation of the Constitution. Aided by then-PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapateros naivety, the Constitutional Court became the guarantor of the political re-centralisation and homogenisation masterminded by the Partido Popular and its stuffy Spanish nationalism, which was shared by a large segment of the PSOE, Zapateros own party. Ten years is enough to conclude that the court ruling that struck down Catalonias Charter also paved the way for the 2017 independence bid. The former Spanish PM, who sought to reform the charter, has admitted that much. The courts political bias, its lack of touch with the political reality and the PSOEs hang-ups in the face of the Spanish nationalists within its own ranks triggered a spiral that not only has expelled half of Catalonias public opinion from the Spanish project, but has also damaged tolerance towards difference and debased the quality of Spanish democracy and the States institutions. Ten years later, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero talks about going back to square one to find, again, a stable meeting point with a well-meaning argument: if we were able to reach a great understanding once, surely we can do it again?. Obviously an agreement is desirable and the only acceptable political tools are dialogue and the ballot. But these ten years have also had an impact on Catalan society, which is now split almost exactly down the middle, with a large number people who have stopped thinking about Spain and have given up on the historical notion of transforming it from within. Every actor must embrace realism to come to grips with the current state of affairs. Catalonia is not an independent country, having overestimated its own strength and underestimated the strength of the Spanish State. There has been a string of political errors, but the referendum of 1 October 2017 is unforgettable, as is King Felipes endorsement of the repression and the fabrication of a narrative of violence that has resulted in long prison sentences for the political and grassroots separatist leaders. The States onslaught remains one of the few cohesive elements that hold together the pro-independence camp today. SQUARE 1 Both sides must be honest and take a moment to think about Rodriguez Zapatero when he says that were nearly back to square one, as if Catalans had been overcome by some malaise, instead of admitting that many of them no longer feel connected to Spain, embracing instead a political project that shuns the reconstruction of Spain as a project that is either alien or untenable. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the ever-willing former Spanish PM, claims that dialogue is the only space for hope and insists that we must start anew despite the frustration of having been personally struck by that ruling. Zapatero argues that Spain is building a federal system and does not hesitate to resort to two platitudes: the respect for the Catalan language and reading Catalonias classics. A great deal of Catalonias public opinion remains dissatisfied with anyone who claims to speak Catalan in small circles and reads Josep Pla in summer, while holidaying on the Costa Brava. Spanish democracy is at a crossroads, and Catalan and Spanish societies are not the same as they were ten years ago. They have drifted far away from one another and there are many grievances between them, a massive gap. Many young people do not see themselves reflected in the Constitution, the monarchy, the political party system and the lack of a proposal for Catalonia from the Partido Popular, the political party which benefitted from playing the trump card of reaction aided by the courts of law and the nature of the deep State. As for the PSOE, the socialist partys reforms have failed because it does not believe in a pluralistic Spain and, instead, it is increasingly drawn to recentralisation and homogenisation. Ten years later, the Spain that espouses reform is yet to prove its worth and the 2006 Statute was the last chance of finding a meeting place for half the Catalan population. Michael Clay, 45, was the head of the Urban and Regional Planning in the Geography Department at BYU in Utah when he allegedly abused the student A professor from a private Utah university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been accused of sexually abusing a female student and is alleged to have inappropriately touched her during some of 20 meetings in his office which he made her keep secret. Michael James Clay, 45, was the head of the Urban and Regional Planning in the Geography Department at Brigham Young University (BYU). According to the complaint from the alleged victim who is originally from another country he gave her a 'priesthood blessing' and told her he was inspired by god to engage in physical activity with her. Clay allegedly invited the student to listen to some 'meditation music' and 'told the victim that his office was a safe place and that she should not tell anyone what went on there' after she told him she 'was having some emotional difficulties'. '(Clay) told the victim that he could make her feel better and make all the negative feelings go away,' the charges state. '(Clay) said he could work on her disorders and the negative feelings and that he could be her emotional and physical support. The victim considered (Clay) to be a mentor and a therapist.' When the student talked to Clay about meeting with a counselor or psychiatrist, he allegedly told her that 'meeting with him was more effective.' '(He) told the victim that she needed to change her body chemistry and that she needed to practice how to be a good wife and that (he) could help her,' the charging documents state. The incidents took place between January and March near to the time the professor and unidentified student first met. At some point between January 15 and February 15, Clay - who is from Springville - allegedly drove her up a canyon and touched her behind over her clothing. '(Clay) asked if it was OK. The victim said it was OK because she felt like she had to say yes,' the charging document states. During a meeting in his office on February 19 or 20, he allegedly got the student to sit on his lap in a straddling position. Clay allegedly invited the student to listen to some 'meditation music' in his office after she told him she 'was having some emotional difficulties'. When she spoke to him about meeting with a counselor, he allegedly told her that 'meeting with him was more effective' 'Defendant (Clay) asked the victim to demonstrate something,' according to charging documents. 'Defendant sat on a sofa and had the victim straddle Defendant's lap. The victim stated that Defendant "dry humped" her, grabbing her buttocks with his hands and rubbing his pelvis against hers.' When she told Clay 'that's enough' he allegedly didn't stop and said she needed to keep trying. The student claims that after two more objections he stopped. Clay allegedly text the student that she was 'making good progress' and that his job was to 'help (her) on the inside'. The student also claims he told her to delete the text messages sent between them. 'On one occasion, (Clay) gave the victim a priesthood blessing. On another occasion, (he) told the victim that he had prayed about her and felt inspired from God to engage in physical contact with the victim,' the documents state. Clay was in charge of a program at the school where he had the authority to hire interns and teaching assistants. '(He) told the victim that if she trusted him more, he might be able to hire her but that he wanted to wait to see how she improved,' the charging documents state. '(Clay) told the victim that he is very powerful in the victim's field of study.' BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins told Deseret News on Thursday that Clay hasn't been employed by the university since mid-April. The school is referring all questions to the Utah County Attorney's Office. Clay was charged Thursday with two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. His bail was set at $21,000. According to state legislature, the charge pertains to when the victim is 14 years of age or older and, 'under circumstances not amounting to rape, object rape, forcible sodomy, or attempted rape or forcible sodomy;. Legislation states: 'The actor touches the anus, buttocks, pubic area, or any part of the genitals of another, or touches the breast of a female, or otherwise takes indecent liberties with another, with intent to cause substantial emotional or bodily pain to any individual or with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any individual, without the consent of the other, regardless of the sex of any participant.' The offense is punishable by one to 15 years in prison. WEST CHESTER In the end, Ricky Lowes own words helped seal his fate. A Chester County Common Pleas Court judge sentenced Lowe to a state prison term of 14 to 32 years, believed to be among the longest terms ever set for a defendant charged with an episode in which someone sells an addict the dose of heroin or fentanyl that results in their fatal overdosing. After listening to Lowe offer his apologies to the family of 32-year-old Alanna Lana Holt, who was found unconscious in her Main Line bedroom after Lowe allegedly dropped off a quantity of super-lethal 3-methyl fentanyl in a mailbox outside her parents home and later died, Judge Patrick Carmody told him he did not believe his expression of remorse. Instead, the judge pointed to a tape-recorded conversation that Lowe had with an unidentified man from Philadelphia in which the two openly discussed how to conduct Lowes on-going drug trafficking business from Chester County Prison. And he also noted that Lowes own behavior in the wake of Holts death proved he felt little concern about the peril in which he placed her, and others he sold drugs to. The prison conversation in which there is person-to-person discussion between Lowe and the other party of collecting drug money from a street dealer and concern about how another person was finessing drug shipments he owed money for took place on April 16, just five weeks after Lowe was convicted by a jury on all charges. A transcript of the tape was attached to a memo in which the two prosecutors in the case, Assistant District Attorney Vincent Cocco and Kaitlyn Macauley, asked the judge to sentence Lowe to 17 to 35 years in prison. Carmody also recalled testimony from Lowes March trial, in which a Tredyffrin police detective pretended to be Holt in contacting Lowe for a delivery of more drugs, a day or so after her death in November 2018. As Holt, Detective Robert Bostick told the person on the other end of the text later identified as Lowe that drugs he had delivered to her house earlier had made her sick all day but that she wanted more. Despite knowing the danger, Lowe nevertheless delivered more of the same drug, a powerful synthetic heroin he assured his clients was str8 hammer powerful. That showed how indifferent to Holts life Lowe was, Carmody said. Lowe, 25, of Philadelphia, was sentenced on charges of felony drug delivery resulting in death, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and criminal use of a communications facility. The drug delivery sentence was for eight to 20 years, combined with five to 10 years on the possession charge and one to two years on the communications charge. Overall, the sentence was more than many who face prison in the county when they give drugs to an addict who overdoses. The charge of drug delivery resulting in death has been charged in a number of fatal overdose cases in the county, but often results in conviction for other, lesser charges, such as possession with intent to deliver. To gain a conviction for the charge, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was the specific dose of drugs given to the victim by a defendant that caused death. The opioid epidemic is a scourge on our society, said Cocco, the lead prosecutor on the case. This sentence shows drug dealers that Chester County law enforcement will investigate and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law. While no sentence can adequately fill the hole left in the Holt family from the passing of Alanna Holt, this sentence sends a clear message that this type of criminal behavior will not be tolerated. This is the highest sentence and first jury trial conviction for this type of case in the county, added District Attorney Deb Ryan in a statement. We are hopeful that this sentence will resonate throughout the county to drug dealers peddling this poison in our county and serve as a deterrence to all. In a victim impact statement she read into the record, Holts mother, Leslie Holt, said she believed the jury that found Lowe guilty would have wanted Carmody to impose the maximum sentenced allowed 20 to 40 years for her daughters death. Had there not been a predator, Ricky Lowe, waiting for someone in pain, who had poison to give, Lana would be here today, Leslie Holt said. Collectively, as a society, and as parents, we hear and experience this type of heinous crime too often. Only when there is a real deterrent will predators question the risks they are taking in dealing in death. Lowes attorney, Joseph P. Green Jr. of West Chester, urged the judge to keep his sentence within standard guidelines for someone such as Lowe who had no adult criminal history, and a childhood of abuse. But he said he could not argue against the judges frustration with Lowes conduct in prison after his conviction, and the transcript of his dealings on the outside. Police were called to Holts home in the Malvern area of Tredyffrin at about 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2018, for the report of an unresponsive female. In his testimony at Lowes trial, Holts father, Timothy Holt, described going to check on his daughter and finding her slumped at the foot of her bed, upright and unconscious. He tried to revive her, as did emergency personnel, but was unsuccessful. Lowe, 25, was arrested by Tredyffrin police in 2018 after investigators were able to tie text messages sent from his phone to Holts cellphone in which the two discussed trading drugs for gift cards and prescription pills. Bostick was able to pose as Holt in a series of texts in which he lured Lowe to her home to drop off another delivery of suspected 3-methyl fentanyl a few days after her death. Police were waiting and took a man later identified as a Lowe into custody. At the time, Holt was one of 112 Chester County residents who died from an accidental drug overdose, and one of those who succumbed to a substance that dealers in the area were distributing as an alternative to heroin so-called analogs like 3-methyl fentanyl. In July 2018, Chester County Coroner Dr. Christina VandePol issued a warning about the increased presence of 3-methyl fentanyl in the drug overdose deaths her office had been investigating. Eventually, 112 residents would die that year from accidental overdoses, a number that decreased, slightly, in 2019 to 104. To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544. Teleconsultation and online consultation has seen a steady spike infact, around 42% of patients are taking prescriptions by Tele Consultation and Doctor visits had dropped by almost 5% during the period of March April 2020. C Com Digital a full-service digital marketing agency, unveiled the details of its whitepaper study conducted to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian Pharmaceutical industry. The report brought the attention firmly on the urgent need for the pharmaceutical organizations thriving on age-old business models to embrace the world of digital marketing and leverage technology to their optimum advantage. Nearly 35% of the operations of the pharma companies need to be shifted digital, according to the survey. The study was carried out in collaboration with some of the leading decisionmakers and business consultants from across India to gauge the impact of COVID-19 on their organizations as well as the whole of the pharma industry. Most of the respondents that participated in the survey experienced complacency in the industry with respect to heavy dependency on the out-of-date B2B model and hesitance to adopt changes due to ROI centricity prevailing for decades. The online digital survey said that majority of the top management officials believed that COVID-19 has already brought about a strategic shift in the way pharma companies function and engage with physicians and other clients on a day to day basis. Teleconsultation and online consultation has seen a steady spike infact, around 42% of patients are taking prescriptions by Tele Consultation and Doctor visits had dropped by almost 5% during the period of March April 2020. To add, the biggest concern for most of these organizations remains to undertake measures for continued remote working facilities and minimizing direct engagement by establishing digital routes. C Coms research highlights a heavy focus on digital engagement, with a majority of respondents seeking to invest in social media, video marketing, and online meeting set-ups for staying relevant as well as connected to the medical experts, customers, and other stakeholders. The study also saw that, pharmaceutical companies are considering dedicating about 5% to 10% of their marketing budget towards creating webinars and online communications. Moreover, the report identifies that many large-scale pharma companies are now looking to place their bet on online patient education and online training of field staff through the means of comprehensive soft skill modules and dedicated e-learning programs from a perspective of sustainable development goals. In fact, few of the companies are already leveraging AI-driven models to gain a competitive advantage over others and to build engagement with their clients from newsletters. One of the insights from the study has been: 72% of consumers feels that it was appropriate for pharma to continue their promotions, only about a 25% of all consumers did not think pharma should promote during this time. 84% wanted to know how to deal with COVID-19 or communication related to it and 51% wanted public service messages during COVID-19 and 47% wanted patient assistance programs. Its time for pharma companies to respond positively to digitization; since its here to stay for a long while now. In general, when we are talking about the new normal, we must understand that employees can work remotely with utmost productivity, but the key remains to prepare ourselves, as an organization, to adjust and adopt new changes quickly as per the changing environment, so that theres victory at the end of the dark tunnel. And now, as we analyze the report of the survey, its clear that to tackle the existing challenges in the pharma industry, we must let the best options and capabilities walk up to the table, said Chandan Bagwe, Founder and Managing Director, C Com Digital. Guidelines or not, pharma companies are slowly picking up the pace to go digital, primarily by looking at social media for communication and engagement. In the days to come, it is certain that most of these businesses will find an alternative to demonstrate their offerings, either through applications or video content. Clearly, the position of the industry and the present-day scenario points out that more and more pharma companies will dedicate a larger portion of their budgets towards digital marketing as against advertising or branding. Perhaps, the progress and success post-COVID-19 will be primarily reliant on agile working models, sagacious strategies, and adaptable workforces. The owners of Montys Lighthouse and Fajita Jacks have already had to lay off more than 140 employees at both restaurants and lost tens of thousands of dollars due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. As businesses shut down, the lakefront restaurants shifted to offering to-go orders and curbside meals from Fajita Jacks on a combined menu served by about 20 employees who remained in May. As the state began to reopen and lakegoers headed back out, business began to pick back up. But in May, John Morris said his business that was normally full on Saturdays, had dropped from seeing 350 people at each location to about 120. As the state recently announced that it was halting reopening, shutting down bars and restricting occupancy back from 75 percent down to 50 percent again next week, the family said they may have to lay off employees again. While they do not expect to have to lay off as many people as before, there will be a reduction of hours for some. The business continues to take precautions, which has also cost thousands of dollars. Our businesses are resilient, but some people will not be able to survive, Cheryl Morris said. They will not be able to recoup their losses enough to survive. Thats a fact. Texas Restaurants Association predicted a couple of months ago that they were going to lose 12 percent of restaurants in Texas. I dont know what that figure is now. Morris said customers can support businesses by respecting the 6-foot social distancing guidelines. She said that is one the hardest things that the restaurants are having a challenge with right now. She has observed some customers expect the restaurant to police masks for employees, which are not required for the patrons. When they come and sit at the bar when we have a sign there that says 6-foot distance, they need to respect that, she said. They dont have to wear masks, we are not requiring that, but that is something that they can do to help out. Because other people get uncomfortable, our managers get uncomfortable, we get uncomfortable, we have to approach someone. We dont want to do it. Well do it, but people need to remember people are sensitive right now and those are the things that according to police that people dont follow them those are the ones who have their license suspended. I think 17 liquor licenses were suspended by the TABC. At the beginning of May, Conroes Burger Fresh Owner James Canada had ProTech Disinfect service his business to prepare to reopen again at the Gladstell Plaza off Interstate 45. At the time he was thrilled about the governors order to allow restaurants to open their dining rooms at 25 percent capacity, ready to spur the economy again. Now he said he has real mixed emotions about the new order. When you see the massive protests and riots and all of that and they are not doing anything about that and they want to pick on restaurants and bars, I have very mixed emotions on if it is doing any good or not, Canada said. As far as people sitting together, if people are going to sit at a table together, what difference does it make if there is another table behind them is my point because they are not facing them. I just dont know what is the effectiveness of all of this is. To me, it is more like a game and they are missing the big things, which is these huge crowds that they let gather. A short trip away from Lake Conroe, a hodge-podge style eatery, Pie in the Sky, has persevered for about 15 years despite visibility challenges. In the past two years, due to the success, the business expanded its Conroe location and opened new locations in Magnolia and College Station. The business offers an array of American cuisines including chicken salad sandwiches, casseroles, pie and more. The self-starting owner, a lifelong Conroe resident who now lives in Houston, Marlene Stubler, said for the restaurant there is no change. She said the restaurant, which continues to require the wearing of masks and practices sanitizing, had already went back down to 50 percent after 75 percent occupancy felt too crowded almost like it was 100 percent. Now it feels like it has become a new normal because she said they had to keep the employees, who are more exposed to people, safe. At the beginning, she shared Pie in the Sky laid off a few people in the first two or three weeks. She said the restaurant, which already offered to-go options, started a new curbside process in place and then was able to bring most people back that had been laid off. Pie in the Sky currently has most of the employees it had before, which she said is around 40 employees in Conroe and about 25 at the other locations. She described the community and customers as being very supportive and shared that curbside and pick-up were not just delivered through apps but personally delivered to people as well. We are just a small little cafe, so as a business weve just tried to stay relevant and work our social media pages to make up what we had lost in our dining business, Stubler said. While the business had some losses, especially in the first month or two of the COVID-19 pandemic, she noticed that it did not have the overhead as well. For example, there were not as manyuch expenses for payroll, food, and water were all down. She estimated Pie in the Sky has suffered a 20-30 percent drop in business in the first and second month, which she believes a lot has come back over the past month. I just got to look at the bright side, Stubler said. Im not concerned with going down to 50 percent because I really felt like that is where we needed to be and that is where we needed to stay for a while. It was pretty evident that people were still getting sick, so we needed to just play it safe. However, while discussing her thought process she shared she has been under Houston mandates, so when she was required to wear a mask, she made the same requirement. We just take for granted the life that we have had, the way that we have lived up until now, you know Ive never witnessed a pandemic, and Im 55 she said. She also shared Pie in the Sky, which is still open seven days, mainly from 9 a.m-5 p.m., has a limited time offer for July: a Hummingbird Bar and a Pineapple Cream Pie. The featured pie for the month is a Peach Streusel. mellsworth@hcnonline.com The $6.9 billion that was pledged today to support the worlds poorest and most marginalized communities is an incredible next step on our journey out of the COVID-19 era, but there is more still to be done, as no one is safe until everyone is safe, Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, said after the event Saturday. Sir Mark Sedwill was handed a peerage and a bumper civil service pay-off when he quit his dual role and cleared the way for Dominic Cummings' Whitehall shake-up. Britain's top civil servant, 55, last night confirmed he will step down as both Cabinet Secretary and national security adviser in September, after more than 30 years in Government service. Sir Mark's departure comes just days after Mr Cummings is reported to have told Government advisers 'a hard rain is coming' to Whitehall an apparent reference to the radioactive showers that follow a nuclear blast. He is said to have advised Mr Johnson to sack the former diplomat at the end of last month following clashes over the scale and timing of the planned overhaul. But Mr Johnson and Sir Mark finalised his departure at a private lunch on June 2, and agreed to try to paint the departure as amicable. Bob Kerslake, a former head of the Civil Service, along with the civil servants' union accused Number 10 'or those around it' of working to 'undermine' the ex-diplomat. Speaking to the Guardian, Lord Kerslake said: 'I fear from some of the press briefing that had obviously gone on that the Civil Service is being made the fall guy for mistakes made in the handling of the pandemic.' Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, which represents public officials, said: 'No 10, or those around it, has sought to undermine Sir Mark and the leadership of the civil service, with a series of anonymous briefings against him over many months.' He blasted the tactics as 'corrosive and cowardly' and said the Government would be 'weaker as a result' of the departure. Sir Mark Sedwill (middle with Boris Johnson left) said it had been 'a privilege to serve' as he announced he will stand down from both roles in September, after over 30 years in Government service It comes as Dominic Cummings, the PM's chief aide, prepares to take an axe to the Civil Service after the coronavirus exposed 'fundamental' flaws in the government machine 'I am fortunate to have served in some of the most challenging and rewarding jobs in national and international public service under seven prime ministers and in extraordinary times,' Sir Mark said in a letter to Mr Johnson today As well as a good civil service pay-off, Sir Mark has been given a peerage and a role leading a panel on global economic security ahead of next year's G7 summit in the UK. Mr Johnson is also said to have indicated he is open to backing Sir Mark's ambition to become the next head of Nato when Jens Stoltenberg steps down in 2022. Sir Mark will be replaced as national security adviser by David Frost, currently the UK's chief Brexit negotiator and a close ally of Mr Cummings. Government sources confirmed the decision marks a 'hard deadline' for the Brexit trade talks, which resume in Brussels on Monday. Sources said Mr Johnson was clear a deal had to be agreed before Mr Frost moves to his new role in September. Recruitment of a new Cabinet Secretary will start immediately, but candidates will be limited to acting and former permanent secretaries. Prince William's private secretary Simon Case, who is on secondment to Number 10, starts the race as favourite although sources said it would be an open competition. The role is one of the most senior positions in the British constitution, with the incumbent responsible for relations between Government and the Queen. In a letter to Mr Johnson, Sir Mark said: 'Two years ago, when my predecessor fell ill, your predecessor asked me to step in as Cabinet Secretary, and you asked me to continue to support you through Brexit and the election period. 'It was obviously right to stay on for the acute phase of the Covid-19 crisis. As you are setting out this week, the Government's focus is now shifting to domestic and global recovery and renewal.' The Prime Minister, who will give a speech laying out his blueprint for economic recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, praised the outgoing public servant for his 'outstanding' work. 'It has been by any standards a massive contribution - but as PM I have particularly appreciated your calm and shrewd advice,' he wrote to Sir Mark in his responding letter. Announcing Mr Frost's new position, Mr Johnson said: 'I have asked David to help me deliver this Government's vision for Britain's place in the world and to support me in reinvigorating our national security architecture and ensuring that we deliver for the British people on the international stage.' Sir Mark's exit from Downing Street is likely to be part of a wider overhaul of how the Cabinet Office and Civil Service functions, with Mr Johnson breaking up the roles of Cabinet Secretary and NSA. Sir Mark was appointed National Security Adviser by Theresa May in 2017 and made Cabinet Secretary a year later. He was permitted to keep both jobs despite criticism. Sir Mark was appointed National Security Adviser by Theresa May in 2017 and made Cabinet Secretary a year later. He was allowed to do both jobs despite criticism The Prime Minister thanked Sir Mark for his 'outstanding service' after taking over as Cabinet Secretary in 'tragic circumstances' as he rewarded him with a life peerage The FDA accused 'No 10 - or those around it' of seeking to 'undermine Sir Mark and the leadership of the civil service, with a series of anonymous briefings against him over many months'. Ambassador to Afghanistan and the UK's top civil servant: Sir Mark Sedwill's 30 years in Government Pictured: Boris Johnson and Sir Mark in 2019 Sir Mark Sedwill was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 2018 by then Prime Minister Theresa May when the 54-year-old was already National Security Adviser. Prior to this, Sir Mark was the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office from 2013 to 2017, and served as FCO Political Director for a year from 2012. He was the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011, HM Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010 and the Director of UKvisas from 2006 to 2008. The father-of-one joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1989, serving in Egypt, Iraq, Cyprus and Pakistan. Sir Mark was educated at the University of St Andrews and the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and President of the Special Forces Club. He announced today he will step down from his dual role as Cabinet Secretary and National Security Adviser from September. Advertisement Helen Hayes, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, also praised the work of outgoing Cabinet Secretary as she questioned the timing of the Prime Minister's 'reshuffling'. The Labour MP said: 'We pay tribute to the work Mark Sedwill has done. He has been a dedicated public servant and has run the civil service in difficult times. 'On the day it was revealed millions of jobs across the country could be under threat in the coming months, it is very concerning that Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings are preoccupied with reshuffling Whitehall.' Sir Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, added Sir Mark's resignation as Cabinet Secretary showed the political strength of the Prime Minister's chief aide Dominic Cummings. He said: 'Boris Johnson is clearly ready to grant Cummings his every wish when it comes to politicising the civil service and sweeping out those who may try to hold his Government to account.' Sir Mark had been 'unhappy' in his role recently, his colleagues told the Financial Times today, as rumours swirled he was to be ousted as part of Mr Johnson's shake-up of the Civil Service. A source told The Sunday Telegraph that Sir Mark was 'fighting to stay as National Security Adviser' and is resigned to losing his post as Cabinet Secretary. They said: 'He is fighting to keep the national security one but they want to take everything off him and give him a non-job.' Another source told the Sunday Times: 'One option is to appoint someone from the business world.' Downing Street earlier declined to confirm whether Sir Mark would remain in his position until the end of the year. Announcing that Mr Frost is to take over the National Security Adviser role from September, Mr Johnson praised him as 'an experienced diplomat, policy thinker and proven negotiator.' 'He negotiated the deal that finally enabled us to leave the EU in January and in his new role I am confident he will make an equal difference to this country's ability to project influence for the better,' he said. 'I have asked David to help me deliver this Government's vision for Britain's place in the world and to support me in reinvigorating our national security architecture and ensuring that we deliver for the British people on the international stage.' Mr Frost said: 'I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed the next National Security Adviser. I look forward to helping deliver the Prime Minister's vision for a global Britain, with real influence around the world. 'My aim is to support the Prime Minister in setting a new strategic vision for Britain's place in the world as an independent country after the end of the EU transition period, and in championing that vision as we strengthen our international relationships. 'To do this effectively we need to strengthen and refocus our international policy apparatus, to ensure that we keep pace with others in the world. The creation of the new Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office is one important step in this. Mr Johnson confirmed Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost (pictured) will take over as the Prime Minister's National Security Adviser Sir Mark Sedwill, the Cabinet Secretary, has been the target of increasingly hostile briefings in Downing Street ahead of an expected overhaul of the Cabinet Office and senior ministers 'Implementing the Integrated Review of our international capability, and making sure we use the National Security Council to drive its results, are also essential and I look forward to leading both. 'I will of course remain Chief Negotiator for the EU talks and these will remain my top single priority until those negotiations have concluded, one way or another.' Sir Mark now becomes the third senior Whitehall mandarin to quit this year following clashes with ministers and Number 10. Former Home Office chief Sir Philip Rutnam resigned in February after making explosive bullying allegations against Priti Patel, and Foreign Office chief Sir Simon McDonald resigned this month following reports he was on a Number 10 's*** list' because of his anti-Brexit views. David Frost appointed National Security Adviser after Johnson ousts Sir Mark Sedwill Pictured: David Frost in 2014 Boris Johnson has confirmed Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost will take over as National Security Adviser from September. Sir Mark Sedwill, who currently acts as NSA and Cabinet Secretary, today announced he will step down from the role amid an anticipated overhaul of the civil service. Mr Johnson has spilt the two roles, which were joined by Theresa May when she appointed Sir Mark as Cabinet Secretary in 2018. It is unclear who will step into this position from September, but Simon Case is hotly tipped to be gearing up for a promotion. Mr Case was appointed permanent secretary in Number 10 amid the coronavirus crisis. Mr Frost is currently the Prime Minister's Europe Adviser and the UK's Chief Negotiator, having previously served as Special Adviser to Mr Johnson when he was Foreign Secretary. He first joined the Foreign Office in 1987, from where he was posted to the British High Commission in Nicosia, Cyprus. In 1993, he was posted to the UK Representation to the EU in Brussels as First Secretary for Economic and Financial Affairs. He was the British Ambassador to Denmark from May 2006 to October 2008, before acting as Director for Strategy and Policy Planning in the Foreign Office from October 2008 to 2010. Mr Frost then left Diplomatic Service in 2013 to become CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association. Speaking of his appointment today, he said: 'I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed the next National Security Adviser. I look forward to helping deliver the Prime Minister's vision for a global Britain, with real influence around the world.' Advertisement The departure of the Cabinet Secretary gives Mr Johnson and his controversial chief adviser free rein over their planned restructuring of Whitehall. In a speech at the weekend, Michael Gove set out the scale of the agenda, saying: 'The structures, ambitions and priorities of the Government machine need to change if real reform is to be implemented and endure.' Mr Gove, a close ally of Mr Cummings, took a swipe at the calibre of Whitehall mandarins, saying: 'We have neglected to ensure that senior members of the civil service have all the basic skills required to serve Government, and our citizens, well.' Mr Gove said there should be more Brexiteers in Whitehall, and that the Government machine should be broken up and dispersed around the country. Despite this, Sir Mark secured agreement that his successor will be drawn from the ranks of acting and former permanent secretaries rather than parachuted in from the world of business or academia as some allies of Mr Cummings wanted. Mr Case, who returned to Government last month as Number 10's permanent secretary, was favourite for the job last night. Ministry of Defence permanent secretary Sir Stephen Lovegrove is said to be among his likely rivals, as are his counterpart at the Home Office Matthew Rycroft and EU ambassador Sir Tim Barrow. Ofcom chief Dame Melanie Dawes and John Lewis chairman Dame Sharon White are possible candidates to be the UK's first female Cabinet Secretary. Sir Mark's exit comes as Mr Cummings, the chief architect of the Leave vote in the 2016 referendum, reportedly prepares to take an axe to the Civil Service after the coronavirus exposed 'fundamental' flaws in the government machine. He is said to have told colleagues the Cabinet Office will be stripped of powers after being found wanting during the crisis. There were even claims of a bruising exchange between the Prime Minister and Sir Mark at a meeting on the lockdown 'exit strategy' recently. The Cabinet Office has been criticised for being unwieldy, unfocused and unresponsive to political pressure as ministers have attempted to avoid crises on personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilator shortages. Critics had feared that Sir Mark, who served as an envoy in Afghanistan, was too steeped in foreign policy concerns and lacked the skills to tackle a complex domestic crisis. 'Mark could convene a [legal assembly] of Pashtun elders, wire up GCHQ and probably kill a man with his bare hands but Simon's rather better at solving a series of ticklish problems and making the whole thing 'tick',' a source told The Times. When asked at a briefing whether Sir Mark was being sidelined, a Downing Street spokesman said: 'Sir Mark continues to work closely with the senior team to ensure that the government receives all the advice that it needs.' The Prime Minister most recently appointed Baroness Dido Harding, the former chief executive of Talktalk, to head the government's Test and Trace programme. Last week, Mr Cummings' war with the Civil Service received fresh backing as a new report laid blame for coronavirus errors at the door of the Whitehall 'blob'. Boris Johnson's backroom fixer has set his sights on a sweeping reform, accusing mandarins of pandemic failures and reportedly saying that 'a hard rain is coming'. A new report by the Civitas think tank today attacks a 'scientific clique' within the system that ministers were too afraid to question in the early days of the crisis. It came as Mr Cummings, 48, faced a demand from a Civil Service union for a Parliamentary probe into his treatment of special advisers, or Spads, over fears he is trying to centralise power in No10. The FDA accused him of being 'overly confrontational' and attempting to 'centralise' control of advisers usually answerable to the ministers they worked for, in a letter to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Mr Cummings (pictured arriving to Downing Street) is said to have told colleagues the Cabinet Office will be stripped of powers after being found wanting during the crisis Dominic Cummings' long-running war with the Civil Service Dominic Cummings has written prolific blogs on government over years that give a glimpse into his thinking. In June last year, shortly before joining Mr Johnson at No10, he penned a 10,000-word post calling for an end to the 'Kafka-esque' influence of civil servants on politicians. He proposed creating independent 'Red Teams' to challenge official advice to ministers - who would be rewarded for overturning the orthodoxy. Mr Cummings has previously slammed support for ministers as 'extremely bureaucratic and slow' and said the civil service had presided over 'expensive debacle after expensive debacle'. He dismissed Westminster as 'the blind leading the blind', saying that for top mandarins 'management, like science, is regarded contemptuously as something for the lower orders to think about, not the ''strategists'' at the top'. Mr Cummings has been upsetting the Westminster establishment for years. He memorably nicknamed the educational establishment 'the blob' when he was adviser to Mr Gove at the Department for Education. In 2014, David Cameron reportedly branded him a 'career psychopath', and Mr Cummings resigned from government and accused him of 'bumbling from one shambles to another without the slightest sense of purpose'. Mr Cummings described Lib Dem former deputy PM Nick Clegg as 'a revolting character', which triggered Mr Clegg to dismiss him as a 'loopy ideologue'. Advertisement In the Civitas paper, authors Jim McConalogue and Tim Knox wrote: 'It appears that the UK government's early shift from the public information health campaign towards lockdown was the result of a lack of political will to question ''the science''. 'Ministers repeatedly stressed their deference to the advice coming from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) and Public Health England (PHE). 'These advisory groups to the government appear to have been granted ''a representational monopoly.'' This explains how one crucial modelling projection study persuaded the government to overhaul its approach to Covid-19 and then impose tougher lockdown measures to contain the virus. 'The deference to ''the science'' was not justified. 'The science' made frequent mistakes. Worse, it led to inappropriate government responses to the pandemic.' Mr Cummings has been a longstanding critic of the way the civil service works, calling for more modern organisation and data-driven policies. The PM's most senior aide is said to have told colleagues the Cabinet Office will be stripped of powers after being found wanting during the crisis. In blogs before he was drafted in by Mr Johnson, he urged the introduction of 'red teams' explicitly tasked with finding reasons why the government should not be following policies. He has been an advocate of 'Super-Forecasters', individuals who have no specific expertise but are able to predict events because of their mental process. Mr Cummings has been particularly scathing about the way the Ministry of Defence runs its procurement. But he has also been accused of overstepping the mark, including by having one adviser to former chancellor Sajid Javid frog-marched out of Downing Street last year. ANDREW PIERCE: Was would-be beach bum Sir Mark Sedwill washed away by 'hard rain' in Whitehall? By Andrew Pierce for the Daily Mail Over a private lunch in his Downing Street flat three weeks ago, Boris Johnson persuaded the Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill that it was time to stand down. It was an amicable conversation as Sedwill had been thinking for a while it was time to move on. The burden of the job had become too great. The Oxford-educated 55-year-old has been the most powerful and perhaps the busiest civil servant of modern times. He's the Cabinet Secretary, the head of the civil service, the national security adviser and the first to hold all three positions at once. But he came up against arguably the most powerful unelected adviser of modern times: Dominic Cummings Boris's most trusted aide. Over a private lunch in his Downing Street flat three weeks ago, Boris Johnson persuaded the Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill (pictured together) that it was time to stand down Only last week, Cummings paraphrased Bob Dylan to warn 'that a hard rain is coming on Whitehall'. The civil service, he believes, is too slow, bureaucratic and has presided over 'expensive debacle after expensive debacle'. Cummings wrote a memo earlier this year calling for 'weirdos and misfits' to work in Downing Street. And Sedwill, who worked well with Boris and was popular among many colleagues, scarcely fits into that category. One well-placed source said: 'The lazy view will be that Cummings wants radical reform of the civil service so Sedwill had to go. But actually Sedwill had some interesting ideas of his own for changing things in the civil service. 'In the end he is going because he's been doing the job a long time, the workload was often overwhelming, and he agreed with the Prime Minister it was time for someone else to take over and for the job to be split.' David Frost, the Government's lead Brexit negotiator with the EU, will take on Sedwill's security post. Inevitably, there had been sharp disagreements. Boris, who inherited Sedwill from his predecessor Theresa May, had clashed with him over Brexit. In a tense stand-off during a meeting last month, Boris (pictured) asked Sedwill: 'Who is in charge of implementing this plan? Is it you?' The Oxford-educated 55-year-old (pictured) has been the most powerful and perhaps the busiest civil servant of modern times 'Sedwill never made any secret of his opposition to a no deal Brexit,' said a senior source. 'We finally break free from the EU on December 31 with or without a deal. The PM wants someone at his right-hand side who is okay about leaving with no deal.' One senior minister said that many would be sorry to see Sedwill go, adding: 'I like Mark. He's clever, he's got a good sense of humour and he's a 'can-do' figure, unlike some senior civil servants. But the PM and Cummings want things done differently. It's why his successor may be from outside Whitehall.' Boris also clashed with Sedwill, who fell ill with coronavirus at the same time as the PM, over the strategy for lifting lockdown. David Frost (pictured), the Government's lead Brexit negotiator with the EU, will take on Sedwill's security post In a tense stand-off during a meeting last month, Boris asked Sedwill: 'Who is in charge of implementing this plan? Is it you?' After a long pause Sedwill replied: 'No I think it's you, Prime Minister.' Even Sedwill's admirers concede that at times he was overwhelmed by his workload. 'Being the national security adviser is a huge job. But Sedwill went on a power grab, was indulged by Theresa May who let him do all three jobs, and he's now paying the price,' said a Whitehall official. Yet it all could have been so different for Sedwill, who studied at St Andrews University in Scotland and gained a masters in economics at Oxford's St Edmund Hall. In an interview he once said that his time working as a scuba-diving instructor after graduation 'almost prompted me to drop out and spend the rest of my life on a beach'. But the would-be beach bum instead joined the diplomatic service, learning Arabic to serve in Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq as a UN weapons inspector. In one of the stranger moments of his career, Sedwill was stranded in a remote part of Pakistan in 2004 after snowfall cut off all access to local roads. He ended up being the guest of honour at a polo festival, 12,000 feet up in the Himalayas. In April 2008 he became ambassador to Afghanistan and was hand-picked by Nato to act as the senior civilian representative in Kabul. His uniform was a bulletproof flak jacket and a helmet rather than a suit and tie. With a strong security background, he doesn't flinch from conflict. 'Given his experience in Afghanistan, Mark would take a gun to a knife fight,' said one Whitehall admirer. Pictured: Sir Mark (second left) with Therese Coffey, Matt Hancock, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak When the Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood died in 2018, there was no doubt who would replace him. Downing Street never even advertised the job it always had Sedwill's name on it. He relished the power and wielded it ruthlessly. The former defence secretary Gavin Williamson was fired for a leak from the National Security Council over plans to allow Chinese telecoms giant Huawei to help build the UK's 5G network. Sedwill demanded his scalp. A source said: 'Mark worked so closely with the military and intelligence service, some of us wonder if he had been a spy when he was in the Middle East. 'He is intensely serious, despises leaks and leakers as Gavin Williamson discovered. With just one look, his officials know if he doesn't like what they're serving up.' Brought up in a village in Lincolnshire, he was grammar-school educated and has been married for 20 years to Sarah-Jane. They have one daughter and live in south-west England where he enjoys snorkelling. He is chairman of the Special Forces Club in Knightsbridge, which is popular with the intelligence services and the crack SAS regiment. No wonder he has such a tough streak. On a wall in his Whitehall office there is a striking photograph of a lifeboat battling stormy waters. As he is eased out of his post as Cabinet Secretary, Sedwill may well be hoping to enter a calmer period in his life. Egyptian drugmaker Eva Pharma said it has provided Egyptian hospitals with adequate quantities of antiviral treatment remdesivir needed for severely-ill coronavirus patients, according to the companys CEO Riad Armanious. The experimental drug has proved effective as a supportive medicine in treating certain hospitalised COVID-19 patients in some countries. Remdesivir was granted approval from the Egyptian drug authority for sale only to hospitals on Wednesday, Armanious said in TV comments late on Saturday, adding that in the three days until Saturday, the company managed to meet demand from all hospitals that ordered the drug. Treatment [using the drug] has started for a number of patients in critical condition since Thursday, he said. We have produced adequate quantities to cover all severely-ill patients, he added. The drug helps block the virus from replicating itself inside the body and prevent its complications, he clarified. The antiviral treatment is only advised for critical cases and is only prescribed at hospitals under medical supervision. Remdesivir, originally developed to treat Ebola, appears to shorten the recovery time of COVID-19 patients and was granted emergency use authorisation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 on 1 May. It is mainly used for severe cases, patients with blood oxygen levels of 94% or those who need mechanical ventilators or life support using an ECMO, a machine that oxygenates the red blood cells. Data from a US clinical trial in late April indicated that patients receiving remdesivir had a 31% faster recovery time than the placebo group. Eva pharma became a licensed manufacturer of the antiviral treatment in 127 countries after striking a deal with US Company Gliead earlier this month. Last week, the Egyptian pharmaceutical company said it had begun manufacturing antiviral treatment Avipiravir, the first medicine approved in Russia to treat COVID-19 patients. No vaccine for COVID-19 has yet been developed, and many countries are conducting human trials of several existing antiviral drugs to prove their efficacy. Egypt has logged a total of 63,923 coronavirus cases as of Saturday, including 2,708 deaths and 18,658 recoveries. Search Keywords: Short link: China-EU Photo: VCG In March 2019, the European Union (EU) presented its strategic outlook for dealing with China. The outlook has three specific objectives, 1) deepen engagement, 2) more balanced and reciprocal conditions for economic cooperation and 3) adopt to the changing realities and strengthen its base. The objectives reinforce the desire of the EU to further strengthen its relationship with China. However, the EU also declared China as a "strategic rival" and a "strategic competitor", which is appalling. Strategic rival means EU consider China as a threat to their ideology. It is difficult to understand, what the EU desires, on one hand it wants to deepen relationship and on the other hand it is considering China a strategic rival. Germany is trying to break this cycle of confusion. It has scheduled a meeting between President Xi Jinping and the EU leadership for September 2020, in an effort to diffuse misunderstanding and bring China and the EU closer. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has dimmed the certainty and it is unclear whether the meeting will be carried out as per schedule. Meanwhile, the US also has released its strategic approach, on May 20, 2020 which is the same old wine in a new bottle. The document has a set of claims and misleading information about China threatening the world peace and the US being at a security risk. The approach aims to achieve four objectives, (1) protect the American people, homeland, and way of life; (2) promote American prosperity (3) preserve peace through strength; and (4) advance American influence", which are taken from US National Security Strategy, 2017. The US has launched a multifaceted strategy to achieve these objectives. It has introduced different policies and tools, like the Pivot to Asia, Group of Four, Indo-Pacific Strategy and many others. It is pursuing its allies to confront or abandon China. In pursuance of this policy the US is encouraging India to counter China by selling a false dream of greatness. India is blindly following the footsteps of the US in rejecting BRI, CPEC and other initiatives of China. Although the sane voices in India, are suggesting the government to join these initiatives but to no avail. The blind following and extreme reliance on one side has trapped India in the mantra of "do more", that Pakistan faced for a long time. The US has also built cooperation with Australia, Thailand and Japan and many other countries in the Asia-Pacific with the goal of containing China. Australia is one of its most active allies, in undermining the role of China but without much success. The US is also pursuing its old policy of interfering in the internal affairs of its rivals; with China it is instigating Hong Kong and Taiwan against the mainland. Hong Kong is under the radar for quite some time. The US does not want the integration of Hong Kong in China because the US has strong business interest in Hong Kong with 1,300 businesses, which the US wants to use to extend its influence. Thus, the US is supporting the rioters in Hong Kong in the name of "democracy", as has been the precedence. Joining hands with the US, the UK has also offered an immigration schemes for the Hong Kong rioters that may have serious repercussions for the UK in future. However, the biggest victim of the US campaign is the technology sector. The US has launched an all-out campaign against Chinese tech companies like Huawei and others. It is also pressuring its allies to avoid contracting Chinese companies. In these circumstances, China cannot do much to satisfy the US and allies as what they are expecting from China is to surrender its desire of prospering. It is evident from their objectives, as the US want to enhance its influence, model of prosperity and the EU takes China as strategic rival in certain areas. Besides, their unwillingness to accept an alternative model of development leaves little room for mediation. This attitude is the root cause of conflict, which stems from the cold war mentality of the US and the West. For better and a prosperous future, the West and the US need to come out of this mentality. The persistence of this mentality would be harmful for the world's economic growth, development and peace. The cold war mentality will lead to conflicts, as we have already witnessed. However, the cost of cold war and hot conflicts would be much more this time because the world today, is more integrated and holds more sophisticated weapons of mass destruction. Besides, China is far more developed and prepared as compared to the past victims of cold war. Hence, China is a different player with numerous distinct characteristics, capabilities and ways of doing business. First of all, China is the only economy after the US which has double digit trillion-dollar economy with a humongous market size. China has reached the development status from where it can drive its economic growth by improving domestic consumption for decades. It has been predicted that 300 million people will graduate to middle class till 2030, only a few millions less than the total population of the US. Another, 300 million people will graduate to middle class till 2049. Besides, almost 600 million will move to upper middle class or upper class till 2049. It would be a source of huge domestic consumption, which will sustain healthy economic growth. This means China will have little reliance on foreign markets. It can bear deep shocks of economic discrimination or conflict, which is usual instrument used by the US and the EU to pressurize the countries. Second, China has adopted the strategy of "pre-emptive economic strike" in other words; the policy of shared prosperity. China is not only talking but taking practical steps. President Xi has launched the biggest program of human history in the form of BRI. It is open initiative to all, without any discrimination. It has developed understanding with more than 129 countries and many international agencies. It is heavily investing in the infrastructure, energy and industry across the world. The World Bank has predicted that it will give boost to global GDP, employment and welfare of people. Third, China has kept technology development as a key focus area. China has diverted humongous resources to develop cutting edge technology. It has also encouraged private sector to take lead and now Huawei is leading in 5G technology and no country can compete with it. China is also leading the way in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and robotics along other. It is avoiding the mistakes of the previous cold war opponent, the USSR. Although USSR was way ahead in scientific knowledge, it could not compete with the US and the West in technology development, which badly impacted the standing of USSR. China has avoided this mistake and it keeps technology development as supreme objective. Fourth, China is a formidable military power, which is improving with every passing day. It is focusing on four key areas a)-information warfare, b)- regional security emphasis, c)- innovation and d)- shared prosperity, to upgrade and modernize its defense. China has come to the conclusion that information warfare technology and cutting-edge military technology is necessary to safeguard its interests on a global stage. Thus, China has increased its spending on technology, R&D and equipment. Fifth, China is a civilization state, which is being built on the wisdom and experience of more than 5,000 years. China went through phases of development, dominance, decline and rise. However, the last two centuries have witnessed the most disturbing period of China's history. It introduced new lows for Chinese people and exploitation of the nation at the hands of so-called human rights champions of the West and the US. Surprisingly, it did not break the Chinese nation rather it developed resistance among the people. It contributed in developing the capabilities and skills to fight back the oppressors. Sixth, the world failed to understand the policy framework and strategic actions of China. The leading experts or diplomats or strategists try to understand China by applying the thoughts of Sun Zu, which is only one part of the big puzzle. It is a common mistake among the policy circles. The world needs to understand that China learns from the thoughts and teaching of four distinctive elders. China extracts lessons from the strategy of Sun Zu (tactics), wisdom of Confucius (harmony) and beliefs of Tao (inner strength). It also learns from the practices of Yellow Emperor, who always focused on the welfare of people. The blend of teaching and experiences of these four elders is basis of all the policies and actions of China. Hence, if someone wants to understand China, they need to understand these four elders. Seventh, China believes in reciprocal respect. It would be a grave mistake if someone thinks China will tolerate disrespect. It is very clear from the recent events at global and regional levels. The most prominent example is the Galwan Valley conflict with India. China showed patience but when India crossed the line, China retaliated with full force. Hence, the West, the US and allies must show respect to China in their dealing with China. Lastly, China's progress and handling of affairs give one message; cooperation and not confrontation will pave for a prosperous future. The West and the US need to open its mind to the fast changing world around them and accept the hand of cooperation extended to them before they pull the world down into another abyss with them. The author is director of the Asia Study Center, SDPI. Workers forced to take annual leave during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown are being urged to check their rights. Lawyer sisters Alison and Jillian Barrett from Maurice Blackburn say many employees could be in a position to refuse orders to take leave now if they want to accrue for a later date. The general rule is that annual leave should be taken by agreement between the employer and employee and not be forced. But there are two specific circumstances where employers can force their staff to take leave, including if excessive hours have been accrued or if they've qualified for JobKeeper. Staff being forced to take annual leave during the pandemic are urged to check their right as they may not have to not comply with their employers' request (stock image) There are certain awards and registered agreements that allow employers to force staff to take annual leave, particularly if they've accrued excessive hours. 'There may be rules about when an employer can direct an employee to take their leave (eg if their leave balance is excessive), how much notice the employee should receive in advance of having to take the leave and how much leave they can be directed to take,' the sisters wrote for news.com.au. If you aren't covered under an award or an agreement, your employer can only make you take leave annual leave if their direction is reasonable. For example, giving a few days' notice to take two weeks leave could be deemed as an unreasonable request. Workers unsure on whether they can refuse a request to take annual leave are urged to seek legal advice. Pictured are Sydney restaurant workers on June 24 If your employer has qualified for JobKeeper payments, they can legally order eligible employees to take paid annual leave, which can't be unreasonably refused. Employers can also request in writing for staff to take annual leave at half pay for twice the amount of time. 'In short, if your employer is receiving a JobKeeper payment for you, you cant unreasonably refuse their request to take annual leave, unless taking the leave results in you having an annual leave balance of fewer than two weeks,' the sisters wrote. Employees unsure about their leave entitlements are urged to seek legal advice. 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. PILFERING staffers have been the proverbial monkey on Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco)s case ever since it was brought back to life. Last year, the mass public transport operator jettisoned over 100 conductors who were illegally pocketing bus fare paid by the commuting public. It quickly switched to a smart and convenient electronic system using a tap-and-go card that was ostensibly foolproof and designed to eliminate the possibility of sticky-fingered conductors laying their hands on cash. But where there is a will, there is always a way. Some of the Zupco employees discovered a loophole in the system, which they used to siphon millions of dollars and line their own pockets. The Sunday Mail Society has uncovered that some of the parastatals staffers were conniving to under-declare their daily returns after corrupting the electronic payment system. The fraudulent scheme included drivers, conductors and cashiers. Several employees from the parastatal have been fired or arrested. Investigations are underway following irregularities unearthed by an internal audit. It is true. Many conductors have since been relieved of their duties because of this shocking scandal. Investigations are ongoing as we try to establish the chain involved, said Zupcos acting chief executive officer Mr Evaristo Madangwa. He could not, however, be drawn into disclosing the number of employees that have already been dismissed. Most of the crimes were committed in Harare. Some of the affected buses were reportedly serially cashing half or much less than their daily set targets. We do not have figures of the potential revenue that we have been prejudiced. However, indications are that we might have lost millions of dollars since the introduction of the cashless system last year. The final audit results will give us a clear indication, revealed Mr Madangwa. Our mole indicated that one of the bus crews being investigated under-declared their revenue by more than $4 000 on five separate occasions in a single month. How the fraud works The tap machine has a SIM card in it that keeps records of transactions conducted throughout the day by a particular bus or kombi. However, when the SIM card is removed, the machine within the vehicle automatically loses memory. This means the bus crew can declare any figure they wish at the depot. This, in turn, was creating a perfect conduit for the fraudsters to convert money that would have been paid in the form of cash to personal use. For instance, if commuters paid $2 000 using the e-payment system and $2 000 cash, the bus crew could declare $500 cash then claim the rest was paid via tap cards. Working in cahoots, some cashiers are alleged to have not applied effort to cross-check the figures and reconcile them with cash-in records from the main machine(s) at the depot. The e-ticket has a double-entry system, which means transactions recorded within the bus are also sent to the main server at the depot. Others simply replaced the SIM card with other SIM cards so that the machine losses network. This automatically forced customers to use cash that the bus crew would in turn sell to illegal forex dealers at a higher percentage. There are also reports of conductors that used the tap card SIM on their private mobile phones to gain free access to internet services. An internal audit at the firm, however, busted the scheme. It might not only be the bus crews involved in this fraud. There is a possibility that our cashiers also had a hand in it, notes Mr Madangwa. Harare Institute of Technology director of technology, licensing and commercialisation centre Dr Talon Garikayi the manufacturers of the Zupco tap machines told The Sunday Mail Society that more than 150 tap machines had been tampered with. Reports pertaining to the tampering of the machines have been coming. Zupco has requested us to come up with more secure machines that do not have easily accessible SIM cards, said Dr Garikayi. One of the staffers at the company explained how the scheme was hatched. . . . we discovered that if you open and remove the SIM card from the tap machine, it loses records and ceases to connect with the depot. We have been making a killing all along but all is not well after authorities called for an audit, said the employee on condition of anonymity. Tatenda, a former conductor of a private-owned commuter omnibus, said they have known about the scandal for a while. I have several friends who work there as conductors. They started manipulating the system soon after it was introduced. I have also applied for employment with Zupco but I am yet to be considered, he said. But the pilfering employees could not have budgeted for the calamity that might soon befall them if Zupco follows through plans to upgrade to much more sophisticated do-it-yourself (DIY) machines. It would mean more than 3 000 workers would lose their jobs. We have also discovered that other conductors would lie that they do not have a tap machine or that it is not functional just to get cash from commuters, so the new system eliminates the conductor completely, said Mr Madangwa. Zupco is angling to become 100 percent cashless as part of measures to deal with the cash conversion crisis. Work on the modified machines has since been completed. The pilot installation programme has begun. At least one bus on eight routes that include Chitungwiza, Domboshava, Mufakose, Norton, Vainona will have the new machine as part of the trial run. By end of the year, all Zupco buses and those under its franchise will be operating with the new system. It will be permanently fixed on the bus and the passenger needs no conductor to assist them, adds Dr Garikayi. The new tap machine is said to be more secure and is synchronised with the computer room, making it easy to track movements, the number of passengers, amount tapped and authenticity of each passenger card. The public should not panic. This is just an upgrade. The old tap cards will remain valid and can be used on the new system, assured Mr Madangwa. The police on Saturday arrested a man and allegedly seized 112 kilograms of marijuana (ganja), estimated to be worth 50 lakh, from his possession. The man was nabbed from village Sadhrana in sector 10 area. The suspect claimed that he had purchased the narcotics from a city-based supplier and had been peddling marijuana for at least 18 months in Delhi-NCR. According to the police, the suspect, Kuldeep alias Sulli, was arrested from his house in Kataria colony by a crime branch team fof Sikanderpur after a tip-off. Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police, (ACP), crime, said, The suspect had purchased the marijuana from a city-based supplier. He claimed to have paid Rs 5,000 per kg for the consignment. His plan was to sell it in small packets at ten times its cost. We are checking his criminal record. The suspect was on Saturday produced in a district court and sent to police custody for two days. Investigators said they are questioning the man about his supply chain network in the city. A case has been registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at sector 10 A police station. Saturdays bust was the biggest drug haul by the police in the last three months. In April, the same crime branch unit had arrested three men and seized 107 kilograms of marijuana (ganja), estimated to be valued at at least Rs 15 lakh, from a housekeeping shop in Udyog Vihar. One of their suppliers, a Bangladeshi national, was later arrested from Delhi. Earlier this week, two men were arrested with nine kilograms of marijuana in two separate cases. Two Algerian soldiers, including an officer, were killed when a bomb exploded during an army operation in the north of the country, the defence ministry said Sunday. Captain Fateh Bensmail and Sergeant Zakaria Khaldi were killed Saturday night, the ministry said in a statement, after a home-made bomb exploded during a search and sweep operation in the province of Medea, south of the capital Algiers. The deaths bring the total number of Algerian soldiers killed this year to four. One soldier was killed on June 20 in a clash with "an armed terrorist group" in the central province of Ain Defla, the ministry announced last Sunday, while another died in a February attack in Timiaouine, on the southern border with Mali. Armed Islamists have been active in the country since the early 1990s. A 1992-2002 civil war pitted Islamist militants against the Algerian government, leaving 200,000 people dead. Despite a 2005 charter for peace and reconciliation designed to turn the page on the conflict, armed Islamist groups still remain active in some areas of the country, largely targeting security forces. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: The victim was a 27-year-old photographer who had been documenting the ongoing protests on Instagram. The man fatally shot at a protest against the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky has been identified as an avid photographer who had been a vocal supporter of the anti-racism demonstrations in the US state. Police said Tyler Charles Gerth, 27, of Louisville, died after being shot at Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville on Saturday night. A suspect, who has not yet been publicly identified, has since been taken into custody, they said. The Courier Journal reported that Gerth was a budding photographer and graduate of the University of Kentucky who documented the weeks of protests for racial justice in Louisville on his Instagram account. Tyler was incredibly kind, tender hearted and generous, holding deep convictions and faith, his family said in a statement, reported by the newspaper. It was this sense of justice that drove Tyler to be part of the peaceful demonstrations advocating for the destruction of the systemic racism within our societys systems. This, combined with his passion of photography led to a strong need within him to be there, documenting the movement, capturing and communicating the messages of peace and justice. Homicide investigators were interviewing the suspect, who had been hospitalised after the shooting, interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said at a news conference on Sunday. In a video of the shooting shown during the news conference, the suspect was surrounded by several people before shots were fired and people scrambled for cover. Schroeder said the man had been participating in the protests since they began and had been arrested a few times. He had been repeatedly asked by other members at the park to leave due to his destructive behaviour, Schroeder said. Another video posted on social media later showed at least one person bleeding profusely on the ground. Several other people fired gunshots after the suspect began firing, but no one else was hit, Fischer said. Whether they were there at the time of the shooting or not, I know the sadness of those who have been organising and participating in peaceful protests for racial justice. This is absolutely not what they wanted or any of us wanted, Fischer said. We cannot let one senseless act by one individual derail that dream, that vision that we have as a city. Ongoing protest The shooting was at least the second during nearly a month of protests in Louisville over Taylors death. Seven people were wounded May 28 when gunfire erupted near City Hall, prompting Taylors mother to issue a statement asking people to demand justice without hurting each other. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed in her Louisville home in March by police who were serving a no-knock warrant. Protesters have been calling for the officers involved in her death to be charged. One of the officers was recently fired. Taylors boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was originally charged with attempted murder after he fired a shot at one of the officers who came into the home. Walker has said he thought he was defending against an intruder. The no-knock search warrant that allows police to enter without first announcing their presence was recently banned by Louisvilles Metro Council. Several dozen people gathered on Sunday at Jefferson Square Park, which has been the epicentre of the continuing protests. A few Louisville police officers arrived to hand out flyers that said overnight camping and cooking were banned at the site, but protesters would be allowed to continue gathering during the day. John Kriner knelt for nearly 30 minutes at the site to pray for peace. He said it was his first visit. I just want there to be peace and calm, Kriner told The Associated Press news agency. The head of the Iraqi Medical Association, Abdul-Amir al-Shimmary, called on Sunday for imposing full curfew to contain the continuing increase of daily infections with coronavirus, Trend reports citing Xinhua. Al-Shimmary's comment came as the Iraqi Health Ministry recorded 2,140 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 45,402. "As a result of the increase in coronavirus infections, it became very necessary to impose a full curfew with strict health measures for a period of no less than three weeks to reduce the number of infections," al-Shimmary said in a statement. "Otherwise, we must accept huge loss of life, as well as the possibility of the collapse in health system and the subsequent chaos," al-Shimmary warned. The ministry also confirmed 96 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 1,756 in the country. A total of 21,122 patients have recovered from the disease. The new cases were recorded after 10,595 testing kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, and a total of 520,948 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the pandemic. On June 13, the Iraqi authorities decided to partially lift the nationwide curfew, but the full curfew will continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday every week. However, the continued increase of COVID-19 cases pushed some Iraqi provinces to re-impose full curfew, including Basra province and Maysan in southern Iraq. China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic. From March 7 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and install an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad. Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. PM outlines bounce-back plan to revive virus-hit economy View(s): Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa declared yesterday it was vital to prevent the economy from weakening, maintain stability and ensure the country returns to normal. He was addressing the 33rd annual sessions of the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) via a video link. Noting that sectors such as tourism, apparel, manufacturing, remittances and several industrial and services have seen significant vulnerabilities and setbacks, he said, it has had a harmful effect on the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. In this background, for an economic revival and turnaround to take place after COVID-19, we must ensure that these affected segments of the economy are supported in a revival plan to ensure accelerated growth. Hence, immediately after this crisis, the country must be prepared to get to work to receive local and foreign investments in sectors such as infrastructure, information technology and transportation, the Premier stressed, speaking on the theme Bounce Back: Disasters are Opportunities. Mr Rajapaksa said the country must also be ready to pursue opportunities to provide outsourced and online services to more advanced nations and to establish new ventures that use Sri Lankas mineral resources effectively. Focusing on the education and health sectors will also yield favourable results, he pointed out. In particular, we must concentrate on supporting our Small and Medium Enterprises as they are at the very core of our economy and livelihood of our people. The Government, too, is today grappling with many issues, he pointed out. These issues include the need to increase revenues, enhance growth activities, reduce imports, increase exports, stabilise debt burdens, address increasing unemployment, and revive businesses. In addition, he noted the need to support the increased needs of vulnerable people, particularly, the children. Even in the midst of all this turmoil, we must, as a global community, ensure that children across the world continue to enjoy universal child benefits without interruption. That would indeed be the challenge all developing nations will encounter in the face of the serious economic pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic fallout, he emphasised. To allocate the necessary funds for this vital need, the global community will need to come forward to assist developing nations. One important intervention through which this could be done will be for the IMF and the World Bank to provide a debt standstill to developing nations for a period of around two years, the PM opined. If that is done, those developing nations could allocate the resulting savings of the cash flows towards providing relief and much needed benefits to their children and other vulnerable sections of the population, he elaborated. The provision of such relief will lead to the stimulation of the respective economies and a faster recovery as well, and we believe the global community should seriously consider such a move at this point in time. COVID-19s impact across the world has been deadly, with millions of people being affected and hundreds of thousands dying. The IMF and the World Bank have predicted a contraction of the global economy by around 3% in 2020, which is a huge setback to the entire world community, Mr Rajapaksa remarked. Sadly, the virus and its aftermath have seriously damaged the economies of almost all countries, advanced and developing, and left a devastating trail of bankruptcies, livelihood losses, evaporation of savings, debt defaults, economic and corporate collapses and hopelessness, he pointed out. The PM, however, noted that the Sri Lankan health professionals and the government administration have responded admirably to defeat the virus and its highly contagious spread. We must be grateful to all those men and women who battled the virus so bravely and effectively in our country. They have given us the confidence to restart our normal work and engage in our normal activities. Their contributions have also led to Sri Lanka being recognised globally as having fared very well in responding to the virus outbreak from a health perspective, he noted. The Premier said figures for COVID-19 victims in Sri Lanka were remarkably lower than in New Zealand. He noted that current data shows Sri Lanka has been able to contain the pandemic to just around 2000 cases in a population of 22 million people with only 11 deaths. He said: In contrast, New Zealand, the country which the international media regularly recognises as being the nation that has most effectively managed the pandemic has so far recorded around 1500 COVID-19 patients in a population of just about 5 million people with 22 deaths. That is double the number of deaths in a country which has less than one-fourth of the population of Sri Lanka. That comparison clearly indicates that Sri Lanka has done extremely well in containing the pandemic even though what we have today is an interim government, until the new Parliament is elected. In fact, it may be said that what is most vital now is to prevent the economy from weakening, maintain stability and ensure that the country returns to normal as fast as possible. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has already asked all authorities to think out-of-the-box and implement strategies that would have a favourable impact on our country and economy, the Premier pointed out. This is now the major challenge that is before the professionals of our country, he said, inviting professionals to come forward at this moment to contribute their ideas and efforts to conquer the challenges faced by the country. No show by Imran Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan who was to be the guest of honour at the 33rd Annual Conference of the OPA (Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka) yesterday morning, excused himself from attending the confab by webinar because he was occupied with budget related activities. Sri Lankas Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksha was the chief guest at the conference titled Bounce Back conducted via digital technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The keynote speaker was celebrated Pakistani scientist Atta-ur-Rahman, who briefly explained Imran Khans inability to participate in the event. Imran called me last night and said he was excitedly looking forward to participate in this conference especially since Sri Lanka and Pakistan had cordial relations. But he wished to excuse himself because he was in the middle of a budget session. He urged that Sri Lanka focus on developing education, science, technology and innovation, said Prof. Atta-Ur-Rahman, the UNESCO Science Laureate, current Co-Chair of the UN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation for UNESCAP and former Minister for Science and Technology of Pakistan. The deaths of P Jayaraj and his son Fenix, allegedly in police custody in Madras's Tuticorin, have caused massive outrage across the country. The deaths of P Jayaraj and his son Fenix, allegedly in police custody in Madras's Tuticorin, have caused massive outrage across the country. Several Bollywood actors including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Riteish Deshmukh, Neha Dhupia Taapsee Pannu, Rakul Preet Singh, Parineeti Chopra have condemned the incident. On Saturday, Priyanka shared on Twitter, "Reeling from what I am hearing. Absolutely stunned, sad and angry. No human being deserves such brutality, whatever be the crime. The guilty must not be allowed to go unpunished. Pannu wrote that the details of the incident were "scary and gut-wrenching." "Heartbreaking to read about extreme police brutality. How can the force that is meant to protect citizens be so vindictive towards the citizens? So barbaric and so cruel," shared filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava. Riteish, on the other hand, has termed the incident as tragic and " absolute national shame". Actors Rajkummar Rao, Kriti Kharbanda, Gauhar Khan and several others shared a video of a radio jockey from Chennai who describes how the father-son were killed alleging police brutality. Sharing the video, Kiara Advani posted: "Absolutely horrific." Here are all the tweets This might just be one case out of many but it takes only one case to begin the snowball effect. #JusticeforJayarajAndFenix It couldve been anyone we know. Details are scary and gut wrenching. taapsee pannu (@taapsee) June 26, 2020 This is tragic & absolute National Shame. It sends shivers down my spine even reading about it. We all must stand together against this barbaric brutality. #JusticeForJeyarajAndFenix https://t.co/Srn5GFaG7p Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) June 26, 2020 This is heartbreaking .I am disgusted. This kind of brutality is inhuman and no one has the right to treat another life in this manner .Makes me sick to the stomach. Strength to the family members of the deceased .This should not be tolerated. I demand #JusticeforJayarajAndFenix https://t.co/pPwC2ME8Vr Rakul Singh (@Rakulpreet) June 27, 2020 We go to the police when we are in danger. How can they BE the danger? Every single cop involved in their death needs to pay for this. I cannot imagine the pain the father and son went through. #JusticeForJeyarajAndFenix Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) June 27, 2020 This is gut wrenching,sickening and intolerable.Cannot seem to fathom how we as a society are so sick in the head.We have to raise our voice NOW.Stand in support of #JayarajandFenix #JusticeForJeyarajAndFenix cannot imagine the sorrow of the family.Heartfelt grief and condolence pic.twitter.com/JGA4cXwGFP Kajal Aggarwal (@MsKajalAggarwal) June 27, 2020 I am so so shocked and pained and to a large extent just unsure, how we have become such a horrible race.. This incident is so brutal, it actually breaks my heart.. Just not done #JusticeforJayarajAndFenix https://t.co/YoMxSo8jW5 Genelia Deshmukh (@geneliad) June 26, 2020 Heartbreaking to read about extreme police brutality. How can the force that is meant to protect citizens be so vindictive towards the citizens? So barbaric and so cruel. #JusticeforJayarajAndFenix Alankrita Shrivastava (@alankrita601) June 27, 2020 What happened to a father and son at the hands of those policemen is wrong at every human level and every single person irrespective of place of origin or political belief needs to stand up for them. It is plain horrific and wrong. DEMAND action. #JusticeforJayarajAndFenix Vir Das (@thevirdas) June 26, 2020 Beaten to death by the police in the times of a #pandemic .Is just the suspension of these policemen enough? Is nt there crime more heinous than those who were trying to make a livelihood? We are outraged by the extent of brutality... #JusticeForJeyarajAndFenix #EveryLifeMatters Neha Dhupia (@NehaDhupia) June 27, 2020 Jayaraj and his son, arrested for 'violating' lockdown norms by allegedly extending business hours of their cellphone shop, died at a hospital in Kovilpatti on 23 June, with the relatives alleging that they were severely thrashed at the Sathankulam police station by police personnel earlier. The incident had triggered a furore in the state, leading to the suspension of four policemen, including two sub-inspectors. Traders had downed shutters, protests were held. The Madras High Court had also sought a report from police. (With inputs from agencies) 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. 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. Spring & Summer helps uplift the nation during COVID-19 crisis View(s): Spring & Summers CSR arm Hands of Hope recently launched a two-fold strategy involving the manufacture and distribution of face masks, as well as the supply of daily essentials and protective gear, to aid Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 economic and social crises. The project aims to help ease rising internal tensions within communities whilst partnering with industry titans to uplift the nation, the company said in a media release. Spring & Summer is currently producing approximately 50,000 National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) certified, 2-ply reusable non-woven masks, tested and certified to have a bacterial filtration efficiency of 99.3 per cent by Bureau Veritas. The masks have been redesigned by the brands innovation department to offer better breathability and comfort for users using non-cancerous, non-allergic/ irritable and non-flammable materials. Co-Founder, Spring & Summer Ms. Shyamalie Wijegunawardena, noted: Over the 25 years that we have been in the industry, we have built a great network to source all our materials from. As a result of this, we were able to understand and ascertain the right materials in order to produce the masks. It was just a matter of utilising the export standards we had implemented throughout our factories to meet the demand in the market. With aid from the Presidential Secretariat, Spring & Summer sourced, packed and delivered essential supply packs amounting to approximately Rs. 500,000 to families in dire need; as well as donated 300 essential wear kits to the Matara Base Hospital Due to possible shortages of adequate safety gear for both patients and medical professionals, Spring & Summer assembled and donated 500 surgical scrubs for the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital using fabric provided by hospital officials. In addition, the brand also donated 225 protective face masks and is considering diversifying into the production of protective gear for both local and international markets. Spring & Summer was founded in 1995 by Daya and Shyamalie Wijegunawardena. The clothing brand, at present, has six major outlets in Nugegoda, Maharagama, Wattala, Panadura, Bambalapitiya and Kollupitiya, and is available online via www.springandsummer.lk. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) The Ateneo de Manila University said it is looking into fresh allegations of sexual harassment against some members of its faculty, vowing to conduct an impartial investigation on the matter when warranted. We are saddened by recent social media posts of reported incidents of sexual harassment by certain members of the faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University. We assure our students that we are here to listen and support anyone who has experienced harassment, the Katipunan-based university said in a statement on Saturday evening. We are verifying these reports and are ready to immediately begin an impartial investigation when warranted, Ateneo said in the wake of the new claims. Ateneo also reiterated its stance against sexual harassment, noting how the university prioritizes the welfare of students, as well as its mandate to make the campus a safe space for all. It likewise encouraged students and other parties to report information to concerned university authorities. This is not the first time Ateneo addressed allegations of the same nature. Late last year, students and some faculty members of the university staged protests, calling for the removal of "sexual predators" at their campus. Some students said there have been cases of sexual harassment where professors have gone unpunished. Ateneo President Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin has since apologized to the student community in light of the protests, and promised to take action to make the campus a safer school. This includes the proposed formation of an Office for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults. Meanwhile, its neighboring school Miriam College also vowed to investigate reported incidents of sexual harassment in its campus, after several students and alumni called for justice for the victims. The hashtag #MCHSdobetter shot to the top trending topics on social media the past week, as they spoke up about their personal experiences of alleged harassment by the schools teachers. Army spokesman for GNA blames deployment of mercenaries for making Sirte most dangerous place in Libya. The liberation of Sirte and Jufra from Khalifa Haftars forces has become more urgent than ever for Libyas Government of National Accord (GNA) following the deployment of mercenaries in the country, the United Nations-recognised governments army spokesperson said. In a statement on Saturday, Muhammad Qanunu said Sirte was the most dangerous place in Libya after it became a focal point for mercenaries of the Russian Wagner Company, who he described as criminal gangs. On Saturday, Libyas permanent representative to the UN called for the United States and the European Union to impose sanctions over the activities of mercenaries and other actors in Libya. Qanunu held Libyan parties that have supported the rebels responsible for the presence of Russian, Syrian and African mercenaries and their control of the oil fields in Libya. He added that responsibility for the situation in Libya also fell on the shoulders of Arab and foreign countries that contributed to bringing them [mercenaries] in the first place. On Saturday, the prime minister of Libyas GNA, Fayez al-Sarraj, met with his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte in Rome to discuss the situation in the country and the return of Italian firms to work in Libya. The two officials also reiterated the need for a resumption of the political process rather than a military one in line with decisions by the UN Security Council and the Berlin Conference. Libya, a major oil producer, has been mired in chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2014, it has been split between rival factions based in the capital, Tripoli, and in the east, in a sometimes chaotic war that has drawn in outside powers and a flood of foreign arms and mercenaries. Eastern-based forces under Haftar launched an offensive in April last year to try to capture Tripoli from the GNA, which is supported by Turkey. Haftars forces, which are backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, were forced to retreat from much of western Libya in recent weeks after Turkey stepped up its support for the UN-recognised GNA. Buoyed by their recent battlefield victories, GNA-aligned forces said they would stop their advance after retaking Sirte, a city of some 125,000 people on the Mediterranean coast and the inland Jufra airbase. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, however, warned last week that any attack on Sirte or Jufra would amount to crossing a red line. He said Egypt could intervene militarily to protect its western border with the oil-rich country. In response, the GNA said it considered el-Sisis comments a declaration of war. 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 The India-China border stand-off in the Galwan Valley, following Chinas incursion into Indian territory, is a reminder of Indias perennial problems with China. The recent violent clashes are an indication of Beijings hardline approach towards India. The statements issued by Chinese officials and the ministry of foreign affairs have made it clear that the Chinese are in no mood for a rapprochement. What these clashes have confirmed is that this is not just about differing perceptions of the boundary, but Chinas blatant attempts to change the status quo. This is in clear violation of the Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas signed in 1993. A full-fledged conflict is not in the interest of either country. In this context, India has no option but to engage China in a dialogue to defuse tensions. But dialogue and confidence-building measures alone will not lead India towards a resolution of the problem. History shows that China goes for boundary dispute resolutions only when it finds that the gains are tangible. For now, it is in its interest to keep the dispute alive. Chinas aggressive posture towards India and the boundary dispute set the right context for why there could not be a better time for India to engage Taiwan meaningfully. While ties with Taiwan should not be solely viewed through Chinas lens, this has given a chance to both India and Taiwan to introspect on their policies and reach out to each other. On May 20, two Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarians, Meenakshi Lekhi and Rahul Kaswan, virtually attended the swearing-in ceremony of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. While this was appreciated, it is not a strong enough signal to China. It is high time India engages Taiwan bilaterally and also positions India-Taiwan ties in the regional context. Taiwan is already a part of the United States Indo-Pacific vision. It is an important geographical entity in the Indo-Pacific region. Indias vision of the Indo-Pacific is inclusive and it must encourage the participation of Taiwan and other like-minded countries. India is already a major focus country in Tsai Ing-wens New Southbound Policy, launched in 2016. Under this, Taiwan aims to increase its international profile by expanding political, economic, and people-to-people linkages. Unlike previous governments Go South policies, the New Southbound Policy is not about reducing dependence on China, but reaching out to countries of importance. For the first time, Taiwan has officially started looking towards the six South Asian countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India is a steering wheel for Taiwans deepening engagement in the South Asian region. India does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan yet as it adheres to the One-China policy. However, during the then Chinese premier Wen Jiaboas visit to India in December 2010, India took a bold step by not mentioning support for Chinas One-China policy in the joint communique released on December 16. In 2014, when Narendra Modi came to power, he adopted an out-of-the-box approach by inviting ambassador Chung-Kwang Tien, Taiwans representative to India, along with Lobsang Sangay, president of the Central Tibetan Administration to his 2014 swearing-in ceremony. However, such policy moves could not sustain Indias consistent approach vis-a-vis China. This is despite Chinas disregard for Indias territorial integrity and sovereignty, in both letter and spirit. Indias China policy and its focus on stabilising relations with Beijing have led to the marginalisation of Taiwan. When China protested the visit of an all-women parliamentarians delegation from Taiwan to India in 2018, the momentum in India-Taiwan ties further slowed down. Taiwan has had remarkable success in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. This is interesting given how more developed and powerful states have faltered in handling the crisis. Yet, Taiwan was not even offered an international platform where it could share its best practices. Denying Taiwan a place at the World Health Assembly is a case in point. India too has not tried to engage Taiwan in dealing with the pandemic. Through its response to Covid-19, the island nation has shown that it is beneficial to engage with it. Similarly, Taiwans possible role in the emerging Indo-Pacific order has been under-appreciated. Indias foreign policy priorities, particularly with regard to the Indo-Pacific, should accommodate Taiwan. Along with military preparedness and aligning interests with key countries, Taiwan needs to be included prominently in its long-term strategy towards China. India can no longer just rely on the transactional and need-based policies of major powers. It has to explore more options. This makes sense when Taiwan is willing to strengthen ties with India and even domestic debate is tilting in favour of this. It is time India reviews its policy towards Taiwan and engages with it more comprehensively. Sana Hashmi is Taiwan Fellow at the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University, and a former consultant with Indias ministry of external affairs The views expressed are personal Macron To Travel To Russia 'Soon' To Continue Dialogue With Putin By RFE/RL June 27, 2020 French President Emmanuel Macron said on June 27 that he plans to visit Russia "soon" to continue talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on key issues like security and climate change. Macron has encouraged Europe and NATO to reexamine their strategic partnership with Moscow and suggested Europe's defiant approach has failed. The French and Russian presidents talked one day earlier by videoconference. "The trust-building dialogue initiated with President Putin at Fort Bregancon continue," Macron tweeted on June 27, adding, "We are moving forward and I will soon travel to Russia." He specifically identified "security in Europe, regional conflicts, [and] climate including the melting of permafrost in the Arctic" as topics for discussion. Relations between Moscow and the West are at post-Cold War lows over issues including Russia's annexation of Crimea, its role in Syria's conflict, its alleged meddling in elections in the United States and other democracies, and poisonings and alleged Russian assassinations in European cities. Macron said after their videoconference on June 26 that "all regional crises we've experienced shows the importance of making the European space, in a broad sense, from Lisbon to Vladivostok, a real space of cooperation and peace." On Ukraine, where fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed some 13,200 people since April 2014, Macron reportedly stressed it was crucial to quickly relaunch a road map aimed at ending the conflict. He also reportedly urged an end to foreign interference in Libya, including by the so-called Vagner group of mostly former Russian service personnel who have been involved in clandestine operations in foreign countries. Russia and several other countries have backed Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar in his war against forces backing the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), which is mainly backed by Turkey. Macron planned to attend the events in Red Square last month to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany, but that event was postponed until June 23 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the French president did not attend. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/macron-to-travel -to-russia-soon-to-continue-dialogue -with-putin/30693994.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 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) In light of recent reports of sexual harassment by faculty members of several universities, Senator Risa Hontiveros is reminding schools to observe the Safe Spaces Act or 'Bawal Bastos' law and prioritize their students' welfare and safety. The Bawal Bastos Law mandates all schools at all levels to enact an anti-sexual harassment policy that will protect students and teachers alike from sexual harassment, said the lawmaker in a statement Sunday. Hontiveros is the principal author of the said legislation, which was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in April last year. Numerous reports of faculty members of Miriam College and Ateneo De Manila University perpetrating sexual misbehavior on students made the rounds in social media in the past days, prompting condemnation from fellow students and alumni and calls for solidarity with the victims and justice for them. Hindi na nakakagulat na ang mga estudyanteng biktima ng sexual harassment ay napipilitang magsiwalat ng hinaing sa social media, Hontiveros said. Oftentimes, when victims are dismissed by their own school heads, they turn to social media communities for support." [Translation: It's not surprising students who are sexual harassment victims are forced to air out their grievances online.] On Friday, MC released a statement denouncing "any form of sexual harassment," adding it has established an independent committee to investigate the said allegations. A day after, ADMU said it was "saddened" by posts online regarding incidents of sexual harassments reportedly committed by its faculty. "We are verifying these reports and are ready to immediately begin an impartial investigation when warranted," it added. Both academic institutions encouraged concerned parties to come forward and relay information they have on the said matters. Put students' safety and welfare over image, schools urged Hontiveros also reminded schools to prioritize the safety and welfare of students, adding that in some cases, their "knee-jerk reaction" is to cover up for sexual harassers in order to protect the academic institutions' image. Survivors of sexual harassment and abuse must be given full support. They should not be judged or dismissed. Perpetrators of sexual abuse, especially those in positions of power, should be punished and in some cases, turned over to the authorities, the senator added. Hontiveros likewise called on the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Philippine Commission on Women (PWC) to carry out their regulatory mandate in monitoring the compliance of academic institutions with the Bawal Bastos law. Schools should be thoroughly and regularly reviewed if they are compliant with their obligations to the law, Hontiveros said. Kapag may perennial lapses at non-compliance, dapat kasama ito sa pag-review ng kanilang license to operate." [Translation: The perennial lapses and non-compliance (of schools) must also be taken into account when reviewing their license to operate.] Hitting back at the BJP for raising the issue of funding to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, the Congress on Sunday alleged that Chinese firms were contributing to PM-CARES Fund and asked why it was accepting such donations at a time when India and China have been engaged in a tense border standoff. There was no immediate response from the government on the allegations. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his "18 meetings" with Chinese President Xi Jinping in last six years and asked why he has not yet called China "an aggressor", hours after Modi in his "Mann ki Baat" radio broadcast asserted that India has given a befitting reply to those who cast an evil eye on its territory in Ladakh. "I implore the prime minister to say that China is an aggressor," Singhvi said. "What is most worrying and alarming for national security is the fact of donations received by Prime Minister Modi from the Chinese companies in his (seemingly personal) PM-CARES Fund," Singhvi said at a virtual press conference. "If the Prime Minister of India will compromise his position by accepting donations of hundreds of crores from Chinese companies in the controversial and opaque fund, how will he defend the country against the Chinese aggression? Prime Minister Modi needs to answer," he said. The PM-CARES Fund was set up in March this year with an objective to deal with any emergency arising due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, some opposition parties have demanded the donations received by the fund be made public. Singhvi alleged that the BJP has maintained ties with the Communist Party of China since 2007 and its presidents, starting with Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah, have had the maximum number of exchanges with China. "There is no political party in India's history whose presidents have had so much contact with China in the last 13 years," he claimed, adding Singh had interactions with the CPC in January 2007 and October 2008; Gadkari in January 2011 went on a five-day official visit to China; and Shah sent a large delegation of MLAs at a "party school" gathering of CPC in early 2014. Singhvi said for this government it seems national security is not important. "What is important for it is 'I, Me, Myself' and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation." He also accused the PM of "misleading" the nation and serving the "sinister agenda" of the Chinese by claiming that China never intruded into Indian territory, nor is it in occupation of any territory. Congress leader P Chidambaram too demanded answers from the prime minister and his office on the alleged Chinese donations. "PM-CARES Fund was set up after Chinese intrusions into Depsang (2013), Chumar (2014) and Doklam (2017). Why did the PM accept funds from Chinese-owned funds, one of which has a deep connection with the Chinese Army, the PLA? "In 2005, India-China relations were good and efforts were being made to improve them. If a donation in 2005 was wrong, how much more wrong was accepting donations after 2013-17," he asked. He said Chinese troops began incursions into Ladakh in March-April 2020 and asked, "Does it require great intelligence to discern China's motives." "China lulled India into complacency by Jhoola diplomacy and Chinese money. Was it not an abject failure on the part of the Modi government," he asked. Singhvi demanded that Modi should tell how much has China intruded into Indian territory and how many posts and land it has occupied. "The PM should say we are not going to compromise and we will push China back," he said, adding the whole country will stand behind him if he does so. Paying tributes to the 20 army men killed in the faceoff with Chinese troops on June 15, Modi in his radio broadcast said, "Those who cast an evil eye on Indian soil in Ladakh have got a befitting response. India honours the spirit of friendship. It is also capable of giving an appropriate response to any adversary without shying away." Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in his 33 minutes of 'Mann Ki Baat', the PM did not even name China once. "Why is the PM so scared of China? "Time for Delhi to reset its strategic calculus. Time to shed the fears, be bold and tactical and adopt a strategic response to decisively repulse the Chinese intrusions," he said on Twitter. The Congress has been accusing Modi of "misleading" the country on Chinese incursions and the border stand-off in Ladakh. On the other hand, the BJP has turned the heat on Congress by accusing it of receiving money in Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, of which Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson, from China. Singhvi said reports suggest PM-CARES Fund has received Rs 9,678 crore by May 20. He did not specify any report. He alleged Huawei donated Rs 7 crore, TikTok Rs 30 crore, Paytm Rs 100 crore, Xiomi Rs 15 crore and Oppo Rs 1 crore to the fund. "Does Huawei have a direct connection with People's Liberation Army, China" he asked. Singhvi also alleged that money has been diverted from PM-CARES Fund. "The fund is not even subjected to audit by any public authority including CAG," he said, adding the PMO has gone to the extent of saying this fund is not a public authority. PM-CARES Fund is not even subjected to RTI, he said, alleging the fund "appears to be solely run by the prime minister in an opaque and secret fashion with zero transparency and zero accountability". Singhvi said "a delusional Modi government continues to sidestep" the brazen Chinese transgressions. Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian boy who died in 2006 and is set to be beatified in October 2020. (Acutis family) The good news for anyone praying for a little less online vitriol or a much faster internet connection is that the Vatican is on the case. Showing that it has one foot in the 21st century, the ancient institution is backing a 15-year-old computer whiz to become the first patron saint of the internet. Carlo Acutis, an Italian schoolboy who helped spread Roman Catholic teaching online before he died of leukemia in 2006, is the perfect candidate to become the protector of web surfers, said Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the head of the Vaticans saint-making department. Thats my hope he would be an ideal example for all young people, said Becciu, whose official title is head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Carlo became deeply religious during his middle-class childhood in Milan and would donate his pocket money to the citys poor residents. Crucially, he used his prodigious coding talent to set up websites for priests. At the age of 10, he began to create an online exhibit about religious miracles, which has gained huge popularity since his death. Hundreds of parishes around the world have printed off material from the site to create real-life exhibits of their own. Last year, Pope Francis paid tribute to the teenager, declaring that his use of the internet to communicate values and beauty was the perfect antidote to the dangers of social media. In a document he wrote after a synod on youth, Francis quoted a phrase coined by Carlo warning other youngsters not to lose their individuality on the internet: Everyone is born an original, but many die like photocopies. After citing the phrase, Francis added, Dont let this happen. As Carlos fame has spread, Catholics have started to pray to him, and in February, the pope attributed a miracle to the teen, triggering his beatification, the first step toward being made a saint. The beatification ceremony will be held Oct. 10 in the central Italian city of Assisi (of St. Francis fame). Story continues The miracle in 2013 involved the rapid and inexplicable healing of a 6-year-old Brazilian boy suffering from a serious congenital deformation of the pancreas. A priest prayed to Carlo on the childs behalf. The boy was vomiting and risked dying. Then, on the third day of prayers, he started eating, said Antonia Salzano, Carlos mother, who works in publishing. His father works in the insurance business. We get news of miracles attributed to Carlo all the time, said Salzano, 53. One woman was cured of her cancer after attending his funeral, and I heard of two more a few days ago. She added that she could not fathom how Carlos fame had spread since his death. Its a mystery. I sense the finger of God, she said. Losing your son is the most terrible thing, but we are happy he is helping people discover their faith. Salzano recalled that Carlo had only a very basic computer but that he would study college textbooks to learn how to program and saw the internet as a way to spread the faith. This month, Becciu told Vatican News that, when he was close to death, Carlo had said: I want to offer all my suffering for the Lord, for the pope and for the church. I don't want to do purgatory; I want to go straight to heaven. The cardinal added: He said that at 15! A little boy who talks like that strikes us, and I think it encourages everyone not to joke with our faith, but to take it seriously. To make it easier to pray at his tomb, the Vatican ordered Carlos body to be exhumed last year and reburied at the Shrine of Renunciation at the Church of St. Mary Major in Assisi. Further miracles attributed to prayers to Carlo will be studied by the Vatican. If it certifies a second miracle after Carlos beatification in October, the youth can be made a saint. If that happens, Carlo would be a strong candidate to become patron saint of the internet, Becciu said, but the pope decides. Declaring a patron saint for web surfers actual surfers already have a protector out on the waves, St. Christopher would be in keeping with the Vaticans push to promote an online presence. The popes digital outreach efforts include his popular Twitter accounts, which boast more than 50 million followers, including 900,000 of his feed in Latin. Catholic priests around the world turned to Zoom during coronavirus lockdowns to hold online services when churches were closed. Francis has described the internet as a gift from God but has also warned that hours spent alone online can have the effect of isolating us from our neighbors, from those closest to us. In 2016, he said nuns should be allowed to surf the internet in their convents but should not let online time become occasions for wasting time or escaping from the demands of fraternal life in community. If he declares Carlo the patron saint of the internet, Francis will probably cast the boy as a figure who can steer users away from loneliness and turn their surfing into a social, life-affirming experience. In recent years, some reports have contended that the Catholic Church already has a patron saint of all things digital: Isidore, the 6th century bishop of Seville who created a 20-volume encyclopedia in a bid to put all knowledge in one place a precursor of Google. Press reports have said that Pope John Paul II declared him the saint of the web. But Becciu said he could find no official record of Isidore being assigned the role by the Vatican. There is nothing about that in the archives, he said. Salzano said her late son was ready to take on the responsibility, though it would be a heavy one. He will have to see all the ugly things on the internet. It will be a tough job, but a great way to spread faith, she said. I hope he can bring out the beautiful side of the net and fight the dark side. Frontiere Cameroun Guinee-Equatoriale archives Officials from Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea will begin border demarcation talks in Yaounde on Monday, June 29, 2020. Beti Assomo Joseph, Cameroons Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic in charge of Defence, accompanied by the countrys High Military Command, received the delegation from Equatorial Guinea Sunday afternoon at the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport. The delegation from Equatorial Guinea headed by Mr. Bekale Nkogo leandro, Minister of National Defence arrived Yaounde on Sunday afternoon, June 28, 2020, Beti Assomo said in a statement. Assomo adds that the consultation meeting with Ministers of Defence of both countries will take place on June 29 & 30, 2020 on the high instructions of H.E. Paul Biya and H.E. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, respectively President of the Republic of Cameroon and President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. This important bilateral meeting shall essentially delve into mutual collaboration modalities and security actions along the border between both countries, said Minister Assomo in a dispatch Sunday. The deliberations are expected to open Monday, June 29, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. with an in-camera meeting of experts. On Tuesday morning, the Chiefs of Defence Staff of both countries will hold an in-camera working session. Defence Ministers of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea will later on Tuesday co-chair closed-door negotiations at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel. It would be recalled that on June 8, talks were held between Felix Nguele Nguele, Governor of Cameroons South Region and Justo Javier Ndong Engon, Governor of Equatorial Guineas Kie Ntem Province that shares borders with Cameroons South Region. State media reported earlier this month that they had been clashes along the border with both countries. Although nobody was killed, Governor Nguele is quoted as saying that troops were wounded and property destroyed on both sides. After the June 8 meeting, Governor Engon said the duo had resolved to return troops to the barracks while the governments of both countries find a lasting solution to the border dispute. On August 16, 2019, Prime Minister Dion Ngute Joseph granted audience to a high profile delegation from Equatorial Guinea at the head of which was the countrys Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, Simeon Oyono Esono Angue. The meeting came following info that Equatorial Guinea was constructing a wall along her border with Cameroon. The said wall was said to be on Cameroonian soil. Minister Esono Angue was thus bearer of a sealed message from President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to Cameroons sovereign, President Paul Biya. For over sixty minutes, a wide range of issues that touched on the longstanding and fruitful bilateral relations between the two friendly and brotherly nations came under review. Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea share a long border of over 300 kilometres and historical ties. By virtue of their proximity and shared values, discussions between Simeon Oyono Esono Angue from Equatorial Guinea and PM Dion Ngute of Cameroon were frank, profound, sincere and brotherly. The discussions were aimed at consolidating the rich bilateral relations and cooperation ties between Malabo and Yaounde. While describing relations between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea as very excellent and like that between members of the same family, the emissary from President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo dismissed as misinformation social media reports that Equatorial Guinea plans to construct a wall on the border with Cameroon. Minister Simeon Oyono Esono Angue stressed that Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon have since 1980 signed a treaty of good neighbourliness, a document that permits both countries to always find a peaceful solution to their problems. Although the content of the letter from President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to his friend and brother, President Paul Biya remains a guarded secret, there is no doubt that both leaders are very much committed to the option of a strong regional integration. News that Equatorial Guinea is carrying on plans to erect a wall along its 183km-long border with Cameroon went viral on social media and other media platforms in August 2019, prompting Cameroons Minister of External Relations to summon the Equatoguinean Ambassador to Cameroon. Equatorial Guineas Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, Simeon Oyono Esono Angue used his August 16, 2019 Yaounde visit to dismiss the allegations. But since then, matters seems to have worsened, necessitating border demarcation talks between both countries. Eamon Ryan has insisted that he is "holding out the olive branch" to those in his party who were against voting for coalition, but said that he felt that his appointment of Senator Pippa Hackett as a Super Junior Minister was fair. Mr Ryan, speaking to RTE's The Week In Politics, said that he felt Ms Hackett, who will take on a role which sits at the cabinet table overseeing land use and biodiversity. Choosing Ms Hackett for the role Read More: However, Mr Ryan said that Ms Hackett was "a real talent" who would bring a much-needed perspective to cabinet. "I've always said that we have to listen to people those advocates on the other side (of the programme vote). There is a lot of sense to what they're saying and they have to be respected and their opinions heard. "But someone like Pippa who I think is a real talent, who has real expertise in the issue of farming and agricultural land use does bring a different perspective and I think it was important that we have that voice in the cabinet table, particularly because in how we manage our land, for the future of farming for our country. "So I'm really pleased that we have someone with real expertise representing the Green Party but not just the Green Party, providing her expertise to Cabinet to try and help make the change the changes we need to make." The Green Party leader also confirmed that responsibility for the Direct Provision system will transfer to his party colleague Roderic O'Gorman, who was yesterday named as Minister for Equality, Disability, Integration and Children. Mr Ryan also said that there had been no deal with Catherine Martin to avoid a leadership contest in the Green Party. "There will be a contest - we both agreed that we shouldn't really be seen to think about that until after governments formed, and even in the next month when that contest takes place I'll be honest voters, I think we have a clear understanding that actually the first priority is doing our job in government and it's actually getting into our departments get to grips with the brief." Mr Ryan also rejected the notion that the cabinet makeup Read More: He said that all party leaders had given thought to regional and gender balance in making their appointments. 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 Green Party leader Eamon Ryan after the 33rd sitting of the new Dail (Maxwell Photography/PA) Leader Eamon Ryan has said the Green Partys leadership contest will take place online in the next month now that a government has been formed. Deputy leader Catherine Martin announced that she would challenge Mr Ryan for the leadership last month. There will be a contest but we both agreed that we shouldnt be thinking about it until after the Government is formed. Even in the next month when that contest takes places, both of us have a clear understanding is that our first job is doing our job in government, he told RTEs The Week In Politics. We have to get into our departments, get to grips with our brief and have our first Cabinet meeting on Monday. "That sounds a bit big, a bit bold, a bit ambitious, but why not - on this day, as we try to form a government - set ourselves a big task?" WATCH BACK: @EamonRyan's full speech from this morning's special sitting of the 33rd Dail. #Greensingovernment #33rdDail #PfG pic.twitter.com/eRE19homCj Green Party Ireland (@greenparty_ie) June 27, 2020 Mr Ryan said the leadership campaigns will be conducted online so that he and Ms Martin will not have to travel around the country. Our party tradition or constitution says that we should have our leadership contest within six months of a general election. I dont think it is going to be divisive, I think it will help each of us to articulate our view as to where we are going not just as a party but as a country and within government. Mr Ryan also defended the regional and gender balance in the new Cabinet. Ministerial roles have been split across Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens, with the leaders of the three coalition parties agreeing to the appointments. Micheal Martin is the new taoiseach, former premier Leo Varadkar will serve as Tanaiste and Mr Ryan will head a new climate action, communications networks and transport department. Four of the new cabinet ministers are women Helen McEntee is the Justice Minister, first-time TD Norma Foley is Education Minister, Ms Martin is the Tourism and Sport Minister while Heather Humpreys is the Social Protection and Rural Affair Minister. The majority of the cabinet are from Dublin and Cork while there is no minister from the west coast of Ireland. Mr Ryan said: I dont think government can ignore any part of the country be it the south, east or west or any part. It is difficult to get that regional balance when you have three different parties so youre not picking for a full cabinet when youre making your selection. Each of the leaders was cognisant on the need for gender and regional balance, and it may not be perfect. U.S. shale was one of the big losers of the Saudi-Russian price war that many saw as a war on U.S. shale. Producers scrambled to stay afloat as prices sank back to lows not seen since 2016, and they are still scrambling. Banks are giving them the cold shoulder, worried that many will not be able to pay their debts. Is there a way out? According to various forecasting agencies, there is, but it will take a while. A Bloomberg analysis of forecasts for the shale industry made by outlets such as the International Energy Agency, energy consultancy Rystad, IHS Markit, Genscape, and Enervus suggests shale will be back on its feet by 2023, with production back to over 12 million bpd. This is not a long time for a full recovery, really, especially given the current circumstances, including shut-in wells, abandoned drilling plans, tight cash, and, for many, looming bankruptcies. As much as 30 percent of shale drillers could go under if oil prices fail to move substantially higher, Deloitte said in a recent study, as quoted by CNN. These 30 percent, the firm said, are technically insolvent at oil prices of $35 a barrel. Right now, West Texas Intermediate is higher than $35 but not by much. Oil is now trading closer to $35 than to $50the level at which most shale drillers will be making money. And they need to make money: banks have started cutting credit lines for industry players as they reassess their assets and the production that they promised would be realized from these assets. According to calculations by Moodys and JP Morgan, cited by the Wall Street Journal, banks could reduce asset-backed loan availability for the industry by as much as 30 percent, which translates into tens of billions of dollars. One can see the lenders perspective. They are in the business of lending in order to make money, and for that to happen, their borrowers must make money, too. But, it appears, most shale drillers have been consistently failing to turn a profit over the last 15 years, burning through $300 billion in cash and writing down $450 billion on invested capital, according to the Deloitte study. Story continues But the shale industry is lean and mean, which is why it would rebound the moment prices rise high enough. As soon as WTI jumps above $55 a barrel and stays there for a while, shale drillers will start ramping up production again, according to the forecasters Bloomberg surveyed. Related: Russian Mercenaries Block Output Restart At Libyas Largest Oilfield In fact, many are already ramping up: production of crude oil in the U.S. last week rose to 11 million bpd, according to the Energy Information Administrations Weekly Petroleum Status Report, from 10.5 million bpd the previous week. Thats still over a million barrels daily less than what the U.S. was producing a year ago. It is, however, a sign of improvement in the industry. This improvement, according to forecasters, may turn out to be only temporary, though. According to IHS Markit, the production increase will last for a few months, after which it will be followed by another decline. This is because the massive growth in production over the past ten years came at an equally massive expense in the form of fast decline rates. Shale oil extraction is a capital-intensive business, even at the lowest breakeven prices. Shale drillers need to keep drilling new wells to maintainand boostproduction. For this, they need cash that they dont have right now, and the banks are less willing than ever to supply it. For this reason, the recovery of U.S. shale hinges on higher oil prices and OPEC+ knows it. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com The US fight against Chinese technology appears to be extending to another category: the security screening you normally see at the airport or border. Wall Street Journal sources understand the National Security Council and other US agencies are pushing European governments (including Germany, Greece and Italy) to avoid using baggage, cargo and passenger screening systems from Nuctech, a Chinese state-run company that already has a foothold in the continent. American officials are reportedly worried any connected devices could pass sensitive data like passenger info and shipping manifests to Chinese spies. Much like the claims against Huawei, theres no publicly available evidence of Nuctech forwarding data to Chinese surveillance systems. The US Transportation Security Administration barred Nuctech from many US airports in 2014 following a review, although the report is classified. Nuctech denied the assertions, claiming that data from its devices belong to our customer[s] only, and by no means go to the Chinese government. It also rejected claims that it had dominant shares of baggage and cargo screening, and that it priced anything below cost to thwart the competition. The EU found the company guilty of price dumping in 2010, but Nuctech has since set up a Polish factory to keep costs low. The State Department didnt directly confirm the strategy, but did state that the US was still asking allies to guar against companies heavily subsidized by authoritarian regimes. Whether or not theres any substance to the accusations, there are economic maneuvers invovled as well. The US is supposedly asking European nations to replace Nuctech equipment with American equivalents it stands to benefit if the Chinese company gets kicked out. Thats a strong incentive to keep up the campaign, even if the surveillance claims are unwarranted. Malawis electoral commission has declared opposition alliance leader Lazarus Chakwera the winner of the countrys presidential election rerun. The announcement late on Saturday came four days after Malawians returned to the polls almost five months after the constitutional court annulled the results of a May 2019 vote over irregularities. Chakwera, 65, secured the required majority, with 58.57 percent of Tuesdays vote, the electoral commission said, beating the incumbent Peter Mutharika. Chakwera won election to a five-year term as president of the nation of 18 million people. My victory is a win for democracy and justice. My heart is bubbling with joy, Chakwera said after his win, which sparked wild late night celebrations on the streets of the capital Lilongwe, his stronghold. In power since 2014, Mutharika was previously declared the winner of last years vote with 38.57 percent, ahead of Chakwera who got 35.41 percent and former Vice President Saulos Chillima, with 20.24 percent. But Chakwera and now-running mate Chillima rejected the results of that election and petitioned the court to nullify the outcome and order a rerun. February 3s overturned result also forced a change in the electoral system, swapping a first-past-the-post system for a system in which the winner has to receive more than 50 percent of the vote. Mutharika, 79, earlier on Saturday said there had been voting irregularities including violence and intimidation against his partys election monitors, but the complaint was dismissed by the electoral commission. The opposition has denied the allegations. There were no independent reports of irregularities, and no international observer missions this time because of COVID-19. Local observers have said the poll was free and fair. There is a status orange rainfall warning in place for three counties. Met Eireann has put the warning in place for Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo. The warning came into effect at 11am and is in place until 12pm on Monday. Further heavy persistent rainfall (an additional 50 to 60mm possible) may lead to river flooding and localised spot flooding, warned the forecaster. A status yellow rainfall warning is also in place for Mayo until 12pm tomorrow. Met Eireann said: Further heavy persistent rainfall (an additional 30 to 50mm possible) will lead to spot flooding. The UK Met Office has also issued a status yellow rain warning for Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry. They said: Further rain, heavy and persistent in places, may lead to some disruption. Met Eireann has also issued a status yellow wind warning for five counties. The warning, for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo, came into effect at 10am and will be in place until 10pm. Met Eireann warned: Westerly winds with mean speeds of 50 to 60km/h will gust up to 100km/h. Earlier: Status yellow rainfall warning in place for seven counties There are two rainfall warnings in place on the island of Ireland today. A status yellow warning for Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo was issued by Met Eireann on Friday. That warning came into effect at 9am on Saturday and remains in place until 9am tomorrow. Met Eireann said: There will be heavy rain and blustery conditions at times, from Saturday morning through to early Monday, leading to accumulations of 40 to 60mm with spot flooding. Higher totals are expected in mountainous areas with the risk of flash flooding. The UK Met Office has also issued a rain warning for Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry. The warning came into effect at 6am this morning and is in place until 3pm on Monday. They said: Rain is likely to become heavy and persistent in places, and may lead to some disruption. There is also a status yellow wind warning in place for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo. the warning is in place until 10pm this evening with Met Eireann warning: "Westerly winds with mean speeds of 50 to 60km/h will gust up to 100km/h." Met Eireann said that while there will be showers in the northern half of the country today, elsewhere will be predominantly dry with some bright spells and just a few passing blustery heavy showers. They said that tonight will be mostly cloudy with rain or showers becoming patchier, a few heavier bursts are still possible in the northwest, while it will remain mostly dry in Munster. Monday will see some bright spells in Munster, however it will be mostly cloudy elsewhere with patchy rain and drizzle at times especially in Ulster. The rest of the week looks likely to remain somewhat unsettled with the best of any sunny spells on Wednesday and Thursday. UK Prime Minister Johnson Says Britain Ready for 'Australia Terms' of Brexit if No Deal Reached Sputnik News 12:56 GMT 27.06.2020(updated 13:30 GMT 27.06.2020) The UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020, and is currently going through a transition period lasting until December 31, 2020. Until then, London and Brussels will be trying to negotiate further arrangements, The United Kingdom is ready to terminate the transition period on "Australia terms" if London and Brussels fail to reach an agreement on their future relations, Downing Street cited Prime Minister Boris Johnson as saying. "He (Johnson) said the UK would negotiate constructively but equally would be ready to leave the transition period on Australia terms if agreement could not be reached", the statement said. The statement refers to the existing trade relations between the bloc and Australia, which generally follow WTO rules with the exception of specific agreements on certain goods. The UK and the EU issued a joint statement earlier this month, stressing that they are not going to extend the transition period beyond 31 December. The United Kingdom left the European Union in January, completing a process that began with the Brexit referendum held in June 2016. The transition period is in effect until 31 December, giving Brussels and London time to conclude a range of agreements, the most important of which is a free trade deal. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Every two-year School Board election, and every year at Hamilton County budget approval time, the charge is always made that the Hamilton County Schools central office is top heavy, and that money should be taken from administrative budgets and given towards the classroom. This issue has never been resolved. The reason it has never been resolved is that there is no data to support one side or the other. It is all speculation on the voters side, and non-transparent management and hierarchical decisions tied to traditions, on the other side. No one wants the education of our children to be understaffed. By the same token most people want the staff to be as lean and as effective as possible to save taxpayers money and put the same dollars in classrooms. I would think the HCS administration would welcome such a review. It would build trust and help them make a better case to voters and commissioners. I propose the candidates for School Board promise to the voters that they will call for a management audit, payed for outside of the county school budget. There is such a thing in business called span of control. The basic concept is how many managers does it take to manage a certain number of people. McKinsey and Company did a study and said the national average for larger businesses was for every 15 to 20 people, who need some sort of management or oversight. HCS has 6,860+ employees, 3,921 are not teachers who do report to principals in the 78 schools. This is tricky business because different department may need more managers/administrators than others. I have tried repeatedly to get an organizational chart from the school system, but to no avail. Why is this kept a secret? The taxpayers fund it and the voters elect the Board. These are the peoples schools. How well the voters and taxpayers would be served by a professional audit of the managements span of control, where a range, from lower to higher, could be factually provided with evidence and rationales of how many people it takes to run the school system in supervision and management and administration, without counting the teachers, including salaries and benefits. This could put an end, or at least create a lane, for an informed discussion of this charge. Candidates this year, elected Aug. 6, should make this part of their platform and commitment to the voters. I am sure private donors would fund the project, so there would be little question of outsized influence. Rhonda, Marco, Steve, Tom, Debbie, Joe, Tiffanie: pledge to the voters you will call for such an audit. It could bring healing to this continual contentious question. Doug Daugherty. Sr. * * * Doug: Interesting questions - and good news - much work has been done in Hamilton County by respected business leaders to determine the answer to your question: "Is Hamilton County Schools top heavy?" In 2017 County Mayor Coppinger brought together the "Mayor's Budget Working Group" to study the Hamilton County Schools budget. The group included: Valorie Armstrong, then-president of Tennessee American Water Dane Boyington, co-founder of Thinking Media Sheila Boyington, co-founder of Thinking Media Larry Buie, general manager at Chattanooga Gas Co Nick Decosimo, managing shareholder at Elliott Davis Decosimo David Eichenthal, managing director at the PFM Group James Haley, chairman of Miller & Martin Tim Kelly, owner of Kelly Auto Michael Lebovitz, executive vice president of CBL & Associates Properties Dana Perry, shareholder at Chambliss Law Kim White, president of River City Co. This top-notch group did tremendous work and produced a 69-page report chock to the brim with efficiency recommendations. As a private citizen at the time, I was interested to read that in fact, no, Hamilton County Schools was not top heavy. Rather, years of trimming the budget to the bone had actually created a central office that lacked the capacity to effectively plan due to lack of business expertise and being stretched too thin. The Working Group recommended that Hamilton County Schools increase efficiency by reorganizing Central Office and hiring c-suite executives including a chief information officer, a chief talent officer, and a chief operating officer. When hired, Dr. Bryan Johnson heeded the advice of the Mayor's Budget Working Group on the recommendation of creating an A-team to lead the district as well as on several other elements in the report. Now as a serving school board member, I see the positive impact the leaders are having on HCS delivering a more consistent, higher-quality education to our students than the system was providing before rethinking the value of leadership at the district level. I also continue to reference the working group report, as it contains many other efficiency recommendations that will require more time to implement. Regarding your other question about an organizational chart, I have found that Hamilton County Schools is operating in the brightest sunshine of any county organization. You can find an organizational chart, the system strategic plan, vendor information, and much much more at https://www.hcde.org/about_us/openhcs. This tool was launched in December 2019. The school board election Aug. 6 is very important - as is every school board election. Our public schools are the backbone of Hamilton County's economic future. The current board has been dedicated to implementing a bold strategic plan for our system. Schools are on an upward trajectory and it's critical that we remain laser focused on our goals and resourcing our strategies in order to maintain momentum. My hope for all school board candidates is that they know our Future Ready 2023 Strategic Plan backward and forward and come to every conversation prepared to bring ideas on how we can bring the plan to fruition. Jenny Hill School Board, District 6 * * * I want to thank School Board Member Jenny Hill for her prompt response to my letter of June 25 Is The Hamilton County School System Top Heavy?. However, she missed the point and the question still begs to be answered. I was aware of and have studied the 2017 Mayor Coppinger Working Group report on the schools which suggest several changes in organization and key staff additions. It was well done. The organizational chart is also well designed. Thank you for bringing those to the conversation. However, the Top Heavy question remains to be answered and can only be answered by an outsider management review. Of the 114 people on the organizational chart, 15 work with the principals for the 2,841 teachers. That leaves 99 persons as either managers, directors, supervisors, specialist or coordinators, plus the Superintendent, who work with the remaining 3,921 non-teaching employees of the school system. That means one manager for an average span of control of one for every 39.6 employees. The organizational chart does not answer how many people manage others at the top levels. Forty to one is a bit hard to swallow. If taxpayers do think there are too many people at the leadership level, getting more than healthy salaries, and their tax dollars are paying for the schools, then why cant this question be scientifically answered by some type of non-financial audit, but personnel audit? It could be. Maybe the same Coppinger task force could be reconvened to do exactly that. Hamilton County residents are generally tax averse. If that is true, then the administration and school board should do all that they can to answer this question that nags and nags and nags local voters. Doug Daugherty, Signal Mountain Christian teen cut into pieces by radicals in India 3 years after conversion Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Christian convert teenager in the Odisha state of India was killed last Thursday by a group of religious fanatics in the Hindu-majority country, who reportedly cut up his body into pieces, according to the interdenominational ministry Persecution Relief. Pastor Bijay from the Malkangiri district told the nonprofit serving persecuted churches in India about how a group of suspected Hindu radicals (some of whom did not live in the village) ganged up last Thursday to kidnap Christians in the remote Kenduguda village. As a result, seventh-grader Samaru Madkami was killed by the perpetrators, who were said to have cut his neck and crushed his head with a rock. The suspects are also alleged to have cut the teenagers body into pieces and buried him in a pit. Madkamis father, Unga Madkami, is a member of Bijays Bethel house church who also serves as an elder in the congregation, according to Persecution Relief. He is a widower who lost his wife a few years back and was raising his children on his own. Bijay explained that he reported to local police last Friday that the teen went missing after he was taken from the home the night prior. Madkamis kidnapping came after a series of attacks on Christians in the area. The father claimed in his police report filed last Friday that a group of villagers picked up Madkami at around 11 p.m. and told him that they needed him for a meeting in the jungle, according to Persecution Relief. The suspects were alleged to have come back to the house about an hour later to try to kidnap Madkamis father. However, they were unsuccessful as Unga Madkami was able to escape to the police station, where he filed an earlier complaint. According to a police report filed by the victims father, he and his son became Christians about three years ago and faced harassment. Samaru was a passionate Christian, Bijay told Persecution Relief. He always shared from the Bible with youth and children from the village. Bijay added that Madkami recently told him that he would take up the ministry should anything ever happen to the pastor. Inspector of Malkangiri police station Ramprasad Nag told Hindustan Times that Madkamis body was exhumed three days after his killing. According to Nag, police arrested four people thought to be connected with Madkamis killing. Police accused Deba Madkami, Budra Muchaki, Aaita Kabasi and Ram Madi of calling Madkami and two other boys to leave their homes on June 4 under the pretext of the so-called meeting. The three were boys taken to the outskirts of the village to be killed, the news outlet reports. However, Nag said two others were able to escape while Madkami was beaten to death on accusations he practiced witchcraft. Persecution Relief Founder Shibu Thomas said in a statement that Madkamis case is by far the most disturbing case of Christian persecution he has seen of the 1,500-plus cases he has been involved with throughout his career. The hate and aggression in the minds of the religious fanatics and the brutal nature of this crime leaves me dumbfounded! Thomas wrote. My mind has been gripped by the thoughts of an innocent child who desired to serve Jesus Christ, in spite of the pain and challenges of losing his mother at a very tender age. This vicious cruelty exposes the tainted mentality and attitude of religious fanatics of this day and age. Although Persecution Relief states that Madkami was 14 years old, the Hindustan Times reports that Madkami was 18. India ranks as the 10th worst country in the world for Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA. Since the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014, Open Doors reports that incidents of persecution against Christians by Hindu nationalists have increased with little or no consequences. According to Hindustan Times, killings over accusations of witchcraft are not new in Odisha and there have been at least 17 tribals killed in the last three months. In February, another tribal person from the Maklangiri district was killed by a neighbor over suspicion that he practiced black magic. Bijay told Persecution Relief that there have been at least four other assaults against Christians in his village this year alone. According to Bijay, there was one incident in which radicals stuffed three Christians into jute bags and tried to throw them into a river. In another incident, he said, radicals tried to set two Christians on fire. This frightening and contagious crusade of religious intolerance has now peaked at new inhuman levels, Thomas stressed. Both nationally and internationally, the government of India has been called out numerous times to introspect and arrest the intensifying antagonism towards religious minorities. Somehow, we have become accustomed with being ignored and side-lined because religious nationalism has been prioritized over the lives of the citizens. In April, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom called on the U.S. State Department to label India as a country of particular concern for engaging in or tolerating systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. The recommendation was rejected by the Indian government, which accused USCIRF, an independent bipartisan government commission, of being biased. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 07:06:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW YORK, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people in New York City have been camping outside the City Hall in Lower Manhattan for nearly a week as of Saturday to demand cuts of police funding. The "Occupy City Hall" movement is asking the city government to slash one billion U.S. dollars off the annual budget of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), which is often 6 billion dollars. Most protesters are seen wearing masks, but social distancing is not strictly followed as they are sitting close to each other or lying on picnic blankets. Most of them are young people. Some placards they have made show their demands, such as removing police from schools and investing in care facilities. Masks, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and umbrellas are provided at the scene of the protest. Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio promised to divert city funds from NYPD to youth and social services, but without specifying how much money will be shifted. The city budget for the next fiscal year is due June 30. The protest follows weeks of nationwide protests against police violence after the death of Minneapolis black man George Floyd. Many protesters have called for the defunding of police. It also comes at a time when the city is experiencing a spike in gun violence. There have been 477 shootings so far this year, in comparison to 345 incidents at this point last year, ABC reported on Friday, citing authorities. Enditem 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 The Golden Rule Amanda Craig Little, Brown 16.99 This portrait of Brexit Britain reveals a country hopelessly divided by class and geography. London ad strategist Hannahs marriage has collapsed and shes cleaning houses to feed her daughter. Her mothers death takes her home to Cornwall, where a chance encounter triggers a summer of regeneration. A pacy state-of-the-nation drama that tackles issues from domestic abuse to workplace harassment, gentrification to the gig economy. Madeleine Feeny Rolling Fields David Trueba W&N 16.99 Dani Mosca, a 40-year-old Spanish rock legend, is sitting in the back seat of a hearse with his fathers body. As the car wends its way to his childhood village, north of Madrid, Dani looks back on the messiness of a colourful and eventful life. Effortlessly readable and fizzing with energy, this novel is by turns quirky, funny and thoughtful, though you cant help but suspect that something quintessentially Spanish has been lost in translation. Simon Humphreys Nothing Can Hurt You Nicola Maye Goldberg Raven Books 12.99 On a wintry day in 1997, Sara is murdered by her boyfriend, Blake, in the woods that surround their upstate New York college. He confesses, pleads insanity and avoids a prison sentence. This unsettling, sinuous novel subtly explores the cases fallout among those closest to it, from Blakes future wife and his best friend to Saras young half-sister and the woman who discovered her body. With the passing years, all strive to find meaning. Eithne Farry The Weekend Charlotte Wood W&N 14.99 Questions of love, ageing and ambition are examined through the prism of a long friendship in this intimate, unsentimental novel about three Aussie Boomers now in their 70s. Restaurateur Jude, Adele, a sometime star of the stage whos about to become homeless, and scatty Wendy, a feminist scholar trailed by a geriatric dog, have all gathered to clear out their late friends beach house. Wine flows and irritations simmer as a secret waits to be unearthed. Hephzibah Anderson Telanganas ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government kicked off year-long centenary celebrations of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao with a publicity blitz even as the local unit of the Congress, Raos own party said it too would celebrate his centenary (his hundredth birthday is on June 28 2021) , as competitive politics saw the two parties trying to outdo each other in their bid to claim the political legacy of the late leader. TRS supremo and Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, popularly known as KCR, made a strong pitch for conferring Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, on Rao and placed him at par with the countrys first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. At a function in Hyderabad, KCR paid tributes to Rao on his 99th birth anniversary and called him the proud son of Telangana while recalling his contributions to the country when it was passing through a critical phase during his tenure as PM 1991-96, including ushering in bold economic reforms. KCR claimed that Rao did not get the due respect in the Congress and said he would soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek Bharat Ratna for the late leader. While Jawaharlal Nehru ji was among the architects of modern India, it was PV Narasimha Rao who initiated economic reforms....created a global India. There is no doubt about it. He was in the same league as Nehru. PV was a personality who was on par with Nehru, he said. In full page advertisements in national and regional newspapers published on Sunday, the state government also described Rao as Telanganas son.Indias Pride. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Modi also paid tributes to Rao. In his monthly Mann ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi said Rao led the country through a critical phase. It is well known that Rao shared an uneasy relationship with the Nehru-Gandhi family and the Congress rarely mentions the former Prime Minister in any of its programmes. A powerful section in the Congress blames Rao for his political misjudgment of the Ayodhya issue and his failure to stop the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 when he was the Prime Minister. While former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who held the finance portfolio in the Rao government from 1991 and 1996, has always paid glowing tributes to the late leader, others in the party have usually been more reticent about this. That seems to have changed this year. Several Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram, paid tribute to Rao on Sunday. In a Facebook post, Gandhi wrote: My tribute to former Congress President and Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao Ji on his birth anniversary. On its official twitter handle, the Congress said: We honour PV Narsimha Rao, a visionary leader who oversaw major economic transformations of the Indian economy. His contributions to the nation shall never be forgotten. It added that Rao put India on the worlds economic map. Chidambaram mooted the idea of naming a university, existing or new, after Rao to focus on the study of the old PPE -- Politics, Philosophy and Economics -- subjects in which the former Prime Minister was a scholar and practitioner. Rao was a scholar and a linguist and spoke 17 languages and was good enough in six of them to actually translate scholarly works. His quiet demeanour also hid a shrewd political mind. In a statement, Chidambaram said Rao was the person who boldly pulled India out of an outdated mindset and put the country firmly on the path of becoming a prosperous and self-reliant nation. The Telangana Congress too is celebrating Raos centenary year and reiterated its demand for Bharat Ratna for him. Telangana Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters in Hyderabad that party chief Sonia Gandhi has directed the state unit to celebrate Raos centenary year in a befitting manner. A committee will be constituted to conduct various programmes. His family members will be invited in all the programmes, Reddy said, adding the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh assembly in January 2014 passed a resolution demanding Bharat Ratna for Rao. Former union minister Jitin Prasada, whose father Jitendra Prasada was political secretary to Rao, tweeted: Tributes to former PM #PVNarasimhaRao ji on his birth anniversary. My father worked closely with him as his political secretary and witnessed the course changing economic policies ushered in by Rao sahab which opened up the Indian economy and gave it a much needed impetus. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The triple crisis shaking the world By Joschka Fischer, exclusively for the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s): BERLIN The COVID-19 pandemic is entering its second phase as countries gradually reopen their economies and loosen or even revoke strict social-distancing measures. Yet, barring the arrival of an effective, universally available therapy or vaccine, the transition back to normal will be more aspirational than real. Worse, it risks triggering a second wave of infections at the local and regional level, and possibly on a much larger scale. True, political decision-makers, health-care providers, scientists, and the general public have learned a great deal from the experience of the first wave. Though a second wave of infections seems highly probable, it will play out differently than the first wave. Rather than a full-scale lockdown that brings economic and social life to a standstill, the response will rely mainly on strict but targeted rules for social distancing, face masks, telecommuting, video conferencing, and so forth. But, depending on the next waves intensity, local or regional lockdowns may still be deemed necessary in the most extreme cases. Much like the first wave of the pandemic, the next phase will involve a trio of simultaneous crises. To the risk of new infections getting out of control and spreading globally once again must be added to the ongoing economic and social fallout and an escalating geopolitical bust-up. The global economy is already in a deep recession that will not be quickly or easily overcome. And this, along with the pandemic, will factor into the intensifying Sino-American rivalry, particularly in the months leading up to the United States presidential election in November. As if this combination of health, socioeconomic and geopolitical upheavals were not destabilising enough, one also cannot ignore the Trump factor. If US President Donald Trump were to win a second four-year term, the current global chaos would escalate dramatically, whereas a victory for his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, would at least bring greater stability. The stakes in the US presidential election could scarcely be higher. Given the worlds mounting crises, it is no exaggeration to say that humanity is approaching an historic crossroads. The full extent of the economic recession probably will not become apparent until this fall and winter, when it will most likely come as another shock, because the world is no longer accustomed to such dramatic contractions. Both psychologically and in real terms, we are accustomed to continuous growth. Will richer countries in the West and Asia be able to deal with a deep, widespread, prolonged recession or even depression? Even if trillions of dollars in stimulus spending proves sufficient to offset a full collapse, the question will be what comes next. In the worst scenario (which is not impossible), Trump is re-elected, the second wave of the pandemic is global, economies continue to crash and the new cold war in East Asia turns hot. But even if one does not assume the worst, the triple crisis will usher in a new era, requiring that national political and economic systems and multilateral institutions be rebuilt. Even in the best-case scenario, there can be no return to the status quo ante. The past has passed; only the future counts now. We should harbor no illusions about what might and should come next. The crises triggered by the pandemic are so deep and far-reaching that they inevitably will lead to a radical redistribution of power and wealth at the global level. The societies that have prepared for this outcome by mustering the necessary energy, know-how, and investments will be among the winners; those that fail to see what is coming will find themselves among the losers. After all, long before the pandemic, the world was already undergoing a transition to the digital age, with far-reaching implications for the value of traditional technologies, legacy industries, and the distribution of global power and wealth. Moreover, an even greater global crisis is already fully visible on the horizon. The consequences of runaway climate change will be far graver than anything we have ever seen, and there will be no chance of a vaccine to solve that problem. The COVID-19 pandemic thus marks a real turning point. For centuries, we have relied on a system of political economy comprising sovereign egoistical nation-states, industries (both under capitalism and socialism) that run on fossil fuels, and the consumption of finite natural resources. This system is quickly reaching its limits, making fundamental change unavoidable. The task now is to learn as much as we can from the first wave of the triple crisis. For Europe, which seemed to have fallen far behind economically and geopolitically, this moment represents an unexpected opportunity to address its obvious shortcomings. Europe has the political values (democracy, rule of law, and social equality), technical know-how, and investment power to act decisively in the interest of its own principles and goals, as well as those of humanity more generally. The only question is what Europeans are waiting for. Joschka Fischer, Germanys foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2020. www.project-syndicate.org With the Covid-19 pandemic showing no signs of ebbing in nearly 185 countries across the globe, the race for a coronavirus vaccine is continuing at a frantic pace among global scientists and researchers. The China National Biotec Group (CNBG) said on Sunday that early human test results for a coronavirus vaccine candidate suggested it could be safe and effective, the second vaccine candidate from the firm to show encouraging results in a clinical trial. Chinese researchers have been allowed to test eight vaccine candidates in humans at home and abroad, making the Asian giant a major front-runner in the race to develop a vaccine against the virus that has killed nearly 500,000 people globally. The experimental shot, developed by a Beijing-based unit of CNBG, has induced high-level antibodies in all the inoculated participants in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial involving 1,120 healthy people, according to preliminary data of the trial. Earlier this month, CNBG, said that another vaccine candidate produced by its Wuhan-based unit also triggered high-level antibodies safely in clinical trial participants. Currently, there are more than 13 experimental vaccines in clinical trials among the 140 being developed to fight Covid-19. ALSO READ | Delhi, Maharashtra among 5 states likely to get first lot of Covid-19 drug Global health watchdog, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified the candidates developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca and Moderna Inc as the front-runners in the race to find an effective vaccine for the viral infection. AstraZenecas experimental Covid-19 vaccine is probably the worlds leading candidate and most advanced in terms of development, the World Health Organizations (WHO) chief scientist said on Friday. The British drugmaker has already begun large-scale, mid-stage human trials of the vaccine, which was developed by researchers at the University of Oxford. News agency Reuters quoted WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan as saying, Certainly in terms of how advanced they are, the stage at which they are, they are I think probably the leading candidate. British pharma major AstraZeneca, which has already begun Phase III human trials of its AZD1222 (formerly known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine candidate, signed its tenth supply-and-manufacturing deal earlier this week. Brazil announced on Saturday it had signed a $127 million agreement to start producing locally the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The country is slated to initially produce 30 million doses of the vaccine half by December and half by January of next year, according to a Reuters report. ALSO READ | Over 80k new cases since Monday in India; AstraZeneca, Moderna emerge as top vaccine contenders: Covid-19 week wrap Earlier this month, the AstraZeneca CEO told a radio station that the vaccine candidate would likely provide protection against Covid-19 for one year. US firm Moderna Inc, which has already started Phase II trials for its vaccine candidate mRNA-1273, has partnered with drugmaker Catalent Inc to produce 100 million doses starting in the third quarter of 2020. Under the deal, Catalent will also provide packaging and labeling, storage and distribution services to support Modernas late-stage clinical trial for the vaccine. Catalent is already in partnership with Johnson and Johnson as well as AstraZeneca. Closer home homegrown pharma major Hetero has started delivering the generic version of antiviral drug Remdesivir to states across the country for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Sold under the brand name Covifor, the drug has been priced at Rs 5,400 per vial and will be available at hospitals to treat the coronavirus infection. Delhi and Maharashtra -- the two worst-hit states in the country by the coronavirus pandemic will be the first to receive the first batch of the antiviral medicine. The Hyderabad-based drugmaker has dispatched 20,000 vials of Covifor to five states. Besides Maharashtra and the national capital, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are the other two states that will receive the first batch of the drug. Telangana, which has seen a sudden surge in coronavirus cases in the last one week, is the fifth state that will receive the first batch of the medicine. India on Saturday allowed the use of dexamethasone as an alternative to methylprednisolone to treat coronavirus patients with moderate and severe symptoms. The World Health Organization had called for a rapid increase in production of dexamethasone, after British clinical trials found it had life-saving potential for critically-ill coronavirus patients. The Union Health Ministry put out a revised version of the Clinical Management Protocol: COVID-19 - a document published for use by health professionals as a reference. Earlier this month, the ministry had added the loss of smell and taste as new symptoms of the infectious disease in the manual. The use of dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases such as arthritis, has been cleared for patients in critical need of oxygen support and those who have excessive inflammatory response, the document states. India has recorded successive highest single-day spikes of 18,552 fresh cases on an average, pushing the total number of cases well over the 5 lakh-mark, the latest data from the Health Ministry shows. India now has the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases among 10 nations worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. 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. Phil Neville has called on Manchester United to make one more star signing who can make an impact similar to that of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side beat Norwich in extra-time on Saturday to advance to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, with 80million-man Harry Maguire netting the winner. But ex-United defender Neville says that in addition to Maguire, Solskjaer should sign another centre back so United can challenge newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool next season. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should sign a centre back, says Phil Neville Harry Maguire, signed for 80m last summer, scored the winner against Norwich on Saturday Ex-United defender Neville believes the club needs to make at least one more star signing 'I think one more signing. You think about Liverpool signing [Virgil] van Dijk and Alisson in goal,' Neville told Premier League Productions. 'One or two more signings or [Paul] Pogba and one more signing playing to their absolute best. I think United can get closer.' When asked about the position, Neville added: 'Centre back, you look at the impact Van Dijk had. 'Maguire has had a really strong impact but another real strong centre back. Neville believes United need a signing to make impact like Virgil van Dijk has had at Liverpool 'They've still got to be defensively sound. One more signing and United can challenge.' United are currently sixth in the Premier League and are in a battle for a Champions League spot next season. While Liverpool claimed their first top-flight title in 30 years with seven games to go after a stunning season by Jurgen Klopp's side. Incumbent President Andrzej Duda is running for re-election that could weaken the countrys right-wing government. Polish voters are casting their ballots in round one of a tight presidential race that had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Incumbent Andrzej Duda, 48, is campaigning for re-election in a vote that could determine the future of the right-wing government that supports him. Polling stations opened at 7am (05:00 GMT) on Sunday and will close at 9pm (19:00 GMT) with an exit poll expected as soon as voting ends. Ten candidates are vying to replace him, but opinion polls suggest that Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a liberal from the main Civic Platform (PO) opposition party, will enter a neck-and-neck runoff on July 12. The most recent polls showed that no single candidate was likely to reach the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff given the crowded field of candidates, all of whom are male. In that case, the two top vote-getters will face each other on July 12. The vote had been scheduled for May 10 but was postponed in a chaotic political and legal battle as the ruling party pressed to hold it despite the pandemic. Victory for Trzaskowski, also 48, would deal a heavy blow to the Law and Justice (PiS) government, which has relied on its ally Duda to endorse polarising legislation, especially judicial reforms. While the PiS insists the changes are needed to weed out judicial corruption, critics and the European Union insist they erode judicial independence and democracy just three decades after Poland shed communism. US President Donald Trump, who regards the populist PiS administration as a key European ally, gave Duda his blessing this week. Trump invited him to the White House on Wednesday as the first foreign leader to visit since the coronavirus pandemic began, just four days ahead of election day. Originally scheduled for May, the ballot was postponed due to the pandemic and a new hybrid system of postal and conventional voting was put in place on Sunday in a bid to stem infections. While official figures show at least 33,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,400 deaths, the health minister has admitted that there are likely up to 1.6 million undetected cases in Poland, an EU country of 38 million people. Anti-gay rhetoric Duda has promised to defend the governing partys raft of popular social benefits, including a child allowance and extra pension payments a key factor behind the populists winning a second term in Octobers parliamentary election. Bread and butter issues are weighing heavily on voters minds as the economic fallout of the pandemic is set to send Poland into its first recession since communisms demise. Im happy. I cant complain; I get an extra pension payment and children are getting 500 zloty, Irena, a 63-year-old pensioner, told AFP in the central Polish town of Minsk Mazowiecki. Id like this to continue, she added, declining to provide her surname. Duda has also echoed PiS attacks on LGBT+ rights and Western values, something analysts see as a bid to attract voters backing a far-right candidate. Opinion polls suggest that Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a liberal from the main opposition party, will enter a neck-and-neck runoff on July 12 [Omar Marques/Getty Images] Campaigning with the slogan Enough is Enough, Trzaskowski promises to use the experience and contacts he gathered as a former European affairs minister to fight hard for a fair slice of the EUs 2021-27 budget, and to repair tattered ties with Brussels. He has, however, promised to keep the PiSs popular welfare payments. While many see his PO party as a weak and ineffectual opposition, Trzaskowski supporters regard him as a bulwark against the PiSs drive to reform the courts, something they insist risks destroying any notion of an independent judiciary. Im a lawyer and this (PiS justice reforms) affect me directly, Marek, 60, told AFP in Minsk Mazowiecki, also declining to provide his surname. Its as if a blacksmith would go to a watchmakers shop and try to put things in order. People might support it, but in the long run, these reforms will have to be reversed. Voychech Shebilski, the editor-in-chief of influential political magazine Visegrad Insight, said there are new issues on the horizon for the election. COVID-19 and the economic turmoil resulting from that are major issues in todays campaign, he said, speaking from the town of Lodz. The two candidates are struggling to demonstrate that their election will guarantee the best outcome to secure the future, to secure passing through this difficult time. The other issue here is whether there is a promise of hope and change, which is the main message of Trzaskowski, who is likely to make it to the second round of election, he added. Budapest model Since winning power in 2015, both Duda and the PiS have in many ways upended Polish politics by stoking tensions with the EU and wielding influence through state-owned companies and public broadcasters. Some analysts view the election as a crucial juncture: a second five-year term for Duda would allow the PiS to make even more controversial changes while defeat could unravel the partys power. A win for Duda would pave the way to bolstering Eastern tendencies, like the rise of oligarchs and a drift to the Budapest model (of Hungarys Viktor Orban) thats the danger, Warsaw University political scientist Anna Materska-Sosnowska told AFP. You are here: China 3 killed, 12 missing in southwest China rainstorm - Xinhua | English.news.cn Torrential downpours left three people dead while 12 others are missing in southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said Saturday. Intense rain lashed parts of Sichuan starting Friday morning with the county of Mianning recording 211 mm of rainfall, the heaviest precipitation, according to the authorities. In Mianning, the rainstorm before midnight touched off mountain torrents to hit the Damawu Village, where one villager was killed and nine others remain missing, the county government said. Besides, a car and a minivan veered off the road and plunged into a river after flooding damaged a section of the national highway, killing two people and leaving three others missing. County officials said rescue efforts are underway, and more than 7,000 residents have been relocated to safety. Too Hot To Handle stars' Francesca Farago, Haley Cureton and Madison Wyborny flaunted their killer curves earlier this week on the beach in Los Angeles. As the stunning reality stars soaked up the glorious weather, they took turns snapping selfies and serving as each other's photographers. Francesca Farago, who recently spilt from her fiance Harry Jowsey, turned up the heat in a barely-there red bikini, which displayed her ample cleavage and incredibly taut midriff. Netflix stars: Too Hot To Handle stars' Francesca Farago, Haley Cureton and Madison Wyborny flaunted their killer earlier this week on the beach in Los Angeles Her pal Haley Cureton, who recently spoke about potentially moving to the City of Angels with Farago, closely flanked her bestie's side, as she paraded her gorgerous gams around the sand. Madison Wyborny made sure to get her friends' best angles, while taking a mini photo shoot of just Cureton and Farago, who shared a steamy kiss on Netflix's hit dating game. The three women are known for appearing on the popular streaming site's dating reality show, which introduces attractive singles men and women, as they navigate a $100,000 celibacy challenge. Single: Francesca Farago, who recently spilt from her fiance Harry Jowsey, turned up the hit in a barely-there red bikini, which displayed her ample cleavage and incredibly taut midriff Co-stars: The three women first shot to fame at the end of April on the streaming site's reality show, which is introduces attractive singles men and women, while they undergo a $100,000 celibacy challenge Eye-catching trio: As the stunning reality stars soaked up the glorious weather, they took turns snapping selfies and serving as each other's photographers For their oceanside excursion, Cureton matched Farago in a vibrant red swimsuit, with similar criss-cross ties around the waist and stomach. Cureton offered her opinion on pal Francesca's personal life after Farago and her man ended their short-lived engagement. 'I think Harry was with Francesca for publicity 100 percent,' Cureton scornfully told TMZ earlier this month, while noting she believes he isn't 'capable of loving anyone besides himself.' BFFs: Her pal Haley Cureton , who recently spoke about potentially moving to the City of Angels, closely flanked Farago's side, as they paraded around the sand Her two cents: Cureton offered her opinion on pal Francesca's personal life after Farago and her man ended their short-lived engagement Puppy love: Wyborny looked at ease as she carried an adorable white Pomeranian, which matched her frilly white and black two-piece Wyborny looked at ease as she carried an adorable white Pomeranian, which matched her frilly white and black two-piece. While Farago's ex Harry admitted that he and Wyborny 'hooked up a number of times' and they are 'really good friends on the show and off,' she and his ex were all smiles together. After Harry fell in love with Farago, they split shortly after filming before getting back together then splitting again. No hard feelings: While Farago's ex Harry admitted that he and Wyborny 'hooked up a number of times' and they are 'really good friends on the show and off,' the pair were all smiles together Soaking in the sunshine: The women ran around blissfully without masks or any CDC-recommended facial coverings Francesca tearfully shared a tell-all on YouTube video, which detailed her and Harry's breakup, one month after their engagement Harry, who hails from Australia but lives in Los Angeles, first announced the split with Francesca on Instagram on Tuesday. The pair had been living apart for months due to COVID-19 border closures, and had both cited long-distance as a factor in their decision to separate. Photography skills: Madison Wyborny made sure to get her friends' best angles, while taking a mini photo shoot of just Cureton and Farago, who shared a steamy kiss on Netflix's hit dating game Harry said that the couple simply grew apart. 'Nothing bad happened. I simply fell out of love, I lost that massive spark that I had at the start of the show,' he explained. 'Feelings change, not all relationships work out. If you cant give someone 110 per cent, then there's no point.' Long distance: The pair had been living apart for months due to COVID-19 border closures, and had both cited long-distance as a factor in their decision to separate He insisted that he was 'taking responsibility' for leaving Francesca 'heartbroken'. He addressed Francesca directly and said to the camera: 'If you're watching, I hope you're okay. I'm only a phone call away. I'll always be here for you.' In Francesca's YouTube tell-all, titled Our Breakup, the brunette tearfully questioned: 'How could you have a wedding ring folder with someone and how could you propose to someone, but youre also saying I cant be with you because of the distance?' Long distance: The pair had been living apart for months due to COVID-19 border closures, but were scheduled to reunite in LA in a few days' time She seemed to agree with Harry that the long distance was partly to blame for their split, but said he was the one wanted to breakup. 'He decided to breakup with me because he couldnt do long-distance anymore. I obviously was heartbroken. I did everything I could,' she shared with fans. 'I cannot fake a relationship. I cannot pretend like everything is going to be okay,' the reality TV star added, as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue. 'This is a s**t situation and only Francesca and myself know the full extent of what's happened,' he said. 'Francesca knows I'm always going to love her and she's always in my heart, in a special place with me' Just last week, Harry told WHO magazine that living in different countries during the pandemic had taken a toll on the pair's relationship. Harry has been living in LA while Francesca has been at home in Vancouver, Canada. He said they had spent 'a couple of days' together last month when Francesca was in LA for work related to her bikini brand. Ready for a reunion: The announcement came just days after the swimwear designer revealed she was heading to LA for a reunion with her boyfriend The lovebirds, who briefly split and got back together after filming the racy dating show, had even spoken about having children. 'Francesca and I are better than ever, we took a bit of a break in between but now we are full steam ahead,' Harry told The Mirror. 'I can't wait to start traveling and we can put some babies in her belly!' She recently gave birth to her first child - a daughter named Sienna - with her husband Hugo Taylor. And Millie Mackintosh looked radiant as she enjoyed an idyllic country walk with her newborn on Sunday. The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, uploaded a snap of herself to Instagram walking through a field while she cradled Sienna in her arms. Stunning: Millie Mackintosh, 30, looked radiant as she enjoyed an idyllic country walk with her newborn daughter Sienna on Sunday Millie looked stylish as ever in the photo, donning a dark red long-sleeved dress with a detailed floral print. The TV personality added to her look with a pair of sunglasses while she let her flowing locks fall loose down her shoulders. Millie put her daughter into a leopard print baby wrap as she soaked up the afternoon sun on the stroll. Alongside the adorable snap, she wrote: 'Countryside walks with my koala'. New mum: It comes after Millie was every inch the doing new mum as she took her little girl for a stroll in her pram around west London It comes after Millie was every inch the doing new mum as she recently took her little girl for a stroll in her pram around west London. The star went make-up free for the outing and put on a busty display in a plunging grey vest top. The reality star teamed her top with a pair of patterned gym leggings, and tied a navy hooded jacket around her waist. Millie shielded her eyes from the rays with a pair of oversized cat-eye shades, while wearing her brunette locks in a loose, natural style. On Monday, Millie switched her casual look for a pretty chic white dress as she showcased her collection with MILLIE X PITUSA. Glowing: Millie went make-up free for the outing and put on a busty display in a plunging grey vest top Casual: The reality star teamed her top with a pair of patterned gym leggings, and tied a navy hooded jacket around her waist The mother-of-one displayed one of her looks while posing in the street, wearing a chic white dress with button and tiered detailing. She accessorised with a raffia handbag, a pair of slip on mules and quirky shades. Millie recently finally unveiled the name of her baby daughter, five weeks after welcoming her first child with her husband in Hello! magazine. She introduced little Sienna Grace to the world as she cradled her adorable girl in a stunning cover shoot. Sunnies: Millie shielded her eyes from the rays with a pair of oversized cat-eye shades, while wearing her brunette locks in a loose, natural style The blogger gushed she's 'on cloud nine' and praised sunglasses entrepreneur Hugo, 34, for being present during labour amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused most hospitals in the UK to allow only one birthing partner. Revealing that the couple settled on Sienna Grace's name 'months' before the birth, Millie added of their first few weeks of parenthood: 'We've been on cloud nine; it's gone so quickly. 'We've been in our little love bubble at home, cherishing those newborn moments, whether that's her sleeping on me or just lapping up all the cuteness.' Wow! On Monday, Millie switched her casual look for a pretty chic white dress as she showcased her collection with MILLIE X PITUSA 'Time has gone so quickly. She is so adorable, even down to the little noises she makes.' Hugo added: 'Sienna has turned our world upside down. It's like first love all over again that wondrous feeling of excitement, joy and endless possibility for the future. I can't wait to watch her grow.' It's unclear whether Millie named her daughter after actress Sienna Miller, but she has made no secret of being a supporter of the thespian - having taken inspiration from her cropped haircut in 2013, and fangirled over her wearing her Nouveau Lashes to the 2015 Golden Globes ceremony. The Yemeni militiamen rumbled up to the settlement of Al Ghar in the morning, firing their machine guns at the Ethiopian migrants caught in the middle of somebody elses war. They shouted at the migrants: Take your coronavirus and leave the country or face death. Fatima Mohammeds baby, Naaif, was screaming. She grabbed him and ran behind her husband as bullets streaked overhead. CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH The sound of the bullets was like thunder that wouldnt stop, said Kedir Jenni, 30, an Ethiopian waiter who also fled Al Ghar, near the Saudi border in northern Yemen, on that morning in early April. Men and women get shot next to you. You see them die and move on. This scene and others were recounted in phone interviews with a half-dozen migrants now in Saudi prisons. Their accounts could not be independently verified, but human rights groups have corroborated similar episodes. The Houthis, the Iran-backed militia that controls most of northern Yemen, have driven thousands of migrants out of their territory at gunpoint over the past three months, blaming them for spreading the coronavirus, and dumped them in the desert without food or water. Others were forced to the border with Saudi Arabia, the Houthis primary foe, only to be shot at by Saudi border guards and detained in prisons where they were beaten, given little food and forced to sleep on the same floor that they use as a toilet, migrants said in interviews from prison. Some have returned to abusive smugglers, determined to cross the border to find jobs in oil-rich Saudi Arabia. A Houthi spokesman would not immediately comment on the allegations. Five years of war between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition propping up Yemens government have ransacked the country, the poorest in the Middle East, starving and killing its people and smashing the door open to a mounting coronavirus outbreak. Not only Yemeni civilians are caught in the crossfire. Humanitarian officials and researchers say the African migrant workers who traverse Yemen every year endure torture, rape, extortion, bombs and bullets in their desperation to get to Saudi Arabia. This spring, when the pandemic made them convenient scapegoats for Yemens troubles, they lost even that slender hope. COVID is just one tragedy inside so many other tragedies that these migrants are facing, said Afrah Nasser, a Yemen researcher at Human Rights Watch. More than 100,000 Ethiopians, Somalis and other East Africans board overstuffed smugglers boats across the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden to Yemen every year, according to the United Nations, hoping to make their way north to support their families with jobs as domestic servants, animal herders or laborers in the wealthy Gulf countries whose economies depend on migrants. The journey is murderous at every stage. At sea, smugglers withhold water and food and throw uncooperative passengers overboard; in Yemen, the migrants are at the mercy of traffickers who torture and sexually abuse them, demanding huge sums of money from their impoverished families to buy their freedom, according to the U.N., Human Rights Watch and other groups as well as interviews with migrants. Follow: Coronavirus Worldometer | 15 countries with the highest number of cases, deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic U.N. surveys show that most migrants do not know about the fighting in Yemen before they arrive, but crossfire and coalition airstrikes find them anyway. At border crossings, Saudi guards shoot and kill them, littering what the migrants call slaughter valleys with bodies, migrants and humanitarian officials say. Those who survive are often detained by Saudi authorities and deported. A Saudi official, who asked not to be named, said allegations of mistreatment of migrants who cross the border illegally are not true and would be an affront to Saudi values. Since borders clamped shut during the pandemic, the flow of migrants to Yemen has nearly evaporated, plummeting from 18,904 in May 2019 to 1,195 this May, according to the U.N. But at least 14,500 remain in the country. Many arrived in years past and stayed to scrape together a living or save up before trying to go on to Saudi Arabia. Mohammed, 23, said she left Kemise, Ethiopia, after a divorce two years ago, hoping to earn enough as a maid in Saudi Arabia to support her widowed mother and two children back home. The smuggler who brought her to Yemen beat her repeatedly, threatening to kill her unless her family sent money. When she could not pay, Mohammed said, she was sold to another smuggler who put her to work at a shisha house in Al Ghar, where the owner forced her to have sex with her customers. Al Ghar was where she met her current husband. They made a living selling food to other migrants from under a plastic tent. She was making breakfast there when the Houthis arrived. Jenni, who was working at a hotel in Al Ghar, was the only one of a group of friends from his Ethiopian hometown, Harage, to have made it that far. He and about 270 others had crammed into a small boat from the Somali coast, forbidden to move, eat or drink for the two-day journey to Yemen. When two friends asked for water, he said, smugglers stabbed them and threw them overboard. As he watched them drown, Jenni said, I cried silently, because I knew my fate would be the same if they heard me. When the Houthis stormed into town in April, Jenni said, he fled in his flip-flops, shoving $1,300 all his savings into his underwear. Some of the migrants who ran from Al Ghar toward Saudi Arabia on April 8 estimated that the Houthis shot and killed at least 250 migrants that day. Another migrant, Ali Mohammed, 28, who recounted being chased off a farm in nearby Al Haydan, said only 57 of the 200 Ethiopians with him survived. Authorities on both sides of the war have long found it easy to stigmatize African migrants as carriers of disease first cholera and now the coronavirus, which is consuming what remains of Yemens health care system. Although rumors of sick residents had been circulating for some time, the first person the Houthis confirmed had died from coronavirus in Yemen, in early May, was a Somali man. This kind of stigmatization on migrants is life-threatening, said Mohammed Abdiker, the East and Horn of Africa director for the International Organization for Migration. Some migrants had been harassed for trying to get water or food, he added, and others blocked from getting medical care. All spring, the Houthis have done little to curb the coronavirus, denying reports of mass deaths in their territory. Instead, humanitarian officials, local security officials and residents say, the Houthis have used it as an excuse to expel unwanted migrants, mostly Ethiopians, driving them toward the Saudi border or rounding up truckloads of people to dump outside Houthi land. The IOM estimates the northern authorities have arrested 1,500 migrants and relocated them to southern Yemen over the past two months. Thousands are marooned in the southern port city of Aden, where, according to the organization, about 4,000 are living on the street, struggling to get food or water. In April, according to local officials in Houthi territory, at least 390 were deported to Al Jawf, a governorate on the wars front lines; from mid-April to mid-May, at least 486 were expelled south to the city of Taiz, where Houthi land meets that of Yemens Saudi-backed government. Left to fend for themselves, some migrants go hungry in the open, unable to count on help from Yemenis, who avoid Africans for fear of catching the coronavirus. The Delhi government is likely to add 100 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in Lok Nayak Hospital, central Delhithe city governments biggest Covid-19-dedicated hospitaltaking the total number to 200, a senior government official said on Sunday. Data compiled by the Delhi government on Sunday showed that out of 5,777 Covid-19 patients who have been admitted to the hospital so far, 4,169 have recovered. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage We increased the number of ICU beds in the hospital from 64 to 100 earlier this month. A hundred additional ICU beds will be added very soon, said the official cited above on condition of anonymity, adding that the hospital already has 80 ventilators and 2,000 beds, of which 384 have oxygen support. On Sunday evening, more than 1,300 of the 2,000 beds in the hospital were vacant, showed the governments real-time Delhi Corona app. In the last three months, the hospital has also witnessed 114 successful child deliveries and 1,130 dialysis sessions of Covid-19 patients. In most cases of childbirth, we found the babies to not be infected by Covid-19, said the senior government official mentioned above. In June, the hospital witnessed a 50% drop in deaths, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had said in a digital press briefing last week, attributing it to plasma therapy trials. Data compiled by the government on Sunday showed that the hospital witnessed 51 deaths in the week between June 20 and 26, as against 100 deaths recorded between June 6 and 12. The hospital has already administered 29 plasma trials in the first phase, according to government records, and received the central governments approval for 200 more. As most serious patients were admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital or have been transferred here, the doctors and nurses have had to face the tough challenge of dealing with the highest number of serious cases. To deal with this crisis, the chief minister had advocated the use of plasma therapy in April itself, at a time when this therapy was still being considered as a possible approach to treat serious Covid-19 patients in the country, said a Delhi government spokesperson. In the last few weeks, the hospital has also witnessed additional facilities, such as the setting up of a special helpdesk personally monitored by the chief ministers office and a video calling facility through tablets that enables patients to communicate with their relatives. Many relatives had complained that they had lost contact with patients after they had been admitted to the hospital. Also, rules do not allow non-medical hospital staff to enter the Covid-19 wards. A 100-bed Covid-19 health centre set up in a banquet hall in central Delhi has also been attached to Lok Nayak Hospital now. The government has also set up a team entrusted with calling up every admitted patient in the hospital everyday to enquire about their health. Pizza Hut Taiwan has launched a very unique ramen pizza - complete with thick noodles, pork slices, and a soft-boiled egg. The pizza giant has teamed up with Menya Musashi, a popular ramen restaurant from Tokyo, to create the world's first Japanese-inspired pizza topping. The unusual mashup consists of ramen noodles, barbecue pork slices, white sesame seeds, fresh chilli, half a soft-boiled egg and a pork 'bone broth' sauce. Foodies can order the pizza with spring onions and bamboo shoots on the side from any Pizza Hut store in Taiwan for TWD$459 (AUD$22.64). Pizza Hut Taiwan has launched a very unique ramen pizza - complete with thick noodles, pork slices, and a soft-boiled egg 'The world's first ramen pizza! Japan's ramen from two-time champion noodle house Musashi,' the description said on the Pizza Hut website. 'Original noodles with large slices of Japanese barbecued pork, sprinkled with green onion and refreshing bamboo shoots, plus classic poached eggs... a bite into the soul ramen pizza.' Lily Chou, marketing director of Pizza Hut, told CNN Travel: 'Taiwanese consumers live a high-pressure life with long working hours and high cost of living. 'The creative food scene has become an exciting and creative escape. Taiwanese are looking for quick moments of joy to relieve daily pressures.' The unusual mashup consists of ramen noodles, barbecue pork slices, white sesame seeds, fresh chilli, half a soft-boiled egg and a pork 'bone broth' sauce The launch of the new topping has since divided the internet, with many saying aren't too keen to try out the new flavour, while ramen fans feel the opposite. 'People are saying it's nasty but I wish I could try a bite,' one woman said, while another added: 'People have mixed feelings about this but I need this in my life.' One father said: 'While my daughter is a spice ramen addict, this may be a step too far, even for her,' while another woman said: 'I'm a pizza purist and I find this offensive.' In a tongue-in-cheek post on Facebook, Menya Musashi said: 'First, Japan introduced bubble tea ramen, offending the Taiwanese people and worsening the Japanese-Taiwanese relationship. 'This time, Menya Musashi has decided to join hands with Pizza Hut Taiwan to cross both the Japanese and the Italians.' And Pizza Hut isn't the only chain to launch unusual pizza toppings. Last November, Domino's launched a bubble tea-inspired pizza - complete with black pearls, honey and cheese Last November, Domino's launched a bubble tea-inspired pizza - complete with black sugar pearls, honey and cheese across Taiwan. The sweet tapioca balls, known as boba, are commonly found in milky tea drinks, which have been popular among tens of thousands of customers around the world, including Australia, UK and the US. 'Don't miss the highlight of Taiwan that is popular around the world: the black sugar pearl explosion,' the pizza chain said at the time. Despite it's bizarre combination of cheese and honey coated base, foodies who got their hands on a slice insisted the dessert pizza tastes better than it looks. Lev Nachman, a University of California Irvine PhD candidate who's conducting research in Taiwan, shared his glowing review on Twitter. 'It's happening. I'm having the mythical Taiwan exclusive boba pizza from Domino's for dinner. Will report back on the situation later,' he tweeted before eating. Lev Nachman, a University of California Irvine PhD candidate who's conducting research in Taiwan, shared his glowing review on Twitter, saying he thought the pizza was 'delicious' The man said he was pleasantly surprised by the flavour combination. 'Omg it's incredible. They nailed it. Not joking, everyone here needs to try this. The pizza is savory, but it's sweetened with honey on top, the boba aren't mushy,' he said. He also mentioned his friend who 'daringly tried' the new creation agreed the pizza was 'in fact delicious'. Speaking to CNN Travel, Lev said he enjoyed the pizza's texture 'Q'. 'In Taiwan everyone loves the texture 'Q' which means chewy or bouncy in the way boba is, and this pizza was indeed very Q,' he said. Despite it's bizarre combination of cheese and honey coated base, a foodie who got his hands on a slice insisted the dessert pizza tastes better than it looks His tweet was quickly retweeted by 350 people, and 'loved' 1,200 times - as his post was met with mixed reviews. 'That's just so amazing! I cannot imagine how it tastes like or what the texture is like to be honest. Have to give it a try next time in Taipei,' Jun said. Another said: 'Wait does it really taste okay? Because it seriously looks weird to me.' One said: 'I am intrigued. Will try anything (at least) once, let's go get some.' And one said: 'No matter how good you said it is, I will pass.' Bubble tea has become a very popular drink of choice around the world after it was founded by a Taiwan tea house chain in 1988. Stella McCartney has advertised 30 new staff roles at her designer company two months after using the Government's furlough scheme to pay her workers' salaries. The fashion designer who has a personal fortune estimated at more than 60million was criticised after taxpayers' money offered as part of the Government's job retention scheme to pay salaries in April. Of the new jobs on offer, 22 are in the UK, while six are in China and Japan and two are in the US. The roles include art director, knitwear designer, office and facilities assistant and paralegal. Stella McCartney (pictured), 48, has advertised 30 new staff roles at her designer company two months after using the Government's furlough scheme to pay her workers' salaries Of the new jobs on offer, 22 are in the UK, including art director, knitwear designer, office and facilities assistant and paralegal, while six are in China and Japan and two are in the US. Most of the jobs begin in Autumn and the majority of the adverts have closing dates this month. A head of creative operations is being recruited to oversee the companies project management team. The advert reads: 'Working at Stella McCartney is a truly rewarding experience - a luxury fashion company with a strong ethical standpoint we are leaders and innovators in our industry. 'The Head of Creative Operations role will be integral in managing the operations of Creative Production and will work closely with the Visual Director to drive, project manage and deliver all brand visuals.' Ms McCartney was criticised after taxpayers' money offered as part of the Government's job retention scheme to pay salaries in April. Pictured: Model Gisele Bundchen wearing a Stella McCartney dress Ms McCartney, 48, came under fire when MailOnline revealed she was using the Government's job retention scheme to furlough up half her 1,400 staff at 51 stores in April. Under Chancellor Rishi Sunak's rescue package, firms can claim up to 80 per cent of wages to a maximum of 2,500. Unlike Victoria Beckham who backtracked on furloughing 30 staff at her fashion company following criticism, Stella McCartney did not change its decision. Mrs Beckham also planned on topping up the on furlough's salaries an extra 20 per cent on top of the 80 per cent paid by the Government scheme, unlike Ms McCartney. At the time, one employee said staff were 'extremely hurt' by the decision taken by McCartney. 'What she has done is morally wrong and socially unacceptable,' one of the workers who has been placed on furlough told MailOnline. 'We had all expected much more from Stella, but she has shown no loyalty. She prides herself on social credentials, but we have just been dumped.' Stella McCartney stores around the world were forced to close as countries went into lockdown in order to fight the spread of Covid-19. The Stella McCartney brand has a turnover of more than 500million a year and she is the sole owner of her company having bought out a joint partner two years ago. A spokesman for Stella McCartney told MailOnline not all staff had been placed on furlough at the time. They refused to comment on salary cuts for staff. Srinagar/UNI: Asserting that government orders about stocking LPG cylinders and vacating school buildings for security forces are creating panic in Kashmir, former chief minister Omar Abdullah said unfortunately after all the lies last year even if the government explains these orders, hardly any of us will take the assurances at face value. Meanwhile, people in the valley are anxious after two government orders on stocking up of LPG cylinders for two months across Kashmir and vacating of school buildings for the security forces in Ganderbal, surfaced in the wake of India-China face-off. Government orders are creating panic in Kashmir & unfortunately after all the lies & false assurances last year even if/when the government explains these orders hardly any of us will take the assurances at face value. That said they still need to explain these orders, Mr Abdullah, who is the Vice-President of National Conference (NC) wrote on micro-blogging site twitter. An Adviser to Lt Governor G C Murmu has passed directions in a meeting on June 23, to ensure sufficient stocks of the LPG in the Valley as the supply gets affected due to closure of the national highway on account of landslips. According to an order passed by the Director of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumers, the oil companies should make adequate stocks of LPG that can last up to two months at bottling plants as well as godowns. This is probably for the first time that the administration has decided to stock up LPG cylinders at the peak of summer. Reacting to the order, NC spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said, Its summer so not many landslides. -Stock for two months. -Matter most urgent. These three points need clarity at the highest level. People of Kashmir cant afford to live in yet another year of fear and uneasiness, he wrote on twitter and also posted the copy of the order. Meanwhile, in a separate order, the Superintendent of Police, Ganderbal, has requested 16 educational institutes in the district, including middle and higher secondary schools, to be vacated. In view of the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra-2020, these educational centres be made available for accommodation of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies, the order reads. A massive dust storm from the Sahara desert engulfed parts of the mainland United States on Saturday, travelling over a distance of 5,000 miles. NASA, which is tracking the plume of dust, said that such storms travelling across the Atlantic Ocean are nothing new but the one has been quite expansive. The 3,500-mile-long cloud was dubbed the Godzilla dust cloud by climatologists. An animation of various images gathered by NASA satellite shows the dust plume streamed from Africas west coast over the Atlantic into the Caribbean Sea and up through the Gulf of Mexico. Its a really dry layer of air that contains these very fine dust particulates. It occurs every summer, said National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Patrick Blood. This year, the dust is the most dense it has been in a half a century, news agency Reuters reported quoting several meteorologists. Saharan dust is causing unhealthy air quality across large sections of the South and Ohio Valley. Another bad air quality day is ahead tomorrow: https://t.co/PQW8IyqAeQ pic.twitter.com/pWidUnZnHc The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) June 27, 2020 The current dust storm is expected to hang over the region until the middle of next week, deteriorating the air quality in Texas, Florida and other states where the number of Covid-19 cases has recently spiked. Theres emerging evidence of potential interactions between air pollution and the risk of Covid, so at this stage we are concerned, said Gregory Wellenius, a professor of environmental health at Boston Universitys School of Public Health. Air pollution can be especially detrimental for people who are at risk for or suffer from cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, Wellenius added. Heart and lung problems heighten the risk of severe Covid-19. The plume created hazy skies and lower visibility, according to the pictures shared by many residents of FLorida, Texas and other US States. The #SaharanDust has arrived in Galveston, Texas! No spectacular, colorful sunrise this morning. @Plume_Labs says air quality has dropped to unhealthy levels at the coast. Well have another #SaharanAirLayer live report at 8:30a EDT / 7:30a CDT on @accuweather pic.twitter.com/p9SgnGDAyx Bill Wadell (@BillWadell) June 26, 2020 On June 18, NASA noted the thickest parts of the dust storm appeared to stretch about 1,500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. By June 24, the plume extended over 5,000 miles. The writer is a keen observer of the goings-on in the backrooms of power. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have assured them of weighty berths There is talk of new faces in railways and finance. A matter of time There is no sign of a cabinet reshuffle. Three eager hopefuls Mukul Roy, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himanta Biswa Sarma are increasingly restless and jittery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have assured them of weighty berths. Roy is in hurry on account of next years Bengal polls while Scindia wants a cabinet rank in order to influence the Madhya Pradesh Assembly by-polls that will have a bearing on the Shivraj Singh Chouhan ministry. And Sarma is flashing his utility-performer card in the Northeast. The way a near-collapse of the Manipur government was recently averted is another feather in the Assam health minister's cap. However, well-placed sources say the PM may be biding his time on account of the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing trouble with China. There is talk of new faces in railways and finance. Which side are you on? Congress is witnessing a crucial tug-of-war between those who owe allegiance to Rahul Gandhi and those backing the old guard. Paradoxically both sides are counting on the support of party chief Sonia Gandhi. A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on the China crisis devoted time to the leadership issue when some members urged Rahul to take over as AICC chief. The CWC video-meeting also saw Priyanka Gandhi targeting R.P.N. Singh who questioned the need to criticise PM Narendra Modis handling of Ladakh crisis. Party sources say Priyanka is miffed with R.P.N. Singh on several counts. He looks after party affairs in Jharkhand. Priyanka is reportedly getting some reports of Congress leaders involvement in matters in which they ought not to be interfering. Moreover, R.P.N. Singh is seen as a supporter and a buddy of Jyotiraditya Scindia who has defected from the Congress. How Muslims will be heard The Indian Islamic Cultural Centre at Lodhi Road in New Delhi has a hot topic of discussion should Muslims in India look for a 24X7 news channel to communicate their point of view or should they strengthen social media platforms. Well-heeled members of the Muslim intelligentsia who form part of the IICC are concerned at the way some private TV news channels have adversely projected the community. While some noble souls want to raise money for an independent Muslim channel, others advocate caution pointing that such a course may prove counter-productive. They feel that given the social media's deep penetration, strengthening social media platforms would be a more pragmatic, cheaper and doable option. The debate rages on. Tariqs new goals Congress insiders say efforts are on to induct Tariq Anwar as AICC general secretary in order to blunt the influence of two Muslim faces of the party Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad. But Tariq, who had raised the banner of revolt against Sonia on the grounds of her foreign origins, is unable to prove his mettle. He was named as the Congress nominee for an MLC seat in Bihar but at the last moment, it was discovered that Tariq was a voter in Delhi. Observers feel Tariq needs to do lot more in order to challenge Patel and Azad. Chouhans many dilemmas Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is unable to expand his council of ministers. The state is without a governor as incumbent Lalji Tandon is hospitalised in Lucknow. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly does not have a Speaker as the election of Speaker has not taken place after the resignation of N.P. Prajapati. The post of the leader of Opposition is also vacant as Congress is yet to send the name of its nominee. The reason for the delay in Mr Chouhan expanding his council of ministers is said to be political. Mr Chouhan reportedly wants his former Cabinet colleagues back in government but PM Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda want to give weightage to image, caste equations and talent. The deadlock continues. Congress warms to Web The Congress pointman for poll-bound Bihar, Shaktisinh Gohil, was in self-quarantine in Gandhinagar after senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha candidate Bharatsinh Solanki tested Covid-19 positive. A crisis brew in Delhi and Patna following Hindustan Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi raising the flag of revolt against Tejaswi Yadav. Mr Manjhi met Sonia Gandhi in an attempt to build consensus to isolate RJD. Mr Gohil was required for consultations as Mr Manjhi complained about lack of co-ordination in the anti-Nitish Kumar-BJP front. Mr Gohil arranged for a video call where Ahmed Patel, K.C. Venugopal and non-RJD allies participated. Mr Gohil has been asking Rahul Gandhi to start holding web meetings to address crowds in Bihar. Its hard to keep your story straight if youre making it up as you go along, which was the modus operandi of Obama fabricator Ben Rhodes. The Justice Department released 80 pages of records showing top Obama White House officials scrambling to evolve its false claims that the September 11, 2012, terrorist attacks on U.S. Government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, began spontaneously in response to an anti-Muslim video on the Internet. The emails reveal top Obama White House official Ben Rhodes and Clinton State Department Deputy Chief of Staff Jake Sullivan joking about being called liars and leakers. The records were produced in response to our 2016 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:16-cv-02046)). We filed the lawsuit after the Justice Department failed to comply with a July 7, 2016, FOIA request for records of the FBIs investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons use of a private email server during her tenure. On September 16, 2012, then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice appeared on five Sunday television talk shows claiming the Benghazi attack was incited spontaneously by an anti-Muslim Internet video. The newly released records show a redacted officials email from September 27 to then-Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes and then-NSC spokesman Tommy Vietor, copying then-Deputy Chief of Staff Jake Sullivan, saying, Whats the plan here? Rhodes responds: Broader plan is IC [intelligence community] acknowledgement of an evolving assessment of what took place, which happens to be true (unlike just about everything else weve seen reported on Benghazi.) Further along in the email thread, an official whose name is redacted, says, Everyone know [sic] Susan [in her TV appearances] was using not just IC approved guidance, but IC created. Additionally, Rhodes says to Sullivan and other redacted officials: At least youre only a liar. Could be worse were liars and also allegedly leakers. So youve got that going for you, which is something. Sullivan replies: Were only lying footsoldiers [sic]. Youre lying masterminds. Thats cooler. A redacted official replies to Sullivan: I prefer that we go by henchmen. Has more of a Marvel comic sinisterness to it. There should be a cable show where all the guests, and the anchor, have to wear polygraphs. Or, when theres a dispute between source, the aggrieved parties take a poly, with some neutral third party rendering judgment. The Biggest Liar. Rhodes says to Sullivan: Id like to go on television and tell everybody what I think. Look at it this way. I[t] could be worse. You could be a career bureaucrat whose greatest thrill in life is leaking half-truths, self-justifications and outright lies to the likes of Eli Lake, Kim Dozier, and whoever picks up the phone at Fox News. We previously uncoveredthat on September 14 Rhodes and other Obama administration officials were attempting to orchestrate a campaign to reinforce President Obama and to portray the Benghazi consulate terrorist attack as being rooted in an Internet video, and not a failure of policy. Also included were numerous emails sent during the assault on the Benghazi diplomatic facility. The contemporaneous and dramatic emails describe the assault as an attack: September 11, 2012, 6:41 PM Senior Advisor Eric Pelofsky, to Susan Rice: As reported, the Benghazi compound came under attack and it took a bit of time for the Annex colleagues and Libyan February 17 brigade to secure it. One of our colleagues was killed IMO Sean Smith. Amb Chris Stevens, who was visiting Benghazi this week is missing. U.S. and Libyan colleagues are looking for him At 8:51 pm, Pelofsky tells Rice and others that Post received a call from a person using an [sic] RSO phone that Chris was given saying the caller was with a person matching Chriss description at a hospital and that he was alive and well. Of course, if he were alive and well, one could ask why he didnt make the call himself. Later that evening, Pelofsky emailed Rice that he was very, very worried. In particular that he [Stevens] is either dead or this was a concerted effort to kidnap him. Rice replied, God forbid. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 5 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. With 813 new Covid-19 patients, Andhras tally jumps to 13,098 Andhra Pradesh on Sunday continued to record a high number of Covid-19 cases with 813 fresh patients being detected in the last 24 hours. The new coronavirus cases have pushed the states tally to 13,098. Read more Malls to reopen in Gurugram and Faridabad from July 1 after more than 3 months After more than three months, malls will reopen in Gurugram and Faridabad on July 1, according to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Haryana government. Read more Absconding tabloid owner accused in 60 crimes in Indore, held in Gujarat Absconding for more than six months and accused of being involved in rape, blackmailing, extortion, human trafficking, grabbing of land among other crimes, a tabloid owner Jitendra alias Jitu Soni was arrested from Gujarat and brought to Indore on Sunday, police said. Read more Sushant Singh Rajputs audition for Kai Po Che, PK shared by Mukesh Chhabra: A boy who never failed in any audition Casting director and friend Mukesh Chhabra has shared a special video tribute for actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Sushant died on June 14 at the age of 34. Read more Mumbai Police says dino from Googles T-Rex game is dino-snoring. Heres why The plan is simple, to hit the space bar and help the cute T-Rex jump over the approaching cacti so it can live and continue its endless run. By now, you must have guessed that we are talking about Googles hidden gem the dinosaur game. Read more Mask it up: DIY masks to rejuvenate your skin Havent we all dreamt of a day when we wake up looking prettier than last night? Instead, the health of our skin only tends to deteriorate with the pollution and rising stress levels. But during the lockdown, netizens shared a lot of DIY beauty secrets, making face masks wildly popular. Read more Xiaomi Redmi Earbuds S review: More than just bare minimum Xiaomi, a brand which is better known for its Redmi products these days, is into smartphones, home appliances, wearables and other IoT devices, all of which serve just one purpose - to build an ecosystem. Read more He was much calmer by 2013 Champions Trophy: Irfan Pathan explains how MS Dhonis captaincy changed over the years Irfan Pathan has opened up about the captaincy transformation in MS Dhoni between 2007 and 2013, explaining how the former India captain had started trusting and backing his bowlers more and their judgements by the time the Champions Trophy was held in England. Read more Not right to blame one section: Sonu Sood on Sushant Singh Rajputs death Actor Sonu Sood spoke on the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput and said that it is not fair to blame one section of Bollywood. He also spoke on the raging insider versus outsider debate in the industry and opened up on his experiences on the issue.Watch this video for all the details. Popular costume designer and stylist Vasuki Bhaskar, cousin of Venkat Prabhu and Yuvan Shankar Raja, referred to nepotism in K'town when she wrote on her social media page that there are many Sushants in the Tamil industry who are struggling without proper income and recognition and suffer silently. In that context, she has asked youngsters to take Thala Ajith as an example (then and now) and recall his troubled times. There are many a #SushantSingRajput in our tamil film industry who get no payment ,no support,no recognition yet they put a brave front n smile to e camera.few speak 2me few remain silent in pain 2suffer humiliation in a diff. form. To so many such,remember thala Ajith then n now https://t.co/L3wCUZSVVd vasuki bhaskar (@vasukibhaskar) June 20, 2020 There are many a #SushantSingRajput in our Tamil film industry who get no payment, no support, no recognition yet they put a brave front n smile to the camera. Few speak 2me few remain silent in pain 2suffer humiliation in a diff. form. To so many such, remember thala Ajith then n now, she posted on her Twitter account recently. She has worked in Ajiths Mankatha and Billa 2. Vasuki also quoted actor Ashwin Kakumanus series of tweets telling how people had overlooked him in Tinsel Town. Ashwin had said, Realised how much I had bottled in over the years. People who ignore and marginalise your efforts or worth, humiliate you and of course backstabbing (the list wouldn't be complete without that one) all the bitter experiences people go through just to do what they love doing. CLEVELAND, Ohio Cleveland police are asking for the publics help to find a 14-year-old boy last seen more than one week ago. Anthony Elliot was reported missing June 19 by his mother, according to a Cleveland police report. He is about 5-feet, 10-inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Anthony has a history of running away from home, the report says. He lives in the citys Hough neighborhood, though he may have been heading to his aunts home on the citys West Side, according to the missing persons report. Anyone with information as to where Anthony could be is asked to call Cleveland police at 216-623-7697. This post will be updated if more information about Anthonys whereabouts is provided Sunday. More Cleveland crime news: Justice Center security video shows police fired pepper spray, tear gas before bulk of violence at Clevelands George Floyd protests Man shot to death while driving near park in Clevelands North Shore-Collinwood neighborhood Mother of Cleveland boy who accidentally shot his 1-year-old cousin is sentenced to four years in prison The Bihar government on Sunday announced the cancellation of a tender awarded for construction of a new mega bridge parallel to Patnas iconic Mahatma Gandhi Setu because two of the four contractors selected for the project had Chinese partners, said state minister for road construction Nand Kishore Yadav. 2 of the 4 contractors who were selected for construction of a new bridge parallel to Mahatma Gandhi Setu, had Chinese partners. We asked them to change their partners but they didnt, so we cancelled their tender. We have called for applications again, Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency ANI in Patna. China Harbour Engineering Company and Shaanxi Road Bridge Group Company (JV) were among the bidders for the project, which was cleared by the Union governments cabinet committee on economic affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year. Maha govt puts MoUs worth Rs 5,020 crore signed with Chinese firms on hold Bihar governments decision comes in the wake of outrage against Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian Army soldiers on June 15. This has led to calls for boycott of Chinese products and business entities. Earlier this week, Maharashtra government had temporarily put on hold the memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 5,020 crore recently signed with three Chinese companies and demanded the Centre to come up with a clear policy on the matter in the context of the boycott everything Chinese call. The MoUs with three Chinese firms are worth Rs 5,020 crore, including Hengli Group (Rs 250 crore), Great Wall Motors (Rs 3,770 crore) and PMI Electro Mobility Solutions, a joint venture with Foton (Rs 1,000 crore). Majority of Chinas BRI projects abroad adversely affected by Covid-19: Official The 14.500 km long project in Bihar includes the construction of a 5.634 km bridge which runs parallel to the existing four-lane Mahatma Gandhi Setu across the Ganga river on NH-19 at Patna. It also includes four vehicular underpasses, one rail-over- bridge (RoB), 1,580 mtr long one viaduct, four minor bridges, five bus shelters and 13 road junctions. The capital cost of this was estimated at Rs 29.26 billion initially and it was supposed to be completed in 3.5 years. A confederation of Indian traders, CAIT had recently released a list of over 500 Chinese products and called for their boycott in India. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, affiliated with the RSS had also demanded that the Central government cancelled a tender for construction of an underground stretch of Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System awarded to Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited (STEC). Government officials had then clarified that it was not possible to cancel the contract as the project was funded by the Asian Development Bank and was against the rules. 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. 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Digital Editor Karan Johar & Farah Khan have their own 'Weekend ka Vaar' going on social media with a fashion face-off and it's hilarious Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 00:05:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIGALI, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Four unidentified gunmen from Burundi were killed Saturday after they attacked a defensive position of the Rwandan military in southern Rwanda, the Rwandan military said. About 100 unidentified gunmen attacked a defensive position from the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) at the Ruheru sector at about 12:20 a.m. (2220 GMT) and intended to harm people living in a model village built by a development program protected by the attached RDF position and one kilometer away from the border with Burundi, the RDF said in a statement. The RDF engaged the gunmen attacked from Burundi, said the statement, adding that the attack lasted 20 to 30 minutes before the assailants fled back in the same direction towards the Burundian military position in Cibitoke province that borders Rwanda in northern Burundi. Three Rwandan soldiers sustained minor injuries and three attackers were captured, according to the statement. The attackers also left behind military equipment including weapons and communication radios, it added. It also said the RDF is pursuing precise information about "these repeated attacks" through diplomatic channels. Enditem Govt. offers soft loans, highway contracts to local constructors, instead of settling Rs. 40bn bill By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): The Presidents Office has directed the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to issue instructions to commercial banks to grant loans at four percent interest to construction companies in lieu of settling nearly Rs 40bn worth of unpaid bills owed to them by the Government. The Presidents Office also said the Ruwanpura Expressway from Kahatuduwa to Pelmadulla would be awarded to local contractors after they complained bitterly that they were routinely edged out of large infrastructure projects in favour of Chinese companies. But a Cabinet paper giving effect to the Presidents undertaking is held up at the Highways Ministry which has been negotiating with M/s China National Technical Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC) to build Section 1 of the Ruwapura Expressway. The meeting with construction industry representatives took place on Monday. Also present were Secretaries to the Ministries of Highways and Urban Development, the CBSL Governor and chairpersons of relevant institutions. The companies pointed out that, after work draws to a close on the second section of the Central Expressway (CEP II), their heavy machinery and other investments will lie idle. They requested, therefore, that at least one strategic, mega construction project be given to them and were promised the Ruwapura Expressway. Local contractors later expressed gratitude in a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, pointing out that most of our companies have performed as good as foreign construction companies or some are even better The Highways Ministry has shown preference for single bids from Chinese companies for several projects, including the elevated expressway from Athuruguriya to New Kelani Bridge. Officials led by Highways Secretary R.W.R. Pemasiri have been dealing with China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHECH) for that project, despite there being a least five other proposals on the cards. It was not immediately clear whether instructions from the Presidents Office regarding the Ruwanpura Expressway will be followed. The project is currently divided into three sections. It was earlier proposed to start construction of the 52.5km from Kahathuduwa to Ratnapura via Ingiriya. The remainder was to be based on funding availability. Meanwhile, construction industry sources said they were not happy about the decision to meet their unpaid bills with further loans. Its like from the frying pan into the fire, one senior manager said. However, thats what has been offered. The Finance Ministrys 2019 Annual Report states that the Governments unpaid bills now amount to 2.2 percent of Sri Lankas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and include claims worth Rs 1.8bn incurred in the conduct of last years presidential election. In an address during the virtual meeting of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) on Saturday, Narendra Modi said that the COVID-19 had been used as an opportunity to work towards making the country self-reliant. Washington: India's fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic is driven by its people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, attributing the success against the contagion to the implementation of the nationwide lockdown in its initial phase. In an address during the virtual meeting of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) on Saturday, Modi said that the COVID-19 had been used as an opportunity to work towards making the country self-reliant. This is for the first time that an Indian prime minister addressed the annual meeting of the AAPI, a representative body of more than 80,000 Indian-American doctors in the US. Sharing the statistics of various countries, Modi said India has performed much better in the fight against the coronavirus. "As against the death rate of 350 individuals per million in the US and over 600 per million in European nations like the UK, Italy and Spain, the rate of fatalities in India is less than 12," he said. "Uttar Pradesh has been remarkably successful in fighting against the coronavirus," Modi said. "And same is the case with several other states as well." The prime minister attributed this to the support of the people of the country. "Rural parts of the country have largely remained untouched from this pandemic," he said. Without people's cooperation, Modi said, the success would not have been possible in the world's second-highest populated country -- with high density, where social gathering is a norm of life, large religious and political gatherings and large-scale interstate migration are regular. India defied the fears of the world's topmost experts in this regard, according to Modi. India has been able to save the lives of thousands and lakhs of its citizens because of the timely lockdown, he told the Indian-American physicians. Modi said the COVID-19 pandemic has been used as an opportunity to improve the healthcare facilities. "For instance, at the start of the coronavirus, there was only one COVID-19 testing lab. Now there are 1,000, he said. The prime minister underlined that India, which imported most of its Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE) kits at the start of the pandemic, was now almost self-reliant and in a position to export them. The country is making more than 30 lakh N95 masks per week. More than 50,000 new ventilators are being made available to the healthcare sector, all made inside the country, he added. Modi said he was proud of the achievements and contribution of the Indian-origin physicians across the world in the battle against the COVID-19. India's ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu echoed the prime minister and said the early lockdown has helped delay the spread of the deadly virus and save lives. Appreciating the role of the Indian-American doctors during the COVID-19, Sandhu said: "You are the real heroes who have risked your lives and have been out to assist others." There is widespread recognition of their contributions in the US, he added. Written in fading ink, the note from a loving parent to a son called Richard was a vital clue. When police investigating an international burglary gang found a haul of stolen items in a house in Romania, they had no idea who the valuables belonged to. But among the treasure trove of jewellery and luxury watches was a note and an old photograph of a mother with her two fair-haired children. Believing the victim to be in Britain because the note was written in English, Romanian detectives called a contact in Derbyshire police and asked them to put out an appeal. But officers remained clueless about the family's identity. The mystery was finally solved when an eagle-eyed Daily Mail reporter spotted links to the family of Sir Richard Branson. Sir Richard Branson and his family. Picture shows L-R: Sam, Holly, Sir Richard and his wife Lady Joan Branson Yesterday the Virgin tycoon thanked the Mail for tracking down the family's mementos after being alerted to the police appeal. Detectives hope to reunite the family with the valuables stolen from their 200-acre Oxfordshire estate last year. The raid was not made public at the time. They also say this newspaper's help could be vital in efforts to prosecute the Romanian burglary gang and may help them uncover other victims in the UK now police know which area they were targeting. Among the items taken from the 1.4million home which belongs to Sir Richard's children Holly, 38, and Sam, 35, was an old photograph showing them with their mother Joan Templeman, now 71 Despite uncovering a mass of high-value property, police have been unable to determine who else was robbed. Among the items taken from the 1.4million home which belongs to Sir Richard's children Holly, 38, and Sam, 35, was an old photograph showing them with their mother Joan Templeman, now 71. There was also a touching note to Sir Richard from his late father Edward and mother Eve sending their love as he embarked on a world record attempt to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon in 1995. Despite the letter's reference to his company and Sir Richard's hot air balloon bid in 1995, officers failed to spot the link to Britain's best-known entrepreneur and were surprised when the Mail pointed it out. There was also a touching note to Sir Richard from his late father Edward and mother Eve sending their love as he embarked on a world record attempt to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon in 1995 Detectives are now working with their Romanian counterparts and Opal a national intelligence team to catch the burglars. Two weeks ago police carried out a warrant at the gang's hideout in Vaslui County and they discovered the loot. When the appeal was launched on Friday, Detective Sergeant Stuart Kershaw from Derbyshire Constabulary said: 'Crime does not see borders and our work across the world is a key part to keeping Derbyshire, and the whole of the UK, safe.' And Detective Sergeant Tom Grundey, from the Opal team, said: 'Often items stolen during burglaries are worth more in memories than in their monetary value and I am sure this is the case with these two items. 'Our hope is that, with the public's help, we can find the owners of these two items and begin to understand where other victims may be located.' Yesterday a Virgin Group spokesman said: 'Thank you to the Daily Mail for spotting this police appeal and drawing it to our attention. The pictures do show members of the Branson family and we are now liaising with Derbyshire police.' Agricultural tech and life sciences are highlighted as the leading areas for New Zealand start-ups, according to a global report that includes data on 1.3 million companies worldwide and covers more than 250 ecosystems. The New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is part of its international network. The Global Start Up Report 2020 notes that New Zealand has more than 90 ag tech start-ups and cites successful venture capital raising from Palmerston North company BioLumic and Auckland-based Revolution Fibres, as well as the countrys selection as the first partner state for Farm 2050, as evidence of the sectors strengths. [ Keep up on the latest thought leadership, insights, how-to, and analysis on IT through Computerworlds newsletters. ] Life sciences is also highlighted as a growing sector, with revenues of $3 billion. (The report uses US dollars, but figures are converted to New Zealand dollars in this article.) The sector is increasingly delivering effective solutions to big health problems including through deep-tech start-ups such as HeartLab, a deep learning-based solution for echocardiography, the report said. In addition, the report cites Biomatters, a provider of DNA data analysis tools worldwide, which was acquired by US company GraphPad in 2019, and the involvement life science technology incubator Brandon Capital in research discoveries. The New Zealand ecosystem valuationcalculated as the value of exits and start-up valuations over 2017, 2018 and the first half of 2019is $2.3 billion. This compares to the global average of $16.3 billion. Drilling further in the numbers, the median seed round in tech start-ups over the same time period in the New Zealand ecosystem was $832,000a little ahead of the global average $768,000. Meanwhile the average salary for a software engineer in New Zealand is, according to the report, $76,000, compared to the global average of $65,000. This figure is calculated using data from Glassdoor, Salary.com and Payscale, as well as local sources. Highlights of the local ecosystem are the collaborative start-up ecosystem. This is due to New Zealand having the highest per-capita ratio of angel investors in the worldaccording to the report, there are 1,000 angels in a nation of 5 million. It also mentions the Scale Up NZ platform, a Callaghan Innovation initiative which provides an online hub for businesses, investors, incubators, multinationals and other collaborators. Callahan Innovation Chief Executive Vic Crone says that New Zealand start-ups are increasing targeting overseas market and nailing unique, but significant, global niches. Critical focus points for our ecosystem are building more active and diverse partnerships and boosting deep tech commercialisation. In addition, the report notes the funding support provided by the New Zealand government, which includes a refundable 15% R&D tax credit for pre-profit start-ups and the $300 million Elevate NZ Venture Fund, which is expected to make its first allocations this year. The governments COVID-19 support packagewhich includes the wage subsidy scheme, the $4.1 billion Business Finance Guarantee Scheme and the $99 million loan scheme to support R&D firmsis cited in the report. New Zealands start-up ecosystem is rated as being in the activation phase, which the report characterises as being an ecosystem where there is little start-up experience and low start-up output of around 1,000 or fewer start-ups. The country is ranked between 31 and 40 in the list of the top 100 emerging ecosystems, between Rhineland in Germany and Oslo in Norway. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 01:54:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A number of Hezbollah supporters protested on Sunday in Dahie, Beirut's southern suburbs, against the U.S. ambassador in Lebanon for her remarks blaming Hezbollah for the economic crisis in the country, LBCI local TV channel. The envoy Dorothy Shea announced earlier this week that Hezbollah stands behind the economic and financial crisis in Lebanon. The ambassador's remarks prompted Lebanese judge Mohammad Mazeh to prevent the Lebanese media from covering any speeches by Shea. The U.S. embassy then criticized the judge's decision. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti will receive Shea on Monday and issue an official stance on the judge's decision. This recent diplomatic spat between Lebanon and the United States deepened divisions among different political parties and raised concerns about respect of public freedom in the country. Enditem Controversy rages over former LTTE Eastern commanders remarks about massacring thousands of troops Major dispute over Harin Fernandos comments about Cardinals role in last years presidential election Strict health guidelines for parliamentary elections; concern over voter turnout At one time, he was the most trusted military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, who led a near three-decade-long failed separatist war. That high level of trust prompted the LTTE leader in 2004 to name him to the delegation for Norwegian-brokered peace talks between the government and the LTTE. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna was then the LTTEs Eastern Commander. That took him to the Thai capital of Bangkok a few times, his first exposure to the outside world. The city that never sleeps is known for its bustling night life. LTTE cadres were already operating then from Silom, a key financial district in that country. They also ran a Yarl restaurant too in a far corner. Among other items, its Pittu and mutton curry were popular. It was perhaps the only place in Thailand where Elephant House ginger beer and cream soda were served. I have seen cadres, possibly war wounded, with hands or legs bandaged. One in particular was a person walking with crutches since he could not place his heavily wrapped left foot on the ground. Weeks later, relations with his leader soured so much that war broke out between Prabhakarans northern and Karunas eastern cadres in June 2007. It was a north versus east battle. Prabhakaran sent death squads after he defied an order to come to Wanni. The Verugal River, which divides the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts, was the battlefront. Prabhakarans men were positioned on the Trincomalee end and Karunas on the Batticaloa side. The former positioned loudspeakers and blared loud martial music besides interrupting them occasionally to make fiery appeals to Karunas men to surrender. If he expected an attack across the river, Prabhakaran launched a sea borne landing and carried out a fierce assault from the rear. That was his undoing. Karuna ordered his cadres to destroy mortar launchers, assault rifles and communications equipment and make a hasty retreat. He fled to Colombo and checked into the JAIC Hilton. He came under the protection of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI). Months later, he joined a tour group which a travel agency was arranging regularly for religious pilgrimages to South India. He lived there for weeks. Again, when he returned months later, to say it briefly, he entered politics in 2008 by becoming a national list MP. The next year he became non-Cabinet Minister of National Integration. He also became a Vice President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He contested the 2010 parliamentary elections, but lost. Within a week of his return to Colombo from the eastern battlefields, I met Karuna at the residence of a then senior military official. It was for a 140-minute, recorded interview. I had embarked on a book on the different phases of the Eelam Wars. I had followed them from beginning to end. It never materialised. On one occasion, reports of a possible raid on my residence prompted me to light a bonfire of valuable documents, some sensitive with photographs and flee home with my family to a southern hotel. I am still not sure whether it was due to representations I made to a political leader, but the raid did not take place that night. Yet, I suffered a severe loss, one that was irreparable. It came at a time when I was facing death threats and was forced to flee the country. If I were found with the material, I could have faced charges and even a jail sentence. On the other hand, perhaps some aspects of the war would have been viewed differently for the material was proof enough. Some of details Karuna told me are still valid. He believes it was the LTTE intelligence boss Pottu Amman (Shanmugalingam Shivashankar) who was responsible for the bad blood between him and Prabhakaran. He disclosed that the LTTE leader was mortified by the attacks carried out by the Sri Lanka Armys Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP). Prabhakaran, he said, sacked his close protection bodyguards after a mine exploded near the house where his wife Mathivathani was living. For reasons of security, they never lived together. He revealed that the leader himself shifted positions after he was shaken by the incident and also restricted his movements. This was how, Karuna said, he sent 450 of his well-trained cadres from the east to protect Prabhakaran. It was only he and Pottu Amman who were permitted to meet their leader with their side arm in holsters. They looked after him until I left. Thereafter, they became prisoners, he said. Some of his other comments, more detailed and little known, would have to wait for another day. Karunas controversial statement Karuna, now better known as Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, is a candidate for the Ahila Ilankai Thamil Maha Sabha for the Digamadulla (Ampara) district in the August 5 parliamentary elections a long journey from striped Tiger guerrilla combat uniform with boots to wearing a lounge suit with pointed leather shoes. Muralitharan, who spoke at a public meeting in Karativu, has now triggered a political storm with the remarks that we massacred 3,000 soldiers overnight in Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass areas. A tape-recorded Tamil version is available with the Sunday Times. To place matters in context, here is an English translation of how the remarks came to be made: We want to return at least two members from the Digamadulla district to Parliament. In the Batticaloa district the number of Tamil members has been reduced to three. This time they will get only two members. The Muslims constitute 26 percent of the population in Batticaloa and will return three members in Batticaloa. In the Batticaloa district the Muslims are well organised. Our community members have not done any work in the district. If we are united, we can get two of our party members elected from the Digamadulla district. There are many parties contesting from this district. We have a better chance to get two members to Parliament. Some of our members are not keen on voting. They should be enthusiastic, go and vote. He referred to the name of a Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman, (not the one whom he officially named but it was another) saying Karuna is deadlier than the coronavirus. He declared What he said is correct, as the Coronavirus (in Sri Lanka) has claimed only nine lives. He is not aware that we massacred 3,000 soldiers overnight in the Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass areas. He is not aware of what we are capable of Quite rightly Karunas remarks need to be investigated. Here is one of the top LTTE field commanders saying that during the war they massacred 3000 government troops. Did it happen in action or after they were taken prisoner? This is important to be established. This also has resonance in the US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka now before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. There is now a witness who served the LTTE to confirm its military might, which would have led to extensive abuses. Ironically, drafters of the resolution would never have foreseen such a confession. Is this a blessing in disguise? Unlike the Tamil diaspora groups, all non-state actors, which are geared to react to issues rapidly, governments agencies have been painfully slow. The latest is the case of Major General Tuan Suresh Sallay, who has chosen to send a letter of demand to UN transitional justice expert Jasmin Sooka. This is for alleged defamatory statements she had made as Executive Director of the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) website. The idea here is not to argue or dissect the merits or demerits of Maj. Gen. Sallys claims. He is now the head of State Intelligence Services (SIS), the first Army officer to take up that position in the countrys premier intelligence agency. It is like what the CIA is to the United States or GRU to Russia. Be that as it may, that the accusations against this senior intelligence official have come in the line of duty is all too well known. It would have been incumbent on the part of the Ministry of Defence, his higher command, to have defended him through a statement setting out the facts. The fact that Maj. Gen. Sallay continues in office is proof that there is confidence in him. Why then the silence leaving him to fight his own battle personally? That has exacerbated suspicions, which to say the least, is not fair by a serving officer. This phenomenon is nothing new but has assumed greater proportions now. The same can be said of the Ministry of Foreign Relations whose preoccupation in the recent weeks, from accounts in its own news releases, is mostly on the expatriation of Sri Lankans abroad. This is after the Covid-19 pandemic. Groups living abroad and opposed to the government, particularly against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, have been egging international agencies to issue critical statements. They have been successful so far. One is not sure whether the Ministry is aware. If it does, there has been no counter action. Just last week, it took Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to counter a handful of such instances. Another cause for concern for influential sections in the Government is the mounting in-fighting among officials prompting mudslinging in the social media. The issues are becoming a dilemma for Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Just last week, European Union envoys held a meeting with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. They raised a multitude of issues related to human rights and claimed that some of the assurances given by governments have not been fulfilled. They cited the rescinding of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as an example. With heads of mission positions in a number of important capitals including Tokyo, Paris, and New Delhi still vacant, one would naturally expect the Foreign Ministry to be more proactive. The matter was the subject of a high-level discussion. Karunas remarks assumed greater significance only after protests were raised by members of the Buddhist clergy as well as sections of the Opposition. The Ven. Omalpe Sobitha thera went to Police Headquarters last Monday to lodge a complaint over Karunas remarks. He told the Sunday Times, Under our laws, he has admitted to engaging in acts against the state with a terrorist group. The remarks he made were to induce fear in the minds of the people and intimidate them. As an LTTE leader, the people believe Karuna was responsible for many terrorist acts, including the massacre of 600 policemen who had surrendered. People also believe he was involved in the massacre of 33 Buddhist monks at Arantalawa. Everyone thought he has now become a reformed man who welcomed democracy. People honoured him but now the cat has jumped out of the bag, the Ven. Sobitha said, The Ven. Dharmapathi Handigalle Vimalasara Thera made a statement to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The prelate told the Sunday Times, They (the CID) asked why I was making a complaint. Later they recorded a statement. I told the CID that legal action should be taken based on the public remarks Karuna has made. We also handed over a copy of a letter we had sent to the acting IGP Chandana Wickremeratne. Though we believed that Karuna was now a reformed person, he is now taking pride in the terrorist actions he resorted to. Karuna made a seven-hour long statement to the CID on Thursday. However, he was not available for comment. Several calls and SMS messages sent to him on his mobile telephone went unanswered. Harins controversial remarks It seems paradoxical that politicians choose to make controversial statements purely to win votes. Karuna is not alone. Another to join in with equally controversial remarks was the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) front-liner and former minister, Harin Fernando. Addressing an SJB meeting in Medirigiriya (Polonnaruwa District) last Sunday, he made some critical remarks against Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo. Here is an English translation of the relevant part from the tape-recorded speech: A new leader of the country has been elected. He had 6.9 million votes while we got 5.6 million votes. If we looked at percentages 42 percent votes were given to Sajith Premadasa while 52 percent votes were received by Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Now you should carefully see what the actual game was. If five percent of votes given to Gotabaya were given to Sajith Premadasa the vote parentages for both candidates would have been 47 per cent each. Then the preference vote would have had to be counted. If that were the case Sajith Premadasa would have won because the JVP had cast its second preferential vote to him (Premadasa). As I recall around 350,000 JVP supporters had cast their second vote to him. Do you now have an idea who changed the five percent of votes? The remarks are as good as saying there would be sunshine if there is no gloom and rain or a woman could have delivered a boy if not for the girl she brought out. That was Fernandos logic, a way of saying why Sajith Premadasa lost the presidential election. Simply put, it was only because Gotabaya Rajapaksa polled more votes. Fernando then went on to say: The Catholic votes were stolen via issues arising from the Easter Sunday attacks last year. Normally 80 percent of Catholic votes are for UNP candidates. They targeted the Catholic votes, they went to Archbishop Cardinal Ranjith and engaged in funny politics. (Maru Deshapalanayak) I never told this as I too have a Catholic origin. My mother is a Buddhist and my father is a Catholic, I went to St Joseph College, I learned under Catholic fathers. When I was small, I lived at Wattala, I lived close to the Wattala church. My grandfather was the person who built the church. These are true stories. I am disgusted with the Archbishop as he is directly engaged in politics. I gave him a call once. This is the first time that I am saying this to the media. When the issue took place, he (Cardinal) stated Amathi putha beruna ape minissu maruna (son of minister was saved while innocent Catholics died) What kind of a ridiculous statement is that. All those statements are political statements. They are the people who are behind the five percent votes game (theft). What had happened to them today? Mother Nature has punished them. Mother Nature is weeping. The 6.9 million who voted are now understanding that there is no fertilizer. They only had a prime minister and a president for salmon and lentils. Corona came through the environment. They could not do anything As the Easter Sunday attack was carried out, we never attacked them when the government took the fall. When I came to Polonnaruwa I thought it would be like coming to Paris. I thought that because this was the area of the President. However, it is still like before when I came here during 2008. However, do you know the unfortunate plight I faced; the elder brother appointed another brother to Sri Lanka Telecom. He does not know how to even dial a phone number. He was made chairman. I was really upset over that (The reference was to the Sri Lanka Telecom Chairman Kumarasinghe Sirisena, the brother of former President Maithripala Sirisena. Fernando was Telecommunication Minister). In other words, he is conceding that he had no power as then Telecommunication Minister to stop then President Sirisena appointing his own brother, a disqualified person. Fernandos remarks drew a howl of protests. The Bishops of Colombo together with the Catholic Clergy of the Archdiocese of Colombo declared that they view with great concern the statement made by Mr Harin Fernando, former Member of Parliament at a political rally in Medirigiriya. His derogatory comments against His Eminence that the UNP candidate Sajith Premadasa had been deprived of the Catholic votes during the last Presidential Election, is totally a fabrication of his own imagination. The statement noted that it is very appalling that Mr Fernando attacks the leadership of the Catholic Church in such a disparaging manner and we urge those concerned to take steps to correct this situation with immediate effect and restore the esteemed high office of the Catholic hierarchy. The statement praised Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith for giving leadership to a country wrecked in political turmoil and it was solely due to his efforts that clashes between different communities were prevented after the tragic Easter Sunday bomb blasts. The United National Party (UNP) said in a statement that it vehemently condemned Fernandos statement. Services rendered by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjit, particularly his support to the government and the country following the Easter Sunday attacks, must not be forgotten, it said. The Anunayake of the Asgiriya Chapter, the Venerable Wendaruwe Upali Thera said that a peoples representative should not have criticised religious dignitaries because it vitiates the atmosphere created for all communities and religious groups to live in peace and harmony promoting brotherhood. Mounting criticism prompted SJB leader Sajith Premadasa to extend an apology to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. Interesting enough, Premadasa made no such apology either to the Buddhist community or the clergy when his onetime stalwart and ex-Finance Minister, Mangala Samaraweera made some controversial remarks. He once said that Sri Lanka is not a Sinhala Buddhist country. Then he declared whilst criticising the Buddhist clergy, that even Lord Buddha had his detractors. However, there was neither an apology nor an expression of regret by Fernando. As is now the practice of some politicians caught up in controversial situations, he blamed it on media institutions. They become the smokescreen or scapegoats. A 45-minute speech made by me at a rally in Polonnaruwa was edited, and a mere one-minute clip released by certain media institutions with vested interests, he said in a lengthy statement. Surely, he cannot expect the electronic media to run his entire 45-minute speech. Taking newsworthy points even from speeches made by the President or the Prime Minister is standard practice. It is common knowledge that if they were to do otherwise, they would lose public ratings and thus their viewership. Among other points made by Fernando in his statement: .. On the 20th of April last year (2019) I was at my electorate of Badulla to attend a series of meetings. I attended church in Badulla alone, the next day (21st April) as I do most on Sundays. When the news broke of the terror attacks on the churches in Colombo I rushed back as soon as I could. On my way back to the capital, my sister called me to mention that our father had told her something to the effect that churches would be attacked, when she had visited him the day before. I visited my father prior to a press conference at which I was to speak. During a brief interaction I asked him what he meant by what he had told my sister. His reply was brief and being his true self said he knows everything. My father was under a lot of medication and was in a delirious state. Therefore, it is quite obvious why no one in my family took him seriously when he had first made the statement. I have given statements to the CID and the Presidential Commission with regard to the conversations that took place with my father. I was shocked and appalled as to why, if such information had in fact been available with the law enforcement agencies, the relevant officials did nothing about it. The feeling I expressed at the press conference was just that. Although the views expressed at the political rally were entirely my own (and not even suggested by me to be reflection of the views of the party I represent), some media institutions have chosen to highlight, out of context, a morsel of what I said, in order to create tensions between members of the Catholic community and the party which I represent. This is typical of the conduct of certain media institutions. Nowhere in the statement does Fernando deny that he made those remarks against Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith at the meeting in Medirigiriya. Thus, blaming the media is a diversion to avoid embarrassment. Not when tape recorders and video cameras are available freely in Sri Lanka. The term brushing under the carpet has become obsolete. From a rather lukewarm mood, polls campaigning is now picking up. Yet, it is not to the levels of either previous presidential or parliamentary elections. That is the result of an uninvited participant the Covid 19 pandemic. Most political party leaders are engaging in smaller campaigns where the crowds are limited. It is likely to reach a more active phase when main rallies, one in each district, are allowed after the health guidelines are gazetted. Here again, for the political parties, there is a glitch those taking part would have to provide their names, addresses and phone numbers. There are fears that would lower attendance, but health officials say they have no choice. Like the political rallies, the turnout at polling booths also remains a key question. The answer will be known in the next 37 days when votes are cast. Like thousands of other young people, I, too, am worried about my elderly parents during this pandemic. I am especially concerned about my father, who is imprisoned in a small dingy cell in South Asias largest prison complex Tihar jail in Indias capital New Delhi. My father, Altaf Ahmad Shah, or Abu as I call him, is 63 years old and has diabetes and hypertension. Hence, he is in the high-risk category of people who face potential life-threatening conditions if they, God forbid, contract coronavirus. Abu was arrested in July 2017. He is not in prison because of any criminal activity. The reason for his incarceration is his political activity and his belief in the right to self-determination in Indian-administered Kashmir. Intimidated by my ailing Abus political aspirations, the worlds largest democracy imprisoned him, charged him with sedition and accused him of waging war against the country. Abu has not been imprisoned for the first time. He has spent several years in different jails for supporting the resistance movement of Kashmir and being a member of the pro-resistance political group, Hurriyat Conference, headed by my grandfather, Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Tihar prison complex has about 16 prisons housing more than 17,000 inmates. Abu and many other Kashmiri political prisoners are kept in the so-called high-risk security ward. Family visits for those in high-risk wards are different from the ones in general wards: they are shorter and take place later in the day once all other visits have finished. During my meetings with Abu at Tihar jail in 2017-2018, I developed a stronger and more affectionate bond with him. Visiting Tihar has been more than challenging in every sense to me. Every Friday, I would prepare myself mentally to travel to that place that frightened me, but at the same time it meant half an hour of happiness for both of us. Those visits were always full of trauma, fatigue, intimidation, anxiety and fear. When I went to meet Abu, I would have to wait for more than three hours in the waiting area, perched on a corner of a broken bench and overwhelmed with fear. I was not allowed to carry anything before entering the waiting area, except a little courage and desperation to see Abu. As I and others waited, rodents, insects and stray dogs would lurk in the room. Many times, I fell sick after those visits, given the unhygienic conditions of the prison. Despite the heat and the humidity inside, visitors would not even get a glass of clean water to drink. Whenever I asked Abu about the living conditions in the cells, he would dodge the question, but his physical appearance spoke for itself. He started looking weaker with each visit and much older, his hair and beard turning white. Out of anger, I once asked him why he had chosen such a life that put him and our family in such great suffering. You are privileged to see me and meet me. I am in the same prison where Afzal Guru and Mohammad Maqbool Bhat have been hanged and buried. Their families did not even see their dead bodies. They remained incarcerated even after their death, he told me. Bhat and Guru were Kashmiris who were also arrested and charged with waging war against the state; they were hanged in 1984 and 2013 respectively. Abu always tried to keep my spirits high, telling me to hope and pray for the day of his release. I last saw him on February 21 this year. It was one of the most emotional visits, as I had not seen him for more than a year. Ah! Baedd chaham gamaeczh! (Ah! You have grown up), was the first thing he said when he saw me through the window in the dim-lit room. He looked so old to me. But I did not say it. A month later, India imposed a nation-wide lockdown due to the coronavirus. Prison visits were banned. My worries about my father are fuelled by the fact that prisoners do not receive adequate health care in India. There have already been a few cases of Kashmiri prisoners whose severe health problems have been neglected. Peer Saifullah, a 54-year-old Kashmiri resistance leader, was operated on for a brain tumour before he was arrested in 2017. He needs life-saving medication to survive and often falls unconscious in jail, but he told me, so far, he has been provided medical assistance just once. In one of his desperate messages, Saifullah wrote to me: I am dying in this prison. I might not survive as my body is giving up now. In December last year, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, a 65-year-old Kashmiri, died in an Uttar Pradesh jail. He had been detained under the Kashmir Public Safety Act a law which allows Indian police to detain anyone who they suspect may commit a crime against the state. There are hundreds of Kashmiris imprisoned outside Kashmir and most of them are pre-trial prisoners. News about their wellbeing and messages from them rarely make it out of the prisons where they are kept. The outbreak of the coronavirus in India has spread more anxiety among hundreds of families of Kashmiri political prisoners. We all fear we may not see our loved ones again. India currently has more than 500,000 registered coronavirus cases so far and at least 16,000 deaths. Tihar jail reported its first coronavirus case in late May and there are rumours of an outbreak there. In March, after prisoners started testing positive for the disease, the Supreme Court ordered early releases to decrease overcrowding. In April, former first chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was shifted from prison to house arrest; 65 prisoners in Jammu and Kashmir were also set free. But so far, my father and his associates have not been released, despite the fact that none of the accusations against them have been proven in any court of law in India. My mother, who has been unwell too since the arrest of Abu, frantically calls me every day to ask if there is any news. Last month, our bail plea was rejected, but our application to get my father checked at a hospital was accepted. Despite the court order issued on June 1 to grant Abu medical attention, the jail authorities have not yet carried it out. As the coronavirus death toll surges and more people are reported infected with the virus, our hopes are dwindling that justice will be served and we will see our loved ones free, alive and well. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. People wearing face masks stand in line for coronavirus tests at a community health clinic in Beijing (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) China has extended Covid-19 tests to newly reopened salons amid a drop in cases, while South Korea continues to face new infections after it eased social distancing rules to boost the economy. In the US, Vice President Mike Pence called off a planned campaign bus tour in Florida following a surge in confirmed cases there. Meanwhile, hard-hit Italy registered the lowest day-to-day tally of coronavirus deaths in almost three months on Saturday. No positive cases were found in Beijings beauty and barber shops in a further sign that the Chinese capitals recent outbreak has been largely brought under control. Officials in the city have temporarily shut a huge wholesale food market where the virus spread widely, re-closed schools and locked down some neighbourhoods. Anyone leaving Beijing is required to have a negative virus test result within the previous seven days. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Tens of millions of Chinese travelled during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival that ended on Saturday, with no outbreaks reported immediately. The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that 40 of the newly reported cases were domestically infected, while 22 others came from overseas. The bulk of the local cases were detected in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, linked to nightclubs, church services, a huge e-commerce warehouse and low-income workers. In Hawaii, the city of Honolulu announced that campsites will reopen for the first time in three months with limited permits to ensure social distancing. In contrast, Washington Governor Jay Inslee put a hold on plans to move counties to the fourth phase of his reopening plan as cases continue to increase. In a further sign of the impact on the US economy, Tyson Foods announced that 371 employees at its chicken processing plant in the far south-western corner of Missouri have tested positive for Covid-19. Mr Pence cancelled a planned bus tour in Florida as part of his and President Donald Trumps re-election campaign, as state health officials reported more than 9,500 new cases, surpassing the previous days total by more than 600 confirmed cases. The figures come as officials move to re-close beaches and discourage bar gatherings. Kansas, Idaho and Oklahoma were also among US states seeing a sharp rise in case. While the rise partly reflects expanded testing, experts say there is ample evidence that the virus is making a comeback, including increasing deaths and hospital admissions in parts of the country and higher percentages of virus tests coming back positive. Expand Close A visitor wearing a face mask walks near a screen displaying precautions against the coronavirus in Seoul, South Korea (Lee Jin-man/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A visitor wearing a face mask walks near a screen displaying precautions against the coronavirus in Seoul, South Korea (Lee Jin-man/AP) According to Italys Health Ministry data, there were eight further deaths of infected patients, raising the known toll to 34,716. There were 175 new cases, taking the overall count of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country where Europes outbreak first exploded to 240,136. In a sign that the country is emerging from the crisis, fewer than 100 infected patients were occupying ICU beds nationwide for the first time since the very early days of the outbreak. European leaders were taking no chances, however. German authorities renewed a lockdown in a western region of about 500,000 people in the past week after about 1,300 slaughterhouse workers tested positive for coronavirus. Serbias government said Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin has tested positive for Covid-19. Known for his highly pro-Russian stance, Mr Vulin was part of Serbias delegation, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, at a Victory Day parade in Moscow this week. Mr Vucic met Russian President Vladimir Putin face to face, but it was not clear whether Mr Vulin did so too. Egypt has largely reopened. In Cairo, a metropolis of some 20 million people, coffee shops reopened on Saturday to receive in-house customers but the smoking of sheesha from hookah pipes is still on hold. Expand Close Demonstrators hold signs protesting against the lockdown and wearing masks in Huntington Beach, California (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Demonstrators hold signs protesting against the lockdown and wearing masks in Huntington Beach, California (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) Deaths in the US are running at about 600 per day, down from a peak of around 2,200 in mid-April. Some experts have expressed doubt that deaths will return to that level because of advances in treatment and because many infections are happening in younger adults, who are more likely than older ones to survive. The virus has been blamed for more than 125,000 deaths and some 2.5 million confirmed infections across America, according to Johns Hopkins University. But health officials believe the true number of infections is about 10 times higher. Worldwide, the virus has claimed close to half a million lives with nearly 10 million infections. The resurgence in the US has drawn concern from abroad. The European Union seems almost certain to bar Americans in the short term from entering the bloc, which is currently drawing up new travel rules, EU diplomats said. Donald Trump talks to Fox News's Sean Hannity about violence in Democratic-run cities: Fox News Donald Trump claimed some of America's largest cities have more extreme levels of violence than troubled nations like Afghanistan and Honduras. Speaking to Fox Newss Sean Hannity on Thursday, Donald Trump issued a slight to several of Americas largest cities which are all run by Democrats. Chicagos an example. Its, like, worse than Afghanistan. Its worse than I shouldnt say it cause theyre working with us Honduras, Guatemala, theyre all working with us now we have cities that are worse, in some cases far worse. Take a look at Detroit, take a look at whats happening in Oakland, take a look at whats happening in Baltimore. And everyone gets upset when I say it, they say oh, is that a racist statement? Its not a racist (sic). Frankly, black people come up to me, say thank you, thank you sir for saying it. They want help. These cities, its like living in hell. Chicago recently saw 25 people killed and 85 wounded by gunfire in one weekend, including its most violent day in six decades on 31 May. However, the number of murders in the city has in fact declined for three straight years. Honduras, by contrast, has one of the highest murder rates of any country in the world, while the Afghan capital of Kabul continues to see major terrorist attacks targeting places of worship, public places and even maternity hospitals. Mr Trump has a history of bemoaning the conditions found in poorer areas of large American cities; in his inaugural address, he infamously described the American carnage found across the country, with families and children blighted by urban decay. Chicago, however, has been a particular target for his disdain since his presidential campaign, when he repeatedly described the city as a living hell for minorities. Not long after his inauguration, he threatened to send in the feds to sort out the violence there. But he did not visit Chicago as president until 2019, when he told a national convention of police officers that the city was embarrassing to us as a nation. THE fiancee of a soldier murdered by INLA hitman Declan 'Whacker' Duffy has welcomed his return to Maghaberry Prison. Elizabeth Robinson, who was engaged to slain Sergeant Michael Newman, said: "It's a small crumb of comfort to know he is back in jail, but at least he will be able to get visits and have contact with his family. Expand Close Sergeant Michael Newman / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sergeant Michael Newman "I will never get to see Michael again, nor will his parents. What he did was beyond a crime." Duffy was returned to Northern Ireland two weeks ago having served a six-year prison sentence for false imprisonment and assault in the Republic. He will now have to complete the remainder of a minimum 24-year life term for the 1992 INLA murder of Sergeant Newman in Derbyshire. Duffy (46), from Armagh, was convicted of the killing in 2010, but was released two years later under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. However, his licence was revoked in 2016 after his convictions in Dublin. He was taken to Maghaberry Prison 11 days ago and faces the prospect of being locked up until 2042. Expand Close Anthony 'Fanta' Gorman / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Anthony 'Fanta' Gorman Elizabeth Robinson says she no longer has any feelings towards the thug, having spent the past three decades mourning the loss of Sgt Newman. "Whatever happens to him, I will never get justice because no one can bring Michael back," the nurse told Sunday Life. "I have no feelings towards Duffy, what I will say is that it is disgraceful the time it has taken to extradite him back to the UK." At the time of the Sgt Newman murder, Duffy was part of an INLA cell operating in England along with Joseph Magee, who had family ties in Derby and who was also sentenced to life imprisonment for the killing. Police believe they were driven away from the scene by Anthony 'Fanta' Gorman (51), who was caged for five years by a Dublin Court in 1995 for having 26 weapons, including Kalashnikovs, M3 machine-guns, and 2,500 rounds of INLA ammunition. During his time in Portlaoise Prison, he was the INLA's second-in-command and involved in the Good Friday Agreement early release negotiations with the Irish government. Gorman was named as the Sgt Newman getaway driver by dead INLA assassin Neil Sheridan. In letters sent to journalists from prison, he wrote: "(Declan) Duffy told me that he was the gunman who murdered Michael Newman in Derby in 1992 and that Anthony Gorman had been the getaway driver." Gorman, from Armagh, lives 20 miles across the border in Bailieborough, where he works as an artist. Elizabeth Robinson has previously campaigned for his extradition - proceedings issued in Dublin's High Court in 2009 were abandoned - but she now accepts that is unlikely to ever happen. "Even if Gorman were to be extradited and convicted of Michael's murder, he would only have to serve a two-year jail sentence before getting out because of the Good Friday Agreement," she told Sunday Life. "I can't imagine how hard it is for people in Northern Ireland to see the killers of their relatives and friends released early from jail. I really feel for them." Duffy is one of the most notorious paramilitaries to emerge from the Troubles. He led an INLA mob that was involved in a horrific 1999 gang fight with rival criminals in Dublin that became known as the Ballymount Bloodbath. Belfast man Paul Campbell, an INLA member, was killed during the brawl after being stabbed with a machete. Duffy was convicted of false imprisonment and possession of a handgun and jailed for nine years. He was released in 2007 and resumed control of the INLA in Dublin. In 2009, Duffy dissociated himself from the gang having admitted a membership charge for which he was caged for four years. After being freed, the thug was sent to prison for a further six years on a false imprisonment charge. That sentence elapsed earlier this month, with Duffy immediately extradited to Northern Ireland to serve the remainder of his 24-year jail term for the murder of Sgt Newman. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 00:32:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, June 28 (Xinhua)-- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Sunday sent congratulatory messages to Lazarus Chakwera who was sworn in as the new president of Malawi on winning an election rerun. Kenyatta said Chakwera's victory is a confirmation of the people of Malawi's desire for progressive leadership that will unite and propel their country to greater heights of development. Chakwera defeated incumbent Peter Mutharika with 58.57 percent of the vote in Tuesday's poll which came after the constitutional court in February nullified Mutharika's victory in the May 2019 election, citing vote tampering. Kenyatta said Kenya and Malawi enjoy warm and historical ties dating back to pre-independence times, facilitated by shared aspirations for growth and development, and a strong Pan-Africanist spirit traced back to the work done by the founding fathers of the two Republics, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and the late Hastings Kamuzu Banda. He said the strong bond of friendship, historical bilateral ties and a shared vision for progress should form the bedrock of the renewed Kenya-Malawi relations. Zambian President Edgar Lungu said in a congratulatory message released by his office that Chakwera's election affirmed the trust and confidence the people of Malawi have in him. The Zambian leader, who said he was looking forward to working closely with the new leader, underscored the warm and brotherly relations that have existed between the two countries. The 65-year-old Chakwera took the oath of office on Sunday following his victory in the Tuesday fresh election. Enditem From left, professor and former Botswana Health Minister Sheila Tlou, AIDS activist Phill Wilson, Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and infectious Diseases and then-UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe gathered at the XIX International AIDS Conference in 2012 in Washington. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press) The federal governments response to the novel coronavirus feels all too familiar to Tom Sheridan. Thirty years ago, as the national director of public policy for the powerful AIDS Action Council, he helped to force the Reagan Administration to acknowledge the existence of that disease. The first case of AIDS emerged in the U.S. in 1980, but it wasnt until 1985 nearly 13,000 deaths later that President Reagan uttered its name publicly. Before, he dismissed it as the gay plague. Now, amid another global health crisis, Sheridan said he is witnessing an eerie repeat of events: the current administration blatantly ignoring early warning signs, the president dismissing the disease as the "Chinese plague" and death rates soaring, with no end in sight. What I feared the most is what Im seeing now, said Sheridan, who runs an advocacy strategy firm that helps to mobilize and organize not-for-profit activist groups. We didnt learn the lessons we should have learned. Between 1988 and 1993, Sheridans advocacy for AIDS proved victorious. In 1990, he was a key architect of the bill that would become the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, which helped to secure access to healthcare for low-income and uninsured AIDS patients. Then he successfully lobbied for the Americans with Disabilities Act, making it illegal to discriminate against those with HIV or AIDS. And in 1991, his coalition's efforts effectively doubled the budget for AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health. Now, he fears, the fight against COVID-19 will be an equally rigorous battle. But with a virus that is so much more easily transmitted, the damage will be worse. AIDS was a slow burn, he said. Coronavirus is like a wildfire. Sheridan is among a coalition of activists, frontline workers and public health professionals from the AIDS era who are disturbed to see this recent history repeat itself with COVID-19. As vestiges of AIDS and HIV mismanagement resurface in current times, those on the front lines draw chilling similarities between the neglect, denial and misinformation of the Reagan administration and President Trump's handling of COVID-19, pointing to gaping holes in the U.S. public health system and a harrowing reckoning: Americans are still ill-equipped to weather such a crisis. Story continues We are now seeing the results of the past 30 years of the destruction of our public health system, Sheridan said. Gleaning lessons and experiences from the AIDS era, epidemiologists and scientists including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, who played a key role in pushing science-based research and policy reform for AIDS now understand how to respond when a highly contagious viral pandemic hits: test, treat, trace and isolate, according to Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a public health crisis, its essential that leaders act quickly, speak plainly and honestly and be guided by science and public health, Frieden said. But with the lack of a centralized public health response, such protocols cant be carried out. Joseph Osmundson, a microbiologist and writer who works with the Treatment Action Group, an AIDS policy and research think tank, says the scientists with whom he works have been clear on a public health plan to contain the coronavirus since it began to ravage the country. But without a cohesive public healthcare system, there is no uniform public policy to support such a plan. "That is why everything is falling between the cracks, Osmundson said. And now, like in the 1980s and 90s, advocacy groups are scrambling to fill in where public health policy falls short. The COVID advocacy community is really built upon what weve learned from HIV, he said. In March, the Treatment Action Group partnered with the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Black Leadership Commission to launch the COVID-19 Working Group, which includes Osmundson and major players from the AIDS era. And they, like Sheridan, are distressed. Watching PTSD be triggered in those people who lived through the 80s and 90s in New York in real time by some echoes of bureaucratic murder, basically has been intensely harrowing, Osmundson said. In a disturbingly similar fashion to AIDS-era mismanagement 35 years ago, the federal government has been criticized for a laggard response to COVID-19, a failing that was corroborated in Thursdays Government Accountability Office report, which laid out shortcomings that included a lack of testing and of ensuring that hospitals had adequate supplies. In late January, President Trump failed to heed warnings from public health officials of a potential international health emergency. In February, he assured attendees of his rallies that the virus would vanish when the weather warmed up. And in March, he rejected the type of aggressive testing regime called for by the World Health Organization. A Yale University epidemiologist went so far as to call this pattern not simply negligent but deliberate. Tracking and tracing One sign of the broken public health system is the failure to carry out widespread contact tracing, a key pillar in quelling the spread of the virus as the country reopens. The practice involves identifying and interviewing anyone who comes into close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19. It has been credited with reining in the virus in Germany and South Korea, but it has never been fully carried out in the United States. But for contact tracing to work, public health officials say, a system of social services must be set up, including quarantine plans, policies to protect vulnerable communities and delivery services for essential goods. With COVID-19, as with AIDS, such services have been sorely lacking. Theres got to be a system in place to expeditiously get the right information, said Michael Cousineau, doctor of public health and professor of clinical preventive medicine at the University of Southern California. Where are people going to quarantine? What are they going to do? To encourage tracing and tracking participation in New York, where the two hardest-hit communities are Black and Latino, Osmundson and his team at the Treatment Action Group work with social workers to engage the community. But without policies in place to protect undocumented citizens and other groups that have historically suffered human rights abuses, engaging with testing and tracing is a calculated risk for many. Weighing this, Osmundson said, many social workers have advised undocumented clients in the Latino community not to participate in tracking and tracing, fearing issues with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "The Treatment Action Group still hasnt gotten assurance that test and trace data cannot be shared with law enforcement and ICE, Osmundson said. How do you test and trace in the Latinx community without a binding legal promise that their information cant be handed over to ICE? On June 1, New York City launched its contact tracing system, the Test and Trace Corps, in partnership with the city Department of Health. Jackie Bray, the programs deputy director, said her team is focused on building out and implementing social services to pair with the tracing project. They provide meal delivery, training for patients on applying for paid sick leave from work and mental health counseling. To establish trust in vulnerable communities and ensure a level of cultural competence among staff, more than half of the frontline workers were hired from the neighborhoods they now serve. Additionally, Bray said, the project has made policy decisions that are a direct response to community fears, such as not collecting Social Security numbers or even recording information such as country of origin. This is about a public health response, Bray said. Not law enforcement. But Sheridan, who is also a social worker, urges that in a bureaucratic system, such services cannot be trusted without federal support. Immigration laws are federal, he said. Without federal laws that protect citizens, I wouldnt recommend someone I love who is vulnerable to participate in testing and tracing at this point. Tracking and tracing was also undermined, for similar reasons, in the early days of AIDS. With the social stigma associated with a positive test, and no guarantees of confidentiality, the public was discouraged from complying. To know you were positive was actually to get worse treatment, not better, Sheridan said. Before the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990, thanks in large part to Sheridan's advocacy, there was no policy in place to protect AIDS sufferers from medical discrimination. If you tested positive, you would lose your job, lose your home, lose your insurance," he said. "There was no incentive for people to participate in tracing and testing. As far as current mismanagement with contact tracing efforts in New York and nationwide, Cousineau can only hope for reform in the future. What we can learn from this and I hope we do is a better understanding of what public health truly means, Cousineau said. Looking back COVID-19 has allowed Sheridan and other AIDS activists to reflect upon their own failures from the past, too. After his years lobbying for AIDS-related public health reforms, Sheridan said, his coalition never took action to hold leadership accountable for the mistakes they made. We never went back to retaliate, per se, he remembered. We didnt think that would be helpful. Sheridan recalls how, when South Africa's apartheid system collapsed, thousands of victims were invited to give statements about their mistreatment in public hearings as part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1996. This culminated in the creation of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, which has been credited as a crucial step toward establishing a full and free democracy in South Africa. Sheridan wonders if a form of restorative justice following the AIDS epidemic mismanagement that is, holding the Reagan administration accountable would have helped to prevent the current crisis. Maybe the consequence of not doing those things will be to repeat that horrible history again, he said. For the record: 10:21 AM, Jun. 28, 2020: An earlier version of this article misspelled Joseph Osmundsons last name in two instances. It also failed to note the participation of the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Black Leadership Commission in the COVID-19 Working Group. 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. A nightmarish painting of Ku Klux Klansman, Confederate flags, and a Whites Only sign; bright portraits of black historical figures; and photographs of everyday life in black communities around the country hung on the walls of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Saturday as guests wandered through the opening of Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power. The exhibit, organized by Tate Modern in London, features the works of more than 60 black artists and captures their expressions on black history and culture, racism, activism, community, and black joy over the span of two decades, a period when black artistry was often banned or excluded from galleries and museums. To say, Soul of a Nation has been long-anticipated in Houston might be an understatement. The city waited three years for the exhibit to make its final stop at MFAH and another four months due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In some ways, an exhibit opening amid a pandemic is less than ideal, but with Soul of a Nation following weeks of unrest, protests and a heightened focus on social justice issues in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who had Houston roots, many would say it was well worth the wait. So many of the artworks are relevant right now, said Kanitra Fletcher, assistant curator at MFAH, who installed the exhibit. In addition to protests and marches, this is another way people can really reflect on these social justice issues and contemplate and meditate on them in a more internalized way. More Information If you go 'Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power" When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 12:30-6 p.m. Sundays, June 27-Aug. 30 Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Beck Building, 5601 Main Details: $12-$19, free on Thursdays; free daily to children 12 and under; 713-639-7300, mfah.org See More Collapse Many attendees did just that first filtering through the museum entrance, undergoing a contact-less temperature check before they entered the exhibit with arrows, floor signs and volunteers reminding them to safely social distance. Bobby Wilkerson, of Pearland, said he ensured he completed all of his chores at home and that his family was taken care of before he ventured out to the museum alone that afternoon. I wanted to take my time, he said, after gazing at a multicolored portrait of the late civil rights figure Malcolm X, which was made out of acrylic painted letters that spilled out into a sentence that began: I believe in anything necessary to correct unjust conditions. Alyssa Roman, 24, said she was most struck by parts of the exhibit that made her feel like little time had passed. Black artist Faith Ringolds 1967 painting The Flag is Bleeding depicted a bleeding black man in the backdrop of a U.S. flag, his blood filling the flags signature red stripes, which made her think of the different interpretations of the flag for different communities, she said. And Dana Chandlers 1975 installation Fred Hamptons Door 2 a green and red-painted door riddled with bullet holes left Roman shell-shocked, she said. The piece, intended to commemorate the 1969 killing of Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and activist Mark Clark, who were murdered in a police raid, eerily reminded Roman of Breonna Taylor, a black woman in Louisville, Ky. who was killed by police this March while she was sleeping in her apartment. Its kind of crazy that so much of (this exhibit) is still so culturally relevant, Roman said. For Earlie Hudnall Jr., an iconic Houston photographer and a Texas Southern University alumnus, Soul of a Nation reminded him of the history he lived. The exhibit featured two of Hudnalls black-and-white photographs from 1986 one that depicted a now-shuttered neighborhood in Fourth Ward with a backdrop of encroaching Downtown buildings; another of his mentor and artist John Biggers at work in his studio. The late black muralist founded the art program at TSU, Houstons historically black college. Both of Hudnalls photos hearkened back to the history of Houstons black art community, when he learned from artists like Biggers, sculptor Carroll Harris Simms and painter Kermit Oliver while at TSU. Each were featured in the exhibits Houston section. There was Olivers portrait of a black Madonna, Biggers homage to his trip and research on African American heritage in West Africa, and sculptures by Simms. Hudnall said it was refreshing to see the range of artistry in one place, including paintings, abstract art, graphic art, mixed-media, sculptures and drawings. It changes from room to room, image to image, and thought to thought. It's individualized, Hudnall said, But together, it makes a powerful statement." brittany.britto@chron.com Tightening import norms, India will check all power equipment bought from China for malware and Trojan horses that can be potentially used to trigger electricity grid failures to cripple economic activity in the country, Power Minister RK Singh said. India has in the recent days taken steps to impose stringent quality control measures and higher tariffs on goods from China as it looks to boost domestic manufacturing to cut reliance on imports. In an interview to PTI, Singh said his renewable energy ministry has proposed imposing customs duties on some solar power equipment starting August 1 as part of the country's goal of becoming self-sufficient. "Power is a very sensitive and strategic sector for any country. Electricity runs all industries, communication systems and all databases including strategic ones and so we have to guard it against any sabotage by countries which are adversaries or possible adversaries," he said. "We want to build a firewall." More tariff barriers, rigorous testing of foreign equipment and prior permission requirements for imports from adversary countries are some of the focus areas of India's proposed power sector overhaul, he said. The move comes in the backdrop of India contemplating an economic response against China since the June 15 border clashes. Singh said some countries who are adversaries or potential adversaries will be identified as "prior reference countries", and prior government permission will be required before importing any equipment from there. These countries are mostly the ones which share borders with India, including China and Pakistan. "We have reports that malware and Trojan horse can be installed which can be activated remotely to bring down the power sector and the economy," he said. "So we have decided, because it is a sensitive sector, whatever equipment is made in India, we will purchase them. And those that are not made in India, we will import but check thoroughly to rule out the presence of any malware or Trojan horse." India's power sector has faced cyberattacks, a majority of which reportedly originated from China, Singapore, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Singh said a committee was set up under the Central Electricity Authority to examine the cyber threat and the panel has said "it is a real live threat." "It is very serious," he said. "It is sensitive because any adversary can bring our entire country to a halt. It is a very sensitive and strategic sector because the defence industry and all other industries run on power. If power goes out, then you have storage of about 12 to 24 hours only." "The threat is very serious," Singh added. He said his ministry has proposed imposing 25 percent customs duty on solar modules from August, which can be raised to 40 percent from April 2022. On solar cells, it has proposed 15 percent duty, rising to 25 percent in 2022. On solar inverters, an import duty of 20 percent is proposed. China accounts for nearly 80 percent of module supplies in India. India currently levies a 15 percent safeguard duty on imports of solar cells and modules from China and Malaysia. That tax expires at the end of July. Singh further said the power industry should stop imports of products whose domestic supplies are adequate, and developers using domestic equipment will get cheaper financing from lenders Power Finance Corp and REC Ltd. As part of quality control measures, the Bureau of Indian Standards is finalising tougher norms for at least 370 products, including chemicals, steel, electronics, heavy machinery, furniture, paper, industrial machinery, rubber articles, glass, metal articles, pharma, fertilisers and plastic toys, to ensure items that can be locally produced are not imported. Also, discussions are on to raise import duty on products including furniture, compressors for air conditioners and auto components. The commerce ministry is separately evaluating non-tariff measures such as more inspections, product testing and enhanced quality certification requirements to check Chinese imports in a manner that conforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. The government has also made it mandatory for suppliers to mention the country of origin in a move to push for local products and keep out Chinese manufacturers. China is India's biggest source of imports. Chinese imports such as electronic goods, industrial machinery and organic chemicals totalled almost $70 billion last year. China has a trade surplus of about $50 billion with India. Also read: Boycott China: Zomato employees burn company T-shirts to protest Chinese investment Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he would address Indias security issues. When will there be talk of nations security? Gandhi tweeted after the Prime Minister in his Mann Ki Baat praised Indian soldiers for giving a befitting reply to those coveting our territories. Referring to the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley on the night of June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers the commanding officer of the Bihar Regiment dead, Modi said, Our brave soldiers have shown that they will not let any harm be done to Mother Indias pride. The Congress has been hammering away at the PM and the government for inconsistent stands on the actual situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh amid the standoff with the Chinese. On Saturday, Congress leader Kapil Sibal claimed that the Chinese have intruded 18 km across the LAC at once location and asked PM Modi to condemn the brazen Chinese occupation in Ladakh. Sibal had targeted the PM for his statement at an all-party meeting that no one intruded into Indian territory that was in stark contrast to the statement of the Indian ambassador in Beijing who said China should de-escalate and disengage by moving back to its side of LAC. Sibal showed photographs to claim that the Chinese have intruded into several places in Indian territory and have cut off Indian patrols at five patrol points in the Ladakhi outback along the LAC. 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. 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. Amid an outrage over the death of a father-son duo in Tuticorin allegedly due to police torture on June 23, the Tamil Nadu government on Sunday decided to transfer the probe into the case to the CBI. Tamil Nadu government has decided to transfer to CBI probe into death of father-son duo in Tuticorin following alleged police torture, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami was quoted as saying by PTI After getting approval from Madras High Court the case will be transferred to CBI, he said. The two men, Jayaraj and his son Fennix, who were arrested for allegedly violating lockdown norms by keeping their mobile phone shop open beyond the approved business hours, died at a hospital in Kovilpatti on June 23. Relatives alleged that they were severely beaten at the Sathankulam police station by policemen. Following a furore, the Tamil Nadu government suspended four policemen including two sub-inspectors. Tamil superstar Rajinikanth spoke to Jayarajs widow over the phone and conveyed his heartfelt condolences, the actors publicist said in a tweet on Sunday, according to PTI. Also Read: Our George Floyds: Outrage at custodial deaths in Tamil Nadu Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in tweet on Sunday condemned the alleged police torture leading to the death of the two men. Its time for all of us to raise our voices against police brutality. We see it again and again, in every state, all over India. It is unacceptable, cruel and completely unlawful. The families of Jairaj and Fenix deserve justice. They deserve for all of us to stand up for them and put an end to heinous crimes being committed under the garb of the law, she wrote. Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. 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A British Sikh, who became a social media hit as the Skipping Sikh after he took on skipping and fundraising for the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) in the coronavirus lockdown, has been awarded the Points of Light honour by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Rajinder Singh, 73, from Harlington in west London, began filming exercise videos earlier this year, bringing together over 250,000 viewers on YouTube, encouraging people to remain active and fundraising over 12,000 pounds for NHS charities. Your Skipping Sikh fitness videos have given a lift to the thousands of people worldwide who have watched online and taken part with you in your daily exercise, and provided an ingenious way of bringing together and energising the Sikh community at a time when temples have been closed, said Johnson, in a personal letter addressed to Singh this week. I wanted to write personally to thank you for all that you are doing to support our extraordinary NHS, and encouraging the nation to pick up their skipping ropes and keep their spirits high by taking on your lockdown skip challenge, he said. The award, in recognition of Singhs fundraising efforts and spreading the simple message of health is wealth and stay active and stay happy, marks the 1,410th such award. Points of Light are outstanding individual volunteers and people making a change in their community, honoured every weekday by the UK PM to recognise their inspirational volunteer work. Waheguru ji ka khalsa, waheguru ji ki fateh. I am truly humbled for being awarded the Points of Light award. I love to serve others its part of who I am as a Sikh and I love to do sewa (give back), said Singh, in his response. I never thought something like skipping would inspire the world and spread smiles. Im really grateful for the support and being given this recognition. Thank you to our PM Boris Johnson, God bless you and everyone, I thank everyone for the support and love, and I encourage all to join in the skipping challenge and tag me in @SikhSkipping, he said. Missing taking his daily exercise, food and prayer with others from the Sikh community at the gurdwara during lockdown, Singh decided to share videos online of his skipping fitness routines and inspire others to keep active with him, particularly those isolating at home due to underlying health conditions. His tutorials have since become a worldwide phenomenon, and he is encouraging people across the globe to join in his lockdown skip challenge and donate to NHS charities. Also Read | Hating people wont benefit anyone at this point: Skipping Sikh Rajinder Singh 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 Dozens of domestic workers have been fired after falling ill while more than four in five helpers experienced increased discrimination during the Covid-19 pandemic, unions said on Sunday. However, members of the Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions said up to 80 per cent of the 427 helpers it surveyed did not know they could lodge complaints with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), while those who had approached the federation for help were often scared of hurting their future job prospects if they filed complaints. This survey found out most migrant workers did not know they could file cases about discrimination, said Shiella Estrada, secretary of the federation, which represents both local and foreign domestic workers. This is why we are calling on the EOC to reach out to more migrant workers to let them know about programmes and protections for migrant workers. Federation organiser Peggy Shek (left), chairwoman Phobsuk Gasing, Shiella Estrada and Chuni Thapa. Photo: Dickson Lee Hong Kong has nearly 400,000 domestic workers mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia. Unions had previously criticised the government for not providing enough protection to those quarantined with employers during the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 1,100 people in Hong Kong and nearly 10 million worldwide. Now, union representatives are sounding the alarm again as workers face having their contracts unlawfully terminated by employers who assume they may have caught the coronavirus. If the government cannot protect those already here, how will other workers feel safe enough to come in the future? asked Rowena Borja, chairwoman of the Overseas Domestic Workers Union. Under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, it is unlawful for employers to terminate contracts with their employees on the grounds of any disability, including infectious diseases. But unions said they had received dozens of complaints from workers who had been fired after falling ill. Story continues Among them was Indonesian Susanti, who arrived in Hong Kong in late February but fell ill with stomach problems soon after starting work in March, said Lilik of the Union of United Domestic Workers. Susantis employer took her to hospital, where she was tested for the coronavirus. She tested negative the next day but Susantis employer insisted she be quarantined for two weeks with no pay, then terminated her contract three days later. Lilik said the employer brought Susanti back to the employment agency, where she loudly insulted her and called her a pig. Susanti flew back to Indonesia on March 25, with only HK$600 in cash. A Nepalese man who had worked for 12 years in Hong Kong was fired after going to hospital for a routine check-up, as he had high blood pressure. His employer had originally asked him to delay his appointment, but he went anyway as he felt unwell, said Chuni Thapa, the federations vice-chairwoman. Meanwhile, domestic workers surveyed by the federation also said they were not being paid while they underwent compulsory quarantine after arriving in Hong Kong. Their workload had also increased to more than 15 hours a day, while some did not receive protective gear such as masks, hand sanitisers and gloves. Others, such as those from Thailand struggled to understand quarantine guidelines at the airport, which were only in Chinese and English. They did not know how to fill out the forms or give the saliva samples, and ended up staying in the airport from 10pm to 4am, said Parichat Jaroennon of the Thai Migrant Workers Union. While the federation had helped some of the workers file complaints and was encouraging others to do so as well, Estrada said many were hesitant or would end up settling with their employers. We mainly file unlawful termination complaints as employers terminate contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic only on the assumption a worker is infected, she said. But the EOC will also stop accepting complaints via email on July 27 this year, a move which Estrada said would only make it more difficult for migrant workers to file cases, as the online forms for filing complaints were too complicated. An influx of domestic workers is expected in Hong Kong in coming months. Photo: May Tse The union called on the EOC to set up a task force to proactively tackle discrimination, as well as to work with other government bodies including the Centre for Health Protection to put out proper guidelines, monitor discriminatory actions and issue public statements. It also said proper quarantine guidelines in different languages for ethnic minorities should be issued. Hong Kong Employers of Domestic Helpers Association chairwoman Betty Yung Ma Shan-yee refuted the unions claims, saying bosses were very aware it was unlawful to terminate contracts if the workers were sick. They know the situation would be very disadvantageous to them if the workers were to take the case to the Labour Tribunal, she said. It was more likely employers had fired their workers because they could no longer afford hired help, Yung said, as Hong Kongs unemployment rate rose after the anti-government protests last year and the pandemic hit the economy. She also said it was up to employers whether they paid their helpers while in quarantine, adding it was a problem which not only affected domestic workers but all Hong Kong employees, many of whom had been asked to take unpaid leave during the pandemic. But both Yung and the union representatives agreed the government needed to keep up coronavirus testing at the airport, as an estimated 10,000 Filipino migrants, including domestic workers, were expected to return after the Philippines authorities resumed processing travel applications. The government absolutely has the responsibility to keep up testing of people travelling in from anywhere to guarantee the safety of local residents, Yung said. The Post has contacted the EOC for comment. This article Coronavirus: dozens of domestic workers in Hong Kong fired by bosses who assume they have Covid-19, unions say first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. A man has been shot and killed at a US demonstration against the death of Breonna Taylor. A crowd had gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, to protest the death of Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, who was shot eight times by officers who burst into her Louisville home using a no-knock warrant during a March 13 narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home. Louisville Metro police said in a statement that there were reports of shots fired in Jefferson Square Park about 9pm on Saturday, adding that the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department had tried to resuscitate a man who later died. Another shooting victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Video from the scene, posted to social media, appeared to show a man calmly opening fire into a camp which had been set up in the park, sending those in the area scrambling for cover. Footage also showed one man bleeding on the floor, surrounded by frantic protesters who urged bystanders to call emergency services. Police said officers cleared the park and were trying to gather as much information as possible in order to identify all who were involved in the incident, the statement said. No information about arrests, possible suspects and the victims identities and ages was immediately released. The scene in Jefferson Square Park in the aftermath of the shooting. The incident comes as the US president said he had signed an executive order to protect monuments, memorials and statues targeted by anti-racism protesters. Donald Trump used Twitter to call for the arrest of protesters involved in an attempt to pull down the statue of Andrew Jackson from a park directly in front of the White House. Also on Saturday, Mississippi legislators took the first steps toward erasing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag, a symbol that has come under intensifying criticism amid the nationwide demonstrations. Meanwhile, the protest in Louisville came after the citys mayor announced one of the three police officers involved in Ms Taylors death... Continue reading on HuffPost The state on Sunday, for the fifth day in a row, recorded its sharpest single-day jump in Covid-19 cases with 5,493 more infections, even as chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the ongoing lockdown would not be lifted after June 30. The state case count went up to 164,626 and toll rose to 7,429 with the addition of 156 deaths on Sunday. Mumbai saw 1,287 more infections on Sunday, taking its total to 75,539. With the addition of 87 deaths, the toll of the city is 4,371. The state health department has, however, said that 60 of the fatalities added on Sunday were reported in the past two days, while the remaining 96 are from the past few weeks. Thackeray, who completed seven months as the CM on Sunday, said the ongoing lockdown will not be lifted after its fifth phase ends on June 30, although the government was mulling more relaxations under its Mission Begin Again a staggered plan to lift curbs. Thackeray said that as the government is opening up activities in a calibrated manner, cases are expected to rise in the coming days. Thackeray, in his address through Facebook live, said that the risk of Covid-19 and the battle against the virus has not passed yet, but the government is relaxing curbs in a phased manner. The state government is expected to decide on relaxations in industrial, commercial activities after the Central government issues its guidelines. Thackeray is scheduled to hold high-level meetings with his cabinet colleagues and top officials over the next two days. He also has warned that the government machinery will be forced to impose stricter lockdown curbs again if the guidelines were not followed by people. I have been getting requests from a few civic authorities for permission to impose stricter lockdown, owing to the rising numbers. There are cases of violations of curbs in some cities such as Mumbai, Pune and even in rural areas. In case of violations of curbs, we will have no option, but to go for stricter imposition of lockdown in areas with rise in cases, he said. Thackeray said that there will be a spike in infections in the next few weeks. As we have been opening up activities to ensure the revival of the economy, we have been witnessing a rise in cases. As part of the relaxation, people step out of their homes, come in contact and spread the virus. Even in the near future, there will be a rise in cases as we open up more activities, he said. State health department expects the rise in cases during July and August. There will be a modulating trend in terms of cases for the next few weeks, before we expect the plateau in August, the official said, requesting anonymity. After allowing salons and beauty parlours to open from Sunday in the fourth phase of Mission Begin Again, the state government is expected to extend more relaxations in transport facilities and industrial operations. It has also hinted at allowing more workforce in private and even government offices. State has been reporting more than 5,000 cases a day for the past three days. It has seen 32, 551 cases and 1,259 deaths in the past seven days, with a daily average of 4,650 cases and 180 deaths respectively. Mumbais growth of cases has comparatively improved as it reported 9,051 cases and 700 deaths during this period. States case fatality rate (CFR) dropped to 4.51% from 4.69% on June 16, the day on which there was an addition of 1,328 deaths as part of the reconciliation of data. The CFR was 3.79% on June 15. The recovery rate of the state has improved to 52.59% as 86,575 patients were reported to have recovered from the infection. Thackeray said that the state government is ready to take on the surge. We have increased testing facilities. Instead of waiting for the virus to attack us, we have been chasing it. After it has proven successful in Mumbai, the chase the virus drive is being implemented elsewhere in the state. It will help us in containing the spread. The government has received permission from the Centre for the use of remdesivir and favipiravin, the antiviral drugs, and they will be made available to citizens free of cost once adequate stock is procured, he said. Thackeray said that the government was inaugurating plasma therapy testing centres in Maharashtra on Monday and it will, perhaps, help us Maharashtra become the top state to provide the facility with the highest number of tests for the therapy. We appeal to people who recovered from the infection to come forward for the test of therapy so that other patients can benefit from them, he said. The CM also appealed to doctors from the private sector to come forward and guide their colleagues from the healthcare sector to treat patients effectively. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The government is planning to expand the use of rapid antigen-based Covid-19 tests and the countrys top biomedical research body has advised states to use the easy-to-use method to compliment the more rigorous RT-PCR test to detect the coronavirus as infections surge across the country. A senior official of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said rapid antigen-based tests can help to quickly determine an ongoing infection. This is why it is a good tool that can be used for diagnosis of Covid-19 along with the RT-PCR testing. RT-PCR, while a gold standard in diagnosing Covid-19, needs a proper biosafety level 2 lab for analysis, said the official on condition of anonymity. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage Antigen based test is a rapid point-of-care test that can be done on the spot without posing a biosafety hazard as it doesnt deal with analyisng a live virus, added the official. These tests detect the presence of a foreign substance in a persons oral or nasal swab that triggers the production of antibodies, and, therefore, can find infections. But these are non-confirmatory tests. This means that those who test positive through rapid antigen detection tests are considered truly positive for Covid-19 but those who test negative must go for an RT-PCR test for re-confirmation. RT-PCR, or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, tests for the genetic material of the Sars-Cov-2 virus. But RT-PCR testing is limited in terms of widespread availability because of the need for a specialized lab for analysis, and it takes about five hours to get results . Delhi was the first state to roll out antigen-based testing as Covid-19 cases soared in the past two weeks, making it imperative to conduct large-scale quick testing to trace, treat and isolate the infected individuals. ICMR provided 50,000 kits to the Delhi government, and has asked other states to start antigen-based testing. Uttar Pradesh has started the tests. On Sunday, the sole approved manufactuer of the antigen tests, South Korean SD Biosensor, said daily production had exceeded 200,000. The ICMR and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, validated the Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection kit by SD Biosensor about two weeks ago. We are already producing about two lakh kits in a day, and even started supplying to eligible hospitals, said CS Bedi, medical advisor, SD Biosensor. A section of private players complained of lack of availability of the antigen kits.There is just one company that is approved; we would need more if they want widespread testing, said a representative of a private lab who did not want to be identified. Bedi, however, said there was no shortage of testing kits. We only sell to NABH [National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers]and NABL [National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories]approved hospital and standalone labs as that is mandatory requirement of the government. We are guided by the government directive, and are being extremely careful to not sell the product to someone who may sell it further to people who are not eligible to use it, said Bedi. On June 25, the ICMR released a document where it detailed the need for rapid antigen tests to massively scale up testing capacity as the number of Covid-19 cases rise and lockdown restrictions are gradually relaxed. As India is lifting lockdowns in various parts of the country in a phased manner, it is expected to see an upsurge in cases of COVID-19 due to increased transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus. In view of this, it is important to scale up testing capacity to the maximum possible levels, the document said. The gold standard RT-PCR diagnostic test for COVID-19 has limitations in terms of widespread availability. In view of this, there is urgent requirement of reliable and convenient rapid point of care antigen detection assays with high sensitivity and specificity, added the document, while inviting applications from manufacturers who produce antigen-based kits. The ICMR has approved seven institutes for validating antigen-based test kits. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Advertisement Lucy, like most 18-year-olds, has been enjoying her new freedom as lockdown has eased. She has started gathering with friends in the park in North London. But unlike teenagers from a previous generation she doesn't smoke, and only drinks occasionally. Instead, she is a frequent user of nitrous oxide or laughing gas which she and her friends inhale from balloons. She has been since she was 15. 'Almost every party I've been to, people have been doing it or I have done it,' she says nonchalantly. 'It makes me laugh and feel light-headed and sort of light in my body. I like it.' She is not alone. As anyone who has walked round a park recently may have noticed, the paths and roads are littered with the tell-tale canisters. Three inches long, they resemble large, silver bullets. They contain the gas which is released into a balloon. Suck the gas from the balloon and you get a high lasting about a minute. Ilkley, W. Yorkshire: These youngsters appear to be using balloons to inhale hippy crack. Although it is not illegal, experts are warning of the health risks The number of young people taking 'nos' pronounced 'noss', short for nitrous oxide or balloons, as teens call it (even if their grandparents may refer to it as 'hippy crack') has shot up. Pictured: a man inhales a balloon as he comes out of the sea in Bournemouth A pile of litter, including empty drinks bottles and gas canisters, is pictured in a corner of Clapham Common after an illegal lockdown rave on Saturday night From Hove on the South coast to Ilkley in West Yorkshire, the beaches and parks of Britain have become strewn with these steel bulbs (which are almost impossible to recycle) as youngsters emerge from lockdown. Determined to let off steam, but with few options to do so, many have turned to this cheap high, which costs about 1 a go. 'I'd say every party I go to there are people doing it,' says Phil, 17, also from London. In 1998, three in ten 16 to 24-year-olds took drugs last year it was just two in ten, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Today's teenagers are, mostly, better behaved than their parents were. But the number of young people taking 'nos' pronounced 'noss', short for nitrous oxide or balloons, as teens call it (even if their grandparents may refer to it as 'hippy crack') has shot up. It was not even recognised as a drug back in the 1990s. Now, of the young people taking drugs, it is the second most popular after cannabis, taken by nine per cent of them. Bournemouth: A man and woman walk across the beach each holding a balloon in their hands. Beaches and parks have been littered with the canisters Clapham Common, London: Nitrous oxide canisters among the litter. Last week, leading pharmaceutical professionals, in an article on the British Medical Journal website, warned of the dangers of nitrous oxide use, deadpanning that it was 'no laughing matter' Brighton Beach: Gas canisters are found discarded on the beach alongside empty bottles and cans of alcohol. Their use has shot up among younger people I ask Lucy if she worries about health implications. 'I do worry about the risks as I've heard stories about people dying from doing it something to do with their lungs, I think but I don't do it that much,' she says. Some experts believe this nonchalance is misplaced. Last week, leading pharmaceutical professionals, in an article on the British Medical Journal website, warned of the dangers of nitrous oxide use, deadpanning that it was 'no laughing matter'. Co-author Luigi Martini, chief scientist at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, tells me: 'People think it is laughing gas, so it must be safe. A lot of parents do not understand these things are dangerous.' How dangerous? In terms of the risk of dying not very. Five people died in 2017 with nitrous oxide listed on the death certificate, according to the ONS, compared with 1,337 deaths relating to heroin and morphine and 637 relating to cocaine. But these statistics should not lead us to dismiss nitrous oxide as harmless. Every year The Global Drug Survey interviews over 100,000 people worldwide to get a 'feel' for trends in drug usage. Of those who had used nitrous oxide in the past 12 months, 21 per cent reported fainting. A far more worrying 3.4 per cent reported persistent numbness or tingling, known as paraesthesia, in their hands or feet still apparent ten days or so after taking it. The heavier the user, the more likely they were to suffer this. A pile of litter, including empty drinks bottles and gas canisters, is pictured in a corner of Clapham Common. Many have been found following illegal raves during lockdown Notting Hill, London: Empty nitrous oxide canisters are left on the floor among broken glass and bottle tops. The gas gives you a short high Luigi Martini explains: 'Nitrous oxide stops you absorbing vitamin B12. Your spinal cord and your nerves are surrounded with this fatty tissue called myelin, and B12 is important for the fabrication of this myelin. If you start to erode this myelin you start to expose the nerve itself and you start to damage it.' This is not a theoretical risk. In 2018, Olivia Golding, then 24 and a mother of one from Bristol, was confined to a wheelchair for over a month after taking nos. 'I can tell you it is not worth that ten-second high,' she said at the time. 'This whole thing has left me devastated.' Dr Amira Guirguis teaches pharmacy at Swansea University Medical School and is an expert on nitrous oxide. She says: 'Patients report that they cannot feel their limbs. They then get hypersensitivity of the spinal cord, and then you get paraplegia [motor and sensory impairment in the lower limbs].' In most cases this terrifying symptom is reversible with 'high doses of intramuscular vitamin B12', according to Dr Guirguis. But there have been some reported cases where 'the patient may remain paraplegic' for as long as six months. Shocking: Infectious disease nurse Alice collects canisters from outside her home in Bristol after 1,000 ravers flocked to a street party Abington Park, Northampton: A pile of rubbish is discarded on the grass including nitrous oxide canisters. The debris is often found by dog walkers the next morning Part of the reason why so many teens take nos is because they know they will not get into trouble. It was classified as a psychoactive substance under the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act, which was designed to clamp down on so-called legal highs, some of which notably spice were highly dangerous. It is illegal to sell or give out any substance that has psychoactive properties, including nitrous oxide. It is, however, okay to possess it or, in theory, consume it. But there is a loophole when it comes to nitrous oxide. The gas has a legitimate use as a propellant in squirty cream dispensers (it has the food additive number E942), which means it can be legally sold. But only if it is being sold for whipped cream, not as a drug. To discover how easy it was to buy, I googled 'nitrous oxide' and found a list of suppliers. Reputable catering companies, such as Nisbets, insist you give your correct date of birth when trying to buy canisters online. As an experiment, I typed an incorrect date of birth. Because it failed to cross-reference with my real date on public databases, Nisbets would not let me buy the canisters. No such checks are undertaken, however, on many other websites. Many make little attempt to pretend they are kitchenware companies, selling canisters alongside balloons or 'crackers' a piece of drug paraphernalia used to release gas into the balloon. Six young lives lost to nitrous oxide In 2018, Matthew Barnett, a 23-year-old aircraft engineer, was found dead at his family home in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester. He had been inhaling nitrous oxide via a military-style gas mask. Miguel Fernandes, 19, an astrophysics student, died at his flat in Egham, Surrey, in 2017. He had a plastic bag over his head and was surrounded by nitrous oxide canisters. Two years earlier, three people were killed in what is thought to have been the first fatal road accident linked to nitrous oxide. Ammar Ingar, 21, Mohammedabdullah Patel, 22, and Abubaker Hussein Mohamed, 21, died in Leicester. The inquest heard student Mr Ingar had been driving at 97mph. Police found a deflated balloon in his lap. In the same year, a University of Brighton student, Aaron Dunford, 22, was found dead with about 200 spent canisters in his room. An inquest found his death was caused by asphyxiation as a result of using nitrous oxide. Advertisement On Amazon, I bought three boxes of ten canisters for 36.99, made by Isi, an Austrian company and one of the largest manufacturers. At no stage were there any warnings. The canisters arrived less than 24 hours later and the delivery man did not ask any questions when he handed the parcel to my 13-year-old son who answered the door. Amazon declined to comment but pointed out that its terms and conditions say you are meant to be over 18 to have an account. On the Gumtree local listings website, suppliers were selling boxes of 24 canisters for 15 each, plus 5 delivery charge and giving their phone numbers. The listing for one said: 'Strictly for catering purpose only! Custom will be refused if misuse is suspected.' When I called the number at 8pm, a man calling himself 'Naz' said he would be happy to sell me balloons with the canisters and could deliver until 4am. I like chantilly cream on my cakes, but not enough to be baking at four in the morning. Gumtree declined to comment. Official data shows teenagers are as likely to be using nos as they were before the ban on selling it because it is so easy to buy online. That is why many medical experts believe age restrictions should be on the product. 'Pupils as young as 11 are using nitrous oxide when they want to try drugs,' says Dr Guirguis. But other experts believe age checks are unlikely to succeed. 'My view is that trying to crack down on nitrous oxide is doomed to fail,' says Steve Rolles from drugs campaign group Transform. 'A more sensible approach would be a pragmatic harm reduction approach. 'Say to young people: if you use it, here's how to reduce the risks don't use a mask, don't put a bag over your head, don't use it with other drugs, don't open it in a car.' Many of the teenagers in parks and on beaches this summer are unaware of the risks as they inhale another balloon of nos. It may be legal to buy, but it isn't harmless. While the coronavirus continues to infect nursing home residents across the state with more than half of licensed Texas facilities now reporting theyve had at least one infection one Harris County nursing home says it has gotten its alarming outbreak under control. Earlier this month, county public health officials announced that 56 residents at the Oakmont Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center of Humble were potentially infected with COVID-19 and 14 were dead the highest publicly known nursing home death toll in the jurisdiction. But the facility in a statement Friday said it is now caring for only one patient with the virus, and county health officials report that staff previously criticized as uncooperative have been complying with efforts to improve their case documentation and infection control practices. Such an outbreak was indicative of the effects of larger problems facing nursing homes, where there hasnt been enough protective equipment or testing, and where even one death should be considered too many, said Amanda Fredriksen, associate state director for advocacy at AARP Texas. Every one of those 14 people is someones mother, father, grandmother, Fredriksen said. They all had families who love them and who miss them. And they didnt have to die not from COVID-19. Nursing homes were identified early in the pandemic as dangerous places for the coronavirus to spread. Residents were older and tended to have other medical issues. But even with a ban on visitors and group activities, hundreds of Texas nursing home residents have died as the pandemic presses on. As of Thursday, nursing homes residents accounted for 39% of the states total known coronavirus-related deaths, according to data provided by the state. Still, it has been nearly impossible to know how and where residents are being infected and dying. The public only learns of specific outbreaks as local officials announce them, such as with outbreaks in Texas City and La Porte. The state does not disclose cases or deaths by facility, and federal data has been inaccurate and incomplete. In general, in the nursing home world, transparency has always been a big concern, said Greg Shelley, program manager of the Harris County Long-term Care Ombudsman Program at Cizik School of Nursing at UT Health. Shelley explained that the public is left at the mercy of whomever is responsible for reporting that data be they with good or bad intentions. Officials announced just last week, for example, that they are investigating a Cy-Fair facility with nine confirmed COVID-19 cases, including six deaths. Four more deaths are under review and another 64 residents and staff are being monitored for symptoms of the virus at the Park Manor of CyFair, a nursing rehabilitation facility, according to Harris County Public Health. On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas stays mum as feds reveal which nursing homes have coronavirus outbreaks Harris County Public Health and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission began investigating operations at the Oakmont facility in late April after the first cases were reported there, according to a county press release. County investigators uncovered reporting delays of at least several days and discrepancies in the number of cases and deaths reported, said Sherri Onyiego, director of nutrition and chronic disease prevention for Harris County Public Health. The many deaths and infections drew concern. Obviously, when you see a facility that has a high amount of deaths, thats an impact to our community, Onyiego said. Thats an impact to the families that have their loved ones there. Last year, state investigators cited the 134-bed facility for nine violations of state rules. Among them, they failed to provide services to meet the needs and preferences of each resident and provide quality services. The state has also investigated multiple times in recent months, including some investigations that are ongoing, said Kelli Weldon, spokesperson for Texas Health and Human Services. On HoustonChronicle.com: As coronavirus restrictions lift, what about nursing homes? On June 4, the county public health department issued control orders to ensure proper standards of care were maintained, which remain in place. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo at the time said the facility wasnt cooperating with investigating health officials. They oversaw widespread testing at the facility and worked with staff in adjusting where sick residents were placed, Onyiego said. They also worked with the facility on how it documented and reported positive cases, and on improving how staff used protective masks. Oakmont provides short-term rehabilitation, memory care and long-term care, according to its website. Its operated by the Tennessee-based Diversicare Healthcare Services Inc. In their statement, the company said that from the start they already had extensive policies in place with regard to COVID-19 and infection control, and were reporting data on our infection rates directly to the Center[sic] for Disease Control (CDC) per regulations. They said theyve been working closely with the county and state and will continue to do so. The safety and well-being of our patients, residents and team members is our number one priority, they wrote. Jordan Rubio and Savannah Mehrtens contributed reporting. emily.foxhall@chron.com Squamish Search and Rescue volunteers are adding a new tool to their backwood rescue toolbox: a helicopter hoist system. The hoist uses a winch to allow rescue team members to lower to a subject, and raise them back up into the hovering aircraft. Landon James, Squamish SAR operations director, said the team has been doing fixed long-line rescues for years, but that system is more complicated. First, there's a reconnaissance flight. Then the team returns to a staging area where the aircraft is reconfigured to use the long line doors and seats are removed, the line is installed. According to James, the hoist will mean they don't need to leave the rescue site and can get to the subject faster. It will also reduce how much time a volunteer has to dangle beneath the helicopter. "The main driver for this is the safety for the rescuer. Just being outside the aircraft has a risk and inside has less risk," he said. James said in many situations, ground crews will reach search subjects faster than the helicopter. He said the volunteers that are getting certified for the hoist already have their ground training done. Most of them will do the air training this weekend. Transport Canada regulations require the hoist be owned and operated by a helicopter company in this case, Blackcomb Helicopters so rescues will involve an experienced operator who works closely with the pilot. James said that while using the hoist will be an improvement for the SAR team, people shouldn't let their guard down in the backcountry just because a rescue might be quicker. "We always want to remind people that this is one tool we have in our toolbox, but being prepared is the best tool they can have in their toolbox," he said. Residents walk out of a subway station in Beijing, on June 16, 2020. [For chinadaily.com.cn/Wei Xiaohao] BEIJING The Chinese capital has issued fresh guidelines on COVID-19 containment, calling on its residents to continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing and wash hands frequently. Masks have been made compulsory in hospitals, crowded scenic spots and public transports, according to Beijing's disease control and prevention center. The guidelines stipulate that residents with respiratory infections should avoid going to public places and if they do under unavoidable circumstances, they must wear masks. People are advised to wash their hands frequently when processing raw meat, poultry, or aquatic products, and keep unwashed hands away from the mouth, nose, and eyes, according to the guidelines. Besides, members of the public are asked to cooperate with health monitoring at residential compounds, workplaces and other public facilities. Since June 11, the Chinese capital has seen a resurgence in locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases, prompting the municipal government to tighten containment measures. (Source: Xinhua) 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. Govt minister says the first home-made ventilators will be delivered to the national disaster management agency soon. Pakistans minister for science and technology says the country has started producing locally designed ventilators, as authorities reported 83 more deaths from the coronavirus. In a tweet, Fawad Chaudhry said the first locally made ventilators would be delivered to the national disaster management agency soon. The announcement comes days after Pakistan said it was racing against time to arrange for 1,500 more ventilators as part of a contingency plan. Currently, 1,503 ventilators are available at government hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. Hospitals in major cities have already begun to report acute critical-care shortages, forcing them to turn away patients. Pakistan has emerged as one of the countries with the fastest rate of coronavirus infections in recent weeks, according to the World Health Organization. The country reported its first coronavirus case on February 26 and is now among the top 15 most-affected countries. On Sunday it reported 4,072 new cases, taking the total to date to 202,955 with 4,118 deaths. More than 92,000, or 45 percent, of people infected have recovered whereas 2,805 are in critical condition at hospitals. Prime Minister Imran Khan has opposed putting in place a far-reaching lockdown to battle the virus from the beginning, arguing that the countrys economy could not afford it. More than 100,000 new cases were reported during the last 20 days whereas government projections suggest the number may go up to 225,000 by June 30. Officials say Pakistan is still at least a month away from the projected peak. Violations of lockdown guidelines prompted authorities to seal markets, shopping malls and residential areas in several parts of the country. Virus hotspots in 20 major cities have been under a smart lockdown since June 14. Shen Jilan speaks during a group deliberation of the Government Work Report during the annual session of the National People's Congress, March 5, 2009. [Xinhua] Shen Jilan, China's longest-serving national lawmaker and recipient of the Medal of the Republic, passed away at 91, according to ThePaper and The Beijing News. Born in 1929, Shen is from a remote village in the mountains of Taihang, a revolutionary base of the Communist Party of China in North China's Shanxi Province. Since 1954, Shen served as a deputy to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, 13 consecutive times, spanning over six decades. It was she who proposed the clause on "equal pay for equal work" between men and women, which was written into the first Constitution of the People's Republic of China in 1954. Last year, Shen received the Medal of the Republic on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the PRC to honor the great contributions she made to the construction and development of the country. Shen Jilan, then 81, stands up at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to display the medals she has been awarded over the past five decades in honor of her hard work in April 2010. [For China Daily/Yu Wenguo] Shen (L) and a worker check the quality of a bottle of canned fruit in a canned fruit plant in Xigou Village in Pingshun County, Shanxi Province, September 1986. The plant was set up to help local people shake off poverty. [Xinhua] Shen talks with a villager in Xigou Village of Pingshun County, Shanxi Province, January 22, 2009. [Xinhua] (Source: Xinhua) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: The export of defense products from Turkey to the US decreased by slightly over 18.3 percent in the first five months of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, having made up $287.6 million, Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend. The exports of defense products from Turkey to the US dropped by 44.2 percent in May 2020, compared to May 2019, and stood at $39.7 million. From January through May of this year, the export of defense industry products from Turkey to world markets dropped by 28.7 percent compared to the same period of 2019, having amounted to $755.6 million. Turkeys export of defense products to world markets made up 1.2 percent of the countrys total export over the reporting period. Turkeys export of defense products to world markets amounted to $112.4 million in May 2020, which is 54.8 percent less compared to the same month of last year. Meanwhile, Turkeys export of defense products to world markets amounted to 1.1 percent of the countrys total export. In the last 12 months (from May 2019 through May 2020), Turkeys export of defense products amounted to $2.4 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu 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 Our weekly roundup of books that should be on your radar. We love stories, and even in the age of Netflix-and-chill, there's nothing like a good book that promises a couple of hours of absorption whether curled up in bed, in your favourite coffeehouse, or that long (and tiresome) commute to work. Every Sunday, we'll have a succinct pick of books, across diverse genres, that have been newly made available for your reading pleasure. Get them wherever you get your books the friendly neighbourhood bookseller, e-retail website, chain store and in whatever form you prefer. Happy reading! For more of our weekly book recommendations, click here. *** FICTION Rising Heat By Perumal Murugan; translated by Janani Kannan Penguin Random House India | Rs 399 | 320 pages Critically acclaimed Tamil author Perumal Murugans debut novel has been translated into English for the first time, by Janani Kannan. It follows the life of Selvan, whose ancestral family land has been sold to construct a housing colony, and his family forced to move into much smaller lodgings. In the following years, Selvan observes dramatic shifts in his family, as the pressure of the situation leads to greed and jealousy in them, which threatens to overshadow their lives. Read more about the book here. Murder in Shimla By Bulbul Sharma Speaking Tiger | Rs 399 | 304 pages Writer and artist Bulbul Sharmas book is a murder mystery set in Shimla during the height of World War II. An uninvited guest has arrived at a dinner party at the Assistant Deputy Commissioners house, and is found dead in her bed the next morning. As inspector Ram Sen, aided by Mrs Tweedy, investigates the line-up of suspects, he is led to a world of drug dealers, opium addicts, spies, and assassins. Read more about the book here. To Kill A Man By Sam Bourne Hachette India | Rs 399 | 400 pages Journalist and writer Sam Bournes (pseudonym) thriller follows Natasha Winthrop, a rising star in American politics, seen as a strong future candidate for president. One night, shes violently assaulted in her home by an intruder. She defends herself and soon, the intruder lies dead. As Winthrop is hailed as a #MeToo heroine, inconsistencies in her story start to emerge. Meanwhile, as Maggie Costello starts investigating, she finds intriguing gaps, especially in Winthrops early life. Read more about the book here. MEMOIRS and BIOGRAPHIES The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir By John Bolton Simon & Schuster India | Rs 899 | 592 pages President Donald Trumps former National Security Advisor John Bolton's White House memoir offers a comprehensive view of the Trump Administration. He describes a President whose primary concern was getting re-elected, who is addicted to chaos, embraced enemies and spurned friends, and who was deeply suspicious of his own government. He details all the turmoil, conflict, and ego clashes he had to meander and the constant work he did. Read more about the book here. NON-FICTION Why Men Rape By Tara Kaushal HarperCollins | Rs 399 | 326 pages Writer Tara Kaushals book is a detailed undercover investigation to understand the reasons behind rape through interviews with nine men who are inclined to commit acts of sexual violence. These include a doctor who raped his 12-year-old patient, an unemployed youth who killed his former lover, and a serial gang rapist who doesnt believe rape exists, among others. The book also brings together insights from survivors, experts, and more. Read more about the book here. YOUNG ADULTS Goner By Tazmeen Amna Penguin Random House India | Rs 299 | 248 pages Writer Tazmeen Amnas book follows a young woman in her mid-twenties, trying to juggle the dark and intoxicating side of life, memories of an abusive ex-boyfriend, remains of a broken family, and mental health issues. All of it eventually leads to a medical emergency as she overdoses, and ends up with a broken leg. With no job, a failing art career, and a tendency to self-sabotage, will she be able to recover and make her way through some difficult truths? Read more about the book here. YOUNG READERS How the Onion Got Its Layers By Sudha Murty Penguin Random House India | Rs 199 | 44 pages Award-winning author and Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murtys latest childrens book answers questions about onions, from why it has so many layers to why one notices ones mothers eyes water as she cuts it. The book features illustrations by Priyanka Pachpande. Read more about the book here. As COVID-19 heightens issues around food insecurity, advocates in Nova Scotia are urging the provincial government to put pressure on Ottawa to move forward with the national school food program discussed in the most recent budget. Nourish Nova Scotia, a non-profit organization focused on creating healthy school environments, wrote an open letter to Premier Stephen McNeil earlier this month. The organization has school programs focused on locally grown food. It also helps co-ordinate breakfast programs across the province, which are funded by the Department of Health and Wellness. "When COVID hit and schools were closed, a lot of those children lost that mechanism for good nutrition," said Sara Kirk, a professor of health nutrition at Dalhousie University, who co-signed the letter. Sara Kirk While Nova Scotia has the third highest child poverty rate in Canada, and the highest in Atlantic Canada, it's a national issue. Canada is the only G7 country that doesn't have a national school food program. "This is not something we can address alone as a province," Kirk said. Federal commitment to develop program The federal government laid out $134.4 million in funding to improve Canada's food policy in the 2019 budget. The same document announced an intention to work with provinces and territories to create a national school food program, but there has been no movement on that pledge since. Steve Lawrence/CBC Kirk said it's hard to say whether more action would have been taken to make that happen if the pandemic hadn't interfered. "But I think we can absolutely say that COVID has made things worse," she said. Food insecurity in Canada A recent report from Statistics Canada showed that almost one in seven Canadians live in households where there was food insecurity in April. When the 2019 federal budget was released, that number was one in eight. There was also a higher rate of food insecurity among households with children compared to those without. Story continues Bill Doucet "That's a really worrying statistic," Kirk said. "And I think it's something that really can lend urgency to doing something as part of the federal government's plan for recovery after COVID." A national food program wouldn't just improve student health and productivity, Kirk said, it would have economic benefits, like supporting domestic agriculture and creating jobs for food producers and service workers. "To me, it's a no-brainer," she said. 'Patchwork' programs Right now, breakfast and lunch programs across Canada operate in a "patchwork fashion," according to Margo Riebe-Butt, executive director of Nourish Nova Scotia. Without government funding, some school cafeterias in Nova Scotia struggle to provide healthy, nutritious food. School lunch programs often rely on fundraising and volunteers to stay afloat. Zak Markan/CBC Riebe-Butt said she'd like to see funding for a national discussion on what a program would look like. "There's no one cookie-cutter model that would fit every province and territory, or every community, within each region," she said. No response from the province The province hasn't responded to the letter, Riebe-Butt said, but she did receive an encouraging response from the province's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Strang, thanking her for keeping the issue "on the radar." "Now, more than ever, people have realized the value that food places on individual and societal health overall," Riebe-Butt said. "And we've got to start with kids." The province had no one available for comment on Friday. A spokesperson for the province said someone would follow up early next week. MORE TOP STORIES Washington: The US has expressed concern over the difficulties and dangers faced by journalists in Pakistan but refrained from commenting on the travel restrictions imposed on a Pakistani scribe for reporting a rift between the civilian and military leaderships. "I'm aware of the reports of restrictions on Mr. (Cyril) Almeida's travel? I would refer you to the government of Pakistan for information on that," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday. "On press freedom, it's obviously an issue that we continue to raise regularly with the government of Pakistan, including our concerns about the difficulties and the dangers that journalists face there," he said. "We are concerned about any efforts to limit press freedom or the ability of journalists to conduct their very, very important work," Kirby said. Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged Pakistan to "immediately lift the travel ban" on Almeida. "Pakistan can be a dangerous place for journalists, but the nation has a proud tradition of a fiercely independent press," said CPJ Asia Programme Coordinator Steven Butler. "Unhappiness with a press report should never be used as an excuse to restrict the freedom of a journalist," he added. Under Secretary, State for Political Affairs, Tom Shannon held a working lunch with the Pakistan Ambassador to the US, Jalil Abbas Jilani. There was no readout of the meeting. Almeida, a prominent Pakistani journalist, has been barred from leaving the country after he reported a rift between the civilian and military leaderships over the powerful ISI shielding terror groups like the Haqqani network and LeT that led to Pakistan's international isolation. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. U.S. lawmakers introduce Taiwan Fellowship Act ROC Central News Agency 06/27/2020 12:55 PM Washington, June 26 (CNA) U.S. lawmakers have introduced the Taiwan Fellowship Act to help U.S. federal government officials gain a better understanding about Taiwan, said Democratic Senator Edward Markey, one of the lawmakers proposing the act, on Friday. In a statement, Markey said the Taiwan Fellowship Act is modeled after the 1994 Mansfield Fellowship Program between the United States and Japan. It will provide federal government employees with a two-year fellowship under an exchange program to allow them to learn, live and work in Taiwan. In addition to Markey, the act was jointly introduced by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, Republican House Representative Ted Yoho and Democratic House Representative Ami Bera to both chambers of the U.S. Congress. Markey said when they conclude the exchange program and return to the federal government, the fellows are expected to be better positioned to advance U.S. values and interests in the Indo Pacific region by taking advantage of the special emphasis in strengthening Washington's strategic partnership with Taiwan. "The U.S. strategic partnership with Taiwan's vibrant democracy of 23 million people continues to grow from engagement and cooperation in areas such as trade, human rights and the rule of law, security, and battling a global pandemic," Markey said in the statement. "Amidst China's concerted campaign to isolate Taiwan on the global stage, an exchange of our most qualified public servants to the island nation of Taiwan is a visible demonstration of our unwavering commitment to Taiwan," the congressman said. The proposed act reiterates the U.S. commitment in the Taiwan Relations Act, which affirmed the U.S. policy "to preserve and promote extensive, close, and friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan," according to the wording of the bill. Moreover, the bill is consistent with the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, emphasizing "the United States has grown its strategic partnership with Taiwan's vibrant democracy of 23,000,000 people." Echoing Markey, Yoho said in the same statement that the Taiwan Fellowship Act is a long overdue investment by Washington to support the professional development of Taiwan experts in the U.S. federal government. For his part, Bera said the U.S. and Taiwan have built a strong relationship and he believed the act will further enhance bilateral ties by allowing federal government officials to equip themselves with a stronger understanding of the Indo-Pacific region so that they can better inform U.S. policy making when they return home. (By Chiang Chin-yeh and Frances Huang) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CLEVELAND, Ohio For Samaria Rice, the pain of losing her son to police brutality never ends. Tamir Rice was fatally shot at age 12 by police in November, 2014 while playing outside Cudell Recreation Center with a pellet gun. He would have turned 18 last Thursday. 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. ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL The following information comes from the Arlington Heights Police Department and court records as a record of police activity, including incidents reported by the public and those arrested by police. Criminal charges represent accusations by the state and are often dropped or reduced. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Every person arrested is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ARRESTS DOMESTIC BATTERY Gary A. Gibata, 61, of Arlington Heights, is accused of domestic battery and was arrested at 12:05 a.m. June 19. He was given a court date of July 24. Claribel Solis, 21, of Arlington Heights, is accused of domestic battery and was arrested at 6:25 p.m. June 22. She was given a court date of June 24. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL Gustavo E. Quizhpi Merchan, 36, of the 9000 block of Reeves Court, Franklin Park, is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and was arrested at 5:52 a.m. June 21 at Algonquin Road and Dempster Street. He was given a court date of July 22. RETAIL THEFT OVER $300 Tyron Duante Davis, 23, of the 900 block of Waller Avenue, Chicago, is accused of retail theft of merchandise valued at more than $300 and was arrested at 7:15 p.m. June 23 in the 800 block of Falcon Drive. He was given a court date of July 30. Excessive Force: Officers Required To Intervene DISORDERLY CONDUCT Daniel S. Lee, 23, 23, of the 3600 block of Salem Walk, Northbrook, is accused of disorderly conduct and was arrested at 1:17 a.m. June 25 in the 1200 block of S. Old Wilke Road. He was given a court date of July 16. DRIVING ON SUSPENDED/REVOKED LICENSE Gabriel E. Vargas, 35, of the 1200 bock of N Mitchell, Arlington Heights, is accused of driving on a suspended/revoked license, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, not having valid registration, and was arrested at 10:46 p.m. June 25 in the 100 block of W Northwest Highway. Story continues Beware Of Coronavirus-Related Ruse Burglaries: Police POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE Steve Costello Miller, 18, of the 7800 block of Narragansett Avenue, Burbank, is accused of possession of a controlled substance, having a fraudulent driver license/permit, no driver license/permit, and was arrested at 7:59 p.m. June 24 at Cedar Street and Highland Avenue. He was given a court date of July 31. Bejamin R. Strecker, 38, of the 23000 block of N Olsen Court, Lincolnshire, is accused of possession of a controlled substance and was arrested at 6:36 p.m. June 24 in the 100 block of W Rand Road. He was given a court date of July 7. PAST ARLINGTON HEIGHTS POLICE BLOTTER REPORTS Stay Patched In! This article originally appeared on the Arlington Heights Patch 2020 Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition Review by Larry Nutson BINGE: Z Car Content Archive 2020 Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition By Larry Nutson Executive Editor and Bureau Chief Chicago Bureau The Auto Channel It was 1969. My annual visit to the New York Auto Show was not to be missed. Like very many American young men I was deeply engrossed in car culture. Back then the show was held at the New York Coliseum near Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Im not recalling right now if I went to the show with my car-buddies, or perhaps with a girl friend and another couple. But, thats not so important. Along with all the new sheetmetal, chrome and horsepower, the all-new Datsun 240Z was making its U.S. debut. I remember first seeing the 240Z and commenting on its attractive coupe body style. To us car-guys, it drew remarks about its resemblance to the 63-67 Corvette coupe as well as the Jaguar E-type coupe. This was a good thing for the 240Z. I personally was driving a 67 Triumph TR4 back then. The 240Z with its good looks and 6-cylinder engine and the thought of more performance made me dream a bit about a new car. If nothing else the 240Z brought Datsun (Nissan) into the good-looks and fun-to-drive market. Now here I am fifty years later and Im driving the latest iteration of a long line of Z-cars from Nissan. The 50th Anniversary Package pays homage to the Z heritage as well as a tribute to the BRE 240Z race cars. I lived within driving distance of Connecticuts Lime Rock Park. I recall watching the BRE Datsun 240Z coupes run by Peter Brock and his Brock Racing Enterprises team with the very talented John Morton doing the driving. Morton is legendary and went on to dominate US club racing in his 240Z. Todays 370Z is quite the performance car. Under the hood is a 3.7-L V6 that makes 332-horsepowermore than double that of the original Z-car. Theres a choice of a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed automatic transmission. Both are vastly different than the original 240Zs 4-speed manual. The 50th Anniversary package is offered in combination with the Sport trim. Exterior trim pays tribute to the BRE livery with a choice of two exterior two-tone color options: White/Red or Silver/Black with bold door stripes. Other exterior features include unique red wheel accents, black outside mirrors, 50th Anniversary side marker decals and 50th Anniversary rear badge. In addition, the standard Sport front chin and rear spoilers have been deleted. The two-seat cabin features leather-appointed and synthetic suede sport seats with red accents and logos, 50th Anniversary embossing on the seatbacks, leather or Alcantara steering wheel with a top red stripe, 50th Anniversary badges on the tachometer and console, synthetic suede door panel inserts with red stitching, red contrast stitching and piping throughout the interior, dark silver 50th Anniversary kickplates and 4-way power heated seats. The base price on the 370Z Sport is $33,820 and the 50th Anniversary package adds $2,600. This pricing actually was my first surprise. I was thinking more like in the low $40,000 range. Around my Chicago neighborhood and on a couple highway drives the engine showed nice response. The manual shifter is precise and firm. In spite of the relatively short wheelbase theres decent ride quality. Handling is confident with nicely compliant suspension tuning. Theres a bit of road noise in the small-ish cabin. Cargo space under the rear hatch is limited but theres enough for weekend road trip luggage for two. The 370Z is a drivers car. Theres not a lot of ADAS equipment but there is a good level of comfort features. The interior has good space for average size folk. It might be a bit of a test for someone who is large framed. Check out the 2020 Nissan 370Z HERE In addition to the 50th Anniversary Edition package, the 2020 370Z Coupe is available in three trim levels 370Z, 370Z Sport and 370Z Sport Touring. Also available is the 2020 Nissan 370Z NISMO with 350-horsepower, NISMO-tuned suspension, unique exterior panel treatments, 19-inch NISMO super-lightweight forged aluminum wheels by RAYS and more. Prices range from $30,090 to $47,190. For 2020 the 370Z Roadster has been discontinued. 2019 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy FCC grant to expand UVA Health's COVID-19 telehealth care The Federal Communications Commission awarded UVA Health $767,139 this week to expand UVA's use of telehealth for patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Provided through the FCC's COVID-19 Telehealth Program, the grant will fund equipment and network upgrades to: Expand remote patient monitoring as patients are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are discharged from the hospital. Deploy a mobile telemedicine solution to congregate care settings such as long-term care and skilled nursing facilities that include remote examination tools and monitoring tools. Build a virtual urgent care platform to provide non-emergency care without an in-person visit. Support patient-care videoconferencing that reduces the potential for exposure for both patients and care providers exposure at UVA's emergency department and isolation rooms "Our team here at UVA Health has been providing excellent care for patients with COVID-19, and this grant will help us maintain our readiness to serve our community in the weeks and months ahead," said K. Craig Kent, MD, UVA's executive vice president for health affairs. How Telehealth Is Helping Patients at UVA During the pandemic, UVA Health has expanded its interactive home-monitoring program to include many patients with COVID-19 who don't require hospitalization or have recently been discharged from the hospital, as well as patients with chronic illnesses. UVA has also deployed telemedicine solutions and remote examination tools to patients in partner hospitals, long-term care facilities, assisted living centers and skilled nursing facilities. In each of these locations, UVA clinicians are able to track patients' vital signs and perform virtual visits, enabling care to be provided in place without a transfer to UVA. UVA Health has also expanded the use of telemedicine tools within our own medical center and emergency department to reduce exposure of patients and providers and conserve personal protective equipment. UVA will also develop a virtual urgent-care platform to enable patients with non-emergency medical needs to be seen online, without the need to visit the hospital. (UVA recently launched a pilot virtual urgent-care program; more information is available at uvahealth.com/services/telemedicine/virtual-urgent-care.) "In April and May, we provided more than 46,000 virtual visits using our telehealth platforms," said Karen Rheuban, MD, director of the UVA Center for Telehealth. "We are grateful to the FCC for this grant that will enable us to further expand access to virtual care for patients in the Charlottesville area and across Virginia." ### This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. 1. Academic Disaster For at least the past two decades, our colleges and universities have devolved into leftist training camps where free speech is labeled hateful and induced leftist conformity is the order of the day. Even professors at the University of Chicago, famed for its free speech code, fear to speak out. Mr. Cochrane wrote on June 15, I spent much of my last few years of teaching afraid that I would say something that could be misunderstood and thus be offensive to someone. Many of my colleagues report the same worries. If that level of fear accurately describes the situation at the University of Chicago, where the university administration has deservedly won national attention for coming down clearly, decisively, and publicly on the open debate side of the campus speech wars, imagine just how bad things are in the rest of academia. In a moment when black Americans fear being killed by police, the concern that tenured professors might be inconvenienced might seem trivial. The worry at Chicago, as described by Mr. Cochrane, was less that university administrators would, on their own initiative, rule speech out of bounds. It was more that a student would lodge a grievance that would in turn generate an investigation that would then accumulate a momentum of its own -- with no due process. It could end with a teacher falsely labeled as a racist, one of the worst things a person can be called in contemporary America. This leftist indoctrination of our young reminds me of a scene in the movie Indochine where, Camille, the adopted daughter, is arrested and sent to a high security prison and her mother is told, truthfully, that her only chance of surviving is to become a dedicated Communist. There are some things being done to try to reverse this, but they will take time: FIRE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to campus free speech, works hard to combat academic leftism. Alumni can refuse fundraising appeals. State legislatures can restrict sharply the funds to public universities. Employers can stop demanding diplomas as credentials, something theyve been doing since aptitude and IQ tests were scrapped on the dubious notion they were biased. (Substituting a test of equal outcomes for equal opportunity is not only turning the Constitution on its head but is as well a proven means of dumbing down performance and worker morale.) The President this week directed the federal government to prioritize applicants skills and aptitudes over college degrees. If implemented widely, this should impact the higher education monopoly. And these institutions are already in trouble. COVID-19 restrictions on in-person education have already caused many students to rethink the cost versus benefit of attending expensive institutions only to get online learning programs. Californias misbegotten legislature, on the other hand, seems determined to drive a stake through its state higher education system and businesses, voting this week to remove the constitutional prohibition on discriminating against or giving preferential treatment to persons on the basis of sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education and public contracting. If this is passed into a constitutional amendment in a referendum, until a predictable legal challenge undoes it, the certain effect is to fill the colleges with students unprepared and often incapable of doing higher level academic work. As well, it will reduce substantially the ability to gather evidence of discrimination in admissions against better-educated white males and Asians in favor of more tractable recipients of professorial Marxism. 2. The BLM/Antifa Riots Blue state riots continue, further harming the poor, who have been the least able to maneuver around the lengthy social confinement mandated by their governors and mayors. To the extent that people are led by the media misreporting to think this is the justified response of a black underclass, think again. BLM really is better named White Leftist Matters (WLM), a movement largely by young, middle and upper-class whites to increase their own political power. Two American Thinker posts (here and here) show how whites have taken over the Black Lives Matter movement. A startling statistic is that only one in six protesters is black. On Friday, an article from Marin and two videos vividly illustrated the white takeover. In uber-leftist Mill Valley, California, a local newspaper's photos from a Black Lives Matter march reveal almost no blacks. It shouldnt be a surprise that this is the case. Having knocked over the sifting and winnowing process upon which higher education once prided itself, to socialized terror against thoughtcrime, these hubristic credentialed morons assume they can do this everywhere. In Minneapolis, apart from wreaking havoc on the poorest, often black, citizens, theyve now persuaded the citys council to defund the police. Watching the disasters unfolding in Seattles autonomous district under the indulgent eye of the citys mayor might have given them a clue, but apparently not. It doesnt seem they are winning black hearts and minds with this, except for those given a new opportunity to loot and engage in aggressive crime under cover of the protests. Black residents and business owners have regularly criticized them for the damage done to their lives and property. This week, two more underreported examples of black disengagement with the WLM operations warmed my heart. In Seattle, a black man whose building houses many senior residents, deprived of their caretakers by the lockdown in front of their home, furiously ripped down the barricades and free feeding stations, exploding with anger at this outrageous deprivation of the rights of those who live and work there. Were all sick of this nonsense. And so is he, shouting at the occupying misfits: The only reason you guys are standing here is because white people stood here before you. This is not a black movement. And you know damned well its not a black movement because 6,000 black people walked in the Central District, they walked in the CD. And guess what? They went the f*ck home. But what you motherf*ckers want to do? Yall want to stay here, guess what, cause the homeless people are entertaining this bullshit. Right? And you guys are trying to jump behind it. And thats not right. Get your own f*cking movement cause what you guys are doing over here nobodys going to hear. And nobody gives a f*ck about it because its f*cking bullis**t. The mayors social worker troops seem unable to clear the rabble out. But fear not, the city council is hard at work. It just voted to scrap an ordinance that allowed police officers to arrest loiterers suspected of drug dealing or prostitution. The councils rationale is that it disproportionately affected blacks. I suppose looking the other way at obvious drug dealing and prostitution on Seattles streets, to their way of thinking, will be of benefit to the black community. Once again, they endorse the traditional Democratic policies of making life worse for Seattles blacks to the advantage of the criminals who prey upon them. The statue toppling by these gangs shows little knowledge of the history of the celebrated figures. One example is the effort to topple and deface the Lincoln Emancipation statue in D.C, a statue showing a black slave now unchained rising at the side of Abraham Lincoln. It was paid for by the newly freed slaves, and a descendent of the slave depicted in the statue joined other blacks in defending the statue from the historically ignorant iconoclasts. 3. America is not Defined by Racism As bad as leftwing Democrats are at governing, they are very skilled at manipulating the truth. This summers big lie, as it often is in summers before presidential elections, is that the U.S .is a racist country. People like Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell have been debunking this for years. This week, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a black African woman who immigrated to the U.S., joined them, arguing how false this is, reminding us that outrage and clear, critical thinking seldom go hand in hand. "What the media also do not tell you, I tweeted on June 9, is that America is the best place on the planet to be black, female, gay, trans or what have you. We have our problems and we need to address those. But our society and our systems are far from racist. America looks different if you grew up, as I did, in Africa and the Middle East. There I had firsthand experience of three things. First, bloody internecine wars between Africans -- with all the combatants dark-skinned, and no white people present. Second, the anarchy that comes when there is no police, no law and order. Third, the severe racism (as well as sexism) of a society such as Saudi Arabia, where de facto slavery still exists. [snip] This country is only 244 years old, but it may be showing signs of age. Time was, Americans were renowned for their can-do, problem-solving attitude. Europeans, as Alexis de Tocqueville complained, were inclined to leave problems to central authorities in Paris or Berlin. Americans traditionally solved problems locally, sitting together in town halls and voluntary associations. Some of that spirit still exists, even if we now have to meet on Zoom. But the old question -- How can we figure this out? -- is threatened with replacement by Why cant the government figure this out for us? The problem is that there are people among us who dont want to figure it out and who have an interest in avoiding workable solutions. They have an obvious political incentive not to solve social problems, because social problems are the basis of their power. That is why, whenever a scholar like Roland Fryer brings new data to the table -- showing its simply not true that the police disproportionately shoot black people deadthe response is not to read the paper but to try to discredit its author. I have no objection to the statement black lives matter. But the movement that uses that name has a sinister hostility to serious, fact-driven discussion of the problem it purports to care about. 4. In Siding with Riffraff, the Democrats are Committing Suicide So argues Conrad Black, and I am in full agreement with him on this. Just as Ali noted there are people who dont want us to figure out how to deal with social problems, Black notes that the Democrats killed Senate debate on the reform of police oversight: they dont want the problem resolved; they want police brutality and oppression of African-Americans as election issues, while ignoring mob violence and the physical, fiscal and public relations assault democratic and BLM spokespeople have launched against the police. House speaker Nancy Pelosi explicitly had blamed the death of George Floyd on Trump without elaboration. The president has his limitations but this is malignant lunacy. The Democrats have descended to depths of mudslinging, demagogy, and indulgence of racial violence and national self-hate never before plumbed in a U.S. presidential election. They are afflicted by a death wish, and in the national interest and for their own sake, that wish must be granted by the voters. Well, except for this overwrought nonsense, what do they have? Their governance deficits have been made crystal clear in their botched handling of the Wuhan virus (Iowahawks description of Governor Cuomo as the King of Corpse Mountain says it well), law enforcement oversight, and maintaining law and order in their precincts. So, theyre back to their old playbook, stirring up racial animosity and chaos. A mother has successfully negotiated a transfer from her quarantine hotel after she woke in the middle of the night to find her bed allegedly crawling with bedbugs. The woman, known only as Rosie, returned to Melbourne from the United States and was promptly housed inside the Rydges on Swanston to complete her mandatory 14 day quarantine. But the hotel was allegedly so filthy she decided it wouldn't be safe for her and her children to spend the next two weeks there and asked to be moved from the room. Rosie attempted to give the room a quick wipe down when she arrived, urging her children not to touch anything. She said the standard of the hotel 'contradicts all the instructions issued by the government and we feel we are at risk here.' This photo shows a bedbug on some white linen which is covered in smatterings of blood, which Rosie alleges she woke up to find A member of the COVID-19 Cleansing Team wipes a window at a tram stop across the road from the Rydges on Swanston hotel in Melbourne On the first night, the mother-of-three woke to find herself covered in small bites. She turned on the light and claims her sheets and pillows were crawling with at least two dozen bedbugs. In photos obtained by Herald Sun, a handful of dead bugs appeared on the white linen, which was stained with blood spatter. Rosie told the publication she realised another bed in her room was also infested upon inspection. Another family had also sought a transfer from the hotel, Rosie claimed. An investigation into the matter has been launched, and officials are considering whether the bugs could have been brought into the hotel via luggage. A spokeswoman for the hotel explained it was closed for weeks up until Friday for a deep clean after there was an outbreak among security guards Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier demanded the hotel be shut pending an investigation. A spokeswoman for the hotel explained it was closed for weeks up until Friday for a deep clean after there was an outbreak among security guards. 'We know how infectious coronavirus is and we have strict measures in place to manage positive cases and control outbreaks,' she said. 'Following the outbreak at Rydges on Swanston the hotel was emptied on 1 June and underwent a deep clean of every room and common area in line with the Chief Health Officer Guidelines for coronavirus cleaning procedures. Victoria is currently experiencing an uptick in coronavirus cases despite implementing some of the harshest lockdown measures in Australia. Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier demanded the hotel be shut pending an investigation Several clusters have centered around staff at quarantine hotels who caught the deadly respiratory virus before taking it home, mingling with family and friends and infecting their loved ones. Of the new cases in Melbourne, 30 have been linked to hotel quarantine. Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Dieman said last Friday it appeared some of the security guards were 'mingling' closer than they should have. 'There's been some closer mingling than we would have liked of these guards in the workplace,' she said. 'There's a large cohort of security guards and workers and unfortunately it does appear that quite a few of them have worked for single or multiple days whilst infectious.' She said the security guards had been trained in coronavirus protocol but other staff members reported social distancing breaches to the hotel management. Victoria has been carrying out a testing blitz in ten suburbs across Melbourne - and warned they could lock neighbourhoods down if COVID-19 infection rates keep rising Staff inside the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne wearing masks are seen moving luggage for guests in quarantine on June 25 The state recorded its biggest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases in almost three months on Sunday as 49 new cases were identified overnight. Mr Andrews did not enforce mandatory testing for returned travellers, and as many as 5,000 people were allowed home after refusing a coronavirus test. Mr Andrews, who was previously dubbed 'Dictator Dan' for his strict lockdown measures, was also criticised for failing to make sure people were self-isolating after 13 people who were supposed to be at home were caught flouting the rules in a single day. Writing in the Herald Sun, controversial commentator Andrew Bolt said that the Victorian government failed to get tough on the one thing that mattered most. 'It didn't make sure that sick people were put in tight quarantine - and stayed there,' he wrote. Another point which indicated the Victorian government had 'failed' in its fight against coronavirus was addressed - and fixed - on Sunday during a press conference. Lieutenant Commander Thomas Miller of the Royal Australian Navy (R) watches as members of the Australian Defence Force perform COVID-19 coronavirus tests on members of the public This graphic shows the spike in cases within known coronavirus hot spots in and around Melbourne The Victorian government allowed people to leave their hotel quarantine arrangements even if they refused to be tested for the virus. On Sunday, Mr Andrews said they had changed the policy to limit the room for error. Under the new rules, any returning traveller who does not consent to a test will be forced to stay in hotel quarantine for a further ten days. The government said those in quarantine would be tested twice - first on day three and then again on day 11 of the 14-day quarantine period. There were earlier expectations $1,600 fines would be introduced for quarantined travellers who refuse to get swab tested for the virus. Mr Andrews said he wouldn't rule out introducing fines for those who refuse tests in quarantine, but that a decision would be made on Tuesday when more results come in from the testing blitz. VICTORIA'S SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES 28/6: 49 27/6: 41 26/6: 30 25/6: 33 24/6: 20 23/6: 17 22/6: 16 21/6: 19 20/6: 25 19/6: 13 18/6: 18 17/6: 21 Source: Department of Health and Human Services Advertisement Premier Daniel Andrews has announced Victoria is implementing mandatory testing for all quarantined travellers as the state carries out a testing blitz in Melbourne's suburbs amid a significant spike in COVID-19 cases 'Anyone who does not consent to a test will not be able to leave hotel quarantine for a further ten days,' Mr Andrews said. 'There is also the opportunity open to us to fine anyone who does not agree to a test. 'But everybody who is leaving today, from right now, if they don't agree to a test, then they will be in our care for a total of 24 days not 14 days. 'It is my judgement that if it was simply a fine and nothing else, then there may be some people in hotel quarantine, people of means... who may well pay the fine in order to get out.' Mr Andrews said those in hotel quarantine in the state are already being tested at a rate of between 80 to 85 per cent. He added 780,000 tests had been conducted in Victoria since January 1 and a new less-invasive saliva testing would start from Sunday. Previously, swabs were taken from the nasal passage and back of the throat. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: There is no ban on the export of various volumes of tomato paste from Iran until the end of 7th month of current Iranian year (October 21, 2020), reads the letter addressed to the Iranian customs administration by Saeed Abbaspour, the director general of the Exports and Imports Regulations Department at Ministry of Industries, Mining, and Trade of Iran, Trend reports citing Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA). According to the letter, Iranian customs may allow the export of various types of tomato paste. In Iran, the export of some products is banned due to the production of some products in Iran has decreased in certain periods or domestic demand has increased. Iran has banned the export of a number of agricultural products, including potatoes, onions and others, at various times. The online world is flooded with varied food content. While some look delicious, others are not-so-appealing. Then there are those food images which make you crave for a certain dish. This image, which is now being shared by many, may have the same effect on you the only twist in the story is that the image has nothing to do with food. This out-of-the-world image is a part of several coloured maps which were constructed by NASA with images taken from the narrow-angle camera onboard the space agencys Cassini spacecraft. Though old, the picture caught peoples attention after recently being shared on Twitter and then retweeted by Sonal Dabral. Who else thinks its a sizzling Dosa about to be smeared with some butter and loaded with a chunk of bhaji stuffing before being turned over and served with hot Sambhar and coconut chutney, Dabral wrote. We must warn you, once you see the tweet, chances are youll not be able to get it out of your mind and also may end up craving for hot steaming dosa. Who else thinks its a sizzling Dosa about to be smeared with some butter and loaded with a chunk of bhaji stuffing before being turned over and served with hot Sambhar and coconut chutney. https://t.co/V4N5X2e2og agracadabra (@agracadabra) June 27, 2020 Since being shared, several people dropped all sorts of comments on the post. Almost all wrote how the only thing that they see in the image is the delicious dish. It is a dosa. Jupiter is fake news, wrote a Twitter user. Haha! Count me in. Maybe because this came on my TL at the breakfast time, but whatever, now that you mentioned dosa, I cant think of anything else while looking at it. Apologies to the mighty Jupiter! expressed another. It is a dosa only. With gunpowder chutney on the outer circle. Lets name this Jupiter Mysore Gun Masala dosa, suggested a third. What do you mean its not an actual dosa! questioned a fourth jokingly. Awesome piece of art. Literally looks like Jupiter at first glance, joked another. What do you see in the image? Also Read | Mars image reminds Zomato of this delicious drink. Can you see it too? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 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 Heathrow says it may make thousands of compulsory job cuts if talks over pay with the unions break down tomorrow. Airport bosses say they hope to avoid job losses through cost-cutting proposals that would reduce some workers' pay by 37 per cent but raise pay for others. It would also scrap January's 4 per cent pay rise. Last week, Unite and other unions rejected Heathrow's initial proposals. If no agreement is reached at the next meeting tomorrow, Heathrow could issue a Section 188 notice triggering formal consultation on job cuts. Struggle: Airport bosses say they hope to avoid job losses through cost-cutting proposals Chief executive John Holland-Kaye has said one in three jobs in the aviation industry is threatened. Heathrow employs 7,500 people directly, suggesting 2,500 jobs could be at risk. It has also had more than 1,000 applications for its voluntary severance scheme, which closed on Monday. Heathrow is burning through 150million a month, and says it has exhausted all other measures to strip out costs. A spokesman said: 'In order to survive, we must adapt to this new reality with a more flexible workforce.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 16:09:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHICAGO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A drive-by shooting caused the death of a one-year-old boy here on Saturday afternoon, and wounded his mother, local media reported. The tragedy occurred when the 22-year-old mother was driving home on the city's south side. The perpetrator slowed down to run next to her car and fired around eight shots, hitting the baby in the chest and grazing the mother's head, police said. Gun violence is frequent in the third largest U.S. city. A week ago, a three-year-old boy was shot dead in a car while traveling with his father. Reports said local police vowed to catch the killers in the two cases, and investigations are underway with no arrest made yet. Enditem Behind a glass door, a mans chest and abdomen were rising and falling rapidly, his body wracked by labored breaths. Even with supplemental oxygen, he was gasping for air. In the next room, a man lay slumped in his bed, a sheen of sweat coating his feverish face. Nearby, another patient was staring at the ceiling, his eyes wide and glassy. He was hooked to three machines: a ventilator for breathing, dialysis for his failing kidneys and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to add oxygen to his blood. All three patients were critically ill from COVID-19, fighting for their lives in an intensive care unit at Methodist Hospital. All were in their late 20s or early 30s. Elsewhere on the unit, there were other patients in their 30s and 40s. Charge nurse Jordan McCants never had seen so many young patients in room after room, filling entire sections of an ICU. At 29 years old, she found herself shocked at how close in age they were to her. Theyre sick. Theyre very sick, she said, walking from behind the nurses station and peering through the glass into their rooms. The question is, will they ever be the same? Since the beginning of June, transmission of the coronavirus has exploded in San Antonio, with hundreds of new infections now reported every day. Hospitalizations for COVID have surged by nearly 700 percent, reaching a new high of 730 people Saturday. In the past week, the number of patients in intensive care and relying on ventilators has more than doubled. On Friday, one in five hospital admissions in San Antonio was for COVID-19. Many of the patients in this new wave of infections are far younger than the more fragile residents who were expected to fill up hospitals after the coronavirus reached San Antonio in March. When McCants and the other nurses did the math Thursday, they found the average age of the patients in this unit had dropped by 15 years, to around 45, in the past few weeks. On ExpressNews.com: A last resort against COVID-19: A ventilator wasn't enough for this 30-year-old patient, so S.A. doctors improvised As coronavirus patients pour in, San Antonios hospitals have scrambled to make room for them. They have converted section after section of rooms into COVID isolation wards. Nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists are pulling long, busy shifts. With staff stretched thin, hospitals are trying to bring on more workers. Under increasing strain from the coronavirus, hospitals in Texas biggest cities have begun cutting back on nonemergency procedures at the behest of Gov. Greg Abbott, to free up additional bed space. On Friday, Abbott also began rolling back aspects of the states reopening, ordering bars to close and restaurants to reduce their occupancy rates. Still, San Antonio officials said the city was on a worst-case scenario trajectory for coronavirus hospitalizations, which were on pace to reach 1,900 by mid-August a number that would exceed local capacity. They have readied a portion of Freeman Coliseum to serve as a field hospital, should it come to that. Area hospital leaders on Friday released a joint letter, pleading with the public to help reduce the spread of the virus. We need our community to demonstrate its gratitude by taking action to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent an unmanageable surge in our hospitals, the letter said. On Saturday night, as San Antonio reported a record 795 new cases and 58 emergency transports related to COVID, officials sent a rare emergency alert to residents cell phones. It urged everyone to stay home and warned that hospitals were filling up. The sharp spike in coronavirus cases has health care workers bracing for months of upheaval at San Antonio hospitals and the possibility they will be pushed to the breaking point. Its going to last for a while, said Dr. Ian Thompson, president of Christus Santa Rosa Hospital. I wish I could say how long. I dont know. No one knows. Scrambling for beds, staff Bob Owen /Staff photographer Last week, in the middle of the night, facilities staff at Methodist Hospital went room by room, installing air filtration machines on the windows. The ad hoc solution would aid in infection control, preventing the coronavirus from circulating through the hospitals ventilation system. In a matter of hours, an entire 29-bed unit had been outfitted for the crush of COVID patients waiting to come up from the emergency room. That was the simple part. Even after the rooms were ready, it took time to get the staffing in place, said Adam Sahyouni, a nurse who has helped managed COVID units throughout the hospital. We need someone to take care of them, too, he said. Just because we have a bed, we still have to have a capable nurse to care for that patient. We still have to have a doctor to be able to round on those patients. As cases have spiked throughout June, the hospital has repeated this process several times. By Thursday, Methodist had about 70 beds in four different wards dedicated to coronavirus patients, and it was prepared to add more. On ExpressNews.com: Night shift: 18 hours inside a COVID-19 ICU While shortages of personal protective equipment and ventilators were at the center of public debate at the beginning of the pandemic, its adequate staffing that has emerged as the greater concern, said Allen Harrison, CEO of Methodist Healthcare. The hospital system is working to bring on additional staff through a combination of extra shifts for existing full- and part-time workers and signing contracts with travel nurses. Such changes take time. On Thursday morning, about 36 hours after the unit was flipped for COVID, charge nurse Robyn Greenwood was there, helping fill staffing gaps created by the influx of patients. She normally works in intensive care, but on that morning her assignment was to help oversee the new COVID unit. The overnight team was short staffed, so she was working a combination of day and night shifts while the hospital brings on additional workers. Other nurses are taking on more shifts than they are accustomed to, she said. Until we get some of the contracts in place to help with the spike, its really putting a drain on a lot of the nurses, she said. Similar scenes are playing out across San Antonios hospitals. On ExpressNews.com: Were at war: What to expect as coronavirus continues to spread in San Antonio At University Hospital, staffers are converting more areas to COVID treatment, and the hospital voluntarily halted some elective procedures ahead of the governors order, said Dr. Bryan Alsip, chief medical officer. Should the hospital become overwhelmed by coronavirus, he said some trauma patients could be directed to Brooke Army Medical Center, the citys other Level 1 trauma center. During the first few weeks of the pandemic, Northeast Baptist Hospital devoted all 24 beds in its surgical and medical ICUs to the most critically ill COVID patients. As San Antonios coronavirus numbers stabilized, it had downsized, splitting the ICUs evenly between those with COVID and those without. But with the new wave of patients, the hospital has rededicated both ICUs to COVID patients. Other units have been repurposed for less sick coronavirus patients and critical patients with other conditions. Dr. Tamara Simpson, a critical care pulmonologist who practices at Northeast Baptist, said she performed more intubations on coronavirus patients in one week earlier this month than she had during any other point in the pandemic. Things are worse than theyve ever been, Simpson said. Not only are we having more patients, but also more health care workers that are being affected. The stakes are a little bit higher, and its a little more stressful than before. Younger are vulnerable Bob Owen /Staff photographer The massive influx of COVID patients has clarified how widespread community transmission of the virus has become in San Antonio, said Dr. Lynnette Watkins, chief medical officer of Baptist Health System. It also indicates the new wave of cases cant be explained by increased testing. Watkins said many of the COVID-19 patients being admitted to hospitals now already know they are infected with the virus and can pinpoint gatherings where they likely were exposed. There are groups of patients that are coming in, or the patient is coming in saying, I was exposed at an event where there are now a group of people that are positive, she said. That includes many younger people, particularly those between the ages of 20 and 50. Its a demographic that doctors and hospital administrators werent anticipating at the start of the pandemic. Back then, the primary concern was the medically fragile nursing home residents, the elderly, those with serious chronic health conditions. But in late May, Texas was lifting its lockdown, and large social gatherings were held over Memorial Day weekend. Families got together. Restaurants, bars, gyms and retail stores reopened. Face coverings were not required. In those settings, officials believe, the virus spread rapidly. I am surprised by how young people are, said Dr. Esha Oommen, a critical care physician who has been treating COVID patients at Methodist. This is not just a condition of old, sick people. On ExpressNews.com: Tracking COVID-19 - coronavirus by the numbers in San Antonio and across the country Younger patients may have helped lower overall rates of ICU admissions and intubations, Harrison said. But some of them still are becoming seriously ill, particularly those who are obese, Watkins said. And they often are coming to the hospital later and sicker, perhaps because they believed they could handle their symptoms at home, said Dr. Chandra Kunavarapu, a cardiologist and co-director of the hospitals ECMO program. The hospital has been using ECMO, a treatment that can support lung and heart function, as a last resort for some of the sickest coronavirus patients. In the past few days, Kunavarapu has been getting more calls from other hospitals seeking to refer their patients for ECMO. Its a limited resource Methodist has nearly doubled its capacity, but it still can place only 14 patients on machines at any one time and requires a large team of specialists. ECMO also carries its own risk of complications, so doctors are reserving its use for younger patients and those without serious underlying conditions. He said the hospital was risk stratifying to determine which patients to accept. Its been a challenge dealing with that situation, since the hospital is full, since we here have a lot of COVID patients, Kunavarapu said. We cannot apply ECMO to every hospital and every patient. And once patients become critically ill, they may stay that way for weeks, even months, in some cases. That makes it more difficult for hospitals to turn beds over as more people fall ill with the virus. Oommen also is concerned about the long-term health of many of her patients. We have younger patients getting critically ill who have the rest of their lives, who might have chronic respiratory disease, muscle weakness, cognitive deficits, she said. They dont recover normally. Theyre extremely weak. The lions den Bob Owen /Staff photographer In between her long nursing shifts at Methodist, Greenwood has grown frustrated with the lack of caution shes observed among some people. She hasnt seen her mother, who is in her 70s, for weeks, because she fears she could infect her. Perhaps they would take the virus more seriously, Greenwood thought, if they better understood the way it can devastate families. She treated a man in his 70s whose wife remained at home while their daughter brought over groceries. When the hospital hadnt heard from the wife for some time, they requested a welfare check. She was found dead, alone, from COVID. That has happened more than once, Greenwood said. Whole families are dying. As Thompson has watched coronavirus patients stream into Christus Santa Rosa, he worries that San Antonios hospitals could be filled as soon as the Fourth of July, if things dont change soon. He worries about the health of non-COVID patients, who may suffer harm from having important procedures paused during the coronavirus crisis. And he worries about the front line health care workers who constantly are exposing themselves to the virus. They go into the lions den every day, and they go home, they fall asleep on the couch and then they wake up and they do it again the next day, Thompson said. Please pray for them, and lets all do things that take those individuals out of the lions den. Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Lauren, become a subscriber. lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba People know Satyajit Ray as a master director, as the man who put Indian cinema on the world map, but he was so much more. How many really know Ray beyond his cinema? Ray was a master writer as well. To revive and continue a magazine called Sandesh that had a history and legacy of its own was not a small thing. His was a dynasty of great writers. His father, Sukumar Ray, was no less of a genius, if not greater, when it came to childrens fiction. The images that he created through his words as well as the illustrations were not childs play, and he was a master of gibberish and nonsense verse. His sister and Manikdas (as Satyajit Ray was fondly called) aunt, Shukhalata Rao, also wrote extensively for children. First, the tales As a Bengali child, you grow up with Sukumar Rays poems and the stories written by Satyajit Ray. Satyajit Rays movies come much later. Also, lets not forget his grandfather Upendrakishore Ray, the writer of the fantasy adventure, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, which later Ray turned into a movie. Upendrakishore Ray was also a master storyteller. And all their writings, when you scratch beneath the surface, reveal layers that are not just meant for children. One of Rays greatest achievements has been in the field of science fiction, especially his stories involving the mad scientist, professor Shonku. Also, much has been written about Spielbergs ET (1982) having uncanny similarities with Rays script of The Alien, which was loosely based on his story Bonkubabus Bandhu, published in Sandesh in 1962. [When Satyajit Ray asked Gulzar why he learned Bengali] I joked that I had picked up the language while writing love letters! The new kind of modern childrens fiction that started with his grandfather slowly evolved into a very new-age science fiction in Rays writings. In fact, Ray built his Professor Shonku based on a character called Hesoram Hushiar, created by his father. It is amazing how Manikda not only managed to retain the legacy but also took it forward. Love letters and tagore I had the rare opportunity to meet him and I own it as a great compliment to myself, with all my modesty and humility, that he had wanted to work with me. He was about to start his adaptation of Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and was in Bombay for a few days. He had sent a message for me through Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) to meet him at the Sun and Sand hotel in Juhu where he was staying. I was just an ordinary writer then. I got a tad scared...I was so much in awe of him. However, I met him. He was looking at the ocean. I presented myself. He turned and in that deep voice of his, he asked me to pull up a chair. He told me he wanted to make Goopy Gyne a bilingual film, and I and Shailendra had been recommended to him to write the Hindi script. He had chosen me as I understood and could speak Bengali. Till then he was speaking in his very proper and impeccable British English. Suddenly, he broke into chaste Bengali and asked: Tumi Bangla bolte paro? Ki kore shikhley? (Do you speak Bengali? Why did you learn it?) His tone had changed completely! I joked that I had picked up the language while writing love letters! Although, to be honest, I had learnt Bengali to read the original texts of Tagore. The next time I met him was also for the script of Goopy Gyne and it was in Kolkata at the New Theatre. He wrote all the songs for me in his beautiful handwriting, which till date remains one of my most treasured possessions, and then suddenly asked how I would translate a line like Amra sheedha shaadha Banglar manush for a pan-India audience. I promptly translated it to Hum seedhe saadhe dehat ke log hai and he was very happy with it! However, later on he decided to make the film only in Bengali. Satyajit Rays film Shatranj Ke Khilari won the National Award and he made his grandfathers fantasy adventure (above) Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne into a film The lost moment Later when he was working on Munshi Premchands Shatranj Ke Khilari, I learned that he was in Bombay and about to leave for Calcutta. I rushed to meet him at the airport. In those days, you could buy a two-rupee ticket and go inside. I told him that I really wanted to work with him and was very keen to write the dialogues for Shatranj. But he had already committed it to Shama Zaidi. She was doing the costumes for the movie and had shown interest in writing the script as well and since she knew the language well, he had said yes. He finished the sentence with, It is one of those things, you know in his clear baritone. As I recall the incident, I can still almost hear his voice saying it in his own typical way. And that is how I lost my opportunity to work with him the second time. (As told to Ananya Ghosh) Gulzar is a doyen of Urdu poetry and is also a celebrated lyricist, screenwriter and filmmaker This is Part Three of a series of essays celebrating the legendary filmmaker, Satyajit Ray. Next weeks tribute is by Parambrata Chatterjee. From HT Brunch, June 28, 2020 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch 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. Karuna dances on the graves of Lankas war heroes he killed Tiger turned former SLFP minister gloats over one nights carnage at Elephant Pass View(s): View(s): In peace times, too, have the laws fallen silent and ceased to apply to self-confessed mass murderer Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, better known as the dreaded Karuna Amman, who, as a regional commander of the Tamil Tigers during its reign of terror, carried out dastardly attacks on the Lankan Forces and has now taken to gloat over his gory deeds on public platforms with impudence? Does the killing of over two thousand Lankan soldiers in the name of establishing a utopian Tamil Eelam on Lankan soil qualify for a blanket amnesty and grant a licence to exult over brutal exploits that enable Karuna to revel on the grave of the massacred men, all Lanka revere as war heroes? In the small town of Navadinveli, Ampara, in the Eastern Province where he once rode rough shod blazoning his Tiger stripes and brandishing his gun, 54-year-old Karuna declared to a gathering last Friday: Chairman of the Karathivu local government body has said that I am more dangerous than the coronavirus. That is true. When I was a member of the LTTE, I killed some 2000 to 3000 Sri Lankan army personnel in one night at Elephant Pass. I have killed more in Kilinochchi. That is certainly higher than the number of lives the coronavirus has claimed in Sri Lanka. I killed some 2000 to 3000 Sri Lankan army personnel in one night at Elephant Pass? I have killed more in Kilinochchi? His vainglorious boast of his reprehensible acts starkly reveals the pathological murderer in him had not fled with ministerial office or after his appointment as SLFP vice president in 2009 but still lurks within to make him bear with empty pride the scalps of those whom he had slaughtered years ago on his breast as medals earned in the killing fields of Lanka where slaying hordes of Sinhala soldiers was deemed sport. It also reveals how, years after the grisly incident, to brag about his bloody role and feat and his individual haul of trophies has become for him a revitalising ego trip to the blood soaked days of old when pulling the trigger let one play God. Karunas offensive and inflammatory statement sparked a storm of protests. If Karuna had not forgotten the atrocities he had flagrantly committed, it was abundantly clear neither had the rest of the country forgotten nor forgiven him. Karuna, it seemed, had flung his stone at the wasps nest and brought his nemesis nearer to him. The United National Party (UNP) was the first to light the bonfire to burn Karuna at the stake. The partys former State Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, giving voice to the nations mass outrage over Karunas callous boast, told a public gathering in Attanagalla last Saturday: We vehemently condemn this statement made by Karuna Amman. People such as these talk of patriotism in the South but talk of killing Sri Lankan soldiers when they go to the North, and we pity these people. This statement of Karuna who is backing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has created a controversial situation. It is a serious challenge to the rule of law. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) took pains to distance itself from the villain of the piece, practising the COVID fostered social distancing guideline to ensure the wellbeing of its own political health. Addressing a news briefing last Sunday, the partys Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said that they vehemently condemn Karunas statement. We are not in a position to take the responsibility of the statement he made as he is neither a member of the SLPP nor a member of our affiliated group. He is contesting the upcoming General Elections against our party from another newly formed party. However, we would like to categorically mention that Karuna Amman is not maintaining any links with our party for the upcoming General Elections and reiterate that we highly condemn the statement. But from the SLPPs mother-ship, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), there emanates a studied silence over Karunas comments. In the light of the embarrassment, Karunas lurid confession has caused to the once Rajapaksa-led SLFP that ruled the nation between 2005 to 2015, the Karuna scandal has erupted at a most awkward moment. The questions raised are why the SLFP embraced the former LTTE terrorist supposedly turned reformed informer into the partys top echelon? Why, after entering Parliament from the UPFA National List in 2008, he was appointed Minister of National Integration in March 2009 and why, a month later, on April 24 was accorded the post of a Vice President of the SLFP? And why, at the start of the SLFPs second term as the Government in 2010, he was sworn in again as a minister, the Minister for Resettlement? Perhaps such government patronage in return for Karuna grassing on the Tigers was deemed worth the price. Apart from Mahinda Rajapaksas cursory remark at a Kuliyapitiya rally on Tuesday that Karunas history is well known those who represented the party then have generally kept mum on the issue. To save further blush in such a predicament, the prudent course, no doubt, is to observe silence as the best golden policy. Especially with a general election round the corner, the less said the better. The former Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka, giving his on the spot Situation Report on the incidents that took place during the height of the Eelam War, doubts the veracity of the figures boasted by Karuna as his tally of those he had killed. Karuna couldnt have killed that number of soldiers at Elephant Pass and at Kilinochchi as he has claimed. the Field Marshall said on Tuesday. However, Sarath Fonseka stated, it is true that Karuna killed 1,200 army personnel, who surrendered in Mullaitivu and another 600 police officers in the East. He is trying to be a hero as if he killed everyone in the army. But he did kill personnel who surrendered. Karuna may not have killed everyone in the army or even killed 2000 to 3000 in Elephant Pass and many more in Kilinochchi as he claimed last week. As the Field Marshall said, Karuna may have been exaggerating. But, exaggerating or no, his self-confession that he killed a large number of soldiers suffices to nail him to the cross from which there can be no absolution. In 2004, Karuna, who had joined the LTTE in 1983 and had been appointed its Eastern regional commander in 1990, broke ranks with the Tamil Tigers on the grounds that the eastern Tamils were being ignored by the LTTE high command and claimed he had renounced violence. The Tigers in return claimed the real reason was because its intelligence wing was closing in on him for financial and personal misconduct. The ensuing internecine war, with Karuna turning LTTE informer and assisting Government forces to clear the east of Tiger presence, considerably weakened the LTTE to make its fiat run in the East. As far as Karunas claim to have renounced violence and draped himself in ahimsa should be taken with a pinch of salt. As Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia Director for Human Rights Watch said in a statement this week: Even after Karuna split from the LTTE to lead a pro-government armed group in 2004, his alleged crimes were never investigated. Instead his forces committed more abuses, apparently this time on the governments behalf. The United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and others reported that Karunas group, known as the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), was responsible for enforced disappearances, torture, and child recruitment. Certainly the time to investigate his manifold crimes has dawned now. Following the furore, the CID on Monday launched an investigation and Karuna was summoned to appear at the CID headquarters the following day and give a statement. After no show on Tuesday on health grounds conveyed through his lawyer, Karuna finally turned up on Thursday at the CIDs Fort office. After seven hours of having his statement recorded, Karuna emerged from the CID premises to explain to the waiting media what had transpired at the CID office. Speaking in Tamil Karuna, who is contesting the August 5 elections from the Digamadulla district as an Independent Group 10 candidate, said: What I said at Navadinveli last Friday has been distorted by various parties for political reasons ahead of elections. I said it in the context of my election campaign but it was taken out of context by the media and distorted. Now this has been used to reduce the votes from Sinhala people in the upcoming elections. I do not want to discredit our military which is an outstanding military force and assist people when in need. I am a friend of the majority Sinhalese community. A friend indeed! Does Karuna Amman believe he can atone for his ghastly crimes against humanity by adopting the air of condescension and patronising the Sri Lankan Army, describing them in flattering terms after having gloated of how he slew over 2000 soldiers in a one nights killing spree at Elephant Pass and many more than that at Kilinochchi? Can a peoples forgiveness ever be his when it is common knowledge, confirmed by eye witness accounts and well documented, that he is directly responsible for the slaughter of 1200 soldiers who surrendered to him in Mullaitivu and for the cold blooded murder of 600 policemen on June 11, 1990 who were commanded by the then President Premadasa to lay down their weapons and meekly surrender to the LTTE cadres commanded by him? They were taken to the Trincomalee jungles, lined up and shot. The CID should not consider the statement Karuna made to them on Thursday as the end of their investigation but only as the starting point of their probe to bring Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, better known as self-confessed mass killer Karuna Amman, to justice. And see justice finally delivered to all who were slaughtered at the hands and on the commands of Colonel Karuna. Collaboration was channeled through organizations such as Socios En Salud (Partners in Health) , the Information and Education Center for Drug Abuse Prevention (Cedro), Rainforest Alliance , and Microfinanzas Prisma. Doug Benevento's Senate confirmation for the position of deputy EPA administrator is being blocked by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in a dispute with the agency over biofuels. Benevento appears to be a bit of a drive-by victim in the fight between Ernst and his boss, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. The issue of the Renewable Fuel Standard essentially pits oil and gas producers against Iowa corn farmers, making it a perennial political football and a constant source of election-year pain, particularly for Republicans who are seeking support from both industries. The role of deputy administrator is the EPA's No. 2 position, and it's been unfilled other than on acting status since Wheeler took over the agency when Scott Pruitt resigned in 2018. Benevento, formerly EPA's regional administrator for Region 8, including Montana, played a key role in forging an agreement in principle on the Butte Hill cleanup after years of secret talks that had not produced visible progress. He has frequently visited Butte and has worked to advance the Mining City's interests within EPA and in negotiations with Atlantic Richfield. He is expected to be present in July when the Butte Hill consent decree is signed. District 2020, the innovation ecosystem and future of Expo 2020 Dubai, has signed strategic partnerships with Dubai SME and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) to support its global entrepreneur programme, Scale2Dubai. In line with Dubai and the UAEs proactive approach to supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the important role they play in bolstering the countrys resilient economy, both organisations will provide District 2020 with a pipeline of high-potential start-ups and small businesses by helping eligible companies join Scale2Dubai. They will also provide the start-ups and small businesses with the guidance, connections and funding they need to continue their growth as part of the Scale2Dubai programme. Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Pavilions and Exhibitions Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: These milestone agreements with Dubai SME and MBRIF will further bolster the continued growth of the UAEs start-up ecosystem and contribute to a stronger and resurgent economic environment. The advance towards a more connected future continues to gain pace, and new opportunities will emerge from the current set of global challenges that SMEs and start-ups currently face. Through the combined efforts of partnerships with both these organisations, Scale2Dubai and our wider District 2020 ecosystem support a crucial sector of the UAE economy and complement other accelerators and incubators around the country. Expo 2020, which will run from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, will showcase the best examples of collaboration, innovation and cooperation from around the world and help reinvigorate the global economy as it gathers some of the greatest minds from around the world to seek solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time. District 2020, with a mandate to support industry growth, will evolve over a nine-month transition period after the event ends, during which more than 80 per cent of Expos built environment will be repurposed. It will transition into a mixed-use community and innovation ecosystem that will contribute to Dubais position as a leading innovation hub. It will also carry forward Expo 2020s mission of stimulating business opportunities and continue to support start-ups and SMEs that are integral to the UAE economy. The new agreements mark an important step towards District 2020s vision for a curated innovation ecosystem. The partnerships will enable start-ups and small businesses to be part of the Scale2Dubai programme and access the District 2020 platform from which they can expand locally and internationally, while also offering them the opportunity to connect with large enterprises and receive access to funding and other growth enablers. Abdul Baset Al-Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME, commented: Since its launch in 2002, Dubai SME has launched several programmes and initiatives to support entrepreneurs and promote the innovation ecosystem in the UAE. As we are an institution dedicated to supporting the establishment and development of innovative start-ups, our vision closely aligns with that of District 2020. Al-Janahi added: "We will work on qualifying innovative national projects from the members of our Hamdan Innovation Incubator as well as from the different countries participating in our Innovation Attraction Programme, to strengthen District 2020 as a platform for start-ups to grow regionally and access international markets." Launched in 2016 by the UAE Ministry of Finance, the MBRIF initiative was designed to support innovation in the UAE while elevating the growth potential of inventive start-ups already shaping the future of the UAEs economy. Fatima Yousif Al Naqbi, Chief Innovation Officer at the Ministry of Finance, said: We recognise just how influential start-ups and small businesses are in sparking innovation among an economy. Fledgling businesses with an eagerness to scale up are also a key source of job creation. Thats why were determined to provide financing solutions supporting local and international start-ups and small businesses looking to grow in a challenging and competitive environment. Joining an innovation ecosystem such as District 2020 will expedite the progress of these businesses, encourage collaborative innovation across industries, and drive up competition in the wider economy. Successful applicants to the Scale2Dubai programme can expect benefits such as two years free working space, support in visa and business set-up, two years subsidised urban living and access to funding. Additionally, District 2020 will also offer an unrivalled physical and digital infrastructure, a strategic geographic location, and a unique work and living ecosystem. The programme builds on Expo 2020 Dubais aim to support the SME and start-up sector, a vital sector of the UAEs economy. As of the end of March 2020, Expo 2020 had awarded more than AED4.6 billion to SMEs. SMEs account for nearly 50 per cent of all businesses registered with Expo 2020, and 56 per cent of all Expo contracts have been awarded to the sector. Scale2Dubai is currently accepting expressions of interest in the programme through the District 2020 website: www.district2020.ae. The application and short list process will follow in 2021, with successful applicants announced during Expo 2020 Dubai. Those chosen to be part of the programme will be able to move into their workspaces at District 2020 once it opens, shortly after Expo 2020 ends.-- Tradearabia News Service A man in Maharashtra killed his three minor children in Palghars Nala Sopara area on Saturday, the police said. The man later killed himself, they added. Palghar Superintendent of Police (SP) Dattatray Shinde said the mans wife left him 45 days ago. He saw the womans photo with another man on Facebook and realised that she had eloped with him, Shinde said. The mans father later confirmed the development and lodged a complaint, the police said. The police said that the mans father, who lives nearby, first knocked at his sons door at around 9 pm but thought he and the grandchildren might have gone to sleep without having dinner after he received no response. Two hours later, he again knocked at the door, but there was no response. This time, he broke open the door to find his son and grandchildren dead, the police added. The cops say that the mans father had called him for tea at around 4.30 pm, but he refused saying his children are asleep which makes them believe that the crime must have taken place around that time. The complainant informed us and we rushed to the spot, sent the bodies for post-mortem and seized the blood stained knife which was used for the murder. We have registered a case of murder against the deceased and are in search of the victims wife who is yet to reach the spot. We are contacting her from the numbers stored on the mans phone, said Shinde. He further said that the man must have sedated the children before killing them since neighbours did not hear any screams. The SP also said that the viscera of the four is being sent for chemical analysis. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:59:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DOHA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Qatar's health ministry on Sunday announced 750 new infections of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 94,413. "Some 1,477 people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 78,702, while no deaths were reported, keeping the fatalities at 110," the official Qatar News Agency reported, quoting a statement by the ministry. It revealed that infections had been soaring due to people's gatherings and visits, and ignoring of preventive measures recommended by the government, the most important of which are staying at home and maintaining social distancing. A total of 349,153 persons in Qatar have undergone lab tests for COVID-19 so far, it added. China and Qatar have offered mutual help during the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. On Feb. 21, five Qatar Airways cargo freighters flew to China carrying approximately 300 tons of medical supplies donated by the airline. Enditem For Great British Bake Off contestants, it is the proverbial icing on the cake. But the accolade of a firm handshake from Paul Hollywood after a stunning showstopper won't be available this year due to coronavirus. Channel 4 chiefs have ordered Hollywood not to offer his hand to the bakers as a reward for excellence as he did seven times during last year's series. Channel 4 chiefs have banned Paul Hollywood from offering bakers his famous handshake (above) this year to congratulate them due to coronavirus fears A Bake Off insider said: 'It's a real shame but it isn't fitting to the world around us to have Paul shaking hands with people. 'Everyone will be isolated together but you can't be too careful so they'll be rested for this year.' The 'Hollywood handshake' did not make an appearance until the third series of the show and featured only once in each of series three and four. However, they have steadily risen in frequency since then, with an unprecedented seven given in series eight in 2017. The Bake Off crew, who will be quarantined with the cast for the duration of filming for the new series, are now speculating on whether Hollywood will replace the handshake with an elbow bump or touching of feet. Earlier this month, The Mail on Sunday revealed that producers had devised the quarantine plan after Hollywood's fellow judge Prue Leith, 80, was denied insurance due to her age. They have booked a secret location with grounds where the famous Bake Off tent can once again be erected. The new series will be co-presented by comedian Matt Lucas, who will join Noel Fielding following the departure of Sandi Toksvig earlier this year. Additional reporting: Eoin English The Chief Medical Officer has raised concerns over international travel with the new Health Minister. Dr Tony Holohan flagged his concerns as the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) announced tonight that it has been informed that one more person with Covid-19 has died, bringing to 1,735 the total number of Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. The HSPC also said that as of midnight on Saturday, it had been notified of three new confirmed cases of the virus, which brought to 25,439 the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ireland. The HSE said contact-tracing on the latest cases is underway. Earlier, Fianna Fail's Stephen Donnelly told RTE radio that Dr Tony Holohan had re-raised his concerns on the governments plan to allow foreign travel without mandatory 14-day isolation from approved countries in a conversation the pair had yesterday (Sunday) morning. The list of approved countries is due to be drawn up by July 9, Mr Donnelly said, but there is no timeline for its activation. "What we know is that a decision was taken by government that on the ninth of July a framework list would be provided, however no date has been given for when that might be activated." Mr Donnelly said that the so-called "airbridge" approach to foreign travel was consistent with WHO advice. Under the plan, Ireland would pair with countries which have similar low transmission rates of Covid-19 and establish restriction-free travel between them. However, Mr Donnelly said that the main focus of public health advice had to be avoiding a second wave of the virus. He said that he was not yet ready to revisit the plan to reopen the country to foreign travel. "What the public health officials are saying is 'that's all well and good, and it may be where we go but let's be very careful'," he said. "So for example, Portugal two weeks ago had a very low rate, similar to ours, and that would be a country that you could see us putting on this so-called 'green list'. "But over the last few days Portugal has had a spike, we've seen one in one of the German provinces, so it's going to be a challenging thing to do. "We have to strike a balance between making sure that business can continue, that people can go abroad, but we have to also do everything we can to make sure that we minimise the chances of a second surge." The new Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, meanwhile, said that people should look to holiday at home this year. "If as many of us can stay at home for holidays this summer, it would be putting money back into the Irish economy and helping small Irish tourism and help Irish business. That is not only going to be good for the country and our economy and for ourselves, it's also going to be good for our health." City of Laredo officials have confirmed 18 new cases of the novel coronavirus in Laredo, along with the first death due to the virus in Zapata County. The added cases brings the Laredo's total number of positives to 1,457. A male in his late 40s who tested positive died Sunday morning while under treatment at Laredo Medical Center. Though the man died at a Laredo hospital, he was a resident of Zapata County, and does not factor into Webb County's data. The Newspaper is out By Susitha Fernando View(s): View(s): The Newspaper, the maiden film co-direction, award winning actors and script writers Sarath Kothalawala and Kumara Thirimadura, will be released over 60 theatres including EAP and other circuit cinemas from July 2. Based on partly a true incident, the moving story revolves around a mother and a son who are ostracised by the entire village and inflict both physical and mental torture on them solely due to a misreporting of a bomb blast by a national newspaper. The newspaper reports about a bomb blast where one of the two sons who was in military too get killed. It is reported on page one of a leading newspaper that the soldier son was the suicide bomber. This enrage the poor, rural village and the villagers attack the mother of the soldier and his brother breaking his legs. They are chased out of the village. But one day the brother finds that a torn piece of newspaper without a date or name yet with the correct news- that the soldier was not the suicide bomber. However the village is not convinced and mother sends his disabled son, joined by his friend who looks after cattles to have a page 1 clarification on the same newspaper. The film features their agonising journey, the people who meet them and their harsh and cruel responses on their way to rectify the glaring mistake made by the newspaper. The film is the major release following COVID-19 lockdown and its a challenge for any filmmaker and producer. Yet the award winning editor and one of the co-producers Ravindra Guruge said that the team is confident that the film will attract the film lovers to cinemas. We took the initiative to restart the film culture and we are confident that this film will do well, Guruge said. The film stars Sarath and Kumara in main roles while the others in the cast are Natheli Nanayakkara Jayantha Amarasinghe, Ananda Athukorala, Sarath Chandrasiri, Pubudu Chathuranga, Dimuthu Chinthaka, Dharmapriya Dias, Sanjeewa Dissanayake, Dayadewa Edirisinghe, Gihan Fernand, Jayalal Rohana, Hemantha Iriyagama, Sarath Karunaratne, Giriraj Kaushalya, Vajira Kodituwakku, Nilmini Kottagoda, Gihan Fernando, Ajith Lokuge, Mashi and Siriwardena and Nimal Pallewatte. Behind the screen the musical score is by Gayathri Khemadasa, cinematography is by Chandana Jayasinghe, edited by Rukmal Nirosh, art direction by Ajantha Alahakoon, makeup by Premalal Liyanage, line producer-Sarath Chandrasiri and Dinindu Jagoda is the colourist. The film is co-produced by H.D. Premasiri, Bandula Gunawardena and Ravindra Guruge. The Enforcement Directorate recently attached properties worth ~300 crore belonging to Fortis Healthcare founders Shivinder Mohan Singh and Malvinder Mohan Singh and registered two fresh money laundering cases against the brothers, people familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity. A Delhi court was apprised about the fresh developments last week by the ED, which opposed the bail plea of Shivinder Mohan Singh. Officials refused to disclose details of the new cases, registered during the Covid-19 lockdown, against the Singh brothers, but said that there had been several complaints against the promoters of Religare Enterprises, a financial services group, in various police departments. Delhi police had in April filed a charge-sheet against the brothers for an alleged fraud of ~791 crore in Lakshmi Vilas Bank. To go ahead with money laundering probes against any suspect, ED usually needs a scheduled offence registered through a first information report (FIR) by the local police or any other agency. The attachment of properties worth Rs 300 crore, the first in the case, includes shares and some properties, the officials cited above added. The agency has already filed a charge sheet against the Singh brothers in its principal case in which funds running into thousands of crore of rupees borrowed from banks were diverted by them from Religare Finvest Ltd. According to the EDs charge sheet, filed in January, ~2,036 crore worth proceeds of crimes was moved to 19 companies linked to the Singh brothers over a period of eight years. In its principal FIR, registered last year, ED is probing alleged loan fraud worth ~47,968 crore. While opposing Shivinder Mohan Singhs bail plea last week, EDs special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana informed the court of additional sessions judge Sandeep Yadav at Saket that the accused failed the triple test or tripod test criteria fixed by the Supreme Court while granting bail in such cases. Rana argued that if given bail, Shivinder Mohan Singh can hamper the investigation of the case; he will try to liquidate the proceeds of crime and destroy the money trail; apart from continuing to be involved in the commission of the offence of money laundering. The judge agreed with the ED counsel, saying that triple test has failed in the present case and that there are two fresh cases against the accused which need to be investigated. Shivinder Mohan Singhs bail plea is pending in Delhi high court. Under the triple test criteria, an accused can be granted bail if it can be established that he or she is not a flight risk, will not influence witnesses and will not tamper with the evidence. The SC had given bail to former finance minister P Chidambaram in December 2019 on the basis of these criteria. EDs investigations are mostly flimsy and they have no basis. They have no evidence whatsoever, Shivinder Mohan Singhs lawyer Tanveer Ahmed Mir said. Asked about the two fresh cases, Malvinder Mohan Singhs lawyer Manu Sharma said:We have never been summoned or called for interrogation in the fresh cases. We are completely in dark about this. Cast: Tripti Dimri, Rahul Bose, Avinash Tiwary, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Paoli Dam Direction: Anvita Dutt Rating: ***1/2 Bulbbul, written and directed by Anvita Dutt, is set in 1881 Bengal Presidency, but it could be set anywhere, anytime. Its theme is ubiquitous and its story has that particularly feminine, itinerant spirit which finds a home everywhere. Bulbbul, a tale that sits daintily in the real world but dangles its feet in the universe of fairies and fables, is about how the world order is pivoted on male desire, and how this world reacts, with rage and revenge, when it encounters female desire. Its a ghastly, plausible account that takes flight into the fantasy world, its insurgent spirit not seeking an escape, but to subvert the narrative that men and patriarchy have created, and claim it as her own. Little Bulbbul is getting married, seemingly to Chote Thakur Satya, but she is actually to be the wife of Bade Thakur Indraneel (Rahul Bose), who lives in a majestic haveli with his twin brother, Mahendra, who is not all there. Theres also Mahendras wife, Binodini (Paoli Dam). Bulbbul is tiny, but shes no pushover. She reacts to male entitlement that, even in its nascent stage, is casually offensive. She arrives at the haveli with a husband, but is more interested in spending time with her friend Satya who, to distract her from her sadness at having to leave her house, told her the story of a chudail. But the haveli is a dark place where only male desire must be pandered to. As Bulbbul grows into Badi Bahu with a husband who dotes on her, the only other woman in the house looks on with yearning and malevolence. Bulbbuls friendship with Chote Thakur blossoms, the two of them growing up creating stories together. And in this Binodini Didi sees an opportunity. A calculated but casual remark about another plants the seed of doubt, and soon the frail male ego goes limp. Satya is sent off to England and before Bade Thakur packs his own bags, he leaves Bulbbul with scars that wont ever heal. Several years later Satya Thakur (Avinash Tiwary) returns from England to find the house empty of most of its inhabitants. He brings back Binodini Didi, who is now a widow, and being the only man, he appoints himself as Bulbbuls moral guard. He especially doesn't like her spending time with Dr Sudeep (Parambrata Chattopadhyay). In the village, meanwhile, there are murmurs and a police investigation about murders and a chudail. The story of witches is the story of women celebrated and worshiped when they conform, and demonised, vilified, hunted for having desires, for wanting, for yearning, for seeking the freedom to choose. Anvita Dutt's Bulbbul is produced by Anushka Sharma and is a fiercely feminist tale. It takes characters and tropes from classic myths and folk tales to gnaw at patriarchy. It smiles and hums when it draws blood. Bulbbuls story and story-telling are both shrouded in mist and mystery. It finds power in stuff left unsaid. For a long time we are clueless, happy to be seduced by the haunting humming of a girl and gorgeous Bulbbul lolling about in the imposing haveli. Bulbbul is shot and edited beautifully, as if each scene is a piece of art, a painting. Theres a heady craziness to its camera work. Much like a chudail, it swoops up, comes up close and flies away at whim. Many of its scenes are bathed in a single tone red, pink, yellow -- giving the film an otherworldly texture, an eerie tinge, as if the mood of the witch at the moment has coloured everything she sees. Rahul Bose doesnt have much dialogue, yet he plays both Indraneel and Mahendra with different shades of madness. He is very, very good. Powerful. Saying more would be revealing, except that in one particularly violent scene he gave me the chills. Avinash Tiwary has a lanky body and a big face, and in both he carries the mood and timbre of yore. Tripti Dimris Bulbbul is different from her Badi Bahu. Her Bulbbul embraces life, says things she is not expected to. But Badi Bahu doesnt say much. She just smiles mysteriously, till we eventually figure out why. As the keeper of the havelis many secrets, her Bulbbul does what Binodini Didi said repeatedly Chup rehna, only to eventually let out a yelp thats devastating in its rage and sadness. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the opening ceremony of the 36th ASEAN Summit on June 26th (Photo: VNA) In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Jakarta on June 27th, he said that for the first time in over half a century of relations, ASEAN leaders met and spoke virtually, by videoconference. As Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasised in his speech during the summit, the world is changing irreversibly, and this event proves that ASEAN is readily adapting to these changes, he stated. This was the first official summit hosted by Vietnam as the 2020 ASEAN Chair, and despite the difficult circumstances, it was able to achieve several major outcomes. He went on to say that ASEAN Leaders continued to pursue an ambitious regional integration agenda, with the announcement of the Vision Statement on A Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN: Rising Above Challenges And Sustaining Growth. With this comprehensive document, they reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing progress across a wide range of areas, in pursuit of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. In particular, the vision statement recognised the need to deal effectively with the COVID-19 pandemic and at the same time to promote socio-economic recovery in the region. The Leaders agreed to support a post-pandemic recovery plan for ASEAN with wide-ranging actions that aim to strengthen resilience of the regional economy. The Leaders also endorsed a number of important initiatives presented to them at the summit, including the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies, and the ASEAN Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Public Health Emergencies. They also approved the Hanoi Plan of Action on Strengthening ASEAN Economic Cooperation and Supply Chain Connectivity, demonstrating their determination to ensure the flow of food, medicines, as well as medical and other essential supplies in the region, he said, noting that these are all significant deliverables under Vietnams theme of Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN. According to the diplomat, Vietnams focus on strengthening a cohesive and proactive ASEAN could not be more relevant than it is today, when the pandemic has provoked a global economic shock unlike any other in recent history. Prime Minister Phuc spoke of the need to uphold the spirit of solidarity, cooperation and the sense of responsibility towards the international community, and I believe that this has been the driving force behind Vietnams chairmanship of ASEAN since the early days of this crisis, he said. Under the leadership of Vietnam, ASEAN has shown a real willingness to come together to find regional solutions and to mitigate the effects of this crisis. Vietnam has also been able to reaffirm the centrality and unity of ASEAN by maintaining the regular, substantive engagement between the region and its partners since the outbreak of the pandemic. One example of such dialogue was the EU-ASEAN Ministerial Video Conference on the Coronavirus Disease in March, where ASEAN showed itself to be a united and cohesive group. These efforts are also bearing fruit in the fight against COVID-19, with the region currently displaying a high proportion of recoveries from confirmed cases, low fatality rates and few incidents of community transmission, he noted. In the immediate future, the focus should be on keeping control of the outbreak, while also launching a post-pandemic recovery. While global growth rates this year will likely be slower, with careful planning and the right actions there is a chance that ASEAN economies remain reasonably stable and avoid recession. The key issues will be solidarity and cooperation based on jointly agreed proposals, and this is why initiatives like the Hanoi Plan of Action are so important. He stated that the EU will continue to support ASEANs efforts to achieve a prosperous, safe and united community, as this brings benefits to both our regions. We were among the first partners to hold a meeting between our Foreign Ministers on COVID-19, and we will continue to exchange information to identify ways to tackle the crisis. We are currently collaborating on research into COVID-19, with 18 new EU-funded research projects open to ASEAN scientific organisations. The EU and its Member States have so far mobilised over 350 million EUR to support health systems and economic recovery in ASEAN under a collective Team Europe approach. It will continue working with ASEAN to ensure that supply chain connectivity is maintained. And while the EU will continue to expand our free trade and investment agreements in the region, such as the FTA with Vietnam that eliminated 99 percent of customs duties, the bilateral relationship is no longer only about trade and cooperation. Increasingly, the EU and ASEAN are working together on security and defence in areas such as maritime security. We are also intensifying our cooperation on non-traditional security threats related to issues such as resource scarcity, infectious diseases, natural disasters, people smuggling, drug trafficking and transnational crime, he said. He also noted that green economy, digitalisation in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the fight against climate change will increasingly become major areas of cooperation between the EU and ASEAN. The green agenda in particular is a top priority for the EU and for our partnership with ASEAN. The EU sees ASEAN as an indispensable partner in this regard together, we can protect the international rules-based order and preserve our global commons, he said./. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 07:23:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Screenshot from Apple's website shows Yu Tielin (2nd L, Bottom) attending the meetup of Swift Student Challenge winners during Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020. Programming is her way to help promote Chinese traditional folk art amid COVID-19 pandemic, Yu Tielin, a Chinese high school student who won Apple's 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC20) Swift Student Challenge, said on June 27, 2020. (Xinhua) SAN FRANCISCO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Programming is her way to help promote Chinese traditional folk art amid COVID-19 pandemic, Yu Tielin, a Chinese high school student who won Apple's 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC20) Swift Student Challenge, said on Saturday. Apple's WWDC20 was held from June 22 to 26 in a virtual format. Among a global community of developers, there were 350 Swift Student Challenge winners from 41 different countries and regions attending the event. The students were chosen based on their original Swift playground submission, part of Apple's annual WWDC student challenge, which recognizes and celebrates the next generation of coders and creators. "It's really a pity that I couldn't communicate with other winners in person at this year's WWDC because of the pandemic. I will continue to use my programming skills to solve more problems, and hopefully to participate in building a better future," Yu told Xinhua. She attended a virtual meetup for a dozen of Swift Student Challenge winners during the WWDC20 and shared her thoughts on the work. In the playground Yu designed, the players will get various patterns of paper-cut, and choose one they love to get a complete paper-cut. After they cut the paper, they can click on the AR to place the paper-cut on the windows or walls around them virtually. "The idea of this playground was born after a recent trip to my grandparents' village, seeing lots of beautiful paper-cut artwork there. I wanted to preserve this culture, modernize it, and encourage more people to learn about it," Yu said. "During the pandemic, my school's paper-cut club activities had to stop. This can also be a good way to help people learn, share and communicate from homes," she added. This year, the young programmers focused their effort mainly in three categories: environment, health, and home life, according to Yu. "It is the first time I met the winners from all over the world in a virtual way, I can feel they shared the same creativity and passion for programming. What impressed me most is the strong sense of social responsibility from our works," she noted. She said the meetup made her more determined to develop new apps. "The true meaning of developing an app lies in how it impacts our world." "This year's WWDC20 student developers are creating apps that do incredible things... Amazing to see how they're dreaming big and changing the world," said Apple CEO Tim Cook after a drop-by to the meetup. Enditem Global economic stability could be difficult to recover in the wake of the COVID-19, finds study Analysis from the University of Surrey suggests that the economies of countries such as America, the United Kingdom and Germany should prepare for a long slow recovery with prolonged periods of instability. Rates of growth across member states of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have been in decline since the 1970s, a phenomenon known as 'secular stagnation'. The average growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita fell from over 4 percent in the mid-1960s to little more than 1 percent in the pre-pandemic years. The International Monetary Fund expects global GDP to decline by 5 percent this year alone (2020) with a contraction of 3 percent likely even in the emerging and developing market economies.1 In a paper published by Nature, researchers from Surrey's Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) broke new research ground by applying critical slowing down (CSD) theory, typically used in physics and ecology, to analyse long-term trends in the global GDP datasets from as far back as the 1820s.2,3 CSD theory suggests that when a constrained, dynamic system is close to breaking point, its ability to recovery decreases. Fluctuations around the system's equilibrium become deeper and more pronounced because its internal stabilisation forces have weakened. The team from CUSP found that, even before the Covid-19 crisis, many of the world's leading economies were experiencing larger slower growth cycles (recession cycles), suggesting precisely such a period of critical slowing down in the economic system. The team's analysis suggests that the added weight of the Covid-19 crisis may result in one of the weakest and most unstable recoveries in recorded history for many economies. Professor Tim Jackson, Director of CUSP at the University of Surrey, said: "The global economy is facing one of the largest downturns since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Placing the economy on hold to prevent unfathomable human tragedy from the Covid-19 pandemic was the right decision. Trying to force our way back to economic growth now would be the wrong one. A post-growth world is the new normal.4 "It's time to rethink and remake the economic models that have been failing us for decades. The challenge is enormous. But so is the prize. CSD theory suggests that a resilient, sustainable economic system which protects the health of people and planet is now within our grasp." ### Notes for Editors: 1. Publication in Nature Scientific Reports: Rye, C and T Jackson 2020. Using critical slowing down indicators to understand economic growth rate variability and secular stagnation. Nature Scientific Reports. Online at: http://www. nature. com/ articles/ s41598-020-66996-6 2. The Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) is an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Research Centre hosted at the University of Surrey: https:/ / cusp. ac. uk/ slowing-down-indicators . 3. IMF Global Forecast for 2020: https:/ / www. imf. org/ en/ Publications/ WEO/ Issues/ 2020/ 06/ 24/ WEOUpdateJune2020 4. Further work on the Post-Growth Challenge: https:/ / www. cusp. ac. uk/ themes/ aetw/ tj_ee_post-growth-challenge/ . This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Haiti - Religion : Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, message from Lesly Conde June 27 brings back the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, patron saint of Haiti. In this circumstance, the fprmer Consul General of Haiti in Chicago Lesly Conde (August 26, 2004 - May 25, 2018) delivered a message that we invite you to share. Message from Lesly Conde : "Distinguished compatriots from all over, Dear friends of Haiti, As every year, our entire Nation bows before Our Lady of Perpetual Help to ask HER to protect us and guide us in this world where individualism tends to become a norm which threatens the existence of the less powerful. This year, I especially invite you to thank the Patron Saint of Haiti for the many graces she has granted us despite our setbacks and especially despite our iniquities. We live, in fact, in a world where cooperation between humans exists only in the greatest distrust because the interests of some do not necessarily coincide with those of others. The protection of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is essential to us in this pseudo-civilized world where man is a wolf for man. Our country has overcome several hardships thanks to the protection of Notre-Dame du Perpetuel Secours. Despite our many misfortunes, we have reason to be grateful and to hope. Today more than ever, as our Nation faces the challenges of the 21st century, we must redouble our fervor in our prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Help to ask her to protect Haiti from this pandemic which is leaving its mark everywhere. We are always speaking with confidence to Our Lady of Perpetual Help because she is the patron saint of our country, and that she has never abandoned us. Thank you for your attention ! Lesly Conde." Recall that the title of Our Lady of Perpetual was given to the Virgin Mary from a very old "miraculous" icon. Haiti was consecrated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help on December 8, 1942 by Mgr. Le Gouaze, Archbishop of Port-au-Prince. 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The Belmont, traditionally the third leg in the Triple Crown, will be raced first this year after the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes were postponed until later in the year due to the coronavirus outbreak. The empty New York venue, which normally attracts more than 80,000 spectators, was a sign of the times in the COVID-19 era, with even the sport's wealthy and powerful owners barred from the stands due to safety concerns. Masked park attendants mingled on a humid, 85-degree Fahrenheit day as concession stands that usually do brisk business selling chilled beverages remained shut. Horse-racing fans who usually make the annual pilgrimage to the Long Island race lamented about being barred from the venue. "Its going to be weird watching the Belmont on TV instead of being there in-person," Twitter user @GateToWire wrote. "First time in 12 years Im watching the Belmont Stakes on TV," wrote @VTSimone. Tiz the Law, the favourite to win, will begin his bid for Triple Crown glory on a shortened track, with the traditional 1-1/2-mile endurance test shortened to 1-1/8 miles. "Its sad in some ways," trainer Todd Pletcher, who has two horses - Dr Post and Tap It To Win - in this year's race, told reporters this week. "Were grateful that were getting the opportunity to run." (Reporting By Amy Tennery, editing by Pritha Sarkar) New Delhi Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday accused India of being behind a conspiracy to topple him for publishing the countrys new map that depicts Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepalese territory. India has traditionally claimed these, and Nepals new claim has worsened relations between the two nations. Oli made the remarks while addressing a meeting held in Kathmandu to mark the birth anniversary of late communist leader Madan Bhandari. The comments come at a time when Oli is facing intense criticism from within the ruling Nepal Communist Party for his governance and handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and there is a theory that, just like the map crisis that he precipitated, he may be creating a bogey of a coup to stay ahead. A conspiracy is being hatched to remove me for releasing the countrys new map and getting it adopted through Parliament. In light of these discussions, the media reports from New Delhi, [the Indian] embassys activities and meetings in different hotels in Kathmandu, its not difficult to understand how people are openly active to topple me, Oli said, speaking in Nepali. He added, There is a race to remove me. It has been said people who commit such crimes should not be allowed to stay. Printing a map is called a crime. There was no immediate reaction to Olis remarks from Indian officials. The Indian side has described Nepals new map as an artificial enlargement of territorial claims and said the onus is on the Nepalese side to create a positive atmosphere for talks to resolve the border row. On June 18, Nepals President Bidya Devi Bhandari signed the bill to give legal backing to the new map after it was approved by both houses of Parliament. During an ongoing meeting of the standing committee of the Nepal Communist Party, Oli has faced withering criticism from the faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. A majority of members of the committee are with Prachanda and Oli skipped the committees session on Friday. Oli has also said several times that his stance on a nationalistic issue such as the new map will lead to efforts to oust him. Nepals nationalism is not so weak that someone can dream of removing the countrys prime minister for publishing the new map and making it part of the Constitution...It is unthinkable, Oli said on Sunday. Nepal hadnt made a mistake as it has only asked for its own land back, and it has not claimed or tried to grab anyone elses land, he said. Oli also contended he had been removed as the premier in 2016 for signing a transport and transit agreement with China. Now, theyre having the same dream because the constitutional amendment has been passed and the map has been issued. They are upset on the inside for this crime being committed, he said. He added that he didnt covet the post but it was essential for him to remain. If he stepped down at this juncture, it would set a wrong precedent and any other premier who spoke in favour of Nepal would also be forced to quit, he said. The new map became a popular issue among the public and gained widespread backing from all political parties. However, experts said Oli himself doesnt enjoy the same sort of popularity within his own party. Experts said Olis remarks pointed to bilateral ties hitting a new low. Constantino Xavier of Brookings India said in a tweet: Whether he is right or not, PM Olis remarks reflect his internal weakness [and] concern [and a] total breakdown in ties with India. JK Rowling has hit out at a Labour frontbencher who accused her of 'using her own sexual assault as justification for discriminating,' against the transgender community. This morning Lloyd Russell-Moyle, a shadow environment minister, wrote a grovelling apology for comments he made in The Tribune about the Harry Potter author. JK Rowling has hit back, warning people are 'concerned' about Labour's position on women's rights after saying: 'When so-called leftists like (Lloyd Russell-Moyle) demand that we give up our hard won sex-based rights, they align themselves squarely with mens rights activists. 'To both groups, female trauma is white noise, an irrelevance, or else exaggerated or invented.' Ms Rowling has found herself the subject of vicious trolling and accusations of being transphobic after responding to a headline on an online article discussing 'people who menstruate' Ms Rowling has found herself the subject of vicious trolling and accusations of being transphobic after responding to a headline on an online article discussing 'people who menstruate'. In a tweet, she said: 'I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?' Stung by criticism, the writer whose Harry Potter books have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide sought to justify her decision to speak out in a deeply personal essay. Lloyd Russell-Moyle (pictured), a Shadow Environment Minister, claimed JK Rowling was 'using her own sexual assault' to justify her views on transgender issues Recalling how the trauma of 'a serious sexual assault I suffered in my twenties' had informed her thinking about the trans issue and women's rights, Ms Rowling explained: 'Like every other domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor I know, I feel nothing but empathy and solidarity with trans women who've been abused by men.' Trans-rights activist Mr Russell-Moyle, claimed the author was 'using her own sexual assault' to justify her views on transgender issues in an article for left-wing magazine Tribune. Hitting back in a series of tweets on Sunday evening, Ms Rowling wrote: 'This morning, Mr Russell-Moyle issued an apology on Twitter, although he didnt trouble to tag me in. Coincidentally, his change of heart occurred after his remarks were repeated in national newspapers with higher circulations than.' She told followers she had been 'moved to tears' after receiving more than 3,000 emails 'thanking me for speaking up,' about the abuse she had suffered. Ms Rowling went on to say: 'As I stated in my essay, my primary worry is the risks to vulnerable women. As everyone knows, Im no longer reliant on communal facilities, nor am I likely to be imprisoned or need a women's refuge any time soon. Im not arguing for the privileged, but the powerless.' She ended her Twitter thread by writing: 'I accept (Mr Russel-Moyle's) apology in the hope that hell dig a little deeper than hashtags and slogans. He might then understand why increasing numbers of people are deeply concerned about Labours position on womens rights.' In a series of tweets JK Rowling hit back at Labour and its frontbench MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle The Left-winger's comment outraged feminists in the party and sparked demands that Sir Keir Starmer axe him in the same way that he sacked shadow education minister Rebecca Long Bailey for forwarding a tweet that made false claims about Israel. Writing on Twitter this morning, Mr Russell-Moyle, the MP for Brighton Kemptown, said: 'I want to apologies (sic) unreservedly about the comments in the article that I wrote last week in Tribune regarding Trans rights in which I mention J.K. Rowling. 'J.K. Rowling's first disclosures of domestic abuse and sexual assault in her recent article on Trans issues were heartfelt and must have been hard to say. 'Whilst I may disagree with some of her analysis on trans rights, it was wrong of me to suggest that she used her own dreadful experience in anything other than good faith. I have asked Tribune to remove the line in question.' Mr Russell-Moyle, the MP for Kemptown and Peacehaven, is an outspoken advocate of trans rights and a leading member of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs, who are in uproar over Mrs Long Bailey's dramatic dismissal. But in an article published last week in the Left-wing Tribune magazine, Mr Russell-Moyle accused Ms Rowling of promoting 'hate' towards trans people and of exploiting the sexual assault she had endured. 'Recently, of course, we saw people like J.K. Rowling using her own sexual assault as justification for discriminating against a group of people who were not responsible for it,' he wrote. His words brought swift condemnation by women's rights campaigners in the Labour Party. 'This is victim-blaming and it's disgraceful,' said one. 'It's worse than anything [Long Bailey] did and he should be out. This man is accusing a woman who suffered a violent crime of exploiting her own sexual assault. It's horrible and it's sexist and Keir can't let it stand.' Kiri Tunks, of campaign group Woman's Place UK, added: 'As an MP, Lloyd Russell-Moyle has an obligation to engage with the concerns and needs of women. By dismissing legitimate concerns as 'hate' and denigrating women who are brave enough to talk about the effects of male violence on their lives, he fails in this obligation.' Despite previous lapses, Mr Russell-Moyle has retained his environment brief under Sir Keir. In April, The Mail on Sunday revealed a video in which the 33-year-old MP accused the Conservative Government of 'conspiring to murder' British citizens. The Labour leader has been anxious to steer clear of trans issues, a contentious subject in his party. During the leadership contest, he was the only candidate who refused to sign a public pledge demanding that 'transphobic' feminists be expelled, and his spokesman condemned the abuse directed at Ms Rowling. The Government is preparing to abandon Theresa May's controversial plans to allow men to 'self-identify' as women. Strategists believe it could create clear blue water with Sir Keir if Labour chooses to endorse reforms to the Gender Recognition Act. Labour did not respond to requests for comment last night. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 21:16:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GHAZNI, Afghanistan, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Ten militants have been killed as warplanes struck a Taliban gathering in Afghanistan's eastern Ghazni province on Sunday, provincial government spokesman Wahidullah Jumazada said. Acting on tip-off the aircraft struck a gathering of Taliban insurgents in Tawsang village of Dehyak district at 2:30 p.m. local time Sunday, killing 10 militants on the spot and wounding three others, the spokesman added. A car and four motorbikes of the insurgents were also destroyed during the air raids, he said. The security forces also captured six more militants from Ghazni city, the provincial capital, and its surrounding areas over the past couple of days. The Taliban group which has escalated attacks on Ghazni city over the past week has yet to make comment on the airstrikes. Enditem MANILA, Philippines Philippine officials say authorities in a central village may face criminal or administrative complaints for allowing a street parade and dance amid a strict coronavirus lockdown. Mayor Edgar Labella of Cebu city said officials of Basak village have been ordered to explain why the religious fiesta gathering in honor of St. John the Baptist was held Saturday despite a quarantine prohibition against public gatherings. Performers in native wear and face masks danced during the night procession, which drew a large crowd. While the Philippines has eased quarantine restrictions in most regions to revive its contracting economy, officials placed Cebu city back under a strict lockdown this month and deployed more policemen to enforce restrictions following a spike in infections. The Philippines remains a Southeast Asian coronavirus hotspot with more than 35,000 confirmed infections, including 1,244 deaths. ___ SEOUL, South Korea South Korea has reported 42 new infections of COVID-19 as infections steadily climb in the greater capital area, forcing authorities to consider stronger social restrictions. The figures announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday brought the national caseload to 12,757, including 282 deaths. Twenty-four of the new cases were reported from capital Seoul and nearby metropolitan areas, which have been at the center of a virus resurgence since late May. At least 12 of the new cases were linked to international arrivals as the virus continues to strengthen its hold in southern Asia, the United States and beyond. South Korea was reporting hundreds of new cases a day in late February and early March following a major surge surrounding the southeast city of Daegu, where the majority of infections were linked to a single church congregation with thousands of members. But while health authorities had used aggressive testing and contact tracing to contain the outbreak in that region, they are having a much harder time tracking recent transmissions in the Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of the countrys 51 million people live. With people increasingly venturing out in the public, new clusters are popping out from just about everywhere, including nightspots, churches, restaurants, warehouses and among door-to-door salespeople. Story continues Health Minister Park Neung-hoo during a briefing Sunday afternoon announced that the government is prepared to implement stronger social distancing measures if the epidemic continues to grow. He said the strongest measures -- including banning all gatherings of more than 10 people, shutting schools, halting professional sports, and restricting operations of non-essential businesses -- will be enforced if the daily increase in infections doubles more than two times during a span of a week. ___ BEIJING China on Monday reported a further decline in new confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a total of just 12, including seven cases of domestic transmission in Beijing, where nearly 8.3 million people have now undergone testing in recent weeks. The number of new cases in the city was down by half from the day before, the National Health Commission reported. No new deaths were reported Monday, leaving the total at 4,634 among 83,512 confirmed cases of COVID-19, . Currently 418 patients are in treatment, and another 112 are under observation for being suspected cases or for testing positive without showing any symptoms. Beijing temporarily shut a huge wholesale food market where the virus spread widely earlier this month, re-closed schools and locked down some neighborhoods. Anyone leaving Beijing is required to have a negative virus test result procured within the previous seven days. About 7.69 million results on people tested in Beijing have been returned, city official Zhang Qiang said Sunday. Beijing has more than 20 million people but authorities have focused so far on high risk groups such as people working in the food and salon industry and those living in areas where cases have been discovered. ___ SANTA FE, N.M. -- Health officials in New Mexico reported 192 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday with one additional death. That raises the states totals to 11,809 confirmed cases with at least 492 known deaths. The bulk of the reported additional cases were in Bernalillo County (45) San Juan County (34), McKinley County (28) and Dona Ana County (27). ___ MELBOURNE, Australia Health authorities are using what they describe as a world-first saliva test for coronavirus in Australias second-largest city where the disease is spreading at an alarming rate. Officials say 49 people tested positive to COVID-19 in Melbourne on Sunday and only four cases were detected elsewhere in Australia. Australian Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth told Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday the saliva tests was being rolled out in Victoria state, where Melbourne is the capital, and its effectiveness was still being tested. Coatsworth said the less-comfortable nasal test remained the preferred option and may be more accurate, but the saliva test will be great, particularly for kids. Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said authorities were close to losing control of the spread while pandemic restrictions were easing elsewhere in Australia. l think its a genuine challenge now. I think were right at the edge in terms of being able to manage it, Sutton said. We know that as three-quarters of the country goes back to normal way of living, it becomes even more challenging to tell people that its not the same here and that theyve got to go on with a more constrained life, Sutton added. Melbourne and Sydney, Australias largest city, began with the largest numbers of cases because of the large numbers of international travelers they receive, Sutton said. Melbournes colder weather during the current Southern Hemisphere winter might also play a part in the citys great community transmission, he said.Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said on Monday that 75 people had tested positive in the state in the latest 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 2,099. She said the salvia test developed by Melbournes Doherty Institute was first used in a Melbourne suburban hotspot on Sunday. Doherty Institute director Sharon Lewin said research indicated that the saliva tests were only 87% as accurate as the nasal swab because saliva contained less virus than the throat. ___ MIAMI More Florida beaches will be closing again to avoid further spread of the new coronavirus as officials try to tamp down on large gatherings amid a spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Sunday in Pensacola that interactions among young people are driving the surge. Meanwhile in Broward County, home to Fort Lauderdale, authorities said they would be closing beaches during the busy Fourth of July weekend following the decision of Miami-Dade County to close theirs between July 3 and July 7. The Florida Department of Health reported on Sunday more than 8,500 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 29 deaths in a day. New hospitalizations are also ticking upward, although not as dramatically as the new cases. State officials on Friday announced a ban on alcohol consumption at bars, and DeSantis explained Sunday there was widespread non-compliance. Several restaurants were shut down over the weekend in Broward County for not following rules restricting capacity and mandating the use of masks. It has invariably been because they packed so many people in and created a type of environment that we are trying to avoid, DeSantis said. Caution was thrown to the wind and so we are where we are. ___ ROME Another tragic milestone was passed Sunday in the coronavirus pandemic: 500,000 deaths worldwide. The reported tally comes from Johns Hopkins University researchers. About 1 in 4 of those deaths more than 125,000 have been reported in the U.S. The country with the next highest death toll is Brazil, with more than 57,000, or about 1 in 9. The true death toll from the virus, which first emerged in China late last year, is widely believed to be significantly higher. Experts say that especially early on, many victims died of COVID-19 without being tested for it. To date, more than 10 million confirmed cases have been reported globally. About a quarter of them have been reported in the U.S. ___ ATLANTA Georgia reported more than 2,200 additional COVID-19 cases Sunday, a new high of daily reported cases as confirmed infections continue to rise. The number of reported cases Sunday eclipsed the previous highest daily total of 1,990 reported on Saturday and brings Georgias total confirmed cases to more than 77,000. Since the pandemic began, the state has seen nearly 2,800 deaths from the virus. Coronavirus infections in Georgia have been rising throughout June. The surge in infections comes about two months after Georgia began lifting restrictions April 24 on hair salons, gyms, bowling alleys and other businesses that had been forced to close to slow the virus. Restaurants, retail stores and bars have since reopened as well. ___ DALLAS Both Vice President Mike Pence and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged Sunday that there has been a rapid rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the state in recent weeks after Abbott begin allowing businesses to start reopening in early May. Covid 19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks, said Abbott, who on Friday again shut down bars and limited restaurant dining, a day after Texas reported a record high confirmed positive tests of 5,996. Abbott has also banned elective surgeries in the states largest counties. Pence praised Abbott for his decisions both to reopen the state, then to roll back the reopening plans. He also encouraged the wearing of face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Wear a mask, where ever its indicated or where ever youre not able to practice the kind of social distancing that would prevent the spread of the coronavirus, said Pence, who along with Abbott wore face masks as they entered and left the room, taking them off while speaking to reporters. ___ GENEVA - The World Health Organization has announced another daily record in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the world - topping over 189,000 in a single 24-hour period. The tally Sunday from the U.N. health agency eclipses the previous record a week earlier at over 183,000 cases, showing case counts continue to progress worldwide. Brazil recorded the most new cases over the one-day span at more than 46,800, followed by the U.S. at over 44,400. India had nearly 20,000. Overall the U.S. still has far and away the most total cases. At more than 2,450,000 - roughly twice that of Brazil. The number of actual cases worldwide is much higher. ___ HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK: Virus cases worldwide hit 10 million Businesses weigh reopening - or close again - as reported virus cases rise Experts look to set expectations on any virus vaccine Experts see no proof of child-abuse surge amid pandemic A divided Poland holds presidential vote delayed by pandemic, while France holds municipal elections. Nurses, doctors feel strain as virus races through Arizona The pandemic means that millions of women in Africa and other developing regions could lose years of success in contributing to household incomes, asserting their independence and expanding financial inclusion. ___ Follow all of AP's pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: PRISTINA, Kosovo The prime minister of Kosovo is warning that officials may have to reinstate lockdown measures if things dont improve after a recent surge in reported coronavirus cases. Avdullah Hoti said Sunday that hes worried the hospital system will be overwhelmed. Kosovo has seen a steep daily increase of the virus cases following containment measures from March to May. This past week, there were 517 new confirmed cases and 12 deaths. Hoti urged residents to wear masks, follow social distancing protocols and wash their hands. He says those are simple measures to protect ourselves, our children, parents and co-workers or co-travelers in the bus or taxi, or the next person at the restaurant. Kosovo has eased all restrictions except for those on mass gatherings, or fans at sport or cultural events. As of Sunday, Kosovo has reported at least 2,590 confirmed cases and 48 deaths. COVID-19: Two more imported cases reported, total hits 355 The Ministry of Health said on June 27 two more Vietnamese returnees from Kuwait have been diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 355. Taking samples for SARS-CoV-2 virus testing Coronavirus response: The United Kingdom flies medical equipment to West Africa following UN call for support NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 27 Jun. 2020 A UK Royal Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft departed for Accra, Ghana on Saturday (27 June 2020), carrying materials for the construction of a field hospital. This facility will be used for frontline aid workers in the region, to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. The UK flight comes in response to a request by the United Nations (UN) to NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). The UN used this mechanism to call for NATO Allies' help in transporting urgently needed medical items. With commercial flights disrupted and the cost of cargo flights having escalated, this support comes at a crucial time. "NATO Allies are working together to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and to support our partners. Last month, NATO agreed to support the UN's global call for airlift assistance. I warmly welcome that the United Kingdom is the first NATO Ally to come forward with an aid flight, delivering supplies to build a field hospital in Ghana. This is a concrete demonstration of solidarity in action NATO Allies stepping up to save lives," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The aircraft took off from the Royal Air Force Base at Brize Norton, in the United Kingdom on Saturday and is expected to arrive in Accra, Ghana on Sunday, 28 June. It is the first in a series of Royal Air Force flights transporting supplies for the construction of a UK aid funded field hospital on behalf of the World Food Programme (WFP), which is handling infrastructure and logistics on behalf of the UN. The field hospital weighs approximately 130 tonnes and will have the capacity to care for up to 92 people. It will be transported to Accra in approximately five flights over the coming weeks. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The B-29 Doc will bring its B-29 Doc Flight Experience Tour to Oklahoma City, Okla., Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19. Doc will arrive at Wiley Post Airport Friday afternoon, July 17 and will be available for B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides throughout the weekend. The event will be hosted by Atlantic Aviation (5901 Philip J. Rhoads Ave., Hangar 14, Bethany, OK 73008). The flight schedule for the B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides will be 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., July 18 and 19. For details about the B-29 Doc Flight Experience and to purchase ride tickets, visit www.b29doc.com/rides. Docs Friends, Inc., is taking all reasonable precautions to protect the B-29 Doc crew as well as passengers in the fight again the spread of COVID-19. All B-29 Doc Flight Experience passengers will be required to wear a mask (one will be provided to each passenger) during the flight. Additionally, the aircraft and all contact surfaces inside the aircraft will be sanitized/disinfected prior to each flight. More details about Docs 2020 tour schedule will be announced in the coming weeks. B-29 Doc fans are encouraged to follow the Doc social media channels or subscribe via www.b29doc.com/signup to receive the very latest information about this years schedule and potential airshow appearances. Airtel Payments Bank's revenues rose 87 per cent to Rs 474 crore during FY20, driven by surge in digital payments, money transfer and offtake of new services, according to its MD and CEO Anubrata Biswas. The payments bank sees a "massive headroom for growth" and its promoters remain committed to unlocking this potential, Biswas told. Last year, Bharti Airtel and Bharti Enterprises had injected an additional Rs 325 crore into the payments bank. "Airtel Payments Bank's revenues rose 87 per cent to Rs 474 crore during FY20, fuelled by surge in digital payments, money transfer, and offtake of new services", Biswas said. Addition of new services such as insurance to the portfolio, along with healthy adds in new savings accounts also buoyed the numbers. The company did not comment on profitability but said Airtel Payments Bank has turned 'contribution margin positive'. Contribution margin is defined as gross revenue minus all direct costs incurred in providing services to customers. These costs include payment gateway, transactional cashbacks and all commissions paid by the company. India's first payments bank now has 3.10 crore active customers, with a network of over five lakh neighbourhood banking points. These neighbourhood banking points are aimed at taking services closer to the customer, and have reached rural pockets that did not have access to banking services earlier, the company said. "Our performance is a strong endorsement of the payments bank model and its relevance to India's financial inclusion agenda. Digital technology and deep distribution reach will continue to remain the pillars of our strategy as we scale up further," Biswas said. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Airtel Payments Bank kept its service engine running by leveraging its retail based banking network to ensure that basic financial services are within the reach of millions of Indians, particularly in villages and tier 5/6 towns. These banking touch-points aim to ensure that the needy, especially at the bottom of the pyramid, do not face any inconvenience in these unprecedented times. "There is massive headroom for growth and the promoters of the bank remain committed to unlocking this potential," Biswas added. Also read: To boycott Chinese imports, make Indian manufacturing competitive: Maruti Chairman RC Bhargava Overall, Erie County is seeing a steady decline in new cases and new hospitalizations, numbers that he said are the lowest they've been since Covid-19 data collection began. "We are still on track for stage four at the end of the month, and I think the region is headed in the right direction," Poloncarz said. "But we will continue to offer assistance to those communities that have higher-than-average contraction rates." Dr. Lavonne Ansari, who heads the Community Health Center of Buffalo, said "a more targeted effort" in education and testing on the East and West sides is needed. "We have to have a sense of urgency," Ansari said. "Everyone is so wanting to open back up, but the sense of urgency in our communities of color has never let up." The health center operated a pop-up testing site in front of Doris Records at East Ferry and Jefferson Avenue on Saturday to reach people who hadn't been tested. But interest was spotty, with around 15 people stopping for a nose swab in the first five hours. Jericho Road began last week going door-to-door in the 14207 zip code in Riverside to offer on-the-spot testing to Burmese and Karen families, who are testing positive at a 35% rate. The new Israeli administration plans on beginning the annexation process at the beginning of July, drawing waves of criticism from all around the globe. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to begin the annexation of key parts of the West Bank area on July 1. This move is part of US President Donald Trump's peace plan for the region. Over the past days, many protest movements have been triggered in the Palestinian regions. On Saturday afternoon, people in Luxembourg also decided to go out into the streets of the capital and join the cause. The Committee for Justice and Peace in the Middle East had made an appeal earlier to protest at Place Clairefontaine. Over 1,000 deputies from the European Union have voiced their opposition to the annexation, among those ten from the Grand Duchy. UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres also criticised Israel for the planned annexation. US President Donald Trump was waylaid on Thursday when he was interrogated to list down his goals for a second term. Trump did not directly state his specific intentions if he is reelected. The administration is currently supporting a suit that would remove healthcare coverage from millions of American citizens, providing no alternative, reported Esquire. Issues remain as the Trump government has been propelled to come forward due to 3 generational crises tackled by the country. One hundred thirty days remain until Election Day, according to Politico. Sean Hannity, who was accompanying the US president to Green Bay, Wis. for a Fox News town hall questioned him what the upcoming election holds as you compare and contrast and his top priority items for a second term. Trump responded, "Well, one of the things that will be really great, you know, the word experience is still good." He underscored talent as more crucial than experience. "But the word experience is a very important word. It's a very important meaning." Trump vowed to implement remarkable changes to the U.S. immigration system on the campaign trail back in 2016, reported Washington Monthly. He has made huge progress on several of such promises. A writer of Washington post called his answer to Hannity an "inarticulate stream of consciousness" with not a semblance of an effort to properly answer the question. The Trump government issued a brief urging the Supreme Court to nullify the Affordable Care Act on the very day he established his town hall with Hannity. This move would remove health coverage for 23 million people. Also Read: George Floyd Death a Hoax? Racist Memes Spreading Online Suggests His Death is a Ploy Against Trump Bloomberg observed that he cannot manage to answer basic questions regarding his agenda and is seemingly not attempting to win over new voters. Compared to Democrats, they noted that it is common practice for Republicans to be less programmatic in their campaign agenda. However, Trump's answer to Hannity's question was perplexing. It was said that a basic question should be knocked out of the park by any candidate. Trump continued, "I never slept over in Washington. I was in Washington, I think, 17 times. All of a sudden I'm president of the United States. You know the story of riding down Pennsylvania Avenue with our first lady and I say, 'This is great,' but I didn't know very many people in Washington. It wasn't my thing. I was from Manhattan, from New York." The 215-word, rambling statement included 401Ks and Joe Biden's basement which did not come close to a clear, straightforward answer. MSNBC noted that it appeared in quite a literal sense that he was not aware of the meaning of "compassion." Trump regularly makes statements of salvaging the US from current economic problems, framed by his"renewing, restoring, rebuilding" campaign. Also, the US president would steer clear of Democratic challenger Joe Biden's policies. Related Article: George Floyd Controversial Comments Result to Suspension of Candace Owens GoFundMe Account @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 27, 2020 | 08:25 PM | BARDWELL A man released from jail after an arrest two days ago has been arrested again.Carlisle County Sheriff Will Gilbert responded to Gregg's Grocery in Bardwell after employees reported a man who appeared to be drunk was attempting to start a fight with a teenage male employee and was making obscene remarks to teenage female employees. By the time Gilbert arrived, the man had left, but after getting a description of him, the sheriff showed a photo of 32-year-old Devin Roberts. Employees reportedly confirmed he was the man who had been causing the disturbance.When the sheriff went to Robert's home, he was reportedly passed out in the front seat of a running vehicle that matched the description given by store employees. He has a suspended license due to two prior DUIs, and had been arrested Thursday on a receiving stolen property charge.Investigation revealed that Roberts' 3-year-old son was in the home with another adult who was also drunk. The Department of Social Services came to the home and placed the child with a family member.Roberts was arrested for driving on a DUI suspended license, DUI 3rd offense, endangering the welfare of a minor, and possession of an open alcoholic beverage in a vehicle. Based on reported activity at the grocery store, he was also cited for menacing and disorderly conduct. On the Net: Teachers of English in Hanoi have been asked to attend an exam to assess their qualifications under IELTS international standards. All teachers of English in Hanoi who meet the English standards in accordance with the Vietnamese six-level framewirk will have to attend the exam. The results of the exam will be used to classify teachers for further training. From 2020 to 2025, every two years, teachers of English will attend a refresher course to improve their qualifications. Under the plan, 50 percent of teachers in Hanoi are expected to have English skills meeting 6.5 IELTS or higher by 2025. The education department said it is necessary to improve the qualifications of teachers to satisfy training requirements in the new development period. IELTS is one of the testing systems of English proficiency considered the most prestigious in the world. However, many teachers are dissatisfied about the requirement to attend the exam. A teacher of English in Hanoi said it is unreasonable to require teachers who studied at least four years at university and satisfied very strict requirements set by employers to attend exams so regularly at work. From 2020 to 2025, every two years, teachers of English will attend a refresher course to improve their qualifications. Under the plan, 50 percent of teachers in Hanoi are expected to have English skills meeting 6.5 IELTS or higher by 2025. IELTS certificate is valid for two years only. So will teachers have to take IELTS test once every two years? she said. If so, teachers will have to be busy preparing for exams and wont have time to teach students, she warned. The headmaster of a private school in Hanoi stressed that improving the qualifications of teachers of English is a must, but the education department should give private schools the right to control and train their teachers. The demand for learning English in large cities, including Hanoi, is very high. Private schools organize many English teaching programs to satisfy learners diverse requirements. There are bilingual and dual-degree classes in which students have to follow two programs, one set by the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and the international program (Cambridge or Oxford). Besides, there are also intensive English classes. According to the headmaster, the teachers of the classes are professional native speaking teachers. They are from the UK, US and Australia, trained to teach English to foreigners. Vietnamese teachers at the classes also have to go through very strict tests before admission. And they have to improve their qualifications during the work, or they will be dismissed. With this way, the effectiveness of fostering teachers' professional qualifications is higher than the method applied by the education department, she said, adding that private schools should be allowed to control their own teaching staff. Le Huyen Many HCM City universities offer programmes in English Many universities in HCM City offer programmes in English to enable their students to communicate in that language when they work elsewhere in the ASEAN Economic Community, within which the blocs nationals can freely migrate. Copyright 2006-2021 Exchange Rates UK. All rights reserved. The advice provided on this website is general advice only and does not constitute as a financial recommendation. Any news, opinions, research, analysis, values or other information contained on this story, by Exchange Rates UK, its employees, partners or contributors, is provided as general market commentary. Exchange Rates UK will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information. The global number of COVID-19 deaths has exceeded 500,000, with the US reporting the highest number of fatalities. The worldwide reported death toll in the coronavirus pandemic has surpassed half a million, according to figures published by Johns Hopkins University, with the United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom being the three countries recording the highest numbers of fatalities. The number of confirmed deaths related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, reached 500,108 on Sunday, while the total number of infections passed the 10 million mark worldwide, with some 10,055,037 cases reported. Johns Hopkins tally registered the new milestone after India and Russia reported thousands of new cases. The US has confirmed more than 2.5 million infections, the most in the world. While the university reports only confirmed coronavirus cases, some experts believe the true number of people who have been infected could be as much as 10 times that figure, given that so many people cannot get tested or may have the virus without showing any symptoms. The surge in the number of cases comes as countries around the world roll back lockdown restrictions that were imposed in a bid to curb the spread of the disease. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization warned of a second wave of infections as governments rushed to reopen their economies amid soaring joblessness. She has been spending much of lockdown in and out of Wyoming on husband Kanye West's $14 million ranch. But Kim Kardashian mixed up her usual glam ensembles with a hint of country living on Sunday. The 39-year-old took to social media to share some sexy couple shot photos with Kanye in front of a picturesque setting. Couple shot: Kim Kardashian put her best assets on display while posing with husband Kanye West in Wyoming on Sunday 'Happy Sunday,' she captioned. Kim opted for a PVC leather jumpsuit of a brown color. The ensemble featured spaghetti straps and had a straight-cut neck. It had a triangular style design that allowed for a close to open back and open sides. Unique: Kim opted for a PVC leather jumpsuit of a brown color. The ensemble featured spaghetti straps and had a straight-cut neck Open: Kim's outfit had a triangular style design that allowed for a close to open back and open sides. Kim kept her accessories minimal to a pair of dark tinted shades, gold drop earrings and teamed the look with pointed-toe heels. The KKW Beauty entrepreneur slicked her dark tresses back off of her face and appeared to be wearing a full face of makeup complete with her signature contouring. Kanye also dressed in a full leather look and copied his wife by wearing shades over his eyes. Goals: Kim and Kanye's stay at their ranch comes after the daughter of Kris Jenner revealed last year that it was her 'dream' to eventually move and settle with their four children in Wyoming Kim and Kanye's stay at their ranch comes after the daughter of Kris Jenner revealed last year that it was her 'dream' to eventually move and settle with their four children in Wyoming. 'In my mind I'm already living in those 10 years,' she told her husband as he interviewed her for the Vogue Arabia cover story. 'I see us living on a ranch in Wyoming, occasionally going to Palm Springs and our home in Los Angeles and becoming a lawyer.' Kim is currently enrolled in a four year law course that if she continues and does well in her exams and tests, will see her take the bar in 2022. 'I would probably do it [legal work] from [Wyoming] and fly into DC, NY, and LA.' The duo, who have been married for six years, are parents to North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, one. MTY Food Group (TSX:MTY) was nothing short of amazing, as it drove total returns of more than 20% per year from 2010 to 2019. Due to COVID-19 impacts, the tasty TSX stock fell as much as 66% from $60 per share to as low as $20 in March. Now that the stock price seems to have somewhat stabilized, its good time to start a position. The business MTY Food Group franchises and operates quick-service and casual-dining restaurants across a long list of brands, including original concepts and many that it acquired over the last two decades. To give you a taste of MTYs offerings, here are some of its banners: Big Smoke Burger, Jugo Juice, Kimchi, Koya Japan, Manchu Wok, Tandori, Taco Time, etc. At the end of fiscal Q1, MTY Food Group had 7,300 locations, of which 137 were corporate, 7,140 were franchised, and 23 were in joint ventures. Many of its locations are in malls and office towers. MTYs recent results MTYs fiscal first-quarter results were good. During the specific period of December to February, it experienced system sales growth of 45% to $999.5 million and revenue growth of 41% to $150.8 million against the same period in the prior year. The growth was largely attributable to contributions from acquisitions. MTY also experienced organic growth in system sales of $11.4 million during the quarter. MTYs Q1 EBITDA margin expanded by 80 basis points to 27.2%, leading to a boost of 45% in its EBITDA to $41 million. Free cash flow also climbed 23% to $30.7 million. Earnings per share increased by 31% to $0.76. Same-store sales climbed by 2.1%. Specifically, Canadian same-store sales were up 1.6%, making it the 10th consecutive quarter of positive growth. Same-store sales in the United States increased by 4.3% and international locations experienced a decline of 5.7%. Notably, MTYs geographical split is 54% in the United States, 39% in Canada, and 7% international. COVID-19 impacts on MTY Food Group MTY expects COVID-19 impacts to last for about two to three quarters, which means there could be better buying opportunities over the next six to nine months or so to accumulate shares. Story continues Management took steps to reduce costs and expects the business to be close to cash flow neutral in fiscal Q3 (the June to August period). The near-term focus of MTY is the reopening of its closed locations. The long-term focus for customer value creation, after the pandemic, will be on innovation, food quality, and customer service. At the current juncture, the stock is a turnaround play. Investing in the stock today suggests that youre in the camp that believes people will still go to malls and work at office towers after the pandemic. Its impossible to determine the change (if any) in consumer behaviour after the pandemic. And this is the risk that investors are taking by investing in the stock today. Valuation MTYs earnings are expected to recover to about 76% of pre-COVID-19 levels by next year. Assuming a reasonable forward price-to-earnings ratio of 15, thatd imply a fair price of about $37. This suggests 38% near-term upside. For now, theres too much uncertainty. Therefore, I didnt add any returns from a dividend. However, I expect some sort of dividend to be declared in the future when the macro environment improves. The Foolish takeaway MTY stock is riskier than it was pre-COVID-19. However, its also trading at a fraction (roughly 45%) of where it was then. Therefore, the tasty stock will likely deliver outsized returns over the next one to two years. That said, its too early to tell if consumer behaviour will change in light of the pandemic. The post This Tasty TSX Stock Is a Great Buy Now appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Kay Ng owns shares of MTY Food Group. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MTY Food Group. 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 Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The alarming chart below has been making the rounds. It illustrates the poor job the U.S. has done in containing Covid-19 compared to the European Union, a bigger region of independent countries that suffered an earlier outbreak. Why the big difference? What is America doing wrong? There are a lot of possible answers to those questions. A sluggish initial response and failure to ramp up testing let the virus spread far and wide in the U.S. And instead of coordinating a coherent and aggressive national response, President Donald Trump has consistently downplayed the threat of the infection and left decisions to insufficiently supported states. As a result, decisions over lockdowns and reopenings have been chaotic and have ignored the guidelines put forth by federal public health officials. Amid all of this, one particular difference stands out between the American and European approaches. Many states were happy to reopen after simply "bending the curve" that is, slowing upward growth and ensuring spare hospital capacity. These states went on to expand economic activity at an elevated plateau with lots of ongoing transmissions. In contrast, European countries mostly waited to reopen until they crushed the curve or reached its far slope, with substantially lower incidence or dramatic reductions in the viral spread. It's not the only explanation for a growing gap, but it's a compelling one. Italy is something of an exception, having opened with a comparatively high case count. However, the country was recovering from a particularly large and concentrated outbreak, and its incidence was on a steep downward trajectory. Its average daily count was below 20 cases per million within a week of its initial limited opening, a metric none of the most troubled states have managed since early April. So why is low incidence so crucial to successful reopening? It's simple math. More virus circulating in a community means more opportunities for it to spread. It makes every precaution individuals and officials take a bit less effective, and every activity riskier. This doesn't necessarily translate to immediate outbreaks, as people came out of lockdown quite cautiously. But as activity expands to include things such as indoor service at bars, a high base level of infection becomes increasingly likely to cause problems. Story continues Persistently high case levels amid a substantial reopening also make it far more challenging to identify and isolate a high percentage of infected individuals again, a numbers problem. At a certain point, there are too many cases and contacts to have a hope of tracing them. The gap with Europe argues for more restraint from fast-opening states going forward, and in fact, some governors are taking the cue. In Texas, where cases are rising at a dangerous rate, Republican Governor Greg Abbott has called a halt to business reopenings and ordered taverns closed. North Carolina has also frozen it reopening efforts, as have Utah and Nevada. And of course there is the example of New York and New Jersey, both of which waited until their steep curves were tamed before starting reopening efforts; now, even as activities resume in both states, new cases have slowed to a trickle. The chart tells the tale: Declaring victory too close to the top of the curve appears to be an excellent way to return to new heights. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Max Nisen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, pharma and health care. He previously wrote about management and corporate strategy for Quartz and Business Insider. 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. Applications are officially open for the 2021 season of Big Brother Australia. As fans continue to tune in to Seven's reboot, which is only midway through airing, casting has already begun for its next batch of housemates. The announcement was made on Instagram on Sunday, with a link provided for reality TV star hopefuls to apply. Scroll down for video Want to play again? Big Brother Australia is now casting for new housemates for its 2021 season 'BREAKING NEWS: Youve been telling everyone how much you love #BBAU and we've heard you! Big Brother is bringing you another series in 2021!' the post read. To be eligible for a role on the popular program, applications must be made by Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents that are over the age of 18. Successful applications will meet with TV producers in August and September after filling out the required forms and submitting a personal video audition. The scheduled filming of the series is set to begin in October 2020, and those applying are expected to keep at least 12 weeks free to be on the show. Do you have what it takes? Successful applications will meet with TV producers in August and September after filling out the required forms and submitting a personal video audition The reboot attracted a whopping 54,000 applications last year when it announced it was looking for a new batch of stars in October 2019. Sonia appears to be returning as the 2021 host, as she shared a video message to fans encouraging them to apply. Big Brother famously launched the careers of Chrissie Swan (season three), Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald (season four) and Blair McDonough (season one). Popular: The reboot attracted a whopping 54,000 applications last year when it announced it was looking for a new batch of stars. Pictured: Big Brother 2020 star Garth Saville, 50 There are currently 12 housemates left in the house vying for the enviable $250,000 cash prize. Australia will vote for a winner next month during a live finale when there are only three stars remaining. Big Brother Australia continues on Sunday from 7pm on Seven When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? Imperial Valley News Center Novartis Hellas S.A.C.I. and Alcon Pte Ltd Agree to Pay over $233 Million Combined to Resolve Criminal FCPA Cases Washington, DC - Novartis Hellas S.A.C.I. (Novartis Greece), a subsidiary of Novartis AG, a Switzerland-based global pharmaceutical company, and Alcon Pte Ltd, a former subsidiary of Novartis AG and current subsidiary of Alcon Inc., a multinational eye care company, have agreed to pay a combined total of more than $233 million in criminal monetary penalties to resolve the departments investigation into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The resolutions arise out of a Novartis Greece scheme to bribe employees of state-owned and state-controlled hospitals and clinics in Greece and to falsely record improper payments relating to the corrupt scheme and similar conduct, and an Alcon Pte Ltd scheme to make and falsely record improper payments in Vietnam. Novartis AG has also agreed to pay over $112 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a related matter. Novartis Greece entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey in connection with a criminal information filed today in the District of New Jersey charging Novartis Greece with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and one count of conspiracy to violate the books and records provision of the FCPA. Pursuant to the deferred prosecution agreement, Novartis Greece has committed to pay a total criminal monetary penalty of $225 million. Alcon Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Novartis AG at the time of the misconduct, separately entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in connection with a criminal information filed today in the District of New Jersey charging Alcon Pte Ltd with conspiracy to violate the books and records provision of the FCPA. Pursuant to the deferred prosecution agreement, Alcon Pte Ltd has committed to pay a total criminal monetary penalty of approximately $8.9 million. Novartis AGs subsidiaries profited from bribes that induced medical professionals, hospitals, and clinics to prescribe Novartis-branded pharmaceuticals and use Alcon surgical products, and they falsified their books and records to conceal those bribes, said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The resolutions announced today reflect the paramount importance of effective compliance programs and the departments commitment to holding companies accountable when they fall short. The agreement were announcing today shows that there will be a heavy price paid by companies that violate our laws, whether at home or overseas, said U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito for the District of New Jersey. Just as importantly, it includes a framework for compliance reforms that should ensure that these companies conduct their business legally moving forward. The FBI is committed to fighting any corrupt acts that adversely impact our economy, our citizenry, or our way of life, said Acting Special Agent in Charge Douglas Korneski of the FBIs Newark Field Office. I say this to every company doing business on the stock exchange if you think you can ignore the rules or make up your own, if your business model includes bribery or a quid pro quo, you can count the days until we show up on your company's doorstep. We will protect our citizens, our economy, our way of life, and bring to justice anyone who breaks the law. According to its admissions, between 2012 and 2015, Novartis Greece conspired with others to violate the FCPA by engaging in a scheme to bribe employees of state-owned and state-controlled hospitals and clinics in Greece in order to increase the sale of Novartis-branded pharmaceutical products. Specifically, Novartis Greece paid for employees of state-owned and state-controlled hospitals and clinics to travel to international medical congresses, including events held in the United States, as a means to bribe these officials in exchange for increasing the number of prescriptions they wrote for Lucentis, a prescription drug that Novartis Greece sold. In furtherance of the scheme, Novartis Greece employees traveled to the United States, and, while located in the United States, facilitated the provision of the improper benefits to publicly-employed Greek health care providers. In connection with the resolution, Novartis Greece also admitted that between 2009 and 2010, Novartis Greece made improper payments to health care providers in connection with an epidemiological study that was intended to increase sales of certain Novartis-branded prescription drugs. The epidemiological study was used as a vehicle to make improper payments to the health care providers in order to increase sales of certain Novartis-branded prescription drugs, and Novartis Greece employees recognized that many participating health care providers believed that they were being paid in exchange for writing prescriptions of Novartis products and not for providing data as part of a clinical study. In furtherance of both schemes, Novartis Greece, through its employees and agents, knowingly and willfully conspired with others to cause Novartis AG to mischaracterize and falsely record improper payments related to the international medical congresses and the epidemiological study in Novartis AGs books, records, and accounts. According to its admissions, from 2011 through 2014, Alcon Pte Ltd knowingly and willfully conspired with others to cause Novartis AG to maintain false books, records and accounts, as a result of a scheme to bribe employees of state-owned and state-controlled hospitals and clinics in Vietnam. Specifically, the false books and records resulted from a scheme in which Alcon employees in Vietnam made corrupt payments through a third-party distributor to employees of state-owned and state-controlled hospitals and clinics in Vietnam in order to increase sales of intraocular lenses. Intraocular lenses are artificial replacement lenses that are implanted in the eye as part of a treatment for a variety of ailments such as cataracts. Alcon employees in Vietnam, reimbursed the distributor for up to 50 percent of the cost of the corrupt payments, and these reimbursements were falsely recorded as, among other things, consulting expenses, marketing expenses, and human resource expenses. As part of the agreement with Novartis Greece, Novartis Greece agreed to continue to cooperate with the U.S. government in any ongoing or future criminal investigations concerning Novartis Greece, its executives, employees, or agents. In addition, under the agreement, Novartis Greece and its parent company, Novartis AG, agreed to enhance their compliance programs and to report to the government on the implementation of their enhanced compliance programs. As part of the agreement with Alcon Pte Ltd, Alcon Pte Ltd agreed to continue to cooperate with the government in any ongoing or future criminal investigations concerning Alcon Pte Ltd, its executives, employees, or agents. In addition, under the agreement, Alcon Pte Ltd and its parent company, Alcon Inc., agreed to enhance their compliance programs and to report to the government on the implementation of their enhanced compliance programs. The government reached these resolutions with Novartis Greece and Alcon Pte Ltd based on a number of factors, including the failure to timely disclose the conduct that triggered the investigations; the nature and seriousness of the offenses, which spanned multiple years and involved high level employees; the lack of an effective compliance and ethics program at the time of the misconduct; and credit for each companys respective cooperation. The companies also engaged in remedial measures, including terminating and disciplining individuals who orchestrated the misconduct, adopting heightened controls and anti-corruption protocols, and significantly increasing the resources devoted to compliance. The criminal monetary penalty for Novartis Greece reflects a 25 percent reduction off a point near the midpoint of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines range because, although Novartis Greece fully cooperated and remediated, its parent company Novartis AG was involved in similar conduct for which it previously reached a resolution with the SEC in March 2016. The criminal monetary penalty for Alcon Pte Ltd reflects a 25 percent reduction off the bottom of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines fine range because of Alcon Pte Ltds full cooperation with the governments investigation. In a related matter with the SEC, Novartis AG agreed to pay the SEC disgorgement and prejudgment interest totaling approximately $112 million for the conduct in Greece and Vietnam, as well as additional conduct. The FBIs Garrett Mountain, New Jersey Field Office is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Della Sentilles of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Senior Trial Counsel Bernard J. Cooney and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua L. Haber of the U.S. Attorneys Office Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case. The department appreciates the assistance of the Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs and the significant cooperation provided by the SEC in this case. Offices of defector groups raided over leaflet activity South Korean police on Friday raided the offices of North Korean defector groups accused of sending propaganda leaflets across the border into the North.The raids on the Seoul offices of Park Sang-hak, a North Korean defector who leads the group Fighters for a Free North Korea, and his brother Park Jung-oh, head of another activist group called Keun Saem, marked a major step taken by the South Korean government to punish defector groups for inciting provocation from North Korea.According to the writ issued for the raid, the two groups are accused of violating four laws, including an act pertaining to inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, for dispatching what they claimed were 500,000 leaflets into the North on May 31.The two groups floated balloons filled with leaflets, one-dollar bills, memory sticks and books across the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ), an act which triggered the North into retaliating with a vitriolic warning from Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns younger sister. The North followed up on those threats later this month by unilaterally demolishing the inter-Korean office in Kaesong.Following a similar attempt by the two groups to send rice to the North in water bottles from the coast of Ganghwa Island, Incheon, Seouls Ministry of Unification filed charges against the groups for sending materials to the North without prior approval from the government.Park Sang-hak fiercely protested the raid on his office, telling the press that the government crackdown over the leaflet issue represented a violation of defectors right to free speech.As long as Kim Jong-uns despotism continues to cause the death of more North Korean people and as long as political prison camps continue to exist in North Korea, we will continue to send leaflets, Park said, vowing the governments efforts to contain their organizations would not stop them from attempting to incite agitation in the North.The two brothers mobile phones and automobiles were also searched for evidence. Police are also investigating Park Sang-hak on suspicions that he physically assaulted reporters from the local broadcasting company SBS in front of his house on Tuesday.Police say the materials obtained during the raids would be analyzed to examine how the organizations generated funding for their projects and how they used their budgets, based on charges filed by Gyeonggis provincial government.After a North Korean defector threatened to detonate a hydrogen gas tank near his house on June 22 in apparent retaliation against orders to crack down on the leaflets, Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung said he planned to closely examine how defector groups were using their funding, as well as possible criminality of their activities.But steps by South Koreas local and central governments to rein in the leaflet scatterings did little to deter the groups. Fighters for a Free North Korea claimed it sent another 500,000 leaflets in 20 balloons into the North on June 22. One of the balloons was found alongside a stream in Hongcheon County, Gangwon, the next day, and around 600 more leaflets were discovered in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, on Friday.A Christian organization called Voice of the Martyrs Korea claimed it too sent four large balloons containing Bibles into North Korea on Thursday evening from Ganghwa Island.BY SHIM KYU-SEOK [shim.kyuseok@joongang.co.kr] 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 The Church of England has joined the growing reviews of monuments and public spaces prompted by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign that has seen major protests in the UK and elsewhere, besides demands to pull down statues of individuals with links to slavery. The Church of England said it has more than 16,000 churches and 42 cathedrals, almost all of which are home to memorials and monuments to individuals from a period spanning more than a thousand years. The histories of the individuals are being examined. Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, has said the review will be conducted very carefully to assess if they should be retained in their places or not. The very image of Jesus as a white Jesus will need to be reconsidered, since every culture has a different image of him, he added. The church said that the events of the past weeks in response to the death of George Floyd in the United States have brought into focus the question of monuments to individuals who have participated in systemic and targeted discrimination or exploitation based on race. Church of Englands director of church buildings and cathedrals, Becky Clark, said: Action is being taken by parishes and cathedrals across England to consider monuments which have links to slave trading or the exploitation of people. Some churches have previously acknowledged and exposed this legacy, but many are just beginning this work in response to the spotlight shone on these questions by the Black Lives Matter movement. Welby told BBC: Some will have to come down, some names will have to change, adding that the historical acts of those memorialised could be forgiven only if theres justice, and that forgiveness can only be granted if we change the way we behave now and say this was then and we learn from that and change how we are going to be in the future. Clark added that the decision about retaining or removing statues will be taken locally by dioceses as they confront the complex challenges of the past and the reality of the present and how the past impacts people living today. The Greater London Authority, councils across the UK and organisations such as the National Trust have initiated reviews of public spaces under their jurisdiction, following major protests in London and elsewhere and the pulling down of slave trader Edward Colstons statue in Bristol earlier this month. A pregnant woman has been shot dead by intruders while giving birth in her home in South Africa. Mother of three Shaida Nathan, 32, was shot in the evening of June 21 and paramedics were unable to save her or the baby she was delivering at the time. Gunmen burst into the victims shack on Klipbok Street in Scottsdene in the town of Kraaifontein, in the South African state of Western Cape, according to reports. Two men accompanying the pregnant woman at the time have been hospitalised after being wounded in the attack. Shaida Nathan that was killed as she went in labour. Source: CEN/Australscope One of the men is believed to have been the intended target, local media reported. It is unclear if the shooting was gang related. An unnamed relative of the victim said the area was a notorious hotspot for crime and the family could not return to their shacks for the following two days due to other shootings. Shaida was a mother of three children, one child is in foster care, the other two were with her, but I dont know where they are now, a 68-year-old resident said. The investigation continues. On June 13, President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the "surge in murders of women and children" in South Africa. It is a dark and shameful week for us as a nation. Criminals have descended to even greater depths of cruelty and callousness, he said. Ms Nathan, 32, was shot in the evening of June 21 at a home on Klipbok St, Scottsdene. Pictured is a Google Maps image of the area. Source: Google Maps, file We note with disgust that at a time when the country is facing the gravest of threats from the pandemic, violent men are taking advantage of the eased restrictions on movement to attack women and children. We need to understand what factors are fuelling this terrible trend and, as society as a whole, address them urgently. On June 12, the body of a young woman was found under a tree in Dobsonville in Soweto. Her murder followed the death of Tshegofatso Pule, who was eight months pregnant when she was reportedly stabbed and found hanged from a tree in a field in Roodepoort days before. Several days later, Naledi Phangindawo, 25, was hacked to death by a man with an axe and a knife, according to reports. Story continues Last week, an unnamed 26-year-woman was allegedly stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend in her home. Australscope 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. Tunisia reopened its land, sea and air borders for the first time in more than three months on Saturday after it announced it had brought the coronavirus outbreak under control. Some operations restarted at Tunis-Carthage airport, with flights to Rome, Geneva and Paris scheduled to depart. The government ended all restrictions on movement and businesses after Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh said on June 14 that Tunisia had won the battle against the spread of the virus. However, the pandemic has severely impacted the tourism sector, which contributes nearly 10% of gross domestic product and is a key source of foreign currency. Tourism revenue in the first five months of 2020 have declined by about 50% compared with the same period in 2019 as hotels and resorts have been left empty as a result of lockdowns and border closures. Latest figures show that Tunisia has had 1,064 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 50 deaths. The North African countrys economy is expected to shrink as much as 7% this year due to the impact of the pandemic, the worst recession in nearly 60 years, investment minister Slim Azzabi has said. Unemployment will increase by 275,000, according a government study in partnership with the United Nations, he added. (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 A drink driver has been fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions and being four times over the limit after smashing into a sign in South Australia, police allege. Police were called to Parkside Row in Port Augusta on Saturday evening where a Toyota sedan had mounted the kerb and hit a sign on the footpath. The Victorian driver was breath tested at the scene and allegedly blew a reading of 0.229, with police checks finding the 28-year-old was also disqualified from driving. He was charged with drink driving, driving while disqualified and aggravated driving without due care. The driver was given an additional 12 month driving ban, with his car being impounded for 28 days. A Victorian driver blew a reading of 0.229 (police ticket pictured) after hitting a sign in Port Augusta in South Australia He will appear in Port Augusta Magistrates Court in September. Police also found the man had entered South Australia from Victoria eight days earlier and had been told to self-isolate. He was fined $1,060 for breaching the order. South Australian premier Steven Marshall told 7News his government was fuming at the driver's actions. 'We are absolutely angry that this Victorian has come across the border, done the wrong thing, broken the commitment he made in terms of self-isolation and then caught for drink-driving,' he said. 'The police in South Australia will absolutely throw the book at this individual.' U.S. President Donald Trump denies he has been briefed on a reported finding that Russian military intelligence offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Nobody briefed or told me or Vice President Mike Pence or chief of staff Mark Meadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, Trump tweeted on June 28. "Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us, he wrote, referring to a report on June 26 in The New York Times. Responding to criticism he may have failed to take action against Moscow, Trump said in a separate tweet that nobodys been tougher on Russia than his administration. The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence officials concluded months ago that Russian military intelligence offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants. The newspaper, citing anonymous U.S. officials briefed on the matter, reported that a secret unit of Russias GRU military intelligence linked to assassination attempts in Europe and other activities offered rewards for successful attacks last year. Denials A spokesman for the Taliban leadership said on June 27 that the group "strongly reject" the allegation. It insisted the Taliban "is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country and neither is the [Taliban leadership] in need of anyone in specifying objectives." The Russian Foreign Ministry also dismissed the report, saying: "This unsophisticated plant clearly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of the propagandists of American intelligence, who instead of inventing something more plausible have to make up this nonsense. The White House said neither Trump nor Pence had been briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence. "This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. Trump's director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, said the White House statement was accurate and that neither the president nor vice president was ever briefed on the allegations that were later also reported by The Washington Post. The New York Times claimed the intelligence was based partially on interrogations of captured Afghan militants and criminals. It said Taliban-linked militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, collected some of the money. But it reported that it was not clear whether any of the 20 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan last year are linked to the alleged payments. The newspaper, citing unidentified officials familiar with the intelligence, said the findings were presented to Trump and discussed by his National Security Council in late March. Officials developed potential responses, starting with a diplomatic complaint to Russia, but the White House has yet to authorize any step, the report said. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for the November 3 presidential election, reacted to the report by attacking Trump for his reported failure to take action. Biden said on June 27 the shocking revelation -- if true -- is that Trump has known about this for months and had done worse than nothing. Biden said not only has Trump failed to impose any kind of consequences on Russia, he has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin. He promised that if elected Putin will be confronted and well impose serious costs on Russia. Members of Congress demanded answers, with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying: "There is something very wrong here. But this must have an answer." You would think, the minute the president heard of it, he would want to know more, instead of denying that he knew anything, Pelosi, a member of the Democratic Party, told ABC. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) said in a tweet it was "imperative" that Congress get to the bottom of the news reports. Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, said Congress must act "if Trump refuses to hold Putin accountable for funding terrorism against U.S. troops in Afghanistan." Legislation he proposed calling for sanctions against Russia passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December 2019 and awaits a vote by the full Senate, he said on Twitter, urging Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to "act this week." The allegations come as the United States seeks to advance a nascent peace process in Afghanistan after signing a deal with the Taliban in February that could see U.S. troops leave the country next year. With reporting by Reuters and AP Sunday, June 28, 2020 Researchers from the Dolphin Research Institute are concerned for a critically endangered southern right whale mother and calf after being harassed by boats. MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, June 28, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Boaters Harass Mother Whale And Calf! Researchers from the Dolphin Research Institute are concerned for the welfare of a critically endangered southern right whale mother and her young calf after they were harassed by a vessel near Cape Schanck on Sunday. A volunteer citizen scientist with the Institutes Two Bays Whale Project first sighted the whales then witnessed them appear desperate to evade a harassing vessel. The normally slow-moving southern right whales were seen travelling fast and making numerous directional changes as the boat maneuvered in an apparent attempt to gain photos of the pair. David Donnelly, the Institutes Research Officer, confirmed that this is the first validated sighting of a southern right whale calf of this young age in the records of the Two Bays Whale Project for Victorias central region. Southern right whales are a critically endangered species in Victorian waters and are part of a genetically distinct population of less than 300. They are making a slow recovery from the brink of extinction. It is very disappointing that a mother with a young calf at their most vulnerable time should be placed under such unnecessary stress, said David Donnelly. The skipper of this vessel could be subject to a significant fine, said Jeff Weir OAM, Executive Director of the Dolphin Research Institute. Yesterday we had sightings of killer whales, humpback whales, southern right whales and dolphins in our coastal waters. We also had many other reports of harassment from Port Phillip and along the Phillip Island coast. The Dolphin Research Institute were so concerned about the situation that they shut down their whale alert function of their Two Bays Whale Project so as not to encourage further similar behaviour. Its almost like the first calm day for ages made some boaters lose common sense. It is remarkable to have these animals in our marine backyard, and we must respect them by obeying the marine mammal regulations, said Jeff Weir. Its not about spoiling the remarkable experience of seeing whales and dolphins, just showing common sense. Victorias regulations state that People shouldnt deliberately approach dolphins closer than 100 metres (whales 200m) in boats, 300 metres on jetskis or 30m for paddlers and swimmers. If dolphins or whales pop up close to you or approach your vessel, then ideally stop if safe to do so and watch, or slow down and keep your direction. Enjoy and value our remarkable marine treasures, then let them swim off, without following. Everyone can help the Institutes long-term research programs by reporting dolphin sightings. They can also join people who have supported the Adopt-A-Dolphin program for 28 years! Without community support, the Institutes crucial research and education programs to protect our dolphins and bays will not happen. To report sightings and support the Institute: www.dolphinresearch.org.au or 03 5979 7100. END MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Weir OAM, Executive Director - 0419 356 388 | director@dolphinresearch.org.au David Donnelly, Research Officer 0410 011 022 IMAGERY: Photos on request. Many argue PV Narasimha Rao was Indias finest prime minister, but not his own Congress party and its dynastic high command. "The government is committed to removing the cobwebs that come in the way of rapid industrialisation. We will work towards making India internationally competitive, taking full advantage of modern science and technology and opportunities offered by the evolving global. Words spoken in dull monotone on 22 June, 1991. But PV Narasimha Raos first speech a day after he became Indias prime minister has proved no less transformative than Nehrus stirring words from destinys womb, At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. Raos words sprang into action almost immediately, quietly infusing his path-altering industrial policy document that preceded then finance minister Manmohan Singhs celebrated Budget speech by a few hours. These words then went on to blood Indias cloistered, moribund economy with life, bursting open arteries clogged from four decades of Stalinist socialism, permit raj, protectionism, fiscal deficit, and snail-like growth. With liberalisation, Rao saved an India standing just 15 days from bankruptcy. So massive has been the impact that we tend to forget some of his other stellar contributions. Rao was the first prime minister to truly enact the Look East Policy. With the fall of the Soviet Union, India strengthened the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) and started reaching out to Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and others. Narendra Modi embraced that legacy early in his tenure, and it still works as our economic and strategic bulwark against China in the region. Rao was also the prime minister who established full diplomatic ties with Israel. India under him voted to overturn a 1975 United Nations resolution which stated, Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination. Not many credit him with ending the Punjab militancy. He went against all advice and pushed for an elected government, overseeing polls in 1992 after which Beant Singh came to power, and KPS Gill took over as the state police chief. Punjab insurgency could never stare away from that cold barrel of the gun. While Rao is widely criticised for mutely watching the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, he handled the aftermath of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts aggressively, took the West on his side, and put the stigma of terrorism on Pakistan from which it has never recovered. Many argue PV Narasimha Rao was Indias finest prime minister, but not his own Congress party and its dynastic high command. Books like Half Lion: The PM Who Transformed India describe the humiliation Rao suffered from the party even in death. The Congress under Sonia Gandhi, according to several accounts, did not allow Raos body to enter the party headquarters. His cortege had to wait on the pavement outside the gate before being turned away. He was denied a cremation alongside other prime ministers in Delhi. His son had to perform his last rites in Hyderabad. Even on Sunday, June 2020, as Rao entered his centenary year, there was no personal tribute from Sonia and Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra till late in the afternoon. There was just a perfunctory message from the partys Twitter handle. This, when Telanganas non-Congress TRS government has started Raos birth centenary celebrations across the state, staking claim on a large slice of the Congress vote base in the state. Most importantly, Narendra Modi spent a considerable amount of time on his radio show Mann Ki Baat on Sunday praising Rao, dwelling on his humble background and contribution. This coincides with BJP supporters on social media raising the pitch over Bharat Ratna for PV Narasimha Rao in his centenary year, overtly and tacitly seeking to underline the Congresss pusillanimity. Both Modis BJP and TRS in Telangana are on the verge of snatching Raos legacy from the Congress. There is nothing new to this. The Congress, due to its singular devotion to the Nehru-Gandhi family and neglect of other icons, has lost in the popular imagination the likes of Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and Lal Bahadur Shastri. Losing the architect of liberalisation and modern India would just be another badge of dishonour. Micheal Martin was elected Ireland's new prime minister on Saturday, after his centre-right Fianna Fail party sealed a historic coalition deal with long-time rivals Fine Gael as well as the Green Party. The election of Martin, who replaced Leo Varadkar as taoiseach during a special sitting of the Dail parliament, comes after months of negotiations between the parties following a February election. "To be elected to serve as taoiseach of a free republic is one of the greatest honours which anyone can receive," Martin told parliament. The 59-year-old political veteran said the most immediate issue facing Ireland was the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. "At the same time, we know that there are other great challenges which we faced before the pandemic and which remain to be overcome." These challenges included affordable housing, hospital waiting times and climate change, the he said. Ireland also faces the economic fallout from the virus as well as a potential no-deal Brexit. - 'Civil war politics ends' - Among Martin's ministerial nominations, Fine Gael leader Varadkar was named tanaiste -- deputy prime minister -- and head of the department of enterprise, trade and employment. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan is set to lead offices of climate change and transport, as incumbent foreign minister Simon Coveney -- who led the Republic in Brexit talks -- was named to remain in office. Incumbent finance minister Paschal Donohoe is also due to remain in-post as he runs as a candidate to head the Eurogroup, which brings together the eurozone finance ministers. But key housing and healthcare portfolios were taken from senior Fine Gael figures after the party was routed at the election for its failures in those arenas. "There is no time for quietly settling in, every minister has a substantial role to play," Martin said. He takes over from centre-right Varadkar in an historic reconciliation of Ireland's two major parties -- and sworn political rivals -- which dates back to the foundation of the state a century ago. Varadkar said the agreement meant that "today civil war politics ends in our parliament". "Two great parties coming together with another great party, the Green Party, to offer what this country needs, a stable government for the betterment of our country and for the betterment of our world." Under the agreement, Fine Gael is set to regain the post of taoiseach at the end of 2022. - Sinn Fein excluded - The two centre-right parties needed the support of the Greens to have a working majority in the Irish parliament, their collective total adding up to 85 seats in the 160-seat chamber. Fianna Fail won the most seats in February's election with 38, while Fine Gael received 35 seats and the Greens 12. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan spoke of "difficult decisions" ahead for the coalition, especially with regards to the economy. The political deal notably excludes republicans Sinn Fein from power. The one-time fringe party won the popular vote with 24.5 percent of first preference ballots -- and claimed 37 seats -- to become the second-largest force in parliament and is expected to become the main opposition party. The coalition deal has prompted anger among Sinn Fein members and the party's leader, Mary Lou McDonald, who told parliament that the coalition was born out of "necessity and not of ambition". She called February's vote "the change election" and said people had given her party a mandate to be in government because they voted "for fairness, for progress and a new direction in Irish politics". "Faced with the prospect of losing their grip on power, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have circled the wagons," she added. A group of Rohingya say they were beaten by traffickers and drank their own urine to stay alive on a perilous four-month journey at sea until their dramatic rescue near the Indonesian coast. The bedraggled survivors -- about 100 in all, mostly women and children -- described a high-seas horror story that saw them reduced to throwing the dead overboard as their rickety craft drifted thousands of kilometres towards Malaysia. Two survivors claimed that people smugglers paid to transport them had beaten the Rohingya who were later moved to a new boat and abandoned at sea. They were rescued by fishermen in Indonesia on Wednesday and pulled to shore by locals the next day, thousands of kilometres south of Bangladesh. "We suffered so much on that boat," 50-year-old Rashid Ahmad told AFP at an immigration detention centre in Lhokseumawe city on Sumatra's northern coast. "They tortured us and cut us. One of us even died. "There was food at first but when it was done they (the traffickers) took us onto another boat and then let us float away alone," he added. Another survivor, Habibullah, said: "They beat everyone badly. My ear was cut and I was beaten on the head." AFP could not independently verify the accounts of four members of the vulnerable Muslim minority group, who said they set off earlier this year near a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, next to their native Myanmar. - Starving, thirsty - Survivor Ziabur Rahman Bin Safirullah, 35, said the group got by on small rations of rice and nuts while relying heavily on rainwater to survive. "Sometimes we squashed wet clothes and drank the water from them," he said, adding that those who died were thrown into the sea. Korima Bibi said at least two people died during the voyage and that some on board resorted to drinking urine to stay alive, as others got sick from the rough seas. "We didn't get enough food or water," the 20-year-old said, "(but) we survived." Among the roughly 100 in the group were 48 women and 35 children. They set off from the Balukhali refugee camp in southern Bangladesh, but were originally from Myanmar's conflict-torn Rakhine State, according to survivors and an account given to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A spokesperson for the group told the IOM that one woman had died on the way, leaving behind her two children. Another three children, two of them siblings, and a 10-year-old girl were unaccompanied. The group also included a pregnant woman, according to the IOM. The smugglers were charging each person about $2,300 to get them to Malaysia, the IOM said. Around a million Rohingya live in cramped and squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh, where human traffickers also run lucrative operations promising to find them sanctuary abroad. Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim majority nation, and neighbouring Malaysia are favoured destinations for Rohingya fleeing persecution and violence in mostly Buddhist Myanmar. Thousands try a perilous escape via smugglers across the sea each year. About 1,400 Rohingya have been stranded at sea this year -- and at least 130 of those have died, according to IOM figures. - 'A thousand thanks' - Last week, a Malaysian coastguard official said dozens of Rohingya were believed to have died during a months-long journey to that country. There had originally been more than 300 people on board the boat that was intercepted by authorities this month, with the 269 survivors given temporary shelter. Neighbouring Indonesia has previously allowed Rohingya to land and many to stay. But wary officials have turned them away in recent months, worried they could be carrying the deadly coronavirus. That concern played out in dramatic fashion on a beach in Lhokseumawe on Thursday when the Rohingya survivors were pulled to shore by locals furious at the refusal of authorities to give them shelter over COVID-19 fears. They had spent the night several hundred metres offshore, waiting for a decision on whether they could land. Authorities eventually relented -- a move cheered as a victory by rights groups. All have since tested negative for the coronavirus, local officials said. But the group's fate remains uncertain. "s a fellow Muslim I felt compassion for them, especially because there were so many children and women -- it broke my heart," said Lhokseumawe resident Saiful Hardi. "I hope we continue to help them as fellow human beings." That decision will be up the government, meaning an uncertain fate for survivors like 20-year-old Bibi. "You people saved us so a thousand thanks for that," she said. "Now it's up to you." Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim majority nation, and neighbouring Malaysia are favoured destinations for Rohingya fleeing persecution and violence in mostly Buddhist Myanmar Nearly 100 Rohingya were pulled to shore by locals in Lhokseumawe, Indonesia A Rohingya man sits outside the immigration detention centre in Lhokseumawe, Indonesia SANTA FE The leader of one of the largest Native American tribes in the U.S. called Wednesday for the governor of New Mexico to end efforts to fight a court ruling that orders improvements in education for members of his tribe and other vulnerable groups. The comments from Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez come ahead of a court hearing Monday in which Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will ask a state judge to dismiss a consolidated lawsuit representing Native American and Hispanic plaintiffs. The lawsuit needs to be pursued so Native students can be provided adequate education programs and services necessary to learn and thrive, Nez said. Our students deserve an educational environment that prioritizes their culture and unique needs. It is time for our Native students to have the same opportunities as other students. In 2018, a judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, ordering the state to address inequality in funding and academic outcomes for low-income, Native American and Hispanic students which account for about 80% of children. The suit initially filed against Lujan Grishams Republican predecessor Susana Martinez threatens to wrestle control of policy away from the state Public Education Department and control of funding away from the state Legislature. Lujan Grishams administration argues in a motion to dismiss the suit that the state has increased funding for education, that future changes will take years, and that they should not be micromanaged by court orders. aSweeping and transformational progress takes time, and the governor has not yielded in her unwavering commitment to as much, spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said. But an educational transformation should be overseen by the education professionals of the Public Education Department and the state Legislature, not a court. A judge will consider the request to dismiss the case at a hearing Monday. Navajo leaders contend that two years have passed and the state has not implemented the systemic change required by the order. They say public schools serving Navajo students have not provided quality or useful technical assistance, guidance or training needed to assist in the implementation of special education programs. The court decision states that the state failed to abide by the New Mexico Indian Education Act, and this is an issue we cannot ignore, Nez said. The Navajo Nation has about 325,000 enrolled members, about 175,000 of whom live on the reservation that spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? 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. Wurihan, who studies at the College of Geographical Sciences of the Inner Mongolia Normal University, packs up in her dorm room before leaving school. [Xinhua/Li Qian] Wurihan, a postgraduate student of the College of Geographical Sciences of Inner Mongolia Normal University, had imagined that her graduation would include talking all night with her classmates about their futures, sharing their stories of the past six months, taking group photos and turning the tassel. She also planned a graduation trip to Southwest China's Yunnan Province with good friends. But things go athwart; many of the plans didn't come true due to the COVID-19 epidemic. However, Wurihan still called on several returning students to put on their academic dresses for a graduation photo shoot. They made a campus tour to the places where they had lived and studied, including classrooms, laboratory, library, dormitory and canteen, bidding farewell to their beloved campus and acquiring unique graduation memories. "The school is the place that every student wants to get back to. We discussed that we would have a long talk all night after being reunited under the same roof. But many of them didn't make it," she said. As a class monitor, she returned to the school at the end of March to help deal with graduation affairs. When she was packing for her roommates, she found a hand-made photo album, which recorded the dribs and drabs of their dorm life and brought comfort to her as she sat alone in the empty room. Wurihan kept in close touch with teachers and classmates, becoming the "liaison and errand runner" of the class. She shuttled between the printing room and the school gate, helping students who could not return to school print papers, fetching delivered goods or handling various affairs. "Being needed and trusted is my greatest reward. Although we can't see each other, our friendship is always there," Wurihan noted, adding that her teachers and classmates thanked her for her hard work and told her to take good care of herself. "It won't be too far to see each other again, and we should struggle on our way and never forget this special summer," Wurihan said. Wurihan tries on her academic costume in her dorm of the College of Geographical Sciences of the Inner Mongolia Normal University. [Xinhua/Li Qian] A classmate tidies up Wurihan's hat and costume. [Xinhua/Li Qian] Wurihan (L) and her classmates get ready for graduation photos in a teaching building of the College of Geographical Sciences of the Inner Mongolia Normal University. [Xinhua/Li Qian] In the drizzle, Wurihan (2nd, R) and her classmates begin to take graduation photos. [Xinhua/Li Qian] Wurihan takes a selfie with a classmate on campus. [Xinhua/Li Qian] Wurihan (C) and her classmates spend some time in the library before leaving school. [Xinhua/Li Qian] Wurihan and her classmates have a meal in the canteen once again before leaving school. [Xinhua/Li Qian] Wurihan (L) and her classmates write their wishes for each other on the blackboard in the classroom. [Xinhua/Li Qian] Wurihan (C) and her classmates recall their interesting stories on campus. [Xinhua/Li Qian] Wurihan (L, 2nd Row) and her classmates take their seats in the classroom and pose for a group photo. [Xinhua/Li Qiao] (Source: Xinhua/Translated and edited by Women of China) DMARC360, a Bahrain-based email security startup, has just announced that its online platform is now hosted in multiple locations across the globe to cater to global data regulations. Now any organization worldwide can sign up for DMARC360s freemium or paid services at their nearest point of presence through their website. DMARC360 started this idea of local hosting to enhance security and availability by containerizing the platform and hosting it in multiple locations to satisfy individual countrys data protection laws that require their critical data infrastructure to be hosted in-country only. By having its platform hosted within specific countries, it can continue to operate whilst ensuring that and organizations data stays within its perimeter. Last year alone, it had locally hosted their platform in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This year, it has been able to host their platform across 5 continents which include countries like Pakistan, the UK, the US, Malaysia, Australia, and South Africa. According to its recent Global Banks Adoption Rate: Banking Sector Edition report, only less than half of the worlds retail banks have implemented DMARC on their domains which leaves the majority of banks vulnerable. Of the few banks that have a DMARC record present on their domains, about less than 30% are at an effectively mature policy state (Reject Mode) to eliminate spoofed emails and its associated cyber attacks. For such a simple fix, the numbers are staggeringly low, and yet many are unaware of the risks that are associated with not having a DMARC record with a mature policy in place, a company statement said. We are truly thrilled to be expanding at such a steady pace. Our goal is to make our platform available to use for anyone across the globe. We want to ensure that spoofing and its associated attacks are not an option for cybercriminals, said Abdullah Mirza, Director of Growth & Strategy, DMARC360. DMARC360s growth strategy makes it one of the few middle-eastern technology startups with global competitors in its field, which include big companies like Agari, Return Path, DMARCIAN, OnDMARC, and DMARC Analyzer, the statement said. Currently, the Middle East stands as a rising fintech & startup hub with innovative companies such as DMARC360s cybersecurity and Digital Risk Protection (DRP) focused sister company CTM360, which has also gained global exposure, competition, notable awards and recognition amongst key players throughout the years, according to the statement. TradeArabia News Service 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. A protester confronts a police officer during a rally against the death of Breonna Taylor and other forms of racial injustices in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday - REUTERS/Bryan Woolston Authorities in the United States are investigating a fatal shooting on Saturday night at a park in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, where demonstrators regularly gather to protest the death of Breonna Taylor. Reports of shots fired at Jefferson Square Park came in around 9pm (local time), Louisville Metro police said in a statement. It is understood that Jefferson County Sheriff's Department performed life-saving measures on a male who died at the scene. Shortly after, police were told of a shooting victim across the street at the Hall of Justice. That person was hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries. Video posted on social media appeared to show a man opening fire into the park as people scrambled for cover. The footage later showed at least one person bleeding profusely on the ground. Officers cleared the park and police were "trying to gather as much information as possible in order to identify all who were involved in the incident", police said. No information about arrests, possible suspects and the victims' identities and ages was immediately released. "I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement. "It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene." My thanks to the first responders who assisted at the scene. I will have more to say tomorrow, as additional information becomes available. 2/2 Mayor Greg Fischer (@louisvillemayor) June 28, 2020 Louisville Courier Journal reported last week that "social media posts and a Facebook event acknowledged by police" suggested counter-protesters that include "armed patriot groups" might visit downtown Louisville on Saturday. Story continues "The posts suggest a counter-protest to the ongoing racial justice demonstrations in Jefferson Square Park over the Breonna Taylor shooting," the news outlet reported. The Mayor warned them to stay away: "We have a simple message for counter-protesters that may be planning on coming to downtown Louisville this weekend: We dont need you here. Our focus is on facilitating peaceful protests." Again, we have a simple message for counter-protesters that may be planning on coming to downtown Louisville this weekend: We dont need you here. Our focus is on facilitating peaceful protests.https://t.co/lTOJlNtn9w Mayor Greg Fischer (@louisvillemayor) June 26, 2020 The park has for weeks been the epicentre of protests in the city after the police killings of Ms Taylor and George Floyd. "Praying for our city," tweeted Kentucky state Rep. Charles Booker of Louisville. The Democrat is running for his party's nomination to challenge Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell in autumn. Praying for our city. Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) June 28, 2020 Ms Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was killed in her Louisville home in March by police who were serving a no-knock warrant. Protesters have been calling for the officers involved in her death to be charged. One of the officers was recently fired. Kenneth Walker, Ms Taylor's boyfriend, was originally charged with attempted murder after he fired a shot at one of the officers who came into the home. Mr Walker has said he thought he was defending them from an intruder. The no-knock search warrant that allows police to enter without first announcing their presence was recently banned by Louisville's Metro Council. 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 Less than 24 hours after the first resident of Patrick County died of COVID-19, the Virginia Department of Health has announced a second. A release from VDH on Thursday morning reported that two residents of Patrick who were ill with COVID-19 have died. VDH in its release said it would disclose no further information about the patients in order to protect their privacy and out of respect for the departed and their families. Patrick County has had 39 cases of COVID-19, and a couple of weeks ago had its first two hospitalized cases. Its unknown whether these who died were those hospitalized cases. Sadly, we have experienced the first COVID-19-related fatalities among residents of Patrick County, Dr. Kerry Gateley, director of the West Piedmont Health District, said in the release. On behalf of all of us at VDH, I extend sincere condolences to these persons friends and loved ones. Unfortunately, weve learned that those over 65 and those with underlying health conditions are at greater risk of serious complications from COVID-19. Everyone, especially at-risk individuals, are strongly advised to take steps to minimize contact with others who are ill, practice social distancing and stay at home as much as possible. The release reminded that in some patients, especially those at-risk patients, COVID-19 can lead to more severe illness, including death. That is particularly among those who are older or those who have chronic medical conditions, like diabetes, heart or lung disease or compromised immune systems. Patrick County, one of the last counties in the state to have a positive test for the novel coronavirus, and the first death was announced on Wednesday. Nancy Bell, spokesperson for the West Piedmont Health District, confirmed the death but could not provide details about the person other than residence in Patrick County. A spokesperson for Sovah Health-Martinsville did not respond immediately to a query about a death there. With Patrick County folks, they either come to Martinsville or Mount Airy [N.C., for hospital care], so it gets tricky, Bell said in an email. We report by where a person lives, so there is often lag time getting deaths reported. Under those circumstances, I cannot answer the question of whether the person was hospitalized for a long time or died elsewhere. Bell on Thursday announced another new positive test for the coronavirus a female in her 60s and now either 39 or 40 cases. Bell hasnt been able to explain why the total had declined by one on Wednesday. Patrick County didnt have its first case of COVID-19 until April 22 when only five counties remained without one and as of May 5 only had two cases. Bell also on Thursday reported five new cases in Henry County, most of them young patients. They were a male in his teens and one in his 40s and three females, two in their teens and one in her 20s. VDH reported Thursday morning that there have been 232 positive cases in Henry County all but two of those since May 1 including 22 who were hospitalized and four deaths. Martinsville has 70 cases, with nine hospitalized and one death. Franklin County, which is part of the West Piedmont district and added two more cases from Bell on Thursday, had 53, with five hospitalized and one death. The statewide trend in cases continues to be positive, but the total is approaching 60,000 (59,946 as of Thursday morning), and hospitalizations were nearly 6,000 (5,995). The number of deaths rose slightly to 1,675. Cases continue to surge in more than half the states in the U.S., and as of Thursday afternoon, Johns Hopkins Universitys tracking site had 2,381,369 cases and 121,979 deaths across the country. Worldwide there are 9,455,953 cases and 483,247 deaths. What if I come in contact with someone tested for or diagnosed with COVID-19, or I live or work where there is COVID-19? If you are a resident of or work in a community where there is an ongoing spread of COVID-19, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance calls for you to monitor your health and call your healthcare provider right away if you develop symptoms of COVID-19. If you have been identified by the public health department as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 or you are being tested for the virus, please contact your healthcare provider, work remotely and self-quarantine until a healthcare professional determines you do not have or are free of the virus. See CDC explanation of "close contact" here. Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 or notified by public health officials they are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 must fill out this disclosure form. The University is asking everyone who can work from home to do so during isolation/quarantine. Please note the seasonal flu and other respiratory viruses are expected to be prevalent in the area during the fall and winter, but can occur year-round. While it is prudent to take symptoms seriously, do not assume you have or someone else has COVID-19 because they are unwell. I'm not feeling well. Who decides if I need to be tested? I am an employee who was sent home due to fever. What should I do? Please call your healthcare provider who will decide whether you need to be tested. If you don't have a primary care provider, you can reach out to a telehealth service, such as LiveHealthOnline, which is available to those with health insurance through the university. Please note the seasonal flu and other respiratory viruses are expected to be prevalent in the area during the fall and winter, but can occur year-round. While it is prudent to take symptoms seriously, do not assume you have or someone else has COVID-19 because they are unwell. What if employees start exhibiting symptoms while on campus? If a faculty or staff member begins exhibiting symptoms while they are on campus, they should leave campus immediately and consult their primary care provider. Faculty and staff should report COVID-19-related health conditions at the University's COVID-19 Health Reporting webpage. Use the forms to self-disclose positive COVID-19 test results, report a close contact exposure if they have been contacted by public health officials, or provide a "final day" symptoms update on the last day of quarantine/isolation. What happens if I test positive for COVID-19? If you are positive for COVID-19, you should abide by CDC guidelines, including self-isolation. Call your healthcare provider or a telehealth provider to discuss self-care recommendations. You may be contacted to identify your close contacts so they can take precautions, including self-quarantine. If you need to go into a facility such as an urgent care center or an emergency room, call before you go and let the facility or 911 know that you are positive for COVID-19 and follow their instructions to prevent spread of the virus to healthcare providers, patients and others. How long should I isolate myself? How long someone is actively infectious can vary so the decision on when to release someone from isolation is made on a case-by-case basis in consultation with doctors, infection prevention and control experts, and public health officials. Current CDC guidance for when it is OK to release someone from isolation includes a number of factors for doctors and public health experts to take into consideration. Someone who has been released from isolation is not considered to pose a risk of infection to others. If I have been identified by the public health department as a close contact of someone with COVID-19, are there steps I should take to help avoid getting sick? In addition to following health department guidance about self-quarantine, here are additional recommended precautions from the CDC for household members, intimate partners and caregivers in a non-healthcare setting of a patient with symptomatic laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, or a patient under investigation. See CDC explanation of "close contact" here. I'm a supervisor. What if someone reports to me they have COVID-19? If you receive a report, confirmed or unconfirmed, that a member of your team has been exposed to or has contracted coronavirus, please call the UD Student Health Center at 937-229-3131 for guidance. Please remember not to share the person's health information with colleagues. This is a violation of their privacy, and this information may be protected by HIPAA and other laws. Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 or notified by public health officials they are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 must fill out this disclosure form. What if I find out an employee or someone in their home was exposed somewhere outside the home to COVID-19? "Close contact" is described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as being within 6 feet of a person for more than 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. Furthermore, a contact of a contact is not a contact. The employee or you would not become a contact unless the person in your home showed symptoms of COVID-19. A good rule of thumb is, if you or the person in your home who works where there is COVID-19 are not contacted by a public health official for contact tracing, you should be safe. Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 or notified by public health officials they are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 must fill out this disclosure form. I'm a supervisor. What should I do if I suspect someone has COVID-19? Supervisors (with the support and involvement of HR as needed) should ask employees who are exhibiting symptoms to go home and contact their healthcare provider for further evaluation, including when it is safe to return to work. We ask staff to cooperate with supervisors for the well-being of all. Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 or notified by public health officials they are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 must fill out this disclosure form. ============================== If you are feeling anxious or worried about COVID-19, students can call the Counseling Center at 937-229-3141 and employees may contact Lifeworks Employee Assistance Program. The Counseling Center will be offering a hybrid model of online (telebehavioral health) and in-person counseling services during the fall 2021 semester. Call 937-229-3141 to make an appointment. Initial meetings will be conducted in person at Gosiger Hall, and students may discuss their preferences for online or in-person sessions at that time. Students residing more than 25 miles from campus may request an initial online appointment. Only students physically present in the state of Ohio will be eligible for telebehavioral health services. Per state law, counseling center therapists cannot provide clinical services outside of the state of Ohio. If you are in crisis, call the Counseling Center at 937-229-3141 during business hours, Public Safety at 937-229-2121, or the National Suicide Hotline 800-273-8255, or text Help to 741741. The Tokyo metropolitan government says it confirmed 57 new cases of the coronavirus infections on Saturday in the Japanese capital. The figure is the highest single-day count since the state of emergency was lifted on May 25. Saturday also marked the second straight day that the daily number in the capital has topped 50. The number of people in Tokyo who have tested positive now stands at 6,054. Forty one of the newly confirmed cases are people in their 20s and 30s, accounting for around 70 percent of the total. Twenty one are known to have been in close contact with coronavirus carriers, while transmission routes remain unknown for the remaining 36. 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. Patients will have to wait up to a year for hip and knee replacements as the NHS imposes strict infection controls, doctors' leaders warn. Hospitals are facing a huge backlog of routine operations but are running at only about half their usual capacity due to the coronavirus crisis. Non-emergency surgery cases were paused for three months in mid-March, and have only just resumed. The latest NHS figures show the numbers of patients waiting a year or more for operations or other procedures has increased by ten-fold compared to 2019 [File photo] Doctors are also concerned that some patients on the waiting list are being prescribed highly addictive opioid painkillers. NHS waiting times are expected to increase substantially over the coming months because hospitals must enforce stricter infection control measures. This means only a limited number of patients can attend clinics or stay overnight on wards and theatres must be more thoroughly cleaned between procedures, meaning fewer operations can take place. Professor Philip Turner, the immediate past president of the British Orthopaedic Association, said hospitals were 're-prioritising' patients awaiting operations, including hip and knee replacements, to identify which cases were the most urgent. NHS waiting times are expected to increase substantially over the coming months because hospitals must enforce stricter infection control measures [File photo] He said: 'It may seem unfair to those who have been on the list the longest and who thought they were just about to come in. 'I've been talking to some who received their admission letters they've now been told 'no'. But they may not be the ones who require treatment the most urgently.' Professor Turner said that 'sadly', many would be waiting longer than six months, adding: 'I think it could be up to a year.' He predicted it could take two years before normal service was resumed. It came as: Holiday bookings surged as ministers are poised to confirm which destinations will be connected to the UK through 'air bridges'; Leicester could be the first UK city to be put into a second 'local' lockdown after an increase in cases; Government advisers warned Britain was on a 'knife edge', and virus cases could rise in days; Global cases of Covid-19 topped 10 million with almost 500,000 deaths; Boris Johnson will today pledge 1.8 billion to fix Britain's crumbling schools and confirmed attendance will be mandatory for pupils from September; More gastric band surgery could be offered on the NHS under plans to reduce the impact of a second wave of coronavirus. The latest NHS figures show the numbers of patients waiting a year or more for operations or other procedures has increased by ten-fold compared to 2019. A total of 11,042 people had been waiting at least 52 weeks as of April, up from 1,047 in April last year. Professor Derek Alderson, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said the increasingly long waits were a 'cause of great concern', adding 'a substantial number of patients in these categories are people waiting for orthopaedic joint replacements'. Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust think-tank said: 'The reality is some people may end up waiting a very long time. All the orthopaedic surgeons in an area will need to look at their waiting lists and say, look, if we can do a thousand cases and we've got 2,000 people, who do we do?' Under the NHS constitution, patients shouldn't wait longer than 18 weeks for routine procedures. The situation is being made worse because GPs slashed their referrals during the coronavirus outbreak, meaning many patients aren't even making it on to the waiting list. Figures from the British Orthopaedic Association show the number of patients referred for orthopaedic procedures in April was down by 80 per cent 33,966 referrals compared to 176,033 in April 2019. Professor Turner said: 'To get back to anything like the throughput we normally would, we're probably looking at two years.' He added that he was 'very concerned' that patients were being put on opioid painkillers by their GPs because they were in such agony. 'We have concerns about the sorts of analgesia (painkilling medication) they may be receiving. The other big controversy is about the use of opiates for analgesia. Knee operations? Not this year The former insurance consultant, who lives in Sandhurst in Berkshire, has been waiting for the two procedures since October 2019 Rob Martinez, 63, has been told his knee replacement operations will not happen this year. The former insurance consultant, who lives in Sandhurst in Berkshire, has been waiting for the two procedures since October 2019. He was booked in for surgery at Frimley Park Hospital in Frimley, Surrey, in April but was told three weeks before the date that it had been cancelled because the pandemic. He contacted his consultant last week to find out when it was being rescheduled and was told there was 'zero chance' it would be this year. Mr Martinez, who had to take early retirement because he was in so much pain, said: 'I have ongoing pain in my knees, difficulty climbing the stairs, pain in walking, pain in sleeping, pain basically all the time. 'No medication I've been on has helped. The last I heard from the hospital was in March when they phoned (to say) my operation was being cancelled indefinitely.' Advertisement 'We're very concerned and there's some evidence when we do see patients that they have been given very strong analgesics by GPs because they don't have much alternative if they're not going to have surgery for a while. We're concerned about how to wean patients off the opiates once they get the surgery.' The Mail has been campaigning for greater recognition of the prescription drugs addiction crisis, including opioids. Professor Turner added: 'If patients have to wait longer they'll obviously be in more pain, their joints actually get stiffer, the deformity increases (for arthritis), there's a risk that the complexity of the surgery required particularly in knee replacements may increase or it may be more difficult to do.' An NHS spokesman said: 'Now that the NHS has managed the first wave of coronavirus, there is an important job to do to help people whose planned care, such as knee and hip surgery, was postponed to protect their own safety. 'That's exactly what local health services are doing, while also remaining ready for any future increase in Covid cases.' NHS could be behind schedule for FOUR YEARS, doctors warn because of treatment backlog caused by coronavirus crisis ByGeorgia Simcox For Mailonline The NHS will not be able to return to normal for as long as four years due to the treatment backlog caused by the coronavirus crisis, hospital bosses warned. Some hospitals will only be able to provide 40 per cent of the care they delivered before the crisis began due to their drive to remain infection-free. The waiting list for operations could rise from 4.2 million people to 10 million by the end of this year, experts believe. Hospitals are closing beds and surgeons are carrying out fewer procedures because they need to wear protective clothing, The Observer reported. Some hospitals will only be able to provide 40 per cent of the care they delivered before the crisis began due to their drive to remain infection-free Group chief executive of Warwick hospital, George Eliot hospital in Nuneaton and County hospital in Hereford Glen Burley said: 'It could be four years before waiting times get back to pre-Covid levels. We could see that. Its certainly years, not months.' Many normal services were reduced so that hospitals could focus on tackling coronavirus. They are now under pressure from ministers and health charities to resume care for patients with conditions such as cancer and obesity. Chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health service trusts, Niall Dickson told The Observer: 'With social distancing and the need for personal protective equipment it is simply not possible in many services to deliver as much care as would have been possible in the past. 'Some services will not manage much more than 40% productivity.' Tumours have spread when surgery was postponed and also have gone undetected. 2.1 million patients are awaiting crucial screening for breast, cervical and bowel cancer, Cancer Research UK said at the end of May. Another 290,000 have missed out on urgent referrals to confirm or rule out tumours. And at least 21,600 patients have had surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy postponed in the past nine weeks. Hospital bosses said they are doing everything they can to restore services before the extra pressure of next winter. Hospital bosses said they are doing everything they can to restore services before the extra pressure of next winter A potential second wave of coronavirus could force care to be suspended again, so hospital bosses plan to increase the number of beds and treat as many patients as they can. Some hospital trusts have split their hospitals, using one to treat emergency cases and coronavirus patients, with another for planned procedures. On Friday surgeons called for same-day coronavirus testing so hospitals could start clearing the backlog of NHS operations. One in three surgeons said they can't restart routine ops, such as hip and knee replacements - despite pressure to resume normal services. More than half of people waiting for tests in England had been waiting for six weeks or more by April. In February just 2.8 per cent of people booked in for tests had to wait for six weeks, but this had soared to 55 per cent by April because of the pandemic. The upscale locality of Andheri located in the Mumbai Suburban district has emerged as the latest COVID-19 hotspot in Mumbai with over 10,000 cases, exceeding Asia's largest slum, Dharavi, which has reported 4,688 coronavirus positive cases so far. According to the BMC data, Andheri east has reported a total of 5,097 infections. Out of these, 2,489 are active COVID-19 cases whereas 2,295 people have recovered. Andheri West has reported a total of 4,252 cases, out of which 1,728 are active coronavirus cases whereas 2,343 people have recovered. The coronavirus growth rate in Andheri and adjoining areas like Vile Parle West and Jogeshwari stands at 1.8%, which is slightly higher than that of the average for Mumbai's 1.76%. The COVID-19 doubling rate in areas like Andheri, Vile Parle West and Jogeshwari is 38 days, while the doubling rate in Mumbai stands at 42 days currently. As of June 26, 2020, Andheri and adjoining areas have 41 containment zones in all. The BMC officials have sealed slums, chawls and 569 localities in these areas to prevent the coronavirus situation in the area from getting out of hand. As per a BMC report, out of the 3,14,780 tests conducted in Mumbai, 72,287 are in Andheri and nearby areas. Out of the 28,366 active cases reported from the area, 17,135 are asymptomatic cases, whereas 10,226 cases are symptomatic and 1,005 are critical cases. Meanwhile, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases across the country at 1, 59,133, which comprise 67,615 active cases and 7,273 fatalities. The Union Health Ministry data suggests that 84, 245 people have been cured in the state. Also read: Coronavirus in Maharashtra: BMC to seal buildings in north Mumbai's slums, congested areas The official Twitter account of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) UK movement has today been caught up in an antisemitism row after it tweeted in support of Palestine over plans by Israel to annex its West Bank settlements. The verified account claimed mainstream British politics were being 'gagged of the right to critique Zionism,' before Tweeting that the movement 'loudly and clearly stands beside our Palestinian comrades' and adding in block capitals 'FREE PALESTINE'. But the Tweet has sparked outrage among the Jewish community, with some describing the idea of politicians being 'gagged' over their criticism of Zionism as being an 'antisemitic trope'. Today the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, criticised the tweet, describing it as 'beyond disappointing'. The official Twitter account of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) UK movement has today been caught up in an antisemitism row after it tweeted in support of Palestine The tweet comes amid plans by Israel to annex its West Bank settlements. Pictured: Palestinian labourers queue to enter Israel The official Twitter account for Black Lives Matter UK tweeted in support of Palestine today, sparking outrage from some Twitter users She told the Jewish News: 'It is beyond disappointing that a supposedly anti-racist organisation has leaned into the antisemitic trope that British politics is gagged in terms of debating Israel, a claim particularly preposterous because Israel is one of the most-discussed foreign policy issues in this country.' Today the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism also issued a statement attacking the BLM UK tweet. The charity said: 'The Black Lives Matter movement should embrace solidarity from Jews. 'From the official UK BLM we hear the lie that fighting antisemitism "gagged" legitimate debate 'Zionism is the movement for the self-determination of Jews. The right to self-determination of peoples is universal and enshrined in Article 1 of the UN Charter. 'So called anti-Zionism exclusively denies Jews that right and is therefore antisemitic.' 'BLM should aspire to be a movement against racism that unifies people and achieves lasting change, not a movement that spreads hatred and achieves lasting division The statement added: 'You cannot fight prejudice with prejudice.' Another to criticise the Tweet was Lance Foreman, former Conservative MEP for London. He said: 'You say that British politics is gagged of the right to critique Zionism. NO IT IS NOT!!! But if anyone tries to critique the BLM organisation, thats where people are gagged. Your tweet is hypocritical, antisemitic and racist. Withdraw it.' Another user, who described herself as a British Jew, said: 'Throughout the BLM protests, I've listened, I've bought books to understand better, I've considered how I could personally make positive changes. 'But when it comes to antisemitism no one does the same As a British jew I find this tweet incredibly upsetting.' Meanwhile, Karen Pollock, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, called for the BLM UK account to explain the tweet. She said: 'Its irresponsible, disappointing and dangerous to post something like this to thousands of followers who sincerely want to fight racism. Gagged? Gagged by whom? The insinuation is depressingly clear. You cant fight racism with racism.' But others have come out in support of the Tweet. One twitter user, a Black Lives Matter supporter, said: 'I agree it is not ideal language but please don't let that distract from the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement.' Another said: 'Hope Palestinians will find peace in their lands,' while another added: 'This isn't antisemitism, nobody mentioned Jews. This is about Israel and the Israel lobby.' The Twitter row comes amid growing debate over plans by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said earlier this month that he is planning to effectively annex parts of the occupied West Bank. From July 1, the Israeli government aims to take its first steps toward implementing part of a US-proposed Middle East peace plan that paves the way for annexing key parts of the West Bank, including settlements long considered illegal by the majority of the international community. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that he is planning to effectively annex parts of the occupied West Bank The controversial plan also envisions the creation of a Palestinian state, but on reduced territory and the Palestinians have rejected it outright. The West Bank, which is on the west bank of the River Jordan and is mostly bordered by Israel, has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war. As many as three million Palestinians live there under both limited self-rule and Israeli military rule. Around 450,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank in settlements - which much of the international community say are illegal. Annexation, which is forbidden under international law, would bring those settlements under Israeli sovereignty. Israel deny the plan amounts to annexation and say Palestinians living in the areas under its plans would not come under Israeli rule. The West Bank, which is on the west bank of the River Jordan and is mostly bordered by Israel, has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war. As many as three million Palestinians live there under both limited self-rule and Israeli military rule Israel deny the plan amounts to annexation, which is illegal under international law, and say Palestinians living in the areas under its plans would not come under Israeli rule But the plan has sparked controversy across the world, including in the UK, where this week Labour's Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, called on Britain to ban the import of goods from illegal settlements in the West Bank region. The UK Black Lives Matter group is a semi-official offshoot of the American organisation, which has protested anti-racism and police brutality in the US following the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes during an incident in May. But while the UK's group has also protested anti-racism in the UK following Mr Floyd's death, it has listed its other objectives on its GoFundMe page. In a statement on the page, which has raised more than 1million, it says: 'Were guided by a commitment to dismantle imperialism, capitalism, white-supremacy, patriarchy and the state structures that disproportionately harm black people in Britain and around the world. A source recently told The Guardian newspaper that Black Lives Matter UK is being run by a core of around ten activists including a man called Joshua Virasami (pictured), who has been with the movement since its incarnation 'BLMUK organises in the black radical tradition, using political education, direct action and political leadership toward black liberation.' The Black Lives Matter organisation in America does not cite ending capitalism as a policy goal. Those behind the UK organisation are not known, though a source recently told The Guardian newspaper that Black Lives Matter UK is being run by a core of around ten activists including a man called Joshua Virasami, who has been with the movement since its incarnation PITTSBURGH Officials in western Pennsylvania's Allegheny County are halting all on-site consumption of alcohol in bars and restaurants due to what they call an "alarming" spike in COVID-19 cases. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Dr. Debra Bogen, the county health department director, said the recent spike has been largely among young people and involved out-of-state travel, often including night life during travel, and going to local bars and restaurants. Under the order to go into effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday, bars and restaurants can remain open but won't be allowed to serve alcohol other than takeout options allowed by the state. In addition, masks will be enforced in restaurants until food arrives, and outdoor seating is being encouraged. Fitzgerald said officials are keeping an eye on sports and in particular youth sports, since there are some indications there might be a growing problem there. The county reported an addition 96 cases Sunday, six higher than the previous high of 90 on Saturday, and a total of 393 in the past seven days. Bogen said she was "very concerned" not only by the rapid rise in cases but because most cases had no known source, indicating they were "community spread." "We went from nearly no cases of community spread to a lot very quickly," Bogen said. In addition, since many people have mild or no symptoms, they are likely unwittingly spreading the virus to others, including perhaps older relatives in high-risk categories, she said. County health authorities said Friday two-thirds of the cases were among those 19 to 49 years old, some of whom reported traveling, attending protests and family gatherings or visiting or working in bars and restaurants. Travel included to places struggling with rising cases, including Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, Houston and Florida. County health authorities also asked residents to consider postponing plans to travel to a coronavirus hot spot, and to self-quarantine for 14 days and get tested when returning. Officials said there had been no significant increase in hospitalizations and deaths "at least not yet," Bogen said, noting that hospitalizations lag cases by at least a week or more, and current cases are mostly in younger people less prone to serious cases. State health officials said Friday they were looking closely at areas where COVID-19 infection rates and deaths are ticking back up, threatening to turn back progress against the pandemic. State data indicated that case counts and percentage of positive tests had both more than tripled in the previous seven days over the week before. Governor Tom Wolf backed the action Sunday, calling the situation in the county "a reminder for the entire state to follow mask-wearing and other mitigation requirements." Allegheny County, which includes the city of Pittsburgh, is home to 1.2 million people and is Pennsylvania's second most-populated county behind Philadelphia. Andy Herren, who won Season 15 of Big Brother back in 2013, is speaking out about the show's lack of diversity. The 33-year-old Aurora, Illinois native, who was the first openly-gay winner in the show's history, released a lengthy statement on Twitter on Saturday. The reality star first issued the statement to E! Online, before releasing the full, un-edited statement on Twitter, adding, 'I had a lot to say!' Andy speaks out: Andy Herren, who won Season 15 of Big Brother back in 2013, is speaking out about the show's lack of diversity Statement: The 33-year-old Aurora, Illinois native, who was the first openly-gay winner in the show's history, released a lengthy statement on Twitter on Saturday Herren, who bested GinaMarie Zimmerman in Season 15 of Big Brother, began by stating, 'It's important to speak up because Big Brother has always had a problem with minority representation.' 'There are usually at most two Black houseguests and one gay houseguest and Latino and Asian representation is even worse,' he added. Herren also noted that straight white male contestants 'compromise 12 of the 21 winners of the show, which is so crazy when you really break it down.' Andy and GinaMarie: Herren, who bested GinaMarie Zimmerman in Season 15 of Big Brother, began by stating, 'It's important to speak up because Big Brother has always had a problem with minority representation. He added that the straight white male contestants always 'have an inherent advantage because there are SO MANY OF THEM.' Herren said that gay contestants 'are never afforded this luxury. There is always just one,' calling the one gay contestant each season a, 'side character an obstacle for the straight people to overcome on their way to the finish line.' The reality star said that minority characters 'have to work harder for connections' right from the beginning, 'because they are almost always cast to fit in a token role.' Advantage: He added that the straight white male contestants always 'have an inherent advantage because there are SO MANY OF THEM' He added that those who are considered the 'greats' of Big Brother are all white males, though Herren contends his game is probably better than some of the greats. 'I was NEVER in danger of going home and every single person in the house thought I was on their side until they were walking out the door, and even then they usually still thought I wasn't the one who backstabbed them (I was),' Herren added. Herren said that the show allows straight white males to be the 'masterminds' of the show because they get 'tons of Diary Room exposure' where others do not. Greats: He added that those who are considered the 'greats' of Big Brother are all white males, though Herren contends his game is probably better than some of the greats He continued that when he was in the Diary Room, he was often asked how 'cute' he thought the men in the house were,' adding that 'every single eviction went as I wanted it to and the person I wanted to go home every week went home.' Also despite his historic win, he has never been asked to return to Big Brother, while other previous champions have. 'I was the first gay winner in Big Brother history and after my win I wasnt invited back once. Not even to host a competition. But men who have demeaned gay people and trans people have repeatedly been asked back not only to Big Brother but to other CBS shows,' he added. For example, Cody Nickson, who called trans contestant Audrey Middleton 'it' and 'tranny' and then 'refused to apologize' was invited to star in CBS' The Amazing Race, and went on to win that season. Herren also clarified that he's not speaking up because he's angry about not being invited back, stating he's speaking up, 'because we are in a time when people are actually listening to minority voices, and I hope CBS listens and makes changes.' He concluded by stating he was told that he wasn't invited back because he was thought to be 'boring,' adding, 'The show didn't know what to do with a strategic gay man who was running everything so they buried me in the edit and made me invisible.' 'It isn't my fault that I came across as boring. It was a calculated choice by the proudction,' Herren concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 17:45:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the first plenary meeting of the 20th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, started its 20th session Sunday to review multiple bills, including a draft law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the first plenary meeting of the session. Lawmakers heard a report on the deliberation of the draft law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Lawmakers also reviewed draft amendments to the Criminal Law and the Patent Law, and draft revisions to the Law on the Protection of Minors and the Administrative Penalty Law. Other legislative documents include a draft export control law and a draft data security law. Enditem MANILA, Philippines (AP) Southeast Asian leaders said a 1982 U.N. oceans treaty should be the basis of sovereign rights and entitlements in the South China Sea, in one of their strongest remarks opposing Chinas claim to virtually the entire disputed waters on historical grounds. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations took the position in a statement issued by Vietnam Saturday on behalf of the 10-nation bloc. ASEAN leaders held their annual summit by video on Friday, with the coronavirus pandemic and the long-raging territorial disputes high on the agenda. We reaffirmed that the 1982 UNCLOS is the basis for determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights, jurisdiction and legitimate interests over maritime zones, the ASEAN statement said. The leaders were referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a 1982 international agreement that defines the rights of nations to the worlds oceans and demarcates stretches of waters called exclusive economic zones where coastal states are given the right to exclusively tap fishery and fuel resources. They said in their statement that UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. Chinese officials did not immediately comment on the statement, but three Southeast Asian diplomats told The Associated Press that it marked a significant strengthening of the regional blocs assertion of the rule of law in a disputed region that has long been regarded as an Asian flash point. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authority to speak publicly. This is a rebuke of the basis of Chinas claims, said Carl Thayer, a prominent South China Sea analyst. He said the statement represented a significant shift in ASEANs rhetoric. While it has criticized aggressive behavior in the disputed waters, ASEAN, which relies heavily on China for trade and investment, has never castigated China by name in its post-summit communiques. Story continues As ASEANs leader this year, Vietnam oversaw the drafting of the chairmans statement, which was not a negotiated document but was circulated among other member states for consultation. Vietnam has been one of the most vocal critics of Chinas assertive actions in the disputed waters. China has taken increasingly aggressive steps in recent years to bolster its claims to the strategic waters, which it vaguely marks with a so-called nine-dash line that overlaps with the coastal waters and territorial claims of ASEAN member states Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. Taiwan has also staked a claim in vast stretches of the disputed waters. In July 2016, an international arbitration tribunal invalidated Chinas vast historical claims to the waters based on UNCLOS. China refused to participate in the case and dismissed the ruling as a sham. China in recent years transformed seven disputed reefs into missile-protected island bases, including three with military-grade runways, and continues to develop them in actions that have set off protests and alarmed rival claimant states, as well as the United States and its Asian and Western allies. In recent months, China has come under fire for what rival claimants say were aggressive actions in the disputed waters as countries were scrambling to deal with the coronavirus. Vietnam protested in April after a Chinese coast guard ship rammed and sank a boat with eight fishermen off the Paracel Islands. The Philippines backed Vietnam and protested new territorial districts announced by China in large swaths of the sea. There is talk of new faces in railways and finance. A matter of time There is no sign of a cabinet reshuffle. Three eager hopefuls Mukul Roy, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himanta Biswa Sarma are increasingly restless and jittery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have assured them of weighty berths. Roy is in hurry on account of next years Bengal polls while Scindia wants a cabinet rank in order to influence the Madhya Pradesh Assembly by-polls that will have a bearing on the Shivraj Singh Chouhan ministry. And Sarma is flashing his utility-performer card in the Northeast. The way a near-collapse of the Manipur government was recently averted is another feather in the Assam health minister's cap. However, well-placed sources say the PM may be biding his time on account of the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing trouble with China. There is talk of new faces in railways and finance. Which side are you on? Congress is witnessing a crucial tug-of-war between those who owe allegiance to Rahul Gandhi and those backing the old guard. Paradoxically both sides are counting on the support of party chief Sonia Gandhi. A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on the China crisis devoted time to the leadership issue when some members urged Rahul to take over as AICC chief. The CWC video-meeting also saw Priyanka Gandhi targeting R.P.N. Singh who questioned the need to criticise PM Narendra Modis handling of Ladakh crisis. Party sources say Priyanka is miffed with R.P.N. Singh on several counts. He looks after party affairs in Jharkhand. Priyanka is reportedly getting some reports of Congress leaders involvement in matters in which they ought not to be interfering. Moreover, R.P.N. Singh is seen as a supporter and a buddy of Jyotiraditya Scindia who has defected from the Congress. How Muslims will be heard The Indian Islamic Cultural Centre at Lodhi Road in New Delhi has a hot topic of discussion should Muslims in India look for a 24X7 news channel to communicate their point of view or should they strengthen social media platforms. Well-heeled members of the Muslim intelligentsia who form part of the IICC are concerned at the way some private TV news channels have adversely projected the community. While some noble souls want to raise money for an independent Muslim channel, others advocate caution pointing that such a course may prove counter-productive. They feel that given the social media's deep penetration, strengthening social media platforms would be a more pragmatic, cheaper and doable option. The debate rages on. Tariqs new goals Congress insiders say efforts are on to induct Tariq Anwar as AICC general secretary in order to blunt the influence of two Muslim faces of the party Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad. But Tariq, who had raised the banner of revolt against Sonia on the grounds of her foreign origins, is unable to prove his mettle. He was named as the Congress nominee for an MLC seat in Bihar but at the last moment, it was discovered that Tariq was a voter in Delhi. Observers feel Tariq needs to do lot more in order to challenge Patel and Azad. Chouhans many dilemmas Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is unable to expand his council of ministers. The state is without a governor as incumbent Lalji Tandon is hospitalised in Lucknow. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly does not have a Speaker as the election of Speaker has not taken place after the resignation of N.P. Prajapati. The post of the leader of Opposition is also vacant as Congress is yet to send the name of its nominee. The reason for the delay in Mr Chouhan expanding his council of ministers is said to be political. Mr Chouhan reportedly wants his former Cabinet colleagues back in government but PM Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda want to give weightage to image, caste equations and talent. The deadlock continues. Congress warms to Web The Congress pointman for poll-bound Bihar, Shaktisinh Gohil, was in self-quarantine in Gandhinagar after senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha candidate Bharatsinh Solanki tested Covid-19 positive. A crisis brew in Delhi and Patna following Hindustan Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi raising the flag of revolt against Tejaswi Yadav. Mr Manjhi met Sonia Gandhi in an attempt to build consensus to isolate RJD. Mr Gohil was required for consultations as Mr Manjhi complained about lack of co-ordination in the anti-Nitish Kumar-BJP front. Mr Gohil arranged for a video call where Ahmed Patel, K.C. Venugopal and non-RJD allies participated. Mr Gohil has been asking Rahul Gandhi to start holding web meetings to address crowds in Bihar. Donald Trump has fueled speculation he will pardon Roger Stone by retweeting a petition calling for his freedom as his longtime ally insists the 'final chapter is not written'. Trump retweeted a story Saturday morning on a petition of more than 110,000 signatures demanding his former adviser be granted a pardon as he faces 40 months in jail for witness tampering, obstruction of justice and lying to Congress during its probe into Russia's involvement in the 2016 election. The post, shared by self-proclaimed 'Digital Keyboard Warrior for @realDonaldTrump' Lori Hendry, read: 'IT'S TIME TO #PardonRogerStone'. This comes just one day after Stone lost his federal court bid to delay his jail sentence to September due to COVID-19. Donald Trump has fueled speculation he will pardon Roger Stone by retweeting a petition calling for his freedom as his longtime ally insists the 'final chapter is not written' (above) Stone shared the news that the president may step in to save him from prison in a series of triumphant Instagram posts. 'Look who retweeted at 7:35 this morning! The final chapter is not written,' Stone wrote. 'My struggle for freedom and to expose the epic corruption of my persecution continues. Nothing can stand between me and the reelection of the greatest president in my lifetime. Stay tuned.' Stone later posted a plug for an upcoming radio interview where he pledged to speak of his 'epic struggle for freedom against the deep state' and another post where he hit out at several media outlets, calling them fake news. 'I hear that numerous reporters at CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, the Washington Post and the Daily Beast among others, are on suicide watch,' he wrote alongside an article by Politico about Trump retweeting the petition. Trump (right) retweeted a story Saturday morning on a petition of more than 110,000 signatures demanding his former adviser Stone (left) be granted a pardon as he faces 40 months in jail for witness tampering, obstruction of justice and lying to Congress during its probe into Russia's involvement in the 2016 election The social media activity from the two longtime friends has sparked yet more questions over whether the president will jump to pardon Stone of his crimes. A few weeks back, Trump also suggested a pardon could be in the cards when he tweeted that he was a 'victim' and blasted his conviction a 'political crime'. 'Roger was a victim of a corrupt and illegal Witch Hunt, one which will go down as the greatest political crime in history,' Trump tweeted on June 4. 'He can sleep well at night!' A US judge on Friday ruled that Stone must report to prison on July 14 and that he will immediately be placed on house arrest until then, turning down the 67-year-old's request to delay his sentence until September. Stone was set to begin his 40-month sentence at a prison in Georgia on June 30 but claimed he has health issues that increase his risk of contracting coronavirus and asked that his start date be pushed back 60 days. Stone shared the news that the president may step in to save him from prison in a series of triumphant Instagram posts Saturday where he said 'the final chapter is not written' US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson decided not to grant the extension Friday but gave Stone 14 days until he must hand himself in to begin his sentence. She also ordered Stone to begin immediate home confinement until July 14, noting the rising number of coronavirus cases in Florida, where he is located. The judge wrote in her order that this was added because of 'the strong medical recommendation' submitted by Stone's defense lawyers. The home confinement would be monitored by court officials before Stone is required to surrender at the prison on July 14. Stone was convicted in November on all seven counts of an indictment that accused him of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 presidential election in his favor. He was the sixth Trump aide or adviser to be convicted on charges brought as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the race for the White House. A few weeks back, Trump also suggested a pardon could be in the cards when he tweeted (pictured) that Stone was a 'victim' and blasted his conviction a 'political crime' Before his February 20 sentencing, the Justice Department leadership backed away from its initial recommendation just hours after Trump tweeted his displeasure at the recommendation of up to nine years in prison, saying it had been too harsh. The move led to a brief flare-up between Attorney General William Barr and Trump. Throughout Stone's trial and conviction, several people have been accused of interference including Trump, Barr and top officials at the DOJ. Aaron Zelinsky, a member of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's team who prosecuted the Stone case, testified about interference from the DOJ to drop the charges against Stone. Zelinsky told Congress that he recommended a harsher sentence for Stone but DOJ leaders pushed for a more lenient sentence at Barr's direction because they were 'afraid of the president.' In written testimony, he said Stone was 'being treated differently from any other defendant because of his relationship to the president'. Activities at large airports such as Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat as well as local airports have become busy again thanks to domestic flights. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), from April 19 to May 18, five airlines, including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Jetstar Pacific and Vasco, had a total of 8,623 flights. The figure represented a sharp fall of 70 percent compared with the same period last year, but a sharp rise of 73.7 percent compared with the month before. Prior to that, social distancing was applied in Vietnam in April in an effort to control the epidemic. During that time, the passenger transport, including air transport, was nearly suspended. On April 23 airlines were allowed to resume domestic flights at a very modest frequency. However, by the end of May, large airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways resumed most domestic flights. Vietnam Airlines has restored all domestic airlines, 350 passenger and cargo flights. Since April 23, Vietnam Airlines has carried more than half million domestic passengers. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), from April 19 to May 18, five airlines, including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Jetstar Pacific and Vasco, had a total of 8,623 flights. Bamboo Airways has also reopened 90 percent of its air routes. Trinh Van Quyet, president of the airline, on May 30 announced that Bamboo Airways will cover all domestic air routes by early June or July at the latest. Vietjet Air said it has resumed the domestic flight network with the occupancy rate of 90 percent. In order to stimulate demand, airlines have launched big promotion programs. Vietjet has reserved 25 zero-dong tickets at maximum for its partners which are travel firms, applied to air routes from May 15 to June 30. Another promotion program was applied on May 11-16, under which passengers could fly on domestic air routes starting with a fee of VND18,000 with departures on May 12 - December 31, 2020, not including holidays. Bamboo Airways in late May opened two booking agents in HCM City and Hanoi associated with attractive promotion programs, under which 50 zero-dong tickets were offered to the first passengers. In an effort to support businesses and individuals suffering from Covid-19, the Ministry of Finance has recently released Circular 46, stipulating 10-20 percent fee reductions for some aviation services. Vo Huy Cuong, deputy director of CAAV, said Vietnam is considering setting up a safe travel area between Vietnam and Korea and Hong Kong. It is also working with France on the establishment of air routes to carry passengers safely. Kim Chi VN aviation industry's slowdown to affect public debt The debts incurred by enterprises in the aviation industry, due in 2020, if not payable, will have a big impact on public debt. Details added: first version posted on 10:10 BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 27 Trend: Head of International Relations department of the Azerbaijani community of Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region Aybaniz Ismayilova sent an appeal to UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) Special Envoy Angelina Jolie on behalf of the community's women on the occasion of World Refugee Day which was marked on June 20, Trend reports citing the community. There are more than one million refugees and internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan. These people have a common destiny because of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia. Azerbaijan has been suffering from the aggressive and occupational policy of Armenia for about 30 years, the appeal said. Despite the fact that the ceasefire regime has been announced 25 years ago, periodical short-term hostilities take place on the line of contact, military personnel die and are injured, and sometimes civilians also lose their lives in the conflict zone. During the first five years of the war, about one million people became refugees from the territories of Azerbaijan, occupied by Armenia. Thus, one million people displaced from the occupied cities, districts and villages were forced to settle in the safe districts of Azerbaijan," said the document. The appeal stated that about one million refugees lived for more than 10 years in tents, wagons, and camps made of wooden barracks. Under inhuman living conditions, children were born, old people died, young people became adults, two generations grew up. Hundreds of thousands of children were deprived of normal education and happy childhood. In the camps, where there was no normal medical care, people became infected with various diseases, and suffered heavily from heat and cold." Despite all these tragedies, our grief and pain failed to attract the attention of the world community, the appeal stressed. "It is true that terrible wars, tragedies, problems are also happening in the world today. No matter where they occur, the pain, tragedy, hunger, death are common for everybody.The fate of refugees during the last 30 years has broken the lives of four generations. The fate of young people who have become refugees is even harder than that of other generations. They had to support their parents, care for them, grow up their children. Another generation of children became refugees. The children whose childhood fell on the years of the war, who were half-starved, had to live in camps and could not get a normal education, finally assert themselves and take their place in life," the appeal said. The document stated that war and forced displacement destroyed the lives of generations and changed their fate. "Indeed, if you compare these facts with the great wars, numerous refugees and more painful processes, it will not seem so tragic, but all of the said above is enough to cause unalleviated pain and permanently affect human lives. Now, four generations are hoping that this war will end peacefully and that they will be able to return to their homes. The right of these people to return to their lands has been recognized by all international organizations. Despite this, they have been forced to live longing for years for their native lands. We, forced women migrants of Karabakh, invite you to Azerbaijan so that we can tell you about our childhood, youth, homes and memories, about the graves of our beloved ones and about our lands where we had peaceful and happy life. We want to bring the truth about our tragedy to the world community." 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. 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. Theres no denying Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge leads a busy life. Shes one of the most popular members of the British royal family and as a working royal, that means she has a jam-packed schedule. When shes not performing duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II shes spending time at home with her family. The 38-year-old is known to have some serious photography skills. Its a hobby she enjoys doing in her spare time. Her favorite subjects? Her husband, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and their three children; Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Kate Middleton | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Photographys long been a hobby of Kate Middletons Being behind the camera isnt something Catherines picked up since joining the royal family in 2011 or upon becoming a mother in 2013. Her interest in photography began before William entered her life. In the years before attending college at the University of St. Andrews where shed meet William, Catherine started up with photography. Her parents tasked her with taking photos of products for their company, Party Pieces. The Duchess of Cambridges interest in the subject continued in college where she studied photography. She even organized a photography exhibit for charity. Today, Catherines patron of the Royal Photographic Society. She reportedly got the idea from Princess Victoria of Sweden The Duchess of Cambridge isnt the first royal to share family photographs with the public. According to royal expert Camilla Tominey, Catherines following in the footsteps of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden. Tominey wrote in an article for The Telegraph, the Duchess of Cambridge got the idea from Victoria after she shared her own photos of her oldest daughter, Estelle, shortly after her birth in 2012. The Cambridge family attends Trooping the Colour in 2019 | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images RELATED: Kate Middletons Favorite Wedding Picture Doesnt Have Prince William In It, Says Royal Photographer Some of the first personal photos Catherine shared were of her and William in 2012. She debuted a photo of them walking in the Borneo rainforest. When the couple became parents, she started taking photographs of her kids. But it wasnt until 2015, two years after Georges birth that Catherine shared personal photos of the Cambridge children. Since then, Catherine and William have marked major events such as birthdays and anniversaries by sharing family photos. Now its expected to see a new snapshot pop up on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges Instagram on a special occasion. When it comes to seeing the real royals behind their public personas, the Duchess is fast becoming the monarchys leading chronicler of modern royal life, Tominey said. In honor of Fathers Day and William turning 38 on June 21, 2020, Catherine shared some sweet photos. She shared personal snapshots of William with Charlotte, George, and Louis. So cute! RELATED: Kate Middleton: 4 Times She Handled Meltdowns With Prince George and Princess Charlotte Like a Pro Kate Middletons photography hobby might be bad for paparazzi, royal expert says Because Catherine gives the public an inside look at royal life through her own photos, theres no reason for the paparazzi to take photos of her, royal expert Tominey says. She writes, Why would any newspapers or magazines want to run grainy long-lens images of the royals in private when they themselves are willing to serve up crystal clear Instagram-style shots? RELATED: Kate Middleton: 8 Photos of Her Being a Regular Parent Tominey explained the draw to sharing photos of her own children for Catherine, is that she can give the public a glimpse of them without invading their private lives. Whether or not Victoria did inspire the Duchess of Cambridge to share her own family photos, were glad she did. Heres hoping we get to see more adorable snapshots of the Cambridge family soon! RELATED: 5 of Kate Middleton and Princess Charlottes Sweetest Moments The global coronavirus death toll exceeded half a million on Sunday as the number of worldwide cases surpassed a staggering 10million, marking the most devastating and destructive pandemic in a century. On Sunday, June 28 the global number of reported fatalities stood at 500,306 by 6pm EST and the global number of infections was reported at 10,070,339, according to figures by Johns Hopkins University in the US pulled from data collected from governments around the world. Over the past seven months more than five million people have recovered from the respiratory disease. The two sobering milestones in the coronavirus crisis come as the US leads with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world with over 2.5million infections. Following behind is Brazil with over 1.3million cases and Russia with over 633,000 cases. Data collected from governments around the world by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the US shows that the coronavirus has spread to almost every corner of the globe. By Sunday evening the global death toll surpassed 500,000 Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that the US has the highest number of COVID-19 infections with over 2.5million cases. Brazil, Russia, India and the UK follow behind in highest number of COVID-19 cases India has the fourth highest number of infections with over 528,000 reported and the UK has the fifth highest with more than 312,000 cases. The US also leads with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths with 125,747. About one in four of global COVID-19 deaths more than 125,000 have been reported in the US. Brazil follows behind with over 57,000 deaths reported and the UK with nearly 44,000 deaths reported. While the overall rate of death has flattened in recent weeks, health experts are now worried about record numbers of new cases in the US, India and Brazil. More than 4,700 people are dying every 24 hours from COVID-19-linked illness, according to Reuters calculations based on an average from June 1 to 27. That equates to 196 people per hour, or one person every 18 seconds. The dizzying numbers come as several states in the US including Florida, Texas and California have doubled down on closures and lockdown orders after there was a resurgence in infections when initial quarantine orders were lifted. On Friday Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas shut down bars and limited restaurant dining due to a spike in cases. 'COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks,' he said. Similarly in Florida, beaches will be closed again following a large spike in COVID-19 cases. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed the surge on interactions among young people. On Sunday California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all bars to close immediately in seven counties across the state, including Los Angeles, due to a rapid spread of coronavirus over the past few weeks. However, some states are seeing miraculous numbers and a slowing of the pandemic including in New York. USA: EMT staff move a patient into an ambulance in front of Mt. Sinai Morningside Hospital on May 18 in New York City Brazil: A COVID-19 patient is treated at the Oceanico hospital in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro on June 22. Brazil has the second highest global number of coronavirus cases with over 1.3million infections China: A Chinese epidemic control worker wears a protective suit as she performs a nucleic acid swab test for COVID-19 on a woman at a government testing site in Xicheng District on June 24 The UK: Medical worker wearing a protective face mask and screen, disposable gloves and a plastic apron, takes a swap at a coronavirus drive-through testing center in the car park of the closed Chessington World of Adventures Resort theme park on May 1 Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state reported just five coronavirus deaths on Saturday - the lowest seen since March 15. Just 616 of the state's almost 62,000 tests conducted Saturday resulted in positive diagnoses, a rate of 0.99 percent, Cuomo added. During the states peak pandemic in April, nearly 800 people were dying every day. New York still leads the nation in COVID-19 deaths with nearly 25,000 fatalities reported. Sir Jeremy Farrar, a leading scientist advising politicians in Britain, said even these harrowing global coronavirus figures are 'in reality both underestimates'. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the number of COVID-19 cases is more than double the number of severe flu cases the world would see in a normal year. WHO announced Sunday another daily record in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the world - topping over 189,000 in a single 24-hour period. The tally eclipses the previous record a week earlier at over 183,000 cases, showing case counts continue to progress worldwide. COVID-19 first appeared in China in January and has since spread to almost every country on Earth. Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of British research charity the Wellcome Trust, and a member of government advisory group SAGE, said in a tweet that the figures were 'sobering'. He wrote: 'More than 10 million confirmed cases and 500,000 deaths globally directly attributed to COVID19 in ~6 months. In reality both underestimates. 'Highly populated regions of [Central and South] America, South Asia, Africa not yet experienced full impact of 1st wave. Globally accelerating.' The grim milestone comes as many hard-hit countries, including Britain, Italy and Spain, are easing lockdowns. But they must embrace a new normal as they do this, with strict social distancing, working from home and restricted social lives in places for months more. As much of the Western world appears to be recovering from the worst of the pandemic, other, poorer, nations are in the grip of fast accelerating outbreaks. Brazil, Russia and India, which seemed to be spared disaster in the outbreak's early days, are all now at the mercy of the fast-spreading virus and have seen cases spiral out of control in recent weeks. In Brazil and India cases have tripled in a month. Brazil, a South American country home to 210million people, is now experiencing arguably the worst outbreak in the world after the total number of people to have had COVID-19 rocketed from 411,821 on May 28 to more than 1.31million today. In India, cases soared from 158,333 a month ago to 528,859 today, according to the Our World in Data project. Health services in New Delhi are on the cusp of being completely overwhelmed because of the pandemic and patients with other conditions are being turned away, The Telegraph reports. And in Russia the number of COVID-19 cases surged from 370,680 in May to 633,542 this week. The US remains the worst-hit nation in the world and there have now been 2,539,544 cases and 125,747 deaths, Johns Hopkins' data shows. WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE HAD THE MOST CORONAVIRUS CASES? The true number of people to have been infected with the coronavirus is a mystery because many countries only test people who are seriously ill or have symptoms - many never realize they are ill or cannot get tested. These are how official records show the coronavirus spread around the world: USA (2,539,544 confirmed cases) Brazil (1,313,667) Russia (633,542) India (528,859) UK (312,640) Peru (275,989) Chile (271,982) Spain (248,469) Italy (240,136) Iran (222,669) Mexico (212,802) Pakistan (202,955) France (199,473) Turkey (197,239) Germany (194,693) Saudi Arabia (182,493) South Africa (138,134) Bangladesh (137,787) Canada (105,146) Qatar (94,413) Data from Johns Hopkins University, accessed 6.00pm, June 28. Advertisement The US's Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, has warned 'the window is closing' for the US to take action to effectively curb the coronavirus. Azar pointed to a recent spike in infections, particularly in the South. He says people have 'to act responsibly' by social distancing and wearing face masks especially 'in these hot zones.' Azar argued that the US is in a better position than two months ago in fighting the virus because it is conducting more testing and has treatments available. But he acknowledged that hospitalizations and deaths could increase in the next few weeks. Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into 2021. North America, Latin America and Europe each account for around 25 per cent of cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11 per cent and nine per cent respectively, according to Reuters. The total number of cases continued to increase at a rate of between 1-2 per cent a day in the past week, down from rates above 10 per cent in March. Countries including China, New Zealand and Australia have seen new outbreaks in the past month, despite largely quashing local transmission. In South Africa the health minister warned that the countrys current surge of cases is expected to rapidly increase in the coming weeks and will push hospitals to the limit. Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said the current rise in infections has come from people who 'moved back into the workplace'. In Beijing, where hundreds of new cases were linked to an agricultural market, testing capacity has been ramped up to 300,000 a day. The United States managed to slow the spread of the virus in May, only to see it expand in recent weeks to rural areas and other places that were previously relatively unaffected. In some countries with limited testing capabilities, case numbers reflect a small proportion of total infections. Roughly half of reported infections are known to have recovered. Power producers' total outstanding dues owed by distribution firms rose nearly 63 per cent to Rs 1.23 lakh crore in April 2020 over the same month previous year, reflecting stress in the sector. Distribution companies (discoms) owed a total of Rs 75,642 crore to power generation firms in April 2019, according to portal PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators). The portal was launched in May 2018 to bring in transparency in power purchase transactions between the generators and discoms. In April 2020, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 60 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 1,08,487 crore as against Rs 58,200 crore in the same month of the preceding year. The overdue amount in April 2020 also increased from Rs 1,01,181 crore in March 2020. Power producers give 60 days to discoms for paying bills for the supply of electricity. After that, outstanding dues become overdue and generators charge penal interest on that in most cases. In order to give relief to power generation companies (gencos), the Centre enforced a payment security mechanism from August 1, 2019. Under this mechanism, discoms are required to open letters of credit for getting power supply. The central government had given moratorium to discoms for paying dues to power generating companies (gencos) in view of COVID-19-induced lockdown. The government had also waived the penal charges for late payment of dues in the directive. Last month, the government announced Rs 90,000 crore liquidity infusion for discoms under which these utilities would get loan at economical rates from Power Finance Corporation and REC Ltd. This was an initiative of the government to help gencos to remain afloat. Discoms in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for the major portion of dues to power gencos, the data showed. Overdues of independent power producers amount to 37 per cent of the total overdue of Rs 1,08,387 crore of discoms in January. The proportion of central PSU gencos in the overdue was 35.47 per cent. Among the central public sector power generators, the NTPC alone has an overdue amount of Rs 19,138.38 crore on discoms, followed by NLC India at Rs 6,246.22 crore, NHPC at Rs 3,668.41 crore, THDC India at Rs 2,384.70 crore and Damodar Valley Corporation at Rs 1,442.03 crore. Among private generators, discoms owe the highest overdue of 20,346.99 crore to Adani Power followed by RKMP (RKM Powergen Pvt Ltd) at Rs 3,421.68, Bajaj Group-owned Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd at Rs 3,187.25 crore and GMR at Rs 1,930.16 crore. The overdue of non-conventional energy producers like solar and wind, stood at Rs 8,409.93 crore in April. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe By Mark Peterson Personally, my experience at Harvard, a master's degree and a Ph.D., has helped me in many ways to open doors to opportunities along the way. But it has been interesting to me that the word "Harvard" is met with such awe, particularly in Korea. Korea has an understanding of both hierarchy and the value of education, and Seoul National University is often assumed to be the best university in Korea, and Harvard is assumed to be the best university in the world. This may or may not be the case, but I have seen the reaction from many in Korea when the word "Harvard" is heard. What does it take to get into Harvard? The assumption is you need the best scores on tests (ACT or SAT) and a perfect grade point average (GPA). Well, it turns out that's not true. I was reminded of Harvard's admission policies a few days ago when I saw a press release about Harvard's change of admission requirements because of the COVID-19 situation. They announced that since many students, "particularly those from modest economic backgrounds," would not be able to take the standardized test, they would not be using it for consideration in admissions. "Consistent with Harvard's whole-person admissions process, standardized tests are only one factor among many. Accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the high school years including community involvement, employment and help given to students' families are considered as part of our process." The history of Harvard's policy of considering the "whole-person" and emphasizing "accomplishments" goes back to the 1960s. Until that point, the admission's standard was basically grades and tests, but things changed because of a medical doctor by the name of Chase Peterson (no relation). Dr. Peterson had been an undergraduate at Harvard, and then got a medical degree there. After serving in the military and an internship at Yale, he returned to his hometown, Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1961. Harvard, at about that time, was changing its identity from being a premier university in the Ivy League, or in the northeast of the United States, to being a true national university. As part of that process, Harvard set up admissions advisory committees in various places across the country, and Chase Peterson was asked to be the person in charge in the Utah area. After a few years, Harvard noticed that the students from the Utah area were outstanding in many regards, noticeably more so than the other students. The admissions office took notice and finally looked to Dr. Peterson to see if he could explain the differences. Chase Peterson explained that he had a five-point standard for evaluating potential students. First and second were, of course, grades and test scores. But he added: (3) letters of recommendation from teachers and others, (4) evidence of leadership and (5) accomplishments. Simply put, he was recommending a student body president with maybe a 3.7 over the "bookworm" with a 4.0. And he looked for unusual accomplishments having published a book of poetry, having launched a rocket, having been a soloist with the local symphony, having the lead in a community theater production, being an outstanding high-school athlete and things like that. Things that made the student stand out, not just in the classroom, but in life. Harvard was so taken by his radical approach, that they asked him to come back to Cambridge and be the Dean of Admissions at Harvard. In 1967, he accepted the offer. That started his career as a university administrator. Ten years later, he was asked to be a vice president of a school he had never attended, but in his hometown of Salt Lake, the University of Utah. And another six years later he became the president there. Harvard's admission policies still today reflect the changes brought to the university by an M.D. on an advisory committee who said, let's look at the "whole-person." Look again at Harvard's statement from a few days ago: "Accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the high school years including community involvement, employment and help given to students' families are considered as part of our process." To my numbering system, it looks like there's a 6 (employment) and a 7 (help given to the students' families) that are being considered along with grades and test. The "whole-person" not the bookworm. Should Korea reconsider the Korean ideal of hagwon, hagwon, hagwon (the after-school-till-midnight "cram schools")? Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah. At one point in Irresistible, Jon Stewarts new political satire, a cable news anchor tosses a question to an absurdly overstuffed panel of 12 analysts, each in their own little Brady Bunch square. Immediately they start shouting at once, drowning each other out. It's just a quick, amusing bit, but for diehard Stewart fans it may evoke a memorable moment: his 2004 appearance on CNNs Crossfire, where he accused the debate show's hosts of being partisan hacks who were hurting America by imposing an artificial red-blue divide on every issue. And it's essentially that same message that the former Comedy Central host is trying to get across in 2020 with this, his second feature (after the accomplished Iran-themed Rosewater"). Here, he takes aim not so much at the media well, not ONLY the media but the whole institutional structure via which we elect our leaders, and the corrosive role money plays in it. So what else is new, you may ask? And what about, you know, everything else that's happened the last few years? Stewart's enduring influence is a double-edged sword here: Too many folks have been waiting to find out what he makes of what's going on today, and they'll likely be disappointed not to find out at least not enough in this movie, which feels like it takes place well before the election of Donald Trump, even though it starts the next morning. Yet Irresistible" has its smart laughs and real pleasures. For one thing, the lead actors are perfectly cast, with Steve Carell managing to both annoy and endear as a self-reverential Democratic consultant, and Rose Byrne hilarious as a Kellyanne Conway-esque Republican campaign guru who loves bold colors, ruffles, profanity and punctuation marks. When we meet Gary Zimmer, he's hiding in bed the morning after his surefire candidate that would be Hillary Clinton has lost. Hes probably halfway to Canada by now, they're saying on Morning Joe. Story continues Soon after, Gary's shown a viral video of a farmer in small-town Wisconsin, facing down the mayor and city council with an eloquent speech on behalf of undocumented workers. Jack Hastings (a terrific Chris Cooper) is a retired Marine colonel, to boot, and a widower who lives with his lovely 28-year-old daughter, Diana (a spot-on Mackenzie Davis). Bells go off in Gary's head: Swing state! Reclaiming the heartland! Redemption! On his rented private jet to Wisconsin, munching on his specially ordered Caprese salad with mozzarella balls, he studies the state's Wikipedia page. In tiny Deerlaken, Gary tries to ingratiate himself with the locals, who call him D.C. Gary, ply him with homemade streusel (watch Carell devour it!) and humor him when he condescendingly orders a burger and a Bud. Jack agrees to run for mayor, but insists Gary run the campaign. Soon, the race attracts the attention of Gary's afore-mentioned nemesis, Faith Brewster (Byrne), who enters the fray to quash Gary's new media star before he can rise any further. So Gary has to bring in the big guns. Whisked by private jet to an Upper West Side living room, Jack tells the rich Manhattanites how silly it feels to be asking for money when they know nothing about his town. But the checks come flowing in. As things heat up, Gary and Faith get nasty (despite or because of their obvious sexual tension), and wouldn't you know, there'll be some dirty tricks thrown into the mix, to the horror of Diana, Jack's daughter. She's the conscience of the film, especially when she asks: Is THIS politics? A last-minute shocker of a plot twist provides a deft and satisfying ending we don't see it coming. But as things close, we realize we never once really learned, well, what people believe and want in this town besides simply loving it. There IS one moment that feels particularly current. Faith lies on live TV, preposterously, leaving Gary sputtering with anger on the other side of the split screen. But he also knows it was a genius move. "She said it, and now its the truth, he mutters. Faith has already walked away. But what if these two had actually hashed it out, maybe over a burger and a Bud, this whole alternative facts thing? With Carell and Byrne, that would have been an argument worth hearing. Maybe even irresistible. Irresistible, a Focus Features release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for language including sexual references. Running time: 101 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. ___ MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or legal guardian. ___ Follow Jocelyn Noveck on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/JocelynNoveckAP Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 Sushant Singh Rajputs cousin Niraj Kumar Bablu said that they feel that the late actor was under some pressure from Bollywood; he was reacting to the statement by film producer Sandip Ssingh. Sandip has claimed that Sushant had good relations with producers Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, and said that he wasnt under any kind of pressure on the actor and he was also not a target of nepotism. We are still completing the religious formalities of Sushant. As far as the case is concerned there are big personalities in the industry who have spoken about the behaviour of Bollywood with Sushant. So we definitely feel that there was some pressure on him from Bollywood otherwise these big Bollywood celebrities wouldnt have supported Sushant, so this should be investigated, Sushants brother Niraj told ANI. On May 14, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment. Police say the actor died by suicide. We are in a wait and watch position on the results of the investigation, his brother added. Also Watch | Probing every angle behind Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide: Mumbai Police In a recent interview with media, film producer, Sandip Ssingh claimed that Sushant Singh Rajput had good relations with film producers Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, and that Sushant wasnt in any kind of pressure, nor was his career suffering due to nepotism. Sushants relative said, Police will investigate and will try to find out the reason of his death. Someone may speak what they want to, but we are going with police investigation. Police wont stop investigation based on Sandips statement or what I say to the media. If anyone tries to misguide or hide the truth from the investigation, police wont accept it. They will have to put up the puzzle altogether. We as a family dont want to interfere in it, once all the aspects comes out, we will see what needs to be done. On the issue whether they will demand a CBI probe into the case, Niraj Singh Bablu said that currently, the Mumbai police is handling the case and the family will wait for the outcome of the investigation. Big politicians, film stars and his fans have demanded a CBI enquiry. It depends on the state government whether to handover Sushants case to CBI or not . He said, So, as far as the case is with the Mumbai Police, we will wait for the outcome of the investigation. If we feel the need, we will definitely demand a CBI probe. The Rolling Stones are threatening President Donald Trump with legal action for using their songs at his rallies despite cease-and-desist directives. The Stones said in a statement Sunday that their legal team is working with music rights organization BMI to stop use of their material in Trump's reelection campaign. 'The BMI have notified the Trump campaign on behalf of the Stones that the unauthorized use of their songs will constitute a breach of its licensing agreement, the Stones said. 'If Donald Trump disregards the exclusion and persists, then he would face a lawsuit for breaking the embargo and playing music that has not been licensed. The Stones had complained during Trump's 2016 campaign about the use of their music to fire up his conservative base at rallies. The Rolling Stones 1969 classic 'You Cant Always Get What You Want' was a popular song for his events. It was played again at the close of Trump's recent rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma - an indoor event criticized for its potential to spread coronavirus. Rolling Stones (from left) Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Ron Wood have threatened President Donald Trump with legal action for using their songs at his rallies President Donald Trump played Rolling Stones song 'You Cant Always Get What You Want' at his rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma It came after Tom Petty's estate issued Trump a formal cease and desist order for using his 1989 song I Won't Back Down during his sparsely-attended Tulsa rally. Both the late Tom Petty and his family firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind,' the statement read. 'Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together. We believe in America and we believe in democracy. 'But Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage.' The statement read: 'We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage' On Tuesday, Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie demanded Trump stop using their songs, after he used their 2018 hit song High Hopes during a rally in Phoenix. The 33-year-old star tweeted: 'Dear Trump Campaign, F*** you. You're not invited. Stop playing my song...Donald Trump represents nothing we stand for.' Urie then urged his 6.6M social media following to register to vote to help get 'this monster out [of office] in November.' Other artists have also complained about having their music associated with Trump's events. A year ago, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne demanded Trump stop using anymore of his music, including 1980 banger Crazy Train, for political ads or campaigns. The 33-year-old pop star tweeted: 'Dear Trump Campaign, F*** you. You're not invited. Stop playing my song...Donald Trump represents nothing we stand for' Urie urged his 6.6M social media following to register to vote to help get 'this monster out [of office] in November.' Trump used Panic! At The Disco's 2018 hit song High Hopes during a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday, sparking outrage from frontman Brendon Urie Grammy Award-winning musician Neil Young lashed out at Trump in 2018 after hearing one of his songs played against his wishes during Trump's pre-midterm campaign rallies. The Canadian-born musician admonished Trump for using his 1990 single, 'Rockin in the Free World,' in spite of earlier warnings. In 2018, Rihanna tweeted that neither she nor her people 'would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies' after Trump played her 2008 hit Please Don't Stop the Music. That same day, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose tweeted that the twice-divorced father-of-five was a 's***bag' for ignoring his 'formal request' to stop using Sweet Child 'o Mine from 1987. Rihanna was angered after Trump played her 2008 hit Please Don't Stop the Music in 2018 'Not for much longer!' In 2018, Rihanna tweeted that neither she nor her people 'would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies' after Trump played Please Don't Stop the Music 'Can you say "s***bags?' That same day, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose tweeted that the twice-divorced father-of-five was ignoring the band's 'formal request' to stop using Sweet Child 'o Mine And Aerosmith has repeatedly sent cease and desist warnings to the former Democrat for using Dream On and Livin' on the Edge at his rallies in 2015 and 2018. 'Even though I have the legal right to use Steven Tyler's song, he asked me not to,' Trump - who struggled to book bands at his 2017 inauguration - tweeted in 2015. 'Have better one to take its place!' Other legends demanding the Donald cease from playing their music includes Prince, Queen, Pharrell, George Harrison, Neil Young, Adele, Elton John, R.E.M., Twisted Sister, and more. Trump's much-hyped campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last Saturday was the first public re-election event since the coronavirus pandemic forced the president to shelve live speeches to his supporters. Despite the campaigns claims leading up to the rally that more than a million tickets were reserved, Tulsa officials put the exact number who gathered in the arena at slightly more than 6,200. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also canceled speeches that they planned to give to an overflow crowd just outside the BOK Center after a few dozen people had attended. In the days since the Tulsa rally, the president and his supporters have claimed that would-be rallygoers were scared off by the coronavirus as well as Black Lives Matter protests that have swept the nation since the death of George Floyd. Trump surrogates have also claimed that the rally in Tulsa shattered television viewing records on cable news. People One source says of the couple: "She knows what Donald wants from her, but the rest of her life is dictated by her own interests. Each has come to respect what the other wants and needs" Scheana Shay revealed on her podcast this week that she recently suffered a devastating miscarriage six weeks into her surprise pregnancy. And Scheana's boyfriend Brock Davies, 30, took to Instagram on Friday to pen a public message of love and support to the 35-year-old Vanderpump Rules star. 'She has my back and I have Hers,' wrote Davies, who also shared a poignant photo of himself and Shay. Got her back: Scheana's boyfriend Brock Davies, 30, took to Instagram on Friday to pen a public message of love and support to the 35-year-old Vanderpump Rules star In the portrait - seen by his nearly 45,000 followers - Brock held Sheana in his muscular arms as she wrapped her legs and arms around him. The rugby player wore a colorful speedo as he stood in the sand and looked out at the ocean view. Brock shared the picture to his Instagram Story, as well, and wrote: 'I got you honey. Smooth seas doesn't make good sailors.' 'My man! @brock_davies I always will have your back,' replied Shay, who shared Davies' post with her 1.1million followers. Shared sentiment: 'My man! @brock_davies I always will have your back,' replied Shay, who shared Davies' post with her 1.1million followers Scheana tearfully opened up about her loss on the new installment of her Scheananigans with Scheana Shay podcast published on Friday. 'A few weeks ago, we found out that I was pregnant, and for those of you who have followed my fertility journey and freezing my eggs the last year and a half, I didn't think I could get pregnant on my own,' 'My doctors told me that it would be close to impossible.' she added. Scheana said she missed her period and felt sick one morning after drinking, so didn't initially guess she was pregnant. She later bought a pregnancy test and took it while FaceTiming with Davies. On Friday's installment of her podcast Scheana said she and boyfriend Brock Davies were very excited to find out she was pregnant. 'We were freaking out, but just so excited because we didn't know or think this was possible,' she said. When she got a positive result, the Sur server said she bought four more tests and then got it confirmed by her doctor with a blood test. Overjoyed at the prospect at becoming a mom, Scheana told her her mother and sister and also babysat a friend's child to practice her childcare skills. She also planned to tell her dad the news on Father's Day last weekend by making a surfboard with stickers to surprised him with the news he was going to be a grandfather. 'We were freaking out, but just so excited because we didn't know or think this was possible,' she said. However, things took a turn for the worse during a trip to San Diego earlier this month when Scheana said she felt 'off' and started to freak out after bleeding all weekend. Scheana Shay has revealed she recently suffered a miscarriage at 6 weeks pregnant Hopes: The 35-year-old star was told by doctors it would be 'impossible' for her to get pregnant on her own so the news was even more exciting The reality star said she tried to stay positive despite going to the doctor again and finding out that her progesterone levels had dropped significantly. She was prescribed progesterone pills but still felt something wasn't right. 'My OB got me in early, they did an ultrasound and there was no heartbeat,' she said, voice cracking with emotion. 'There was just nothing progressing, nothing going on inside. There were parts that he could see were starting to form, and it just didn't. So obviously, [that was] just devastating. We were so excited. Gone so quickly. It's still been a lot to process. 'Now I'm at home and I'm just waiting to naturally miscarry I'm just literally sitting here waiting, feeling normal but still treating my body as if I'm pregnant, which is a complete mindf**k because I know there's still something there, but I haven't passed it yet.' Scheana tearfully continued, 'Even though I was only six and a half weeks, that doesn't make it any easier. We still got so excited for something that isn't happening anymore. It's been really tough to wrap my head around.' Loss: During a trip to San Diego earlier this month for Brock's birthday Scheana said she felt 'off' and was freaking out after bleeding all weekend Dreaming of a family: In a recent interview with Maria Menounos, Scheana revealed her desire to have 'at least two children' with Brock, who she's been dating for nearly a year The brunette beauty went on to say it's been 'really hard' for Brock and he's been feeling angry because of the roller-coaster of emotions. Scheana's miscarriage news comes after pal Stassi Schroeder, 32, confirmed her pregnancy at the weekend, revealing she's expecting a girl with fiance Beau Clark. She went on to say she is 'so happy' for her former co-star - who was fired from Vanderpump Rules amid a racism storm earlier this month - despite her own heartbreak. Scheana has been open about her fertility struggles and revealed in January 2019 that she had frozen some of her eggs after being told her ovarian reserve was very low for her age. On Instagram she shared a photo from hospital during the procedure and wrote in the caption: 'Today's the day! Bye bye eggs! For me personally, this has been a very easy, painless and awesome experience. Everyone is different I'm sure, Back up plan: Scheana revealed in January 2019 that she had frozen some of her eggs and shared a photo from hospital during the procedure Baby news: Scheana's miscarriage news comes after pal Stassi Schroeder confirmed her pregnancy at the weekend and revealed she's expecting a girl with fiance Beau Clark 'I am single and no where near trying to have a baby. So for me- yes, this was an easy process and when i say painless, I'm referring to the needles which i have no problem with.' Scheana explained that her doctor had recommended the procedure 'to have a better chance at a healthy baby down the road,' adding, 'You never know what will happen in life.' The reality star followed up with a second round last summer. After the egg retrieval process, eggs are frozen, unfertilized, for future use. When Scheana is ready to have children, the eggs will be thawed, combined with sperm and implanted in the uterus via in vitro fertilization (IVF). In a recent interview with Maria Menounos, Scheana revealed her desire to have 'at least two children' with Brock, who she's been dating for nine months. Brock, a personal trainer from Australia, is already father to two children from a previous relationship. 'If in a crazy off chance, [I] get pregnant naturally, twins also run in my family,' she said at the time. 'If I have twin boys, I'm definitely trying again for a girl.' CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the Garland Co. marks its 125th year in business, the celebration feels more like an extended family reunion than a business anniversary. Still located in its original building in the Union-Miles neighborhood of Cleveland, with nine years of Top Workplace achievements, the employee-owned roofing manufacturer nailed second place in the 2020 Top Workplaces small-company category. It ranked 42nd in 2019. For the 2020 Top Workplaces list, cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer have compiled a record 175 Northeast Ohio employers, based on employee surveys. And weve focused on their responses and adaptations to the coronavirus pandemic. The company, valued at $900 million, has kept everyone working throughout the coronavirus crisis. In fact, it has added 27 new employees in the last 12 months. Every company has an interesting story to tell, but this is the company I was willing to relocate my family across the country for, said Jordan Trimble, a logistics analyst recruited to build out the companys logistics department after having them as a client. Trimble said Garland is a small business doing amazing things, much of which grows out of the attitude of employees. Everyone says our business, because that is the way everyone sees it. Being an owner just drives different behaviors, he said. Once an employee has completed 12 consecutive months of full-time employment, they become eligible to participate in the Employee Stock Option program. To receive stock as part of their compensation package, they must then work at least 1,000 hours in a calendar year. What impressed Trimble most is that Garland is not a top-down company. There is not a lot of stock placed on titles or positions. If any employee has an idea how to do things better, they are encouraged to bring it forward for consideration. That culture begins with Garland President Dave Sokol, who believes that the success of the company comes from the people. Ownership truly is a powerful motivator. It helps create a connection and an investment in a company like nothing else, said Sokol, Garlands president since 2004. To me, its very obvious that ownership means something to our employees. The level of success we have reached would not have been possible without the culture created because of it. To foster the family atmosphere, Sokol invites each employee for lunch every year. That openness is reflected in Top Workplaces special recognition for communication between management and employees. But the familial culture doesnt stop at the door of the plant. Each year, during Spirit Week employees choose a local charity and raise money through games, raffles and other activities organized by the staff. Last years charity, Santas Hideaway Hollow, which serves terminally ill children, netted $50,000, and the company, as a whole, spent a day painting, cleaning and making repairs at the retreat it runs in Lake County. That is what exemplifies the culture here at Garland, Trimble said. It is the lively atmosphere, the giving, the caring, the attitude that your co-workers will do anything for you. Everyone here is focused on the community, on family and the people -- not just in the company -- but in the neighborhood. It all comes back to the people. Though he guided big bills through, McGrady laments two that fell short State Rep. Chuck McGrady nears the end of his legislative career. Although he was short-timing it as his last term in the General Assembly drew to a close, state Rep. Chuck McGrady refused to hit cruise control. The Legislature this month had some critical work to do and as he has done before, House Speaker Tim Moore handed the thorniest work to McGrady, a lawyer by training who has developed an expertise in transportation funding and is the Legislature's go-to authority on environmental regulation. He has been one of the top budget writers in the House for several terms. "I had a trifecta of major, complicated bills pass towards the end of the session," McGrady said in his latest newsletter recapping the session that ended in the predawn darkness on Thursday. The first of three heavy lifts was a bill to get the NCDOT's budget back in balance and reform agency procedures that led to huge overspending in 2019, grinding the state's road work to a halt. "Recognizing a huge problem with the transportation budget which primarily gets its funds from gas taxes and federal monies, House and Senate budget chairs decided to work together to make huge cuts to balance the budget," McGrady said. "It was a difficult and painful task. I was given the lead in convening the meetings and guiding the process." The complicated fix reignited a familiar balance of power flashpoint between the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. In a move that Cooper denounced as a power grab, Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger had tried to exploit a must-pass reform bill to stack the state Board of Transportaiton with more Republican appointees. A compromise reduced the number of new appointments the House and Senate will have, sustaining Cooper's majority number. "My view is that there has been far too little compromise between the Governor and the legislature on a range of contentious issues, but the transportation funding bill is one example of where compromise led to the passage of significant legislation," McGrady said. As has been the case almost since he arrived in Raleigh nine years ago, McGrady took the lead in guiding an omnibus regulatory reform bill. A Republican who also happens to be a past national president of the Sierra Club, a former summer camp owner and founder of ECO in Hendersonville, McGrady is these days 50 pounds lighter back to his college weight and back to hiking mountain trails as often as he can. "For me, the experience of putting together the compromise (on environmental regulations) was a bit surreal," he said. "In my earlier years, Id spent a lot of time trying to defeat these types of bills, but now I was leading the effort to pass one. ... In the end, the bill passed the House and the Senate unanimously. Since the bill largely provides changes in law sought by the Cooper administration, the expectation is the bill will become law." His last major statewide bill involved bailout money for broke or nearly broke local towns and water and sewer authorities, usually serving small rural communities with shrinking tax bases, to repair water and wastewater plants. Because the bill had strong bipartisan support, it had tended in recent legislative sessions to attract irrelevant "Christmas ornaments." This time, McGrady said, he and the bill's Senate sponsor managed to marshal a clean bill through. McGrady closed the recap of his last regular session the Legislature will come back at least twice more, but not for general bill-passing work with lamentations for two bills that didn't make it. The first, a bill to broaden autism services through regulatory changes, looked like it might finally cross the finish line after McGrady and others had spent years pushing. "In the wee hours of the morning, I was informed by the Senate there wasnt enough time to take up HB671, and that is a bitter pill for me," he said. An even heavier rock to push uphill was McGrady's quixotic quest for a constitutional amendment to create nonpartisan redistricting in North Carolina. Because an adjournment resolution restricts what the Legislature can do when it reconvenes "we may have lost our best opportunity to adopt some form of nonpartisan redistricting as many other states have done," he said. It all amounted to a mixed bag for McGrady as he settled into his hybrid Toyota Camry for the five-hour drive home. "As I leave town," he said, "I feel proud of the role I played in passing the transportation funding bill, the regulatory reform bill, and the water/wastewater infrastructure bill. Conversely, Im despondent about what happened on the autism bill and not hopeful that nonpartisan redistricting will be addressed before this legislator finally heads home later this year. "These latter setbacks pretty much confirm I made the right decision to move in another direction with my life," he concluded. "My record over the last 10 years speaks for itself, but there may be no realistic way to accomplish my goals on autism and nonpartisan redistricting during the remainder of my term representing District 117 in the House." Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 16:17:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, June 27 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed, including the suspect, and four others injured Saturday afternoon in a shooting at a Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff, a city in Tehama County in California, according to local media. The suspect, a 31-year-old man, was a previous employee of the Walmart distribution center as of 12-18 months ago, Lt. Yvette Borden from the Tehama County Sheriff's Department was quoted by the Daily News, a newspaper in the city, as saying. The victim was identified as Martin Haro-Lozano, the Daily News reported. The shooting happened at the Walmart distribution center right when a new group of workers started their shift. There was also a fire at the location, and the suspect appeared to have rammed a vehicle into the building, reported the Record Searchlight, a local news outlet in the nearby city of Redding. Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said the deputies have determined that the shooter circled the parking lot four times before crashing into the building and opening fire with a semiautomatic long gun. Police engaged in gunfire with the suspect shortly after, and he was shot by police and taken to a local hospital, according to the Record Searchlight. Scott Thammakhanty, an employee at the facility's receiving center who unloads trucks, told the news outlet that he and others started running for their lives after he heard gunshots and saw people lying on the ground. Officials at the St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff told local news outlets that the four injured patients were in fair condition. Enditem In this Wednesday, June 24, 2020 file photo, a volunteer receives a COVID-19 test vaccine injection developed at the University of Oxford in Britain, at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. People on six continents are testing experimental shots as the race for a COVID-19 vaccine enters a defining summer, with even bigger studies poised to prove if any leading candidate really works - and possibly offer the public a reality check. (AP Photo/Siphiwe Sibeko) People on six continents already are getting jabs in the arm as the race for a COVID-19 vaccine enters a defining summer, with even bigger studies poised to prove if any shot really worksand maybe offer a reality check. Already British and Chinese researchers are chasing the coronavirus beyond their borders, testing potential vaccines in Brazil and the United Arab Emirates because there are too few new infections at home to get clear answers. The U.S. is set to open the largest trials30,000 people to test a government-created shot starting in July, followed about a month later with another 30,000 expected to test a British one. Those likely will be divided among Americans and volunteers in other countries such as Brazil or South Africa, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health told The Associated Press. While he's optimistic, "we've been burned before," Fauci cautioned. Multiple successes, in multiple parts of the world, are vital. "This isn't a race of who gets there first. This is, get as many approved, safe and effective vaccines as you possibly can," Fauci said. Vaccine experts say it's time to set public expectations. Many scientists don't expect a coronavirus vaccine to be nearly as protective as the measles shot. If the best COVID-19 vaccine is only 50% effective, "that's still to me a great vaccine," said Dr. Drew Weissman of the University of Pennsylvania. "We need to start having this conversation now," so people won't be surprised, he added. And for all the government promises of stockpiling doses in hopes of starting vaccinations by year's end, here's the catch: Even if a shot pans outand it's one that your country stockpiledonly some high-risk people, such as essential workers, go to the front of a very long line. "Will you and I get vaccinated this year? No way," said Duke University health economist David Ridley. THE HOME STRETCH Vaccines train the body to rapidly recognize and fend off an invading germ. About 15 Brazil last week began a last-stage test of the Oxford shot in 5,000 health workers, the first experimental COVID-19 vaccinations in South America. In another first, South Africa opened a smaller safety study of the Oxford shot. With few new infections in China, Sinovac next month will begin final tests in 9,000 Brazilian volunteers. And SinoPharm just signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates; that study's size isn't clear. EXPECT IMPERFECT PROTECTION Animal research suggests COVID-19 vaccines could prevent serious disease but may not completely block infection. One study that dripped the coronavirus into monkeys showed vaccinated animals avoided pneumonia but had some virus lurking in their noses and throats. Whether it was enough to spread to the unvaccinated isn't known. Still, that would be a big win. "My expectations have always been that we'll get rid of symptomatic disease. From what we've seen of the vaccines so far, that's what they do," said Penn's Weissman. The initial vaccines might be replaced with later, better arrivals, as historically happens in medicine, noted Duke's Ridley. And while shots in the arm are the fastest to make, those for respiratory diseases require virus-fighting antibodies to make their way into the lungs. Gilbert said Oxford eventually will explore nasal delivery. WARNING AGAINST SHORTCUTS Some U.S. lawmakers worry about pressure from the Trump administration to push out an unproven shot during the fall election season. "We want a vaccine, not a headline," Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said at a recent Senate committee hearing. Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, pledged to a House committee last week that any decision would be based on science. Different countries have different rules about when to release a vaccine. For the U.S., Fauci insisted there will be no safety shortcuts, a key reason NIH is investing in such huge studies. Regardless of how and when a vaccine arrives, each country also will prioritize who's first in line as doses become available. Presumably they'll start with health workers and those most vulnerable to severe diseaseas long as each shot is proven to work in at-risk groups such as older adults. Because each vaccine works differently, "which population group it will protect, we don't know yet," said Dr. Mariangela Simao of the World Health Organization, which is advising countries on how to choose. 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Representatives of some Durga Puja Committees from Kolkata and London Sharad Utsav will take part in a webinar in mid-July to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the five-day festival. Subir Das of Bengal Heritage Foundation said, The webinar will be conducted in mid-July. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here The discussion will be on how to help people like priests, dhakis, idol-makers and pandal designers who are economically dependent on Durga Puja, he added. Durga Puja is a major festival celebrated in West Bengal and other parts of the country and is held in the last five days of Navaratri. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage This year, Durga Puja will be held between October 22-26. Funeral home operators dont need the daily statistical updates on COVID-19 to understand the toll on their communities. They see the pain of the pandemic in the faces of the grieving and its magnitude in the demand for their services. Monte Maddox, operational manager at Phillips-Riley Funeral Home in Montgomery, said the business is handling about twice the usual number of funerals. A schedule posted Thursday in the hallway lists a dozen names of people whose services were scheduled for Saturday. Youre talking about a funeral home that has went from doing five or six services a week to doing 12 and 13 a week, said Maddox, who has been in the business for 18 years. Its a little overbearing. We have the manpower to handle it. But its a lot right now. The necessity of social distancing complicates the job of helping families and friends say goodbye to someone close. Covering faces and standing at a distance is unnatural, especially for those coping with grief. But the safeguards are vital to contain a virus that has ravaged Black communities and caused more confirmed cases in Montgomery than anywhere in the state. As of Friday, COVID-19 had caused 887 deaths in Alabama. Forty-six percent of the victims were Black, although Black citizens make up only about 27% of the states population. If we pick up 12 bodies, probably about five of them have COVID, Maddox said. So, this pandemic has really taken a toll on our community and really as a Black race it has really been a hard hit. The chapel at Phillips-Riley holds about 300 people, but attendance is now limited to 75 because of the pandemic. Maddox said it is not easy to tell mourners who traveled long distances that they can only watch a funeral via live stream. Youve got people who came from New York, Chicago, and theyre here for a service. But if theyre not in that first group, they dont get to get in the service. Its hard on us and its hard on the family, Maddox said. Arlillian Bushelon, manager of Bushelon Funeral Home in Birmingham, said the pandemic has disrupted how the business serves its clients in multiple ways. The traditional days for funerals in the Black community are Friday and especially Saturday, partly to allow travel time for relatives in other states, Bushelon said. But with more funerals and fewer travelers because of the pandemic, Bushelon Funeral Home scheduled more weekday services. Lately, the volume and scheduling has returned to closer to normal, she said, but services have not. Bushelon is a family business, started by Arlillians father Aubrey Bushelon in 1975. Weve built our tradition on being family-like, Bushelon said. And this pandemic has really changed how we can love on our clients because of the barriers of not knowing whos asymptomatic, who may have coronavirus and just doesnt realize it at this point. Bushelon said the biggest effect of the pandemic for her has been the challenge of trying to give care and comfort at a time when close contact and hugs are not safe. It really impairs the way you want to serve people that you love or people that are complete strangers, Bushelon said. You still want to love on them because theyre at a place where they need your help. And thats how we heal people that come to our facility. We try to love them the best way we can. But right now, we just cant do that. Tallapoosa County was a hot spot for the virus early in the pandemic, partly because one of the states four veterans nursing homes is there. There have been about 70 confirmed deaths in the county, the highest per capita rate of any county as of June 23. Randy Anderson, owner of Radney Funeral Home in Alexander City and Langley Funeral Home in Dadeville, said the homes handled 30 funerals over one two-week period, compared to the normal rate of about 25 a month. Employees changed to a seven-day-on, seven-off schedule to reduce exposure. One staff member caught the virus but recovered after a two-week quarantine, Anderson said. Overall, Anderson said the two homes have handled about 30 funerals for which COVID-19 was the known cause of death. But there has been only one in about the last month, he said. Everything has slowed down back to a more normal pace, Anderson said. The pandemic continues to shape the way services are conducted. Our chapel is at half capacity in order to maintain social distancing, and thats working pretty well, Anderson said. But most people are still doing graveside services because theres not as much limitation and its easier to social distance at a graveside than it is inside the building. The problem were having now is were dealing with the Alabama summer heat and the summer afternoon thunderstorms. So, were encouraging people to do gravesides in the mornings instead of in the afternoon. Anderson said its hard to get people to break the habits of hugs and handshakes at a service or visitation. We have signage on our doors coming in to encourage people to maintain their distance and to avoid hugging and shaking hands and things like that, Anderson said. But those habits have been going on for years, and at the time of death people really need the human touch. Anderson said the business stocked up on personal protective equipment in preparation for a previous flu pandemic scare but did not have to use it. The availability of that equipment has helped during the last few months. Still, he said its a time unlike any in his 30-year career. I think the hardest parts been telling people that they cant have services that they really want to have, Anderson said. But we have maintained the rules and regulations that the state has put on us. Some funeral directors across the state may not have done that, but we have been diligent in trying to do that. Some families were not happy. But they had to understand and usually came around and understood that were just trying to maintain what the state is requiring of us because we are responsible. And if we violate those things its not them that answers for it, its the funeral director that answers for that. Anderson said what people miss most at funerals is the community participation. A lot of people still havent come back to funerals because they know theres a lot of people here and they dont want to be exposed to a large number in the public, Anderson said. I think thats the main thing, the community involvement has been the thing thats been missing most in funeral services. Anderson said Radney and Langley are providing families a booklet with advice on coping with grief during the pandemic. It covers topics such as being separated at the time of a loved ones sickness and death. Grieving Alone & Together. Weve done a lot of things to try to help families through this, Anderson said. Monte Maddox, operational manager at Phillips-Riley Funeral Home in Montgomery, said the business is handling about twice the usual number of funerals. Twelve are scheduled for Saturday. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) Maddox, the operational manager at Phillips-Riley in Montgomery, said the risk of COVID-19 exposure is a major concern for employees whose jobs depend on communicating with people from homes where the virus has claimed a life. Maddox said he stocked up on protective gear early in the pandemic, including masks bearing the Phillips-Riley name. Employees also use face shields in certain situations. If you pick up somebody with COVID, and theyve been in the house with other people, youve got to deal with those families, Maddox said. Youve got to make arrangements with them. So were in a dangerous situation. Maddox said no employees have gotten sick so far. Overall, Maddox said he does not see the pandemic subsiding anytime soon because he said people in general are still not doing enough to protect themselves and others they are close to. I just want people to take precautions because were in the death care business, but some of this can be prevented if we take preventative measures, Maddox said. Bushelson said prevention should include safeguards against the mental health risks posed by the pandemic and the separation, disruptions, and deaths that it causes. She talks to colleagues in other states, including New York, where a surge in deaths in April overwhelmed funeral homes and required the use of mobile morgues. Bushelon said social traditions that help people deal with loss have fallen off. In a lot of different cultures, people bring food to the home, Bushelon said. They come visit. They come see about you. They call. They check on you. Not so much now. Everybody has so much going on that were kind of, not selfish, but were kind of in our own worlds right now trying to make sure were OK. But there are a lot of people out there that are hurting and kind of pushed to the wayside. We need to be kind. Please exercise encouraging people to get help if you think they need help. Because if you think they need help, they do need help. Bushelon said there are creative ways to involve more people in funerals during the pandemic. An example was the how the family of a pastor made special arrangements for his service. They really brainstormed on what they could do to still have a meaningful service for their father since he was the pastor. They actually had the choir come in and tape prior to, the speakers come in and tape prior to. So, in the actual chapel, the day of the service, it was myself and 10 of the family members with the decedent in the casket. And everything was on the screen for them to watch the entire funeral service. But what made it a little bit more special was outside, they asked for their church members to park outside. And they watched the service via movie screen. It really made the difference. Bushelon said there were cues during the video for the church members to honk their horns. She said she had some reservations about that at first, but was moved by how it turned out. I really, really like how they really thought out of the box, Bushelon said. Police said nothing untoward was found. Police in Armagh have said nothing untoward was found after reports of a young male entering the water. It was reported he entered the River Callan from the Killylea Road area on Saturday at around 11pm. The male was described as around 16-years-old and was wearing a grey tracksuit. However following searches by police and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service "nothing untoward was found". "We would like to take this opportunity to reassure those concerned that the area was extensively checked by police and the fire service," a PSNI spokesperson said. "Thankfully nothing untoward was found." In this Tuesday, March 10, 2020, photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping talks by video with patients and medical workers at the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. Xinhua via AP Private schools have accused government ministers of 'ignoring' their offers to provide local children with summer catch-up courses. In a letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, private schools have made it clear they could make a significant difference in the education received by pupils during the summer ahead of the Government's proposed return to school in September. The chief executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, Christopher King, wrote the letter in which it was explained that public schools were offering the use of their school buildings at little-to-no cost to parents. The Sunday Telegraph reports though, that the Government has been reluctant to accept their help. In a letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson (pictured), private schools have made it clear they could make a significant difference in the education received by pupils during the summer ahead of the Government's proposed return to school in September In the letter he said: 'Online learning has been a huge success right across the private sector, the contrast with state schools is quite stark.' The offer to use private schools' facilities is likely to include the rental of marquees for their large grounds to ensure social distancing. The letter follows research that suggests more than 2million children have done almost no work during the lockdown. Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said a number of fee-paying schools have greater capacity to help as their normal events bookings over the summer have been cancelled. Six large independent schools - including King's College School Wimbledon and Bury Grammar School - are already looking to run their own summer catch-up provision at their own cost, Ms Robinson said. The chief executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, Christopher King, wrote the letter in which it was explained that public schools were offering the use of their school buildings at little-to-no cost to parents (file photo) The offer of assistance from public schools included the use of their school buildings, online courses and the potential hiring of their marquees to aid with social distancing (stock image) Highgate School will be offering a Summer school programme for up to 90 pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds at six local state schools in August. Head Adam Pettitt said: 'We will be offering lessons in core subject areas to bridge the learning gap for Year 10 pupils from our partner schools. These are some of the pupils who will have been impacted most by Covid-19. 'They will have missed almost six months of schooling by September, and we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to counteract the emotional and educational disruption this has had on some of the most vulnerable children in our community.' A spokesperson for the Department of Education said that the 1billion catch-up package being provided by the Government is directly targeted to ease the impact of lost classroom teaching. Next week the Government is expected to announce that normal social distancing rules will not be enforced when pupils return to schools in September. 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. Don Cheadle is a multi-talented star who has appeared in many of the most critically-acclaimed films of the past several decades. Cheadle is one of the few actors in Hollywood who has earned rave reviews for not only his work in independent films but in big-budget Marvel movies as well. Still, there was a time when Cheadles career could have looked very different, with audiences knowing him best as Ice Tray rather than War Machine. Don Cheadle | Amy Sussman/Getty Images How did Don Cheadle get started in acting? Don Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1964. Cheadles family moved frequently when he was young, eventually settling in Colorado, where Cheadle ultimately graduated from high school. He was artistic, even as a young man, and was involved in theatre, music, and other student activities. Cheadle graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 1989, and immediately got to work on his film and television career. Cheadle landed a variety of small parts in television and films in the late eighties, including the movie Colors. He also appeared in a few music videos, showing off his dancing abilities. Still, Cheadle didnt manage to really make an impression on audiences until 1990, when he was cast in the hit television series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Don Cheadle could have had a Fresh Prince spinoff series In 1990, Don Cheadle appeared in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, starring Will Smith. At the time, the series was one of the most popular shows on television, skyrocketing young Smith to stardom. Cheadles episode was titled Homeboy, Sweet Homeboy, and the actor portrayed the character Ice Tray, a good friend of Will and Hilarys boyfriend. As it turns out, Cheadle made quite an impression on showrunners. According to CinemaBlend, he later revealed that, in fact, he came very close to landing his own spinoff show: You come to a table read Monday. Tuesday, rehearse. Wednesday, rehearse. Thursday, do it in front of a live audience. So by that Thursday, the producers said, We actually want to do a spinoff around your character. And we shot a whole pilot. Didnt get picked up. The filmed pilot for the spinoff has, unfortunately, not been released, so fans have not gotten the opportunity to see Cheadle strut his stuff. Still, it wasnt all downhill for Cheadle after that he has gone on to enjoy a very lucrative film career. Don Cheadles impressive film career Don Cheadles film career took off in the late nineties, and he quickly became one of the industrys most well-respected voices. A few of his high-profile film roles in the late nineties include parts in movies such as Boogie Nights, Devil in a Blue Dress, and Out of Sight. In 2004, Cheadle appeared in the film Hotel Rwanda, a part that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Many fans know him best as Marty Kaan in the hugely popular series House of Lies. However, Cheadles most enduring legacy might be his role in the MCU. He replaced Terrence Howard as Rhodey/War Machine in 2010s Iron Man 2, and has since appeared in six additional Marvel films, including the wildly popular Avengers: Endgame. Although his Marvel contract is reportedly up, fans loved his portrayal of War Machine, and it is possible that future films could include appearances from the acclaimed star. All in all, it is unlikely that Cheadle truly regrets not getting his own Fresh Prince spinoff but it is fun to imagine the possibilities! BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28 Trend: Global leadership has been urgently needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but world leaders and international bodies have not mounted a coordinated response. Negotiation best practices can help, Trend reports citing pon.harvard.edu. As the coronavirus outbreak in China exploded into an international pandemic, nations have largely struggled to confront Covid-19 in isolation rather than teaming up on global solutions. That go it alone approach has bred dysfunctional competition for scarce resources, a shortage of creative solutions, and enormous inefficiencies. Greater collaboration and coordination are needed to improve global leadership surrounding the crisisand will benefit all types of organizational leadership. Stuck with Their Screens Grounded by the pandemic, international diplomats accustomed to flying from one capital to the next find themselves stuck at home negotiating via videoconference. The G7, the G20, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank have all been meeting online. The inability to meet in person has doubtless played a role in the widespread failure of global leadership to address the pandemic. There isnt the same pressure to compromise you would experience if you were in the same room, Martin Weiss, Austrias new ambassador to the United States, said to Politico about video negotiations. Its easier to hide behind your own screen. After her first European Union video summit on March 26, German chancellor Angela Merkel said she preferred walking around the table to find out if a proposal was popular enough. A Call for Global Leadership Beyond these technological pitfalls and likely cultural conflicts, many leaders have shown little urgency or interest in addressing the crisis collaboratively. On April 30, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres complained that the international community was divided at a time when it was more important than ever to be united, Reuters reports. He expressed particular concern that developing countries were not receiving sufficient help from the international community to respond to the pandemic and address its economic and social impacts. According to Guterres, an appeal for $2 billion to help the most vulnerable nations was only half funded. The world is looking for global leadership, Robert Yates, director of the British think tank Global Health Program at Chatham House, told CNN. This is a time when you expect the leaders of superpowers in a very constructive way to help coordinate and structure the response. A Slow Response to a Fast-Moving Crisis The United Nations Security Council has been singled out for lagging behind other international bodies in addressing the pandemic. The Council has struggled to reach agreement on a resolution that would emphasize the urgent need for international cooperation to fight the coronavirus and call for a truce in conflicts around the world. Weve not seen the kind of summitry, urgency of meetings at the U.N. Security Council, heads of state coming together to organize, to figure out how we manage, for example, global supply chains, Gayle Smith, president and CEO of the nonprofit ONE Campaign, told CNN. The Security Council talks stalled in part because the Trump administration balked at references to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the agreement. The U.S. president had halted funding for WHO after accusing the organization of being biased toward China. The United States also refused to take part in an international WHO summit aimed at speeding up work on coronavirus testing, drugs, and vaccines. Toward Better Global Leadership The difficulty of responding to a rapidly transmitted, little-understood virus cannot be underestimated and reflects the challenging role of leadership in negotiation. But the failure of global leadership to address the coronavirus pandemic hinges on human biases that can be corrected, including tribalism, dysfunctional competition, and short-term thinking. To do better, world leaders will need to begin to absorb these cautionary lessonsand citizens need to hold them accountable for doing so: Take a long-term perspective. Competing for scarce resources and blaming others may (or may not) bring short-term political benefits, but will almost certainly fail to pay off in the long run. Negotiators and other decision makers will achieve greater long-term success and more ethical leadership by collaborating on joint solutions to shared problems. Capitalize on the benefits of group negotiation. To overcome dysfunctional competition, negotiators need to look for ways to enlarge the pie of value rather than just carving it up. Negotiation research suggests that group negotiations tend to be more successful than bilateral talks because of the rich array of issues negotiators bring to the tableissues they can trade off to create value. Adapt to our changed world. Diplomats and other leaders will likely need to continue negotiating virtually for many months to come. For this reason, they need to work on overcoming the pitfalls of distance negotiation and educate themselves on best practices for negotiating via videoconference. The City of Laredo has decided to re-institute protective measures designed to combat the spread of coronavirus. According to local officials, the city will soon adopt a new emergency order, which will include a curfew for all Laredoans running from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. City officials will also increase enforcement on social meetings, limiting gatherings of 6 or more people, not including members of the same household. Those who violate the new mandates can face a fine of up to $1,000. The measure is expected to go into effect at midnight Sunday. The curfew is in effect for all Laredoans, however, travel for essential functions, such as visiting a grocery store or a restaurant, is still allowed as in the previous orders. According to Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz, city officials have already reached out to state officials, including the office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, to inform them of the new order, as well as the impending fines should people be in violation. Saenz said that all indications from the Governor's office are that he is allowing cities more agency in enforcing coronavirus restrictions. Previously, the Governor struck down the ability of Texas cities to fine citizens for not wearing face masks or facial coverings in public. The new restrictions come as a surge in both positive and active cases of the novel coronavirus in Laredo. On Saturday, the city announced the greatest single-day increase in positive COVID cases, confirming 227 cases. Previously the greatest increase was less than half that, 111 cases. There are currently 798 active cases of the novel coronavirus. Over the weekend, city officials confirmed three deaths due to COVID-19, including the first in Zapata County. According to city officials, Laredo Hospitals remain near capacity. HONG KONG, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The spokesperson of the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday firmly opposed the U.S. announcement of visa restrictions on Chinese officials, urging the U.S. side to stop interfering with Hong Kong affairs. The spokesperson said that the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, are rock-firm in safeguarding national security, urging the United States to immediately correct mistakes. The spokesperson pointed out that the U.S. accusation that the central government of China has undermined the high degree of autonomy of the HKSAR is completely groundless. "No one is more earnest and determined than the Chinese government to fully and faithfully implement 'one country, two systems,' and no one cares more than the Chinese government about Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and its people's well-being," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the national security legislation for the HKSAR is a major measure to reaffirm commitment to and improve the "one country, two systems" policy and a fundamental step to end the chaos in Hong Kong and preserve its peace and stability, adding that nearly 3 million Hong Kong residents have signed a petition endorsing the legislation, and over 1.28 million signed an ongoing online petition opposing the interference by the United States and other external forces. The spokesperson emphasized that the Chinese government is rock-firm in advancing the national security legislation for the HKSAR, in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, in implementing "one country, two systems," and in opposing any external interference in Hong Kong affairs. The spokesperson reiterated that China firmly opposes the U.S. interference in Hong Kong affairs under the pretext of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The instrument is essentially about China's resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. Hong Kong already returned to its motherland on July 1, 1997, and foreign countries, the United States and Britain included, have no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right to supervise Hong Kong, China. The spokesperson urged the United States to bear in mind that Hong Kong is part of China and its affairs are China's internal affairs. "The U.S. side should immediately stop interfering with Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs as a whole in any possible way. Otherwise, it will be firmly hit back by the Chinese side." Class Six notched his third victory in as many starts at Buffalo Raceway with a neck win over Percys Z Tam in the $11,500 Class AA-Open Pace on Saturday night (June 27). Since arriving from Miami Valley in Ohio in the beginning of June, Class Six has reeled off three-consecutive wins with three different drivers. Shawn McDonough had his opportunity behind Class Six this time around and he did not let it go to waste. Following behind the favoured pacesetter China Dream, Class Six and McDonough roared through the passing lane and drove to the score in 1:55 over the "fast" track. Percys Z Tam took the photo for second with China Dream finishing in third. Owned by Eric Prevost and trained by Sabrina Shaw, it was the third victory in 12 tries this season for nine-year-old gelding Class Six (Western Ideal-Can Du River). The win jacked his earnings to $28,460 in 2020 and $406,716 in his career. He paid $21.00. In the sub-featured $10,000 Class A Pace, Black Is Back returned to his winning ways with a half-length victory over Daylight Rush in 1:54.4. A winner of 10 races in 27 starts and amassing $79,675 in earnings last season, Black Is Back failed to hit the board in his only two starts of 2020, both coming in the Class AA-Open level. But a slight dip in class proved to be the perfect remedy. Firing off the starting gate, Black Is Back managed to reach the top and set the splits of :28, :57 and 1:26, bringing along the favoured Daylight Rush for the pocket trip. In the stretch, Black Is Back stood his ground as Daylight Rush tried valiantly but could not pass the winner. In Runaway Bay N took the show spot. Black Is Back (Western Terror-Magic Moments) is a seven-year-old gelding who is co-owned by Mihajlo Zdjelar Sr. and Curtis Edholm with Mihajlo Zdjelar Jr. handling the training duties. Billy Davis Jr. drove the $8.40 winner. Racing will continue on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. (EDT) with a 13-race card scheduled. (Buffalo Raceway) Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 17:49:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Emergency Management has called for efforts to facilitate citizen participation in flood response as heavy downpours continue to wreak havoc in the country's southern areas. Local authorities should fully include the non-governmental forces in emergency management as they are flexible, swift and community-based for emergency response, according to a notice issued by the ministry. More efforts should be made to guide them to participate in the inspection of key spots, screening of potential risks, search and rescue work, as well as the transportation of supplies, said the notice. It called for strict implementation of safety protection measures and the enhancement of safety awareness among social organizations. Since June, continuous downpours have lashed large parts of southern China and the waters of many rivers in the affected areas exceeded the warning levels. The ministry said more than 120 social emergency forces, over 3,500 rescue workers as well as many volunteers have participated in flood control efforts in regions including Guangxi and Hunan. Enditem CLEVELAND, Ohio Northeast Ohio companies arent necessarily attempting to bounce straight back after the coronavirus punched a hole in the economy. Rather than try to return to normal, theyre shifting to find new opportunities and new ways of doing business. Weve a little bit of a shift, Akron-based Environmental Design Group marketing director Tammi Nagucki said. The things that people think are important have changed. The business community faced a slew of problems when the pandemic shut down stores and offices. In a May report from McKinsey & Company, 49% of small and medium-sized business owners surveyed said their business feels less secure because of the virus, and 53 percent said their income was negatively impacted. The highest recurring concern was loss of customers or that customers would not return after the pandemic. For the 2020 Top Workplaces list, cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer have compiled a record 175 Northeast Ohio employers, based on employee surveys. And weve focused on their responses and adaptations to the coronavirus pandemic. In most cases, the traditional communication methods with customers and clients were severed, especially for brick-and-mortar storefronts. Stores like Arhaus Furniture, headquartered in Boston Heights, still had demand, but didnt have the same options for customer service. Were hearing from a lot of our customers that after spending a lot more time in their homes, they now more than ever want to make their house into a home, to make it the perfect sanctuary for their families, co-founder John Reed wrote in an email. So Arhaus ramped up their virtual design services so that customers would be find shopping more accessible. Designers, who otherwise would work closely with shoppers in-person, hosted video walkthroughs of client spaces, mailed cloth samples and hosted private shopping appointments. Much of what Arhaus has made available will stick around even as stores begin to reopen, Reed said. These types of permanent changes are boosting business for some consulting companies. For example, they're being hired to build permanent solutions for sharing data for companies that want to keep employees remote. Blue Chip Consulting in Seven Hills saw some companies pause temporarily to take stock of needs during the pandemic. But now, those companies are leaning in. Being able to adapt to those needs has allowed business to grow in some areas. (Some companies used) collaboration tools but did not have the time to establish the governance and security pieces that could establish that as a long-term solution," said Kate Willse, Blue Chip's marketing and communications director. For civil engineering firm Environmental Design Group, the virus also brought a pause in activity. Many of the firms clients are municipalities, and when the pandemic hit, cities no longer had the budget for some projects. Even as some construction projects lag, federal government funding has sparked some interest. The firm is now pivoting so it can assist its clients with projects the government will assist with. The way we (used to) approach clients was a wide-cast net, Nagucki said. Now its much more based on empathy. Some of our clients arent ready to start, and others see this as an opportunity. We talk to clients where they are. The new Health Minister says there is no commitment yet to when a list of countries Irish people can travel to without quarantining on their return will be published. The previous government pledged to producing a "green list" by next month. Last Thursday, the former government announced that foreign travel to certain countries from July 9 has been approved. Air bridges will be established between countries with similarly low infection rates from that date, enabling people to travel without undergoing quarantine. The risk of it being imported into the country is no higher than from one county to another," Leo Varadkar said last week. The Chief Medical Officer has raised concerns over the return of international travel, saying it risks a second wave of the coronavirus here. Stephen Donnelly, who was Read More: He said: Two weeks ago, you might have looked at Portugal, and said Portugal has a very low case rate of Covid. It has been consistently low and so that is an obvious country that you would put on a green list. But just in the last few days, Portugal has seen a big surge. There are countries like Sweden andthe island of Britain where the rates are significantly higher than ours. So theres a lot of detail that would need to be worked through on this. Yesterday, CMO Dr Tony Holohan advised people that this year, holidays Read More: Writing on Twitter as the country prepares to move into Phase Three of reopening society, he said: "What worries me most now is travel from overseas and I fear many planning foreign trips. "2020 is a year for a staycation. Stay in Ireland, spend locally and follow public health advice." Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) shares have been on an epic run since bottoming in March amid the market panic over COVID-19. The shares closed at just $118.18 on March 23 but now change hands at a whopping $270 per share only about three months later. Here's why the stock is still a buy. Superior streaming product Many potential investors have thought of music streaming as an undifferentiated commodity business, because the streaming services have access to essentially the same music catalog. If that were true, then the streaming services would all be doing equally well. But that's not true -- Spotify dominates the paid streaming music business with over 130 million premium subscribers globally as of the end of March. The No. 2 paid streaming music service, Apple Music, has been notoriously silent on its subscriber progress since mid-2019, when it said it had about 60 million subscribers. Up to that point, Apple had been disclosing the number of Apple Music subscribers every few months or so. The lack of disclosure since then suggests that Apple is not proud of the recent Apple Music subscriber numbers. After all, if the subscriber numbers compared favorably to Spotify's, Apple would be shouting them from the rooftops for marketing purposes. The key factor behind Spotify's widening lead seems to be its singular focus on streaming audio. It is critical to Spotify's future that it win this game. In contrast, streaming audio is only a tiny part of the overall pie at Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, and others. It's not critical for those companies to win at streaming audio; their core businesses are big and dominant enough to make streaming audio nothing more than a sideshow. Spotify spent 615 million euros on research and development (R&D) last year (equivalent to $690 million at current exchange rates), and just under half of its employees work in R&D. It uses its reams of user data to create popular custom playlists like Discover Weekly and New Release Radar that continuously delight its customers. So it shouldn't be too surprising that the company focused solely on streaming audio with that level of R&D commitment is putting forth the best and most popular streaming audio platform. Huge global growth runway Spotify now operates in 79 markets around the world, and is rumored to be launching its 80th market, South Korea, sometime this year. Last quarter, monthly active users (MAUs) grew 31% to 286 million, 130 million of which are premium subscribers. The company could easily have 1 billion or more total users in 10 years. For one thing, there are 3 billion payment-enabled smartphones in markets where Spotify operates or will do so soon. And there is precedent for globally-dominant digital platforms to have billions of users. For example, Facebook has 2.6 billion MAUs. Alphabet's YouTube has over 2 billion users. The global audio streaming winner could approach similar numbers over the long term. On the one hand, Facebook and YouTube's businesses lend themselves to winner-take-all dynamics. In contrast, Spotify has several competitors today. However, that may not be true forever. As the global leader with the scale and revenue to reinvest the most in audio streaming R&D, Spotify is likely to out-innovate its peers and continue widening its lead over the competition. Over the long term, it may not make sense for sub-scale players to remain in the business. Even the tech giants give up on certain initiatives from time to time to reallocate their resources to more promising areas. If that happens, this could be more of a winner-take-all or winner-take-most market than investors currently expect. It's clear Spotify would be the huge beneficiary. Underappreciated margin potential Since Spotify's IPO, many investors have viewed the company negatively, primarily due to the high royalty rates it pays the major music labels and other music rights holders. The thinking went that Spotify would never be able to extract better terms with the music rights holders given that those rights are in the hands of only a few big entities. What those investors are missing is Spotify's aggressive move into podcasting. The company acquired podcasting players Gimlet, Anchor, and Parcast last year for a total of 357 million euros (equivalent to about $401 million at current exchange rates). More recently, it made a huge splash by signing Joe Rogan and his Joe Rogan Experience podcast, one of the most popular podcasts out there, to a multiyear exclusive deal. And it followed that up by signing Kim Kardashian and the DC Comics universe to exclusive podcasting deals. The big idea is that the more users the company can attract, the more users will listen to Spotify-owned podcasts -- and their accompanying ads. Creating podcast content represents a fixed cost that does not increase regardless of whether there are 10,000 ad impressions, 10 million, or 100 million. That means podcasts should become increasingly profitable as the company benefits from the fixed cost leverage that it hasn't had thus far in the music streaming business. Despite the stock's run, that is still underappreciated. That's why investors should consider Spotify a buy. 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. Musheera Ashraf, TwoCircles.net Mau: Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown enforced in March, Saree weavers in Mau city of Uttar Pradesh complain of being at the verge of starvation and unable to make ends meet. Support TwoCircles The city of Mau is 316 km from the capital city Lucknow. The city is well-known for manufacturing Banarasi Sarees so much so that Indias first prime minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru, had called it as the Manchester of Handloom in 1957. The analogy drew inspiration from the fact that just like Manchester City in England was known as Cottonopolis (for its cotton mills) in the 19th century, Mau was known for its silk Sarees back then. We are short of money and facing great difficulty, says Firoza Khatoon, a widow who lost her husband 20 years ago. Firoza works as a weaver of Banarasi Sarees. She is a mother of four kids. Amid the pandemic, she finds it difficult to feed her children as all the money that I had is now used and its difficult to survive now. For Firoza Khatoon it makes no difference if the shops for daily needs are open or not because she has no money to buy essentials. Whatever savings she had was spent already. Weaving is a must for people to survive here in Mau. If this business is shut, people will starve, she says. I am living my life in difficulty, she adds. In the past months, Firoza says that she didnt receive any help from the government. My struggle is mine alone. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the weavers in Mau have undergone a significant downfall in their business, says Mujtaba, a resident of Mau. Sadar Chowk, a Muslim majority area is sealed and no one is allowed to enter. Officials have imposed a strict lockdown in the area where we have our business but the situation in living areas is worse, says Sadat. Ali who has a shop in the Sadar area said those working as weavers and artisans have no choice. Some of them are selling cigarettes and tea outside their homes, which itself is a matter of concern, he said. According to Sadat, the road adjacent to Sadar Bazar has a mixed population in terms of religion. They are opening their shops and people are working normally in such places, he said. A manufacturer of Sarees Sajid complains that, the situation is getting worse as the administration has instructed to bar even areas where there are no coronavirus cases. People are starving because there was a rumour that the deaths are increasing and in 2 hours 11 dead bodies have been buried, which is practically impossible, Sajid said, adding, The administration should have done an authentic investigation. Lockdown should be implemented keeping the livelihood of people in mind. A single Saree takes around 5 to 6 hours to make and the labour cost which goes in the making of one Saree is around 250 to 300 INR. The Sarees are then manufactured and exported to different cities. The loss is immeasurable. Two weeks ago, the working of looms was resuming gradually. It was hope for the poor labourers but now this strict lockdown again has hit people badly, Sajid explains. According to the weavers community, the government is deliberately doing this. The people who were protesting against CAA-NRC were made targets and are charged with gangster violence charges, says a businessman from Mau, who insisted on remaining anonymous. The government is working with the double agenda to hit Muslims anyhow, he adds. If we will sell the Sarees, then only we will get the money. The labour force is the hardest hit. People are trying to help each other but it cannot go on for long, he said. He said the government is distributing relief in Hindu populated areas, but we havent seen any help in Muslim areas. People are at the verge of starvation, says Sajid, whose Saree business has been impacted due to the restrictions and lockdown. If this passes, Garcias will probably close a couple of locations. Theres going to be a lot of businesses that close. Its going to come to where we put a closed sign on our door. Dan Garcia, owner of Garcias restaurants If I had known that Albuquerque, that our elected officials, feel this way about business I never would have come to Albuquerque. George Gundrey, owner of Tomasitas restaurants Were already trying to scramble and figure out how were going to make ends meet. Angel Huddleston, North Bar Industries Two Albuquerque city councilors will ask the full council tomorrow to take up revised hazard pay and sick leave proposals that will affect most private employers in the city, including the three above who voiced their concerns to KRQE-Channel 13 last week. And while business owners have been sounding off, if councilors proceed, they will take up the proposals without input from these or other local employers via the usual committee hearing process. That, of course, is the best chance these councilors have of getting this through. Previous sick leave proposals have failed in committee and at the ballot box. And a one-sided take makes it much easier to approve a $25-a-shift hazard pay for essential workers during the pandemic, to impose $200 teach-em-a-lesson fines for not having face masks on hand and to add local penalties to the federal 80 hours of pandemic leave. Because listening to folks who have to make payroll, like Garcia and Gundrey and Huddleston, who have been shuttered since mid-March or operating at limited capacity because of state health restrictions and are already in tough financial straits, makes your decision harder. The Journal Editorial Board has said repeatedly, most recently last week, that especially during a pandemic you do not want employees facing the impossible choice of staying home sick and not making rent versus going in sick and infecting others. And the board has also voiced concern for the many business owners hit hard by the pandemic and resultant closures while recognizing it is those closures that likely deserve the lions share of credit in helping New Mexico avoid the terrifying spikes in neighboring states. (Although the reason why counties like Harding, Catron, Quay, Union, Colfax, Lincoln and Sierra all with single-digit case totals are treated the same as other counties remains a mystery.) And we recognize that especially considering the evolving science and the spike in COVID-19 cases in Texas, Arizona, Utah, California, etc., wearing a mask during a pandemic is a matter not only of good public manners but of good public health. But the proposals from Councilors Isaac Benton and Lan Sena, though revised late Friday, still endanger the jobs of the very people they are trying to help. And this 11th-hour fast track of revisions and amendments sans public comment makes it highly unlikely those affected will have time to digest the proposals before a vote, the antithesis of accountable, transparent government. The latest proposals would: Add unaffordable premium pay of $10-$25 a shift for employees making $12 an hour or less at essential companies with at least 50 workers, and include criminal charges and civil liability for violations. Mandate high fines of $200 each time an employer doesnt supply a mask to an employee. The proposal also appears to require employers and thus employees to ensure customers wear masks, setting them up for confrontations. Even the governor has acknowledged she is depending on voluntary compliance when it comes to her wear-a-mask edict. Unnecessarily mirror the 80 hours for COVID-19-related emergency leave already covered by the feds, and then add on new requirements. As with prior local sick leave proposals, the city would be able to review records regarding all workers at the employers worksite. Employers could be taken directly to court, where they face civil penalties and triple liquidated damages, and employers would be assumed guilty of retaliation if they discipline an employee for any reason within 90 days of taking the leave. In an odd expansion, the bill considers independent contractors employees for the purposes of sick leave. The city also gets $50 a week for each violation, and in a sick incentivization, the department that enforces the law gets to keep that cash. The sponsors now say they will wait until August to try to permanently institute 56 hours of sick leave for employees to care for themselves, immediate family members and any other individual or relative whose close association with the worker or workers spouse or domestic partner is the equivalent of a family relationship. (That was in the two councilors original proposal for consideration Monday.) This proposal has failed before during a healthy economy, and this is anything but. Giving the public more time to digest how bad this proposal is makes sense. The Albuquerque Coalition for a Healthy Economy (ACHE), which includes the New Mexico Restaurant Association and the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, has come out against the proposals, as has the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and multiple other business groups. All say the ordinances will severely hurt businesses still struggling to recover from the pandemic. Councilors Don Harris and Brook Bassan have asked for an economic impact study on the 80 hours of sick leave and the premium hazard pay. Considering there have been zero committee meetings on these plans, much less a true cost-benefit analysis, thats more than reasonable. And with two councilors sponsoring and two questioning, it will be up to Councilors Klarissa Pena, Cynthia Borrego, Trudy Jones and Council Vice President Diane Gibson and Council President Pat Davis to drag the focus back to the reason Mondays meeting was scheduled the citys loss of gross receipts revenue and budget woes and not on proposals that make it even harder for businesses to recover from the COVID-19 shutdown. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. Even if omicron peak nears, Long Beach cases and hospitalizations will still be up for weeks, official says Melissa Leong is known for her incredible style on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win. The 40-year-old appeared on The Sunday Project this weekend and revealed the secret behind keeping her signature red lipstick on during taste tests. The chef laughingly told the panel: 'I think it's a combination of having gigantic lips and they stay out of the way during the food eating process, great long wearing lipstick and having a great makeup artist just off side of stage.' Looking good! Melissa Leong (pictured) is known for her incredible style on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win. The 40-year-old appeared on The Sunday Project this weekend and revealed the secret behind keeping her signature red lipstick on during taste tests When it comes to her sometimes criticised unique fashion sense, Melissa was unapologetic. 'I've always loved really loud accessories, especially when... I'm on TV. Because I think it commands attention and allows you to draw people into what you're doing and what you're on about. 'We have the most amazing team of people on MasterChef and our styling team is incredible. We have this wonderful collaborative spirit of, "No, bigger, brighter, boulder, more colourful!"' The chef laughingly told the panel: 'I think it's a combination of having gigantic lips and they stay out of the way during the food eating process, great long wearing lipstick and having a great makeup artist just off side of stage' No drama! When it comes to her sometimes criticised unique fashion sense, Melissa was unapologetic. Pictured on The Sunday Project Loud! 'I've always loved really loud accessories. I think it commands attention. Our styling team is incredible. We have this wonderful collaborative spirit of, "No, bigger, brighter, boulder, more colourful!"' she said Since debuting on the show, Melissa has worn $25,000 worth of showstopping outfits and accessories, expertly mixing high-end and high street styles. Melissa is dressed by celebrity stylist Charmaine De Pasquale. For the first two weeks of the show, the popular judge wore dresses and designs, all by British label Ted Baker. One of her most popular looks was in episode five, when Melissa modelled a $260 Elowisa Hedgerow printed wrap dress. Chic: Melissa has worn $25,000 worth of outfits and accessories on the show. She is dressed by stylist Charmaine De Pasquale. She wore nothing but Ted Baker for the first two weeks. Pictured in Ted Baker's $260 Elowisa Hedgerow wrap dress Hot stuff: She was hard to miss in Ted Bakers $300 bright red Ryylie button midi dress Fashion icon: Melissa oozed style alongside Andy Allen (right) and Jock Zonfrillo (left) in Alice McCall's creme 'angels' jumpsuit, worth $500 For the third week of the show, Melissa only wore dresses from popular Australian designer Alice McCall. The judge looked like she'd stepped straight off the catwalk in the Australian fashion brand's $450 geometric 'sittin pretty' midi dress and $500 creme 'angels' jumpsuit. Melissa went on to wear dresses from Sydney designer Gary Bigeni for week four. And the fifth week of MasterChef, Melissa was dressed in KITX and the boldest look from the sustainable fashion brand came in the form of their $500 Anthropocene dress. 404 Page not found It looks like you found a glitch in the page... She's the social media superstar with over 11.4million Instagram followers. And on Sunday, Tammy Hembrow lashed out at an online troll who questioned her wealth in a sly comment underneath her latest post. The 26-year-old blonde bombshell shared a photo of her shock dermal piercing along with the caption: 'Pierced my face. (Ps I can buy a Bentley don't talk to me). 'Made my first mill at 20 years old': Social media sensation Tammy Hembrow, 26, (pictured) has slammed an online troll after they questioned her wealth on Instagram on Sunday To which, one user hit back: 'Can you buy a house tho...' The influencer-turned-entrepreneur then slammed the user, and wrote: 'I just bought one, made my first mill at 20 years old sis tf outta here with your fake account.' Unbeknownst to the user, Tammy lives with her two children, Wolf, five, and Saskia, three, in a $2million home in the affluent suburb of Benowa on the Gold Coast. Troll: On Sunday, the 26-year-old blonde bombshell hit back at a user, after they asked if she could afford to buy a house Luxury: Unbeknownst to the user, Tammy lives with her two children, Wolf, five, and Saskia, three, in a $2million home in the affluent suburb of Benowa on the Gold Coast It comes after the mother-of-two recalled the terrifying moment she thought somebody had broken into her home. In a YouTube video posted to her account last month, Tammy revealed she was so frightened she called police to her property. She said she armed herself with a knife as she waited for police to arrive - only to discover it was a false alarm. Scare: It comes after the mother-of-two recalled the terrifying moment she thought somebody had broken into her home 'One time, I heard a noise and I was literally, like, standing in the corner of my house with a knife, ready to fight someone.' 'I called the police and the police came and there's, like, nothing. I was just being, like, crazy,' she added. Tammy's ex-fiance, Reece Hawkins, revealed in 2017 that fans had once tracked down their house by searching for their 'pool shape' on Google Maps. Big Brother star Shane Vincent has revealed the shocking and bizarre way the cast heard about the coronavirus pandemic while filming. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia after his eviction, the 39-year-old marriage celebrant said that he and his fellow housemates were sitting outside over two separate days, when they saw a series of odd messages from a skywriter in the air. Shane said they first saw a message which read 'Stop [the] F1,' and another one which read: 'Wash your hands.' EXCLUSIVE: Big Brother star Shane Vincent (picture) told Daily Mail Australia the shocking way the housemates heard about COVID-19 while on the show The Big Brother house for the Channel Seven reboot is now located in Sydney's Manly. The 'wash your hands' message in the sky over Sydney made headlines back in March, amid the coronavirus pandemic. In March, the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix was also cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. How strange it must have been! Shane said that he and his fellow housemates were sitting outside over two separate days, when they saw a series of odd messages from a skywriter in the air, including 'wash hands' 'We didn't know what was going on': Shane said they first saw a message which read 'Stop [the] F1,' and another one which read: 'Wash your hands' (pictured is Angela Clancy) 'We didn't know anything about what was going on in the outside [world], we were sitting in the backyard one day and you know the skywriters, they were above us and writing like "stop [the] F1," Shane said. 'And we were like, "what the hell is going on?!" Shane said they went to ask Big Brother for some more information, but weren't informed about the pandemic until the second skywriter message appeared. 'And the next day, a skywriter came up and said, "wash your hands" in the sky. And we were like, "wash your hands? What is going on out there!" Interesting! Shane said they went to ask Big Brother for some more information, but weren't informed about the pandemic until the second skywriter message appeared 'And a couple of days later, we had a meeting and they told us about COVID-19.' In March, it was reported that production of the show shut down for at least two days while a crew member was tested for coronavirus. According to TV Blackbox, the series had been temporarily halted until the staffer's results were back, after 'someone they live with tested positive for COVID-19'. TV Tonight reported that production soon resumed at the time after the results came back negative. Meanwhile, host Sonia Kruger previously revealed that the housemates heard of the coronavirus pandemic on March 13, with a producer going into the house. Shane was booted off the show on Sunday during a shocking eviction. He told Daily Mail Australia that he was 'gutted' to be out of the house. Camper fire claims the life of two people in Marshall County Indonesia's President Joko Widodo takes a look at the emergency hospital handling of COVID-19 in Kemayoran Athletes Village in Jakarta JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has told his cabinet he is ready to reshuffle ministers or even disband government agencies that he feels have not done enough to fight the coronavirus outbreak, according to his office. Widodo made the remarks in a cabinet meeting on June 18, the video of which was released by his office on Sunday. "I see that many of us are working as though things are normal. That's what's irritating me. Don't you have feelings? This is a crisis," Widodo said in the video. "I will take any extraordinary measures for our 267 million people, for the nation. It can be disbanding agencies, can be a reshuffle, I have thought of everything," he said, adding that he may also issue more emergency rules if needed. The president also complained to his ministers of slow government spending in the face of a dire global economic outlook. New COVID-19 cases in Indonesia continued to rise even as the country eased movement restrictions and allowed some re-openings of businesses this month. On Saturday the country reported its biggest daily rise in infections with 1,385 new cases, and reported another 1,198 on Sunday, taking the total to 54,010 so far. It has recorded 2,754 deaths, the highest in East Asia outside China. Widodo's government has pledged to spend nearly $50 billion on public health, social protection and relief measures. Southeast Asia's largest economy may fall into a recession this year due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, government officials say, sending millions into poverty. (Reporting by Tabita Diela and Maikel Jefriando; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Susan Fenton) These 3 historic hotels give guests a glimpse at the past Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Three historic hotels in Colorado take guests back to when mining towns boomed in the mountains. In other words, guests get an experience that no modern chain hotel could ever replicate. These hotels are also perfectly situated for summer road trips to some of the countrys best state and national parks, where social distancing is never an issue. Creede Hotel The aptly named Creede Hotel in Creede (population 290) is actually a bed-and-breakfast inn with four rooms above a local restaurant. The rooms each is named after an Old West legend are dated and could use an update, which hopefully will come soon as the hotel is for sale with an asking price of $889,000. Dating to the 1880s, the hotel and restaurant also sit next to a popular theatre housed in the old silver mining towns opera house. Just down Main Street, which features several shops, galleries and even an old-fashioned hardware store, is the early 1890s Denver & Rio Grande Railroad depot-turned-town museum. Creede, about five hours drive from Denver, has more to offer than small-town charm. Surrounded by the San Juan Mountains, it is perfect for outdoor recreation, including fishing in the Rio Grande River. Grand Imperial Hotel On the other side of the San Juan Mountains is Silverton (population 645), which as its name suggests was once a silver mining town. The major landmark is the Grand Imperial Hotel, which first opened its doors to guests in 1883. They simply dont build hotels like this anymore. Painstakingly restored in recent years, the decor is reminiscent of the grand hotels that sprang up in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras. Silvertons former prosperity is also exemplified by its stately county courthouse and townhall, the latter of which was thankfully restored after a fire in 1992 gutted the interior. The circa 1880 Carpenter Gothic edifice of First Congregational Church against the backdrop of the mountains makes for a nice photo. Getting to Silverton by car takes five hours from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and between six and seven hours from Denver and Salt Lake City. Beaumont Hotel & Spa About an hour from Silverton is the Beaumont Hotel & Spa in Ouray, which film buffs will recognize from the 1969 Western classic True Grit starring John Wayne. The family-owned hotel, built in 1886 when gold was king, counts Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover among its most famous guests. While in Ouray (population 1,000) be sure to visit the county courthouse and see the courtroom from True Grit. Be sure to also take a tour of the Bachelor-Syracuse Mine at Gold Mountain to learn about the life and working conditions of the Old West miners. Spires and Crosses is a weekly travel column. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter and Instagram. Health Minister sets out long term goal to either eradicate coronavirus or find effective treatment This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jun 28th, 2020 The Health Minister has said the long term aim for Wales is to eradicate coronavirus. However he admits that if it is not possible, then vaccines and antiviral drugs could be the route to make it something we can live effectively with. A global health expert, Professor Devi Sridhar, who advises the Scottish Government on Covid-19 recently tweeted to say: Only three endings to this story: immunity with vaccine, build-up of natural immunity or elimination with border control. If a vaccine isnt available soon and immunity doesnt last, then elimination is only path. Might take months for countries to realise this & after many deaths & cases. On Wednesday First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said: We must get as close as possible to elimination of the virus, later adding suppressing the virus, trying to get as far as we can towards total elimination has to be our overriding priority. In a question to the Health Minister Vaughan Gething we noted that the initial pandemic response to was to flatten the curve and asked how he would characterise the long term aim for Wales. Mr Gething told us: The long-term aim is to eradicate coronavirus, or, to make sure that if its a condition that we cant eradicate, that we are able to live effectively with it. That would be in the terms of vaccine or antiviral treatments. If we think about two obvious examples that were used to. We talk about the flu season every year and there are people that have flu and recover. There are others at much greater risk of real harm who dont just had an unpleasant couple of days, but are bed bound for much longer or maybe need hospital treatment. Unfortunately, there are people who die every year from the flu. But there is a flu vaccine thats available, that is updated each year. I think in many ways, were a bit lax about that, because flu itself does cause a significant amount of mortality in Wales every single year, but we have a vaccine to help address it. Now, thats an option, when we get to a vaccine, and its then about people actually taking that vaccine to make sure theres more protection. The other is to think about HIV. We have really effective antiviral treatment. We havent been able to eradicate it. We dont have a vaccine for it. We do have really effective treatment. That means that people can live a good life whilst they have that condition. Now, those are both possibilities. I would much prefer to see coronavirus eradicated. But, we know other conditions that have been eradicated, things like polio and other things that we see as being eradicated and the ongoing challenge about how we behave. The UK as a whole lost its measles free designation from the World Health Organization because of a drop off in vaccination rates and its meant that the a very small number of people that had it had actually expanded in England in particular. In Wales weve maintained a very high level on vaccination. So even with eradication that shouldnt mean that in the future people that lax about this because of the harm weve seen caused already should make us all reflect on what were prepared to do in the future to keep all of us, and our families safe. Coronavirus FAQ What is the coronavirus? The coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and has spread worldwide. The new virus causes a disease known as COVID-19. The virus is part of a larger family of coronaviruses, which can lead to illnesses ranging from a mild common cold to more severe respiratory diseases such as SARS and MERS. Who is at risk and what are the symptoms? Public health experts say the new coronavirus is more contagious than the seasonal flu. The majority of people who become sick experience mild symptoms, but some become more seriously ill. People who contract the virus can develop pneumonia, and some have died. People who are elderly or have underlying medical issues are at greater risk of becoming more severely sick. Symptoms of the virus include a cough, fever and shortness of breath. What should I do if I develop symptoms? The North Dakota Department of Health advises that people call their health care provider to tell them about recent travel or exposure, and to follow their guidance. Try to avoid contact with other people in the meantime. What can I do to prevent the virus from spreading? The health department advises that people wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds. People who are sick should stay home from work or school, both to protect themselves and others with whom they would come in contact. Avoid touching your face, cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or an elbow, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, and avoid contact with people who are sick. Where can I find more information? People with coronavirus-related questions can call the state health department hotline at 866-207-2880. Those who need medical advice should contact their health care provider. The health department's online coronavirus page: www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's online coronavirus page: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov Starbucks has suspended all of its advertising on social media platforms while Pepsi becomes the latest brand to join a boycott of Facebook as more entities in corporate America express their support for a crackdown on hate speech online. Starbucks Corp, the Seattle-based coffee chain, will pause advertising on all social media platforms as it explores the best ways to help stop the spread of hate speech, the company said in a statement on Sunday. The company will 'have discussions internally and with media partners and civil rights organizations to stop the spread of hate speech,' the statement said. A CNBC report on Sunday added that this social media pause by Starbucks will not include YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet Inc's Google. Starbucks, the Seattle-based coffee chain, said it will 'pause' advertising on social media platforms. A Starbucks location is seen above in the Union Square section of New York City on June 24 Starbucks released a statement on its web site on Sunday announcing that it was pausing advertising on social media platforms It will continue to post on social media without paid promotion. It also said that though Starbucks is pausing advertising, it is not joining the 'Stop Hate For Profit' boycott campaign, which kicked off earlier this month. Meanwhile, soft drink maker Pepsi is reportedly pulling ads from Facebook. The halt on advertising will run through July and August, Fox Business News reported on Sunday. Sources described the move as a 'global boycott' on placing Facebook ads, the report said. PepsiCo did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Pepsi has reportedly joined a growing list of companies that have pulled ads from Facebook More than 160 companies, including Verizon Communications and Unilever Plc, signed on to stop buying ads on Facebook Inc, the world's largest social media platform. Facebook has come under massive pressure from advertisers to crack down on hate speech that is spread on its platform. After several large companies announced last week that they were pulling ads from Facebook, the tech giant's shares plunged on Wall Street. Shares in the platform went crashing 8.3 per cent to $216.08 by the closing bell Friday - its lowest in three months. The steep drop on Friday represents a loss of a staggering $56billion in the company's worth. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised action on hate speech after his company put a warning label on a Republican National Committee (RNC) video. But it doesn't appear to satisfy the critics who say Facebook has profited handsomely by allowing unfettered speech on its site. The company's stock dip on Friday dealt a hefty $7.2billion blow to Zuckerberg's personal fortune, pushing him down from third to fourth place on Bloomberg Billionaires Index and leaving him with a new net worth of $82.3billion. The social network has come under intense pressure to curb unfetted hate speech on its web site Shares in Facebook crashed 8.3 per cent to $216.08 by the closing bell Friday - its lowest in three months This came after Coca-Cola and Unilever became the latest major corporations to pull the plug on Facebook advertising on Friday, joining several firms including Dove, Honda and Ben & Jerry's in a show of support for the #StopHateForProfit campaign. Coca-Cola announced a pause on all paid social media advertising globally for at least 30 days saying 'there is no place for racism in the world and there is no place for racism on social media' while Unilever, one of the worlds biggest advertisers, said it would stop spending money with Facebook for the rest of the year. Zuckerberg buckled under the pressure Friday and announced new content policies for the platform, including tighter restrictions on advertising and labels for 'harmful' posts from public figures. The GOP appears to be one of the first to face the clampdown on 'harmful' and 'hateful' content, after Facebook put a warning label on a video posted by the RNC about 'left-wing anarchists' Friday. The platform put a 'violent or graphic content' warning on the video named 'It's about destroying America' which features footage of cop cars on fire alongside snippets of speeches made by Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors as well as Democrats Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 'This video may show violent or graphic content,' the Facebook warning reads. 'We covered this video so you can decide if you want to see it.' The video opens with footage of Cullors saying 'we are trained Marxists' before it goes on to show snippets of violent scenes across America amid the ongoing civil unrest in the wake of the Memorial Day 'murder' of black man George Floyd by a white cop in Minneapolis. Facebook has put a warning label on a video posted by the Republican National Committee about 'left-wing anarchists' after CEO Mark Zuckerberg caved and said the social media giant would ban hate speech on the platform following a boycott by 100 advertisers 'The 'trained Marxists' are on a violent rampage,' flashes up on the screen as the video shows select scenes of a cop being hit by a car, an LA police cruiser on fire, a toppled statue of Ulysses Grant and St. John's Church on fire during protests calling for an end to police brutality and racism. It also contains undated, edited footage of Democrat rivals. Speaker Pelosi is heard saying 'I don't even know why there aren't uprisings all over the country and maybe there will be' while presidential candidate Biden says 'we have an incredible opportunity to fundamentally transform the country'. 'Make sure police departments are defunded,' Ocasio-Cortez says in a clip followed up by Rep. Ilhan Omar who makes a call to 'completely dismantle' the Minneapolis Police Department. The footage, which ends by telling viewers to 'Vote for Trump', makes claims that the so-called 'anarchists' are attacking police officers, 'ripping apart communities' and 'destroying America'. The warning sign comes as the social media giant has come under fire for not removing or labeling hate speech, such as posts by Donald Trump and misinformation about the Black Lives Matter protests. More than 100 companies have so far joined the Facebook boycott with Coca-Cola announcing Friday it was joining the likes of Dove, Unilever and Verizon. 'The Coca-Cola Company will pause paid advertising on all social media platforms globally for at least 30 days,' Coca-Cola CEO and Chairman, James Quincey, said in a statement, adding the company is not joining the official boycott. 'We will take this time to reassess our advertising policies to determine whether revisions are needed. We also expect greater accountability and transparency from our social media partners.' Zuckerberg said in a Facebook Live video on Friday that the company would begin labeling 'harmful' content from politicians that remains 'newsworthy' Zuckerberg responded to the boycott in a Facebook Live video Friday where he announced the company would begin labeling 'harmful' content from politicians that remains 'newsworthy'. Though he did not name Trump, the policy comes in response to a campaign demanding Facebook impose tighter restrictions on 'misinformation' in the president's campaign ads, and on his inflammatory posts. Twitter has already slapped warning labels on some of the president's tweets that it deemed abusive or threatening, and unlike Facebook, Twitter banned all political campaign ads. Zuckerberg slammed the move when Twitter first labeled a Trump tweet, saying it wasn't up to social media companies to be the 'arbiters of truth' - but the Facebook CEO appears to have had a change of heart following the punishing advertiser boycott. 'We will soon start labeling some of the content we leave up because it is deemed newsworthy, so people can know when this is the case,' Zuckerberg said in the livestream. 'We'll allow people to share this content to condemn it, just like we do with other problematic content, because this is an important part of how we discuss what's acceptable in our society - but we'll add a prompt to tell people that the content they're sharing may violate our policies,' he continued. Coca-Cola announced a pause on all paid social media advertising globally for at least 30 days saying 'there is no place for racism in the world and there is no place for racism on social media' North Face was first to pledge its allegiance to the civil rights groups last week and now several major companies including ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's have joined the boycott Zuckerberg also announced new policies cracking down on hateful language in ads, as well as guidelines on voting information. Companies that have joined Facebook ad boycott Unilever Verizon Eddie Bauer Eileen Fisher Ben & Jerry's Patagonia North Face REI Upwork Rakuten Viber Magnolia Pictures Goodby Silverstein Dove Coca-Cola Dockers Levis Honda PepsiCo The Hershey Company lululemon JanSport Birchbox Mozilla Advertisement 'We already restrict certain types of content in ads that we allow in regular posts, but we want to do more to prohibit the kind of divisive and inflammatory language that has been used to sow discord,' Zuckerberg said. 'So today we're prohibiting a wider category of hateful content in ads. Specifically, we're expanding our ads policy to prohibit claims that people from a specific race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity or immigration status are a threat to the physical safety, health or survival of others,' he said. 'We're also expanding our policies to better protect immigrants, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from ads suggesting these groups are inferior or expressing contempt, dismissal or disgust directed at them,' he continued. It follows an advertiser boycott that grew rapidly over the past week, organized by activists demanding Facebook impose greater restrictions on hate speech and misinformation. Honda and Unilver were the latest large companies to join the boycott. However, Zuckerberg did not directly address the boycott in his address. At least some of the boycott organizers said that Zuckerberg's new policies were inadequate. 'Zuckerberg's address was 11 minutes of wasted opportunity to commit to change,' tweeted Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, an organizer of the 'Stop Hate For Profit' boycott campaign. 'I hope companies advertising on Facebook were watching - if they want to put their money where their mouth is on racial justice, then it's time to #StopHateForProfit,' Robinson added. 'Today, Mark Zuckerberg responded with small changes that don't adequately address #hate & misinformation,' tweeted Johnathan Greenblatt, president of the Anti-Defamation League, a key backer of the boycott. Greenblatt said that if Facebook were 'serious', they would have enacted the activists' detailed list of demands. Unilever said on Friday it will stop advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the United States for the rest of the year, citing 'divisiveness and hate speech during this polarized election period in the U.S.' The consumer goods company, which owns brands like Dove Soap and Lipton tea, joins a growing advertising boycott against Facebook as part of the 'Stop Hate for Profit' campaign started by U.S. activists after the death of George Floyd. The effort called on Facebook, which owns Instagram, to do more to stop hate speech, and criticized the company for not doing more to restrict posts and campaign ads from President Donald Trump. Unilever subsidiary Ben & Jerry's, which has an independent board, previously announced it would join the boycott on Facebook earlier this week, possibly putting pressure on the parent company headquartered in London, which has an annual global advertising budget of nearly $8billion. Unilever said on Friday it will stop advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the United States for 2020 'Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society. We will be monitoring ongoing and will revisit our current position if necessary,' Unilever said in a statement. The company, which is based in the Netherlands and Britain, joins a raft of other companies halting advertising on online platforms. Facebook in particular has been the target of an escalating movement to siphon away advertising dollars in a bid to pressure the social media-giant to do more to prevent racist and violent content from being shared on its platform. 'We have decided that starting now through at least the end of the year, we will not run brand advertising in social media newsfeed platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the U.S.,' Unilever said. On Thursday, Verizon joined others in the Facebook boycott. Sarah Personette, vice president of global client solutions at Twitter, said the company's 'mission is to serve the public conversation and ensure Twitter is a place where people can make human connections, seek and receive authentic and credible information, and express themselves freely and safely.' She added that Twitter is 'respectful of our partners decisions and will continue to work and communicate closely with them during this time.' The #StopHateForProfit campaign comes as Facebook faces growing pressure over its hands-off approach to misinformation and inflammatory posts, including from Trump. The social media company made an estimated $70 billion annually from ads, the coalition claimed in a statement on the ADL website. The campaign has criticized Zuckerberg's decision to not moderate the president, after the CEO again defended his decision not to limit Trump's often controversial, incendiary and inaccurate posts. Twitter's decision in May to hide one of Trump's tweets for 'glorifying violence' exposed turmoil at Facebook, with employees rebelling against Zuckerberg's refusal to sanction false or inflammatory posts by the president. Facebook last week said it removed ads by Trump's re-election campaign that contained a symbol used in Nazi Germany for political prisoners, a move welcomed by rights activists. The activists called on Facebook to crack down harder on Trump and his campaign as the November election looms. 'It is clear that Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, are no longer simply negligent, but in fact, complacent in the spread of misinformation, despite the irreversible damage to our democracy,' the NAACP said in a tweet. The coalition criticized Zuckerberg's decision late last month to leave up a particularly inflammatory Trump post, which stated in part: 'When the looting starts, the shooting starts'. Twitter hid the same message behind a warning that said the post 'incited violence'. Several Facebook employees staged a 'virtual walkout' over Zuckerberg's decision. The Facebook co-founder then held a conference call with civil rights leaders who condemned him for failing to remove the post. In a subsequent statement, Rashad Robinson of Color of Change, Vanita Gupta of the Leadership Conference and Sherrilyn Ifill of LDF said: 'He [Zuckerberg] did not demonstrate understanding of historic or modern-day voter suppression and he refuses to acknowledge how Facebook is facilitating Trump's call for violence against protesters. Mark is setting a very dangerous precedent for other voices who would say similar harmful things on Facebook.' With over 80,000 cases and 2,500 deaths, Delhi is the second most affected state in terms of the spread of Covid-19. To its credit, Delhi has tested close to half-a-million samples. But this is little consolation at a time when the disease is affecting almost every neighbourhood, people have struggled to get tested or get admitted to hospital, and the death count has climbed up. But over the past 10 days, recognising the scale of the crisis, both the Centre led by home minister Amit Shah and the Delhi government have stepped up to deal with a surge in cases with a renewed plan. This is positive, and if implemented well, will begin showing results. In this backdrop, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has come up with what he called five weapons against the disease. The first is ramping up hospital beds. As a column in this paper pointed out on Sunday, 22% of Covid-19 deaths in Delhi have occurred within 24 hours of hospital admission and another 40% within 48 hours. This means that patients are getting admitted at too delayed a point, which reduces the prospects for recovery. Home isolation is essential for mild and asymptomatic cases but hospital care is essential for those who are deteriorating. The absence of hospital beds and the complications with regard to admission often acted as a disincentive for patients. That is why ensuring enough beds is key. The second tool is testing. This newspaper has argued that the time for restrictive guidelines is over anyone who wishes to get a test must be able to do so. Delhi has increased testing, and now has the infrastructure to do so even more. There must be no laxity on this front, for only testing can identify the infected, isolate cases, and stop people from spreading the disease, at a time when the lockdown is effectively over. The other tools in the Delhi playbook to deal with Covid-19 include the provision of pulse oxymeters to patients (an effective way to check oxygen levels), plasma therapy (which has not yet been scientifically proven as an effective remedy but has shown positive results in moderate cases), and surveys and screening (an essential step of Covid-19 protocols). The Centres intervention has helped in forcing the Delhi government to recognise its mistakes and step up. Mr Kejriwal has done well in appreciating this support. It is now time to put the plan in action and provide the support Delhis citizens need and deserve. Uttar Pradesh has recorded 606 new Covid 19 positive cases in the last 24 hours taking the total number of infections to 21,549. However, the state has fewer active cases than most at 6,679 since more than double that number of patients--14,808 have been discharged so far, while 660 patients have succumbed to the disease, according to the data released on Sunday by state principal secretary, health, Amit Mohan Prasad. Uttar Pradesh is among the top 10 worst-affected Indian states along with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. It is also one of the top states with the highest percentage of recoveries from the disease. In absolute numbers, Maharashtra with 84,245, Delhi with 49,301, Tamil Nadu with 44,094 and Gujarat with 22409 are the only states ahead of Uttar Pradeshs recovery tally of 14,808. For Coronavirus Live Updates On Saturday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had commended the state officials for reaching the capacity to daily test 20,000 samples for the disease mark and set a new target of 25,000 tests each day, an official said. The state health department officials on Saturday said that they are working on a plan in western Uttar Pradesh districts to break the chain of Covid-19 infections. The six districts of Meerut, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Hapur account for 26.74% of total cases and 28.65% deaths in UP, according to state control room figures of June 26. While the state has claimed to have gained considerable success in its coronavirus containment efforts, the opposition has not been very impressed. Samajwadi Party leader and party national president Akhilesh Yadav had, a few days ago, told Hindi daily Hindustan that the UP government is not conducting enough number of Covid-19 tests and its claims of having 1 lakh beds for treatment of the infected was misleading. The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19 Coronavirus disease will never peak in the state of Uttar Pradesh because the honourable chief minister of the state is not getting enough tests conducted. How is it possible to assess when the disease is going to peak if enough tests are not conducted. Look at Delhi, they are going to conduct tests, Akhilesh said drawing a comparison. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has been working tirelessly to contain the spread of the virus and has presented an example to others. The way Uttar Pradesh has shown courage, wisdom and has succeeded and tackled corona by handling the situation, it is unprecedented and praiseworthy, he had said during the launch of Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Yojana. Related Top aide to DR Congo president goes on trial for corruption DR Congo's justice minister was briefly arrested on Saturday, the latest twist in a crisis over proposed judicial reforms that have shaken the governing coalition and triggered violent street protests. The action against Celestin Tunda Ya Kasende came a day after he clashed with President Felix Tshisekedi over the contested legal changes, according to a ministerial source. The reforms, proposed by supporters of the still influential former president Joseph Kabila, have caused a damaging rift in Tshisekedi's fragile coalition. Tunda Ya Kasenda, a lawyer by profession who also holds the rank of deputy prime minister, had told AFP by phone shortly before his arrest that about a dozen officers were surrounding his Kinshasa home. "I am serene. I'm a member of the government and I have immunity," said the minister, a Kabila ally. He was taken to the prosecutor's office, according to lawmaker Felix Kabange Numbi, who said Tunda Ya Kasenda faced accusations of forgery but gave no other details. The minister was later released after being questioned by a magistrate. "No charge has been filed," one of the minister's supporters, Francois Nzekuye, told AFP. "The prosecutor himself noted that there was no case, it was a pointless hassle." Legal sources confirmed that no charges had been filed. - Kabila camp in the streets - Kasende's arrest, albeit brief, brought other supporters of Kabila out on to the streets, a group of them gathering in front of the prosecutors' office in solidarity. Among them were several senior members of the Common Front for Congo (FCC), a coalition close to Kabila, who remains a behind-the-scenes force in national politics. Kabila's own twin sister, Janet, was also present. After Kasende was released, party members celebrated at the headquarters of the former president. "What we have been through today is the birth of a dictatorship," said Emmanuel Ramazini Shadary, Kabila's protege and the defeated candidate in the 2018 presidential election. "Tomorrow we are going to announce our action plan to put an end to this chaos, to this dictatorship." Several sources reported that Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga, another Kabila supporter, had threatened to resign after Kasende was arrested, a move that would have put an end to the ruling coalition. The controversial judicial reforms include proposals to define the powers of judges, which critics say is a ploy to muzzle the judiciary in a country known for its instability. They were put forward by the FCC. The FCC sits in an uneasy coalition with Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) and it accounts for most of the 66 government ministers as well as the prime minister. - Reprimanded by the president - Over two days this week, angry demonstrators, mainly UDPS supporters and some armed with petrol bombs, blocked traffic outside parliament, erecting barriers and burning tyres in a protest over the legal changes. Some demonstrators also attacked the homes of Kabila supporters. Police said 18 people were injured, including police officers, and 40 arrests made over the two days. The justice minister's arrest came after he was reprimanded during a cabinet meeting by a furious Tshisekedi, according to ministerial sources. He had apparently informed parliament about the government's views on sections of the reforms involving the status of magistrates -- without consulting the president who was said to have abruptly walked out of the meeting and slammed the door. Tshisekedi's office denied this version of events, saying he had to leave the meeting for a video conference with other African leaders. Former parliament speaker Aubin Minaku, one of the people behind the proposed amendments, said this week that the aim of the reforms was "to define the authority the justice ministry exercises over the judges". But Tshisekedi's party on Monday lambasted the proposals as a ploy to "undermine the independence of the judiciary and increase the power of the justice ministry". Tshisekedi took office in January 2019 in the first peaceful transfer of power in the vast central African nation following 18 years with Kabila at the helm. Creating the coalition took nine months of arduous talks, and the hybrid remains a seething source of tension. Search Keywords: Short link: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) President Rodrigo Duterte is set to submit his 14th report on the government's response to the COVID-19 crisis to Congress on Monday. The latest report comes after the lapse of the Bayanihan Heal As One Act, which ended on June. The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act gave the President the power to reallocate funds from the 2020 national budget as he deems necessary in the countrys fight against COVID-19. One of the provisions is the granting of a 5,000 to 8,000 monthly subsidy to 18 million poor families for two months, as well as compensation for healthcare workers who have succumbed or had gotten ill because of the virus Duterte's 13th report, submitted on June 22, discussed issues concerning transportation problems and delayed aid distribution. The Department of Social Welfare and Development said they have finished distributing the first tranche of the social amelioration program last week, and DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao told CNN Philippines that 1.3 million beneficiaries have received cash aid in the second tranche of SAP. Despite the lapse of the Bayanihan Act, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said it would not affect SAP distribution. "It's a physical act of disbursing what has been allotted by Congress, so wala pong problema 'yan [so there is no problem]," he said during a televised briefing last week. Apart from aid distribution, Duterte is also set to make an announcement on the fate of quarantine restrictions, among them, whether Metro Manila stays under general community quarantine or shifts into another mode of restriction. Duterte extended GCQ in Metro Manila until June 30 and tightened restrictions in Cebu City to enhanced community quarantine after it emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak in the Visayas. Since his last report, Duterte appointed Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to oversee the COVID-19 fight in Cebu City. He is expected to give an update on the matter in his report. The President is also expected to address the public on Monday, along with other government officials, to discuss key issues in the fight against the virus. Its interesting, said the Rev. Jacques Conway, the district superintendent of the Chicago Southern District. Were asking churches to recognize their (outgoing) clergy like they do their worship services through Facebook and Facebook Live, through conference calls or however theyre doing it. We are asking them to receive them the same way, not in person, but over the way in which theyre currently having their worship services. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 04:56:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of coronavirus active cases in Israel has risen to 6,363, the highest since May 2, the state's Ministry of Health said on Sunday. The ministry also reported 334 new cases, bringing the total to 23,755. The number of death cases has risen from 317 to 318, while the number of patients in serious condition has dropped from 41 to 39. In addition, the number of recoveries increased to 17,074, with 72 new recoveries. Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said in a press briefing that the country is currently at the beginning of a second coronavirus wave. He added that the ministry had recommended the Corona Cabinet to impose restrictions on gatherings, including wedding ceremonies and synagogue prayers. It will also be considered to hold university exams remotely, without attending the campuses, to prevent mass infection of students, lecturers and their family members. Enditem An Australian army medic has made an emotional apology to the sons of an Afghan farmer allegedly killed by special forces. It is one of 55 alleged war crimes by Australia's Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment in Afghanistan now under investigation. SAS medic Dusty Miller, a decorated former warrant officer who served in Afghanistan, made the heart-felt apology from Melbourne over video link to two sons of almond farmer Haji Sardar in Kabul. 'I am very sorry by what happened to your father and I wish I'd have done more,' he said. 'You shouldn't have lost your father that day and I am so sorry that that happened.' Mr Sardar's sons were not angry and instead thanked Mr Miller. Abdul Sardar, 34, said he was grateful that Mr Miller had helped his father in the final moments before he was allegedly killed. 'He has done as much as he could do and when things were beyond his ability then no-one can hold one accountable for,' he said through an interpreter on 60 Minutes. Hazratullah Sardar, 22, (pictured left) and Abdul Sardar, 34 (centre) sit with a tribal elder (right) in Afghanistan as they listen to Dusty Miller's grief-torn apology for their father's death 'He didn't die of his wounds, I can promise you that,' Dusty Miller (pictured) told 60 Minutes Mr Sardar's other son Hazratullah, 22, said he, too, was thankful for Mr Miller's help. 'I am very thankful to Dusty for his help and getting in touch with us and telling us what he did, and the help he provided to my father,' he said. Both sons, however, asked Mr Miller to help them get justice for the death of their father, a farmer from a small village deep in the badlands of southern Afghanistan. Mr Sardar, a father-of-seven, had been shot through the thigh as the SAS approached his village on March 14, 2012. Mr Miller, a medic recently deployed to Afghanistan with Australia's SAS Regiment, was given the injured farmer to care for as soon as he arrived. Mr Sardar was lucky: the bullet had passed clean through and Mr MIller said the injury was not life threatening. He treated Mr Sardar's wounds and made him as comfortable as possible. The Army medic told 60 Minutes that under the Geneva Convention it didn't matter if the patient was a combatant or a non-combatant, once a wounded person was under his care, he would be treated. Dusty Miller (pictured on duty) has broken his silence on alleged war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan, and apologised to the sons of farmer allegedly killed by the SAS A Defence Force inquiry presided over by senior NSW judge Paul Brereton is investigating Australia's special forces regiment for war crimes, and is set to hand down its report next month. Pictured: Australian infantry in Afghanistan Mr Miller believed he was to take the wounded man to the base at Tarinkot, in the capital of Uruzgan province, for medical treatment. Instead, he recounted how one of his superiors approached him and said 'this person's coming with me'. Because he could not walk, the soldier piggybacked the bleeding farmer away. Minutes later, the same senior officer returned and told him the man had died, Mr Miller said. 'Straight away I knew that was impossible - absolutely impossible,' Mr Miller said. 'I assumed he was killed basically. He didn't die of his wounds, I can promise you that.' Mr Sardar's sons said when they were allowed to see their dead father, six hours later, he had boot marks all over his chest, as though someone had stomped him to death. Pictured: SAS Regiment officers in Afghanistan. The classified report into 55 alleged war crimes by the SAS between 2005 and 2016 is expected to be handed up next month 'When the kids went to see him he was already dead and when we checked him he had bruises on his check, bootmarks up to here,' said Abdul Sardar. His brother Hazratullah asked why his father was killed. Women and children were crying,' he said through an interpreter. 'All relatives gathered around him - what was his crime? What was his fault?' Both sons say their father was not with the Taliban, and this has been confirmed by military documents from the US-led coalition, which describe him as a civilian, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Mr Miller experienced deep regret and remorse for years after the death, blaming himself for not doing more to save the man, and developing severe post traumatic stress disorder. He became determined to track down Mr Sardar's sons and personally apologise for what happened. 'I knew that what had happened to your father was something very bad ... and it was wrong,' he told the pair as they sat with a tribal elder in Afghanistan. 'Now I want you to understand that this event never sat well with me and I was very disturbed and troubled by what happened.' Hazratullah Sardar, 22, said: 'I am very thankful to Dusty for his help and getting in touch with us and telling us what he did, and the help he provided to my father.' Mr Miller had planned to fly to Afghanistan to talk to them in person, but days before he was due to leave the coronavirus pandemic made the trip impossible, so he had to communicate via a laptop. It was the first time that Mr Sardar's sons had heard any Australian who had been on the ground tell the story of their father's final minutes - and Mr Miller's anguish was etched on his face. Pictured: Australian Special Operations Task Group Soldiers in Afghanistan in 2013. Australian Special Operations Commander Major-General Adam Findlay told SAS soldiers at Perth's Campbell Barracks in March that poor moral leadership was behind the incidents The death of Haji Sardar is just one of 55 cases of alleged misconduct by Australia's special forces now being investigated by the Brereton inquiry, headed by senior NSW judge Paul Brereton. The long-running inquiry, launched in 2016 by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force is investigating allegations against special forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2016. The incidents are said to be mostly allegations of unlawful killings, but there are also allegations of cruelty, and more than 330 witnesses have been interviewed so far. Australian Special Operations Commander Major-General Adam Findlay told SAS soldiers at Perth's Campbell Barracks in March that war crimes had been committed and poor moral leadership was to blame. 'There are guys who criminally did something. But can you tell me, why was that?' he asked the soldiers. 'It is poor leadership.' General Findlay said the Brereton Inquiry had shown some SAS soldiers were brave enough to break the iron-clad code of loyalty and blow the whistle on the crimes, an act which he described as 'moral courage'. General Findlays comments are widely interpreted as an admission that the Brereton Inquiry is going to make adverse findings when it finishes, sometime in July. Justice Brereton will deliver the long-awaited report to Defence Force Chief General Angus Campbell. General Campbell will then pass the classified report up to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who will have the difficult task of deciding which parts of the report should be released to Parliament and to the public. Turkey has launched an air and ground offensive against the PKK which it terms a terrorist group. A Turkish soldier has died on Sunday in clashes with Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters in northern Iraq, Turkeys defence ministry said in a statement. On June 17, Turkey launched an air and ground offensive against the PKK, which has fought an armed campaign against the Turkish state since 1984 and which is listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies. Turkey says the PKK is responsible for the death of more than 40,000 people during three decades of fighting. Turkey regularly attacks PKK fighters, both in its mainly Kurdish southeast and in northern Iraq, where the group is based. It has also warned in recent years of a potential ground offensive against PKK bases in Iraqs Qandil mountains. Earlier this month, the United Arab Emirates said the military interventions violated Iraqi sovereignty. The latest offensive has sparked protests from Iraq, which has summoned the Turkish envoy in Baghdad twice over the operation. Local Kurdish officials in northern Iraq say at least five civilians have been killed since the operation began nearly two weeks ago. However, Turkey says it is targeting the PKK and that its army has done everything in its capacity to avoid civilian casualties and attacks on civilian targets. Turkeys defence ministry said its security forces neutralised a PKK fighter in northern Iraq on Sunday. The fighter was targeted in the Zap region in an air-backed operation, the national defence ministry said on Twitter. Turkish authorities often use the word neutralise to imply the armed fighters in question surrendered or were killed or captured. COVID-19 cases surpass half-a-million mark in India, total deaths 15,685 Global Times Source:Xinhua Published: 2020/6/27 13:03:35 Total COVID-19 cases in India surpassed half-a-million mark on Saturday, reaching 508,953, as the death toll reached 15,685, confirmed the latest data released by the federal health ministry. Nearly 100,000 fresh cases have been detected in the country in past six days, showed the data. The ministry said 384 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 18,552 positive cases, were reported during the past 24 hours across the country. "As on 8:00 a.m. (local time) Saturday, 15,685 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 490,401, and the death toll 15,301. According to ministry officials, so far 295,881 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement. "The number of active cases in the country right now is 197,387," reads the information. The number of confirmed cases in India has witnessed a sudden spurt in recent days. The confirmed cases rose by 15,968 on Wednesday, by 16,922 on Thursday, and by 17,296 Friday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with chief ministers of all states via video conference on June 16 and 17 to chalk out the strategy to help the country come out of the Coronavirus lockdown. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Renaming fever has reached the upper division of the Ivy League as Princeton throws in the towel and renames a graduate school, while Yale begins to fear pressure to drop the name of slave trader Eli Yale from its global brand. Brian Pietsch reports in the New York Times: Princeton University will remove Woodrow Wilsons name from its public policy school and one of its residential colleges, the universitys president said on Saturday a move that comes four years after it decided to keep the name over the objections of student protests. The universitys board of trustees found that Wilsons racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college whose scholars, students and alumni must stand firmly against racism in all its forms, Princetons president, Christopher L. Eisgruber, said in a statement. Wilsons racism was significant and consequential even by the standards of his own time, Mr. Eisgruber said. Wilson was the universitys president from 1902 to 1910 before becoming the U.S. president in 1913. The former Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University Photo credit: Zane R via Flickr Make no mistake: Woodrow Wilson was an open racist, a fact that endeared him to the Dixiecrat wing of the Democrats and therefore provided the margin of victory to make him their nominee and then President of the United States. He was such a racist that he re-segregated the Armed Forces, and in a move that has never gotten the attention it deserved, torpedoed a Japanese delegations effort to place a declaration of racial equality in the Versailles Peace Treaty, humiliating the nascent Japanese democracy movement, and empowering the racialists and militarists who eventually drove Japan into an expansionist military dictatorship. Since no new facts have come to light about Wilson, it is hard to deny that fears of the mob motivated the school to reverse its earlier decision. That is my translation of this official statement: The question has been made more urgent by the recent killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, which have served as tragic reminders of the ongoing need for all of us to stand against racism and for equality and justice, the statement continued. This raises awkward questions for me. In 1969, I was awarded what was then called a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship, funded by the Ford Foundation and administered by a nonprofit called The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, headquartered in Princeton, NJ, where Wilson had formerly served as president of Princeton University. The fellowships were intended to fund graduate school for students nominated by their undergraduate schools, and were likened by Time Magazine to another graduate fellowship program named after a racist: "The Woodrow Wilson Fellowship is fast becoming a domestic version of the Rhodes Scholarship." The fellowships were nicknamed Woodies in the academic world, and much coveted those who desired to become academics, as I did at the time. So, what am I to do? And what is the Foundation, whose website is woodrow.org supposed to do? Do they retroactively rename the fellowships after someone else? Maybe Jussie Smollett, who as much as anyone else stands for the movement now roiling the nation? Jussies replacing Woodies has a nice ring to it. But the travails of Woodrow.org and awardees of Woodies pale (oops! Racist dog whistle!) in the face of the dilemma facing Yale University, which has already erased the name of John C. Calhoun from one of its dormitory complexes and has other such complexes (called colleges) named after slave holders, as Roger Kimball reports at American Greatness: Calhoun owned slaves. But so did Timothy Dwight, Calhouns mentor at Yale, who has a college named in his honor. So did Benjamin Silliman, who also gives his name to a residential college, and whose mother was the largest slave owner in Fairfield County, Connecticut. So did Ezra Stiles, John Davenport, and even Jonathan Edwards, all of whom have colleges named in their honor at Yale. But these names are mostly of note to insiders. What really matters is the name Yale University, the world-renowned brand for the entire enterprise. And Elihu Yale, whose bequest of books and other property got the school named after him, was no mere slavery advocate or slave owner, he was a slave trader. And we all know that they are the lowest form of humanity unless they are ancestors of Barack Obama. As a Yale insider wrote in the New Haven Independent a couple of days ago: Such a namesake is a liability for Yale the institution. By that I mean a billion-dollar brand, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, an affiliated college in Singapore, and a huge healthcare network. This open secret is a ticking timebomb. It is about to go off. #CancelYale trended this past week on social media, having started as a trolling of liberal elites by conservative influencers. One example: For an institution that prides itself on its so called progressivism, why has Yale not yet distanced itself from its namesake - a notorious slave trader?! To Yales chagrin, they have a point. It must be difficult to take a cold, hard look in the mirror when your face is covered in blood. (snip) It was precisely Elihu Yales fortune as a slavemaster that compelled Yale College to honor his name, though even in that regard history has not been kind, with Elihu being dubbed the most overrated philanthropist. His contribution to the Collegiate School was so minor that it has been suggested the name was chosen either to curry favor for future investment or to avoid the moniker of Joseph Dummer (a factoid that the #CancelYale pundits have repeated ad nauseum). It seems to me Dummer University would fully reflect the movement that is tearing down, erasing, and renaming in an effort to impose Year Zero on society. Im completely willing to refer to myself as a Jussie Fellow if Yale will agree to call itself Dummer U and undergratuates there start calling themseles"Dummies"instead of "Yalies." The larger truth here is that prestige is the principal asset and product of higher education especially among the big-league schools. Yale will defend a slave trader, at least until mobs start burning down buildings, because the prestige associated with the name is what parents fork over a small fortune to buy for their children. Take away the name and you take away the largest part of the value the university has to offer The Queensland government is standing firm in its decision to wait until the end of the month to announce whether it will reopen its borders, as the coronavirus dwindles within the state while surging elsewhere. Queensland did not record a new COVID-19 case at the weekend, leaving the state's total at 1067, just two of which are still considered active. Queensland's borders were closed in March at the height of the coronavirus crisis. Credit:Jason O'Brien/AAP There was one new case recorded on Friday, a returning overseas traveller, following more than a week without any infection confirmations. Asked repeatedly on Sunday to give a clue about the border decision, Queensland government minister Mark Bailey said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk would announce any changes on Tuesday. Swara Bhaskars entry into a small-town leads to quite an upheaval. Young men of the town, lead by teenaged Nand Kishore (Ayushmaan Saxena), cannot stop dreaming about her, and neither can their fathers. Through the trope of hot teacher, this Amazon Prime web series Rasbhari directed by Nikhil Bhat explores our prurient society and its need to suppress the sexuality of women. Rasbhari captures the small-town milieu of Meerut perfectly. English teacher Shanu (Swara) comes to live in Meerut with her husband and overnight becomes the fantasy of her students and neighbours. Comfortable with her beauty and sexuality, she is branded a husband snatcher by the women of the town while the men cannot stop thinking about her. Writer Shantanu Shrivastava and director Nikhil Bhat introduce an interesting alter-ego for Shanoo - the ghost of a courtesan, Rasbhari. Is Shanoo really the husband snatcher she is said to be or is it Rasbhari, the ghost, calling the shots? A metaphor of how sexually repressed India is, the series takes its own sweet time before it gets going. The first few episodes will particularly try your patience as they establish Shanu as the sex siren of Meerut, without her not contributing to her reputation in any way. Her narrative is written by those around her, and only the blame is her own. It is only when you cross this hurdle that you discover the interesting characters that inhabit the show. Rasbhari is far more layered and mature project than what its rather juvenile trailer let on. Without ever getting preachy or sanctimonious, Rasbhari shows us how women are suppressed and stereotyped in our society for expressing their desires, including by other women. Shanoo aka Rasbharis mother is the first person to object to her wild ways. Shanoos brother can hang out with friends, misbehave and stay out as late as he wants because he is a boy, but her limits are cast in stone due to her gender. She must learn to curb her needs, desires and wants, because she has to learn and adapt in her in-laws family someday. Makers of Rasbhari have cast well for the show and each actor fits the role perfectly. If Swara reminds you of Sushmita Sens Chandni from Main Hoon Na on her entry, Ayushmaan Saxena is apt as teenged Nand Kishore who is obsessed with his teacher. Also read: Neetu Kapoor reflects on battles we fight in our heads as she remembers Rishi Kapoor: Value your loved ones Rasbhari treads the thin line between sleaze and erotic well but falters at certain places. For instance, Shanus interaction with the cable guy is dealt with voyeuristically. Many in the audience may also find the idea of accepting extramarital affairs morally questionable. An interesting take on sexuality, Rasbhari falters as it tries to do too much without focusing on one theme. Sexual awakening, oppression of women, social pressure on women and small-town desires are all rammed into the eight episodes with desultory results Interact with the author @swetakaushal Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 17th meeting of Group of Ministers (GOM) on COVID-19 India PIB Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Reviews current status and containment measures of COVID-19 Posted On: 27 JUN 2020 3:08PM by PIB Delhi The 17th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 was held under the chairpersonship of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare by a video-conference hosted at Nirman Bhawan, here today. He was joined by Dr S. Jaishankar, Union Foreign Minister, Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, and Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Health & Family Welfare. The GOM was briefed on the current status of COVID-19 cases in the country, the recovery and mortality rates, doubling rate, ramped up testing and strengthened healthcare infrastructure in the various states. It was mentioned that presently eight States (Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal) contribute 85.5% of active caseload and 87% of total deaths in India. It was also informed that, as on date, 15 Central Teams consisting of public health experts/epidemiologists/clinicians and a senior Joint Secretary level have been deployed to provide technical support to the States. Another Central Team is currently visiting Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana to strengthen ongoing efforts for management of COVID-19. The GoM was also briefed about the utility of ITIHAS and Aarogya Setu in contact tracing and prediction of potential hotspot areas which have been extensively used by State/UT Governments in preparing the COVID-19 containment strategy. The Group of Ministers was informed that the key focus areas which are continually communicated to the States/UTs are strict containment measures and surveillance; utilizing full testing capacity; focus on monitoring of co-morbid and elderly population; predicting emerging hotspots leveraging digital tools such as Aarogya Setu; ensuring seamless patient admission processes; fatality mitigation by effective clinical management; focus on infrastructure preparedness (critical care beds, oxygen, ventilators and logistics); and ensuring that non-Covid healthcare services are not impacted. Dr. Bhragava, DG (ICMR) gave a detailed presentation on the Testing strategy of ICMR. He explained about the serological survey, and the increasing capacity for enhanced per day testing through various tests. The samples tested in the last 24 hours have increased to 2,20,479 taking the total cumulative number of samples tested, as on date, to 79,96,707. India now has 1026 diagnostic labs dedicated to COVID-19. This includes 741 in the government sector and 285 private labs, he stated. GoM was also apprised about the growing medical infrastructure in the country and was informed that as of 27th June 2020, the COVID related health infrastructure has been strengthened with the availability of 1039 dedicated COVID Hospitals with 1,76,275 isolation beds, 22,940 ICU beds and 77,268 oxygen supported beds; 2,398 dedicated COVID Health Centres with 1,39,483 Isolation beds, 11,539 ICU beds and 51,321 oxygen supported beds have also been operationalised. Moreover, 8,958 COVID Care Centres with 8,10,621 beds are now available to combat COVID-19 in the country. The Centre has also provided 185.18 lakh N95 masks and 116.74 lakh Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) to the States/ UTs / Central Institutions. In a detailed presentation by Shri K. Shivaji, Chairman of the Empowered Group-10, the GoM was briefed that the stipulated redressal time on COVID-19 public grievances was brought down from the usual 60 days for normal public grievances to three days to prioritize their quick disposal. National Dashboard for 'COVID -19' was launched on 1st April 2020 for exclusive monitoring of COVID-19 public grievances. During the period from 30th March to 24th June, 2020, the Empowered Group disposed 93.84% of the 77,307 grievances received for central Ministries and 63.11% of the 53,130 grievances received pertaining to the State governments. Ms Preeti Sudan, Health Secretary, Shri Rajesh Bhushan, OSD (MoHFW), Sh Amitabh Kant, CEO (Niti Aayog), Shri P D Vaghela, Secy (Pharma), Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secy (DWS), Dr Rajiv Garg, DGHS (MoHFW), Ms. Arti Ahuja, Addl. Secretary (MoHFW), Shri Dammu Ravi, Addl Secy (MEA), Dr S K Singh, Director (NCDC) participated through virtual media. **** MV/SG (Release ID: 1634736) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 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, 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Tara Costigan, 28, was fatally struck in the neck with an axe by Marcus Rappel A mother who was killed by her axe-wielding ex-boyfriend tried to lodge a domestic violence order while in labour with their daughter eight days before she died. Tara Costigan, 28, was fatally struck in the neck with an axe by Marcus Rappel, now 44, in the laundry room of her Canberra home while shielding their newborn daughter. Rappel was sentenced to 32 years and two months jail, with a non-parole period of 26 years, for murder, breaching a domestic violence order and two counts of assault. It has now been revealed that the mother-of-three went to her local police station to file a domestic violence order eight days before her 2015 death in a desperate bid to protect herself and her children. In her application for the order, Ms Costigan wrote that she 'could not fill out the paper work because I was in labour,' the Daily Telegraph reported. Tara Costigan pictured just days before her death after giving birth to her daughter Ayla Marcus Rappel (pictured) murdered mother of three Tara Costigan, 28, in February 2015 in front of her sons, aged nine and 11 The mother-of-three detailed the moment she told the bricklayer of their daughter Ayla's birth. She said he stormed into the hospital with his mother. 'He was very angry and said to me 'I know about the other men'. He stayed no more than 10 min he stormed out and left,' she said. Rappel told Ms Costigan that he was 'still using ice' in an emotional conversation on February 22, but things turned sour two days later when they met at a cafe. Ms Costigan was breastfeeding her newborn daughter when Rappel broke in to her Canberra home. She fled to the laundry room in terror - before he struck her in the neck with an axe 'I could tell Marcus was in a bad mood', she said, before explaining that she left the cafe when he became verbally abusive. He killed her in front of her two sons - age nine and 11 at the time - her sister, and her sister's partner. Ms Costigan's family said they are still dealing with the the impact of her death. 'I think the biggest impact is the loss of family, because Tara was a very big part of my life from the moment she was born,' her grandmother Margaret Costigan, 82, said. The Harrowing Triple-0 Call The harrowing triple-0 call Ms Costigan's sister Rikki Schmidt made was played in the ACT Supreme Court in July, 2016. Ms Schmidt could be heard pleading the operator to hurry up when he asked what had happened. 'My sister's ex-boyfriend came into the house with an axe.' When the operator asked for more details about her injuries, Ms Schmidt frantically screamed: 'She's got an axe wound on her neck.' He again asked for more details, to which she said: 'No I don't she's hardly breathing,' audio played by ABC revealed. 'She's going to die, can you please hurry up.' Family at the home at the time of the attack held a towel to her neck in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Ms Costigan's aunt, Maria Costigan, cried as the audio recording played in court on Tuesday, while Rappel appeared to cry with his head between his knees. 'He's not crying, he's not crying,' one of Ms Costigan's friends said as she cried. 'You don't get to cry,' she shouted. Advertisement Her now teenage sons now live with their biological father and Ayla has been informally adopted by her aunt and uncle on her father's side. The families put their differences aside each year to celebrate the now five-year-old's birthday. '[Ayla] bounces off walls, runs around everywhere with her head forward. It's incredible how much she is like her mum when she was only with her mum for eight days,' Tara's aunt Maria Costigan, 57, told the publication. During Rappel's sentencing hearing in September 2016, the court heard that the estranged pair's relationship had broken down and Rappel had become increasingly abusive. Tara Costigan and Marcus Rappel had been together for 16 months before he killed her '(It) should have been forever,' Ms Costigan's mother Trish Fuller (pictured) was emotional outside of court after the sentencing The love was gone, the trust was gone, the family was against me for things I didn't do,' Rappel said in his evidence. 'It was doomed.' Angered at not being present for his daughter's birth and intent on reclaiming furniture which belonged to him, he arrived at the Calwell home in a rage. Ms Costigan was breastfeeding her newborn daughter when Rappel broke in. She fled in terror to the laundry but was not quick enough. It was there that she was struck in the neck by Rappel, falling face-first to the ground while still holding her newborn daughter. Ms Costigan's sister Nikkie Schmidt and her partner were in the house at the time and both suffered injuries in the attack. Rikki Schmidt, sister of domestic violence victim Tara Costigan is hugged by family members outside the Supreme Court after Rappel was sentenced Ms Schmidt's partner eventually managed to knock the axe from Mr Rappel's hands and a neighbour was able to restrain him until police arrived. Ms Costigan's mother Trish Fuller said no sentence would have been good enough. '(It) should have been forever,' she previously told reporters outside of court amidst sobbing tears. 'Whatever he did is never going to bring her back, this has just been devastating.' Ms Costigan's uncle Michael said Rappel, 42, got what he deserved. 'Many have suggested that today will bring closure. It hasn't - today's verdict does not bring me peace. Tara remains dead,' he told reporters outside court. In 2018, Rapell (pictured) was beaten at the Alexander Maconochie Centre in Canberra Justice Burns told Rappel the ruthless murder was 'vicious and cowardly' and would be 'felt for decades to come', the ABC reported. Those who witnessed your violence will have to live with their memories for the rest of their lives,' he said. 'Your actions deprived three children of their mother, including your own infant daughter. In 2018, Rapell was beaten at the Alexander Maconochie Centre in Canberra. The murderer was left with facial bruising but did not need hospital after the attack at 6pm on April 19. He will be eligible for release in 2041. Disney's upcoming epic fantasy war drama film "Mulan" has been postponed again to August amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced on Friday. The China-set live-action film was first scheduled to hit US theaters on March 27 but was later rescheduled to July 24 due to the pandemic. Hollywood studios delayed nearly all of their big-budget movies in the United States and other countries as theaters were shut down in an effort to combat the coronavirus. The film is now slated to open on Aug 21. "While the pandemic has changed our release plans for 'Mulan' and we will continue to be flexible as conditions require, it has not changed our belief in the power of this film and its message of hope and perseverance," Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer, and Alan Bergman, co-chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement. "Director Niki Caro and our cast and crew have created a beautiful, epic, and moving film that is everything the cinematic experience should be, and that's where we believe it belongs -- on the world stage and the big screen for audiences around the globe to enjoy together," the statement said. Based on the legend of an ancient Chinese heroine, the film is an adaptation of Disney's 1998 animated film of the same name. Mulan, according to folk legend, lived during a tumultuous era in Chinese history more than 1,400 years ago. She disguised herself as a man to serve in the army in place of her aged father and fight for her country. "Mulan," which cost $200 million to make, stars Liu Yifei in the title role following a year-long global casting, with Gong Li as a powerful and dangerous witch, Donnie Yen as an army commander, and Jet Li as the emperor of China. The announcement came one day after the decision of Warner Bros. to delay the release date for Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" for the second time. The film was pushed back from July 31 to Aug 12. Both "Mulan" and "Tenet" were considered to help theaters to welcome back moviegoers this summer amid the pandemic. "Mulan" was supposed to be the first major Hollywood film to hit the big screen after theaters were planning to reopen in phases next month. The delay of "Mulan" and "Tenet" cast a shadow on theaters' reopening plans. AMC Theaters, the largest US movie theater chain, said in a statement last week that it will resume theater operations at approximately 450 US locations on July 15, and at approximately 150 remaining locations on July 24, in time for "Mulan" and "Tenet." But a number of US states saw a surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations this week. The Washington Post commented that "the move means that the month of July, which in recent years has seen mega-blockbusters from 'The Lion King' to 'The Dark Knight,' 'Transformers' to many 'Harry Potter' films, will not have a major new movie for the first time in the modern era." "Disney has delayed the theatrical release of 'Mulan' for a third time, all but officially putting an end to Hollywood's hopes of salvaging a summer movie season," Variety magazine noted. Variety also pointed out that "Mulan" is expected to strongly resonate in China. "But Chinese movie theaters are all currently closed, without a known reopening date. Given the importance of 'Mulan' in China, it would have been risky to release the movie and leave Chinese audiences behind," the US magazine said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 01:28:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHICAGO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- After fighting with COVID-19 for three weeks, U.S. Michigan entrepreneur Milan Stevanovich left the world in mid-April. He was 56. Stevanovich wasn't feeling well in late March. The doctors gave him a COVID-19 test and said he had a mild case. He put up a tough fight, but COVID-19 was too strong and took his life, as it has done to 500,000 people worldwide, among more than 10 million cases. Tom Watkins, former Michigan superintendent of schools, has known Stevanovich for nearly a decade. "We worked together to generate support in business, politics, education and educational bridge building between China and the United States. We work together on both sides of the Pacific," Watkins told Xinhua. "I have great memories, and we had good laughs and success in making connections that have benefited both the Chinese (people) and the people of Michigan." Stevanovich served as vice president of global strategy for Detroit Chinese Business Association (DCBA) in the last seven years, when he facilitated relationships and meetings between CEOs and government leaders that resulted in jobs coming to Michigan and helped build two-way economic bridges between China and the U.S. Midwest state of Michigan. "It was hard to tell where the job ended as Milan was relentless in finding ways to connect Michigan and China every waking hour. Many joked that Milan even worked on deals to build this vital bridge between Michigan and China in his sleep," Watkins said. He said that Stevanovich was full of energy and passion. "He had the curiosity of a child, a quick wit, an infectious smile and a drive to find ways to build bridges and make connections that would add value to both Michigan and China." "During these tough times when relations between the two largest world economies are strained we need people like Milan Stevanovich more than ever," Watkins said. "Milan had a disarming way about him, a genuine nature to see good in all and to seek common ground that would produce win-win opportunities." After learning about Stevanovich's death, Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Jian sent condolences: "We highly appreciated his friendship toward the Chinese people and his contributions to our bilateral relations. His generosity and kindness, his love of the Chinese culture and passion in advocating people-to-people exchanges will be greatly missed." Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer lauded Stevanovich as a true believer in the power of connecting people. "He was passionate about the ability to have people from various backgrounds and experiences come together to do something great." In the eyes of Watkins, Stevanovich was a dreamer, a believer with a sense of humor and a laser focus to build connections that produced results. "He was constantly looking at ways to make connections that led to good things happening. He had a can-do spirit." To DCBA President Brian Gao, Stevanovich was a good man with a big heart, and was fun to be around. Most importantly, "(he) is a devoted father who adored his daughter, Chanel." Influenced by her father, Chanel began taking Mandarin language lessons when she was four years old. She is graduating from high school this year and is proficient in Mandarin as well as Serbian/Macedonian. "Chanel has all the gifts of her father and is certain to carry on her dad's passion for building cultural and economic ties with China and the world," Watkins said. "China and Michigan lost a good man who made it his mission to create economic and cultural connections between the great state of Michigan and China," Watkins said emotionally. "I and many others lost a friend, a colleague, a passionate advocate who we had worked arm in arm to build bridges rather than digging moats and erecting walls between Michigan/America and China." "Milan woke up every day with a desire to make the world a little bit better, and he did," he said. Enditem 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 It's been 33 days since a police officer kneeled on George Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. As protests have waned in recent weeks, Etienne Maurice is telling people not to let Floyd's death go. For three Saturdays now, the 28-year-old filmmaker and activist has led a walk/run for Black Lives Matter through his Mid-Wilshire neighborhood. Etienne Maurice, an activist and filmmaker, organizes a weekly walk/run through Mid-Wilshire to keep the Black Lives Movement visible. (Josie Huang/LAist) Maurice is keeping up the protest spirit awakened in him weeks before Floyd's death, when he first saw video from February of Ahmaud Arbery being chased by armed white men in Georgia, then killed by one of them. "When I saw him, literally, fight for his life on social media, I lost my wits about myself," Maurice said. "Because I looked at that young man, and I saw myself." Weeks later, the world would see how a Minneapolis police officer had killed George Floyd. Protests erupted, as people who have never demonstrated before took to the streets to lift an ascendant Black Lives Matter movement and call for defunding the police and dismantling racism. Cries for justice grew as protesters chanted the names of Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks. In Los Angeles, the list of people lost to killings by law enforcement grew to include Terron Boone and Andres Guardado. Its been 33 days since a police officer killed George Floyd, 106 days since a police officer killed Breonna Taylor. Protesters are still out on the streets. Running for #BlackLivesMatter in Mid-Wilshire. pic.twitter.com/CcD8stEXwv Josie Huang (@josie_huang) June 27, 2020 But the crowds filling the streets of Los Angeles on a regular basis have noticeably thinned in the past week or so. Numbers had dropped off for the Mid-Wilshire walk/run and the town hall that followed at L.A. High Memorial Park to roughly 100. The flagging energy disappointed R.J. Dawson, who was at the town hall with other attendees, many who work in creative fields and are from the neighborhood. "You want to know what democracy looks like? It looks like when we come out into the streets and we're making demands and we stay there," Dawson said. "We have to say, Hey, I am not leaving until you give the people what they want." Protesters taking part in a walk/run in Mid-Wilshire for Black Lives Matter cheer on other participants reaching L.A. High Memorial Park. (Josie Huang/LAist) Dawson said protests are not a "fad" or "trend," and during the town hall called on white allies to bring more people into the fold. "If you are white, and you took a picture of one of these protests, and you put up a hashtag, you now have the personal responsibility to talk to five racist white people and tell them they need to be out here with us," Dawson said. Benjamin Abiola, an actor and activist with the group Creatives XChange, has been holding similar events in North Hollywood. He urged attendees to organize their own protests in their communities. .@SirAbiola called on others to hold similar events in their community. "Do it in Glendale, do it in Burbank, do it in Inglewood...we will literally plug you w/the people who will bring out free food, free snacks, t-shirts, amplifiers, speakers. pic.twitter.com/qzunHEuRnO Josie Huang (@josie_huang) June 27, 2020 "Do it in Glendale, do it in Burbank, do it in Inglewood," Abiola said. "We will literally plug you in with the people who will bring out free food, free snacks, t-shirts, amplifiers, speakers." While activists such as Dawson expressed concerns that protesters have bought into the idea that they can wait until the November election to bring about change, others also promoted being proactive off the streets -- and in front of a computer screen. Ivy Coco Maurice, Miss Black California 2020, urged other protesters to register to vote and fill out their Census forms. (Josie Huang/LAist) Ivy Coco Maurice, Etienne's sister and also Miss Black California 2020, said she had homework for other protesters that included registering to vote and filling out their Census forms. "If you guys don't pull it out for the next 10 years, your life won't matter," she told the crowd. "It won't be counted in your district and in your community." Covid-19 is significantly associated with an increased risk of strokes, according to a study which says patients infected with the novel coronavirus should undergo aggressive monitoring for the neurological condition. According to the researchers, including those from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the US, Covid-19 infection is a risk factor for acute strokes. In the study, published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology, the scientists assessed patients presenting to six New York City hospitals for suspicion of stroke between March to April. We conducted a retrospective case-control study of 41 cases and 82 control subjects matched by age, sex, and risk factors, the scientists wrote in the study. After adjusting for age, gender, and risk factors, the scientists found that Covid-19 infection had a significant independent association with acute ischemic stroke -- caused by a clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. Comparing the group of patients with stroke versus non-stroke, they showed significantly elevated number of patients with Covid-19 infection among the stroke group after accounting for other known common stroke risk factors. The researchers believe that patients with Covid-19 should be evaluated early for acute neurological changes. This is the first major peer reviewed study to show that Covid-19 infection is a risk factor for acute strokes, Puneet Belani, study co-author from Mount Sinai Hospital. Patients with Covid-19 should be evaluated early for acute neurological changes, and timely workup should be performed in patients suspected to have stroke to reduce morbidity and mortality, Belani said. Citing the limitations of the study, the scientists said the study involved only 41 patients diagnosed with Covid-19, adding that further studies involving a larger population may help validate the findings. Future endeavors may assess whether this relationship holds true in a larger population and with the pathophysiologic mechanisms inherent in Covid-19 that drive this association, they wrote in the study. The total number of MPs who have contracted the coronavirus has reached 11. Gamal Essam El-Din reports Two Egyptian members of parliament were diagnosed with coronavirus on Saturday and Sunday, including Abdel-Rehim Ali, an independent MP representing Dokki, Giza, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 while on a trip to Paris. Ali, a researcher on political Islam, left Cairo for Paris last week to attend a conference on the Libyan crisis. A statement issued by Abdel-Rehim's office on Sunday morning said he had a high fever on Saturday night and was taken to a private hospital in Paris, where he tested positive for the virus on Sunday morning. "He is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit," the statement said. Hiatham El-Hariri, a leftist MP representing Karmouz, Alexandria, has also tested positive for the coronavirus. In a Facebook statement on Friday evening, El-Hariri said "on Wednesday morning, I had mild fever so I did some tests On Thursday morning, I [suffered from] fatigue and headed to a fever hospital where I tested positive for COVID-19." A total of 11 Egyptian MPs have so far been diagnosed with coronavirus. Parliament spokesperson Salah Hasaballah told Al-Ahram Online that six of the infected MPs have been admitted to isolation hospitals. "They have almost recovered and five of them have left the hospital," said Hassaballah, adding that "we have other three MPs who preferred home isolation and their general conditions are now stable." Hassaballah said "the infection of 11 MPs will not stop parliament from holding its plenary sessions scheduled for next week, on Sunday 5 July." "Despite the infections, we were able to discuss and pass the 2020/21 budget and development plan, as well as five election laws," said Hassaballah, adding that "next week, parliament will discuss new draft laws on taxes, intellectual property rights and other economic issues." Egypt has been witnessing a steady increase in coronavirus cases, with the total infections until Saturday recording 63,923 and deaths reaching 2,708. Starting this week, Egypt has lifted a number of restrictions in place since March, including lifting a nighttime curfew and reopening restaurants, coffee shops, and some cultural and social venues, albeit under new hygiene and safety restrictions. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe 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 The Delhi government has allowed the citys restro-bars, hotels, and clubs to sell their stock of beer expiring by July 15 to liquor shops in a bid to minimise their financial losses, an official said on Sunday. There are around 950 hotels, clubs and restro-bars in the national capital which have an excise license but have not been allowed to open since March 25, when the nationwide lockdown was announced. Earlier this month, the government had allowed the owners of such establishments to sell to liquor shops their stock of beer expiring in June. The department has now allowed restro-bars, hotels and clubs to sell their stock of beer expiring by July 15 to liquor shops in the city, the official said. The shelf life of beer in Delhi is around six months, the official said. Hotel, clubs and restaurants licensee shall prepare an inventory of all beer stock, with barcode, which is to be transferred at licensed vend, the excise department said in an order. The licensee from hotels, clubs and restaurants shall then submit the barcode list of beer stock and consent letter obtained from licensed vend to excise department with the request for allowing transfer of beer stock, it said. According to the process, the owners of restro-bars, clubs, and hotels will have to reach an agreement with the liquor vend owners. 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. Boeing has been given the green light to begin test flights of its 737 MAX fleet, more than a year after the planes were grounded following two devastating crashes in the space of five months. The aircraft have been banned from taking to the air since last March, when an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed just moments after taking off from Addis Ababa - killing all 157 people on board. Five months earlier, in October 2018, 189 people died when a 737 MAX used by Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea only 13 minutes after departing the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Both were blamed on a malfunctioning anti-stall device named Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, which Boeing has since been working to make less powerful in order to give pilots more manual control. Now, after several delays, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said key certification test flights have been approved to begin as early as Monday. In an email to Congress seen by the Reuters news agency, the US flight regulator said it had completed its review of the modified aircraft, "clearing the way for flight certification testing to begin". "Flights with FAA test pilots could begin as early as tomorrow (Monday), evaluating Boeing's proposed changes to the automated flight control system on the 737 MAX," the email added. :: Listen to Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Apple podcasts , Google podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker The news will be a relief to Boeing, which had been forced to make what was seen as a humiliating admission that the fleet's fate lied in the hands of regulators after its own timetable dragged by months. Back in December, Boeing announced that it would temporarily halt production after being advised by the FAA that clearance in the US was still some way off. Shares fell sharply in January when Boeing admitted it may be July before the 737 MAX was able to fly again , which saw the company lose a number of orders for the 737 MAX from major customers. Story continues And while approval from the FAA for tests is significant, separate approval is needed from European regulators. Pilots will also have to be re-trained before 737 MAX commercial operations could resume in European airspace. In addition to making the software behind the malfunctioning anti-stall device less powerful, Boeing has also been working on changes to flight-control computers and pilot-training requirements. The company had been desperate to have the planes up and running again for the usually busy summer season, however demand for air travel has taken a pounding from the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines have seen demand plummet to unprecedentedly low levels as a result of COVID-19 , which has compounded what was already Boeing's worst-ever corporate crisis. The FAA-approved tests are also by no means a foregone conclusion. One person familiar with the plans told Reuters: "Based on how many problems have been uncovered, I would be stunned if the flight tests are 'one and done'. "(The FAA will) make sure they find enough stuff wrong to demonstrate they are putting this jet through its paces." An industry source added: "This is new territory. There's a lot more play between regulators, and certainly a lot more pressure and public attention." Reuters reports that the test flights will take off from a Boeing base near Seattle after a lengthy briefing, with crew to operate scripted mid-air scenarios such as steep-banking turns during a route over Washington state. Other elements of the test flights could include touch-and-go landings at Washington's Moses Lake airport, and a path over the Pacific Ocean coastline, with adjustments needed to accommodate for the weather and other factors. Should the test flights go well and be signed off by the FAA, the regulator would then need to approve updated pilot training procedures. September has been tipped as a possible target for when the planes could be given the all-clear in the US, meaning service could be resumed by the end of the year. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 19:48:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran's confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 222,669 on Sunday after an overnight registration of 2,489 new infections, state-run IRNA news agency reported. Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said at her daily briefing that out of the new cases in the past 24 hours, 1,406 have been hospitalized. The pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 10,508 Iranians, up by 144 in the past 24 hours. Besides, 183,310 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals while 2,946 remain in critical condition. According to Lari, 1,610,869 lab tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in Iran as of Sunday. The Iranian health official said that five provinces are still in high-risk condition. 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 to China. In return, China has delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On Feb. 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic. Enditem PRAGUE (Reuters) - The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic jumped to 260, the highest since April 8, mainly due to surge in an eastern mining region, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. That latest daily increase is nearly triple the 93 new cases recorded on Thursday. In total, the country of 10.7 million has confirmed 11,298 cases of the COVID-19 illness, with 347 deaths as of the end of Saturday. Almost half of the new cases, 122, were identified in the Karvina region in the east of the country, where a hotspot has appeared among miners, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said. "We are conducting rather massive testing in the most-affected region, Karvina, it is mainly about (mining company) OKD," Vojtech said in a live debate on Prima television. "It is not a question of a blanket rise across the whole country, it is still about local hotbeds." While restrictions in most of the country have been lifted in recent weeks, Karvina will see a tightening now, including lowering the number of people allowed at gatherings to 100, Vojtech said. The government has gradually removed most restrictions on business, apart from wearing masks indoors and limits on pub opening hours and large cultural events. It has said it will focus on local quarantines and tracing and testing measures rather than national lockdowns in the future. Last Monday, public gatherings of up to 1,000 people were allowed, up from 500. Trade fairs were given the green light and pools, zoos, museums and castles were allowed to return to normal operations, with no more limits on visitor numbers. (Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Alex Richardson) In parts of the developing world, coronavirus safety measures have fueled concerns about an increase in illegal hunting of wild animals. Some people say the hunting is a result of food shortages and an easing of law enforcement in some wildlife protection areas. Yet at the same time, border closures and travel restrictions have slowed illegal trade of some high-value animal species. Economic problems and food shortages have created situations in which more people have been attacking rare or endangered species. This kind of poaching is a big concern in parts of Asia and Africa. On May 9, a greater one-horned rhinoceros was killed in Indias Kaziranga National Park the first such case in over a year. Three people were arrested on June 1. They are suspected of being part of an international group of poachers. The three had automatic rifles and ammunition at the time of their arrest, said Uttam Saikia, a wildlife warden. As in other areas, poachers in Kaziranga pay needy people small amounts of money to help them. With families losing work during the coronavirus lockdown, the poachers will definitely take advantage of the situation, warned Saikia. The case of the rhino is not the only one in India. Since Indias government announced the lockdown, poachers have killed at least four tigers and six leopards, the Wildlife Protection Society of India said recently. But poachers also killed many other animals, including gazelles, squirrels, boars, and birds. It is risky to poach, said Mayukh Chatterjee, a wildlife biologist, but if pushed to the brink, some could think those risks are worth taking. Chatterjee works for the Wildlife Trust of India, a not-for-profit group. India is not the only country to see an increase in poaching. In Nepal, more forest-related crimes were reported in the first month of lockdown than at any time over the past 11 months. That information comes from a study by Nepals government and the World Wildlife Fund. In Southeast Asia, the Wildlife Conservation Society confirmed the killing of three critically endangered giant ibises for the birds meat. In late March, more than 100 painted stork chicks were also poached in Cambodia. Suddenly rural people have little to turn to but natural resources and were already seeing a spike in poaching, said Colin Poole, the societys director for the Greater Mekong. In Africa, organized poaching has not increased much, partly because many parks and wildlife reserves have continued ranger patrols. Ray Jansen is the chairman of the African Pangolin Working Group. He said bushmeat poaching had increased, especially in parts of southern Africa. Rural people are struggling to feed themselves and their families, he added. At the same time, border closures and travel restrictions have slowed international trade in pangolins and other animals. But the illegal trade continues within Africa, noted Jansen. He added that he expected a flood of trade once shipping opens up again. Concerned about a possible link between the bushmeat trade and the coronavirus, several wildlife groups are calling for governments to enact measures to avoid future pandemics. Among them is a ban on the sale of wild birds and animals for food. Others are calling for changes to the international treaty known as CITES, which restricts the trade in endangered plants and animals. They say CITES should be expanded to include public health concerns. They note that some commonly traded animals often carry viruses but are currently not subject to trade restrictions under the treaty. I'm John Russell. Aniruddha Ghosal and Michael Casey reported this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted the story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story species n. a group of similar living organisms rifle n. a gun, especially one fired from shoulder level warden n. someone responsible for a place or thing lockdown n. enforcement of restricted movement as a security measure advantage n. a kind of gain or profit brink - n. the edge at the top of a steep cliff usually used to describe a point that is very close to an event thought to be very bad or (less commonly) very good resource n. a supply of money, materials, or other things spike n. a sudden increase in something patrol n. an effort to keep watch over an area, especially by guards or police bushmeat n. the meat of wild animals Bulbul Xaburkay, manager of the workshop in Karaoy Village, Xinijang Uygur Autonomous Region, is introducing traditional Kazak embroidery. [For chinadaily.com.cn] In March 2019, Li Guodong, Party chief of Karaoy, a village in Altay, northern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, found many women occupied with nothing but doing basic housework, and many of them asked Li if he could help them find work in the village. "Most of them are housewives, and except for the daily housework, they have plenty of time to do something and make some money to increase their family income. But they have one requirement the place of work has to be in the neighborhood," said Li. At that time, Li remembered Bulbul Xaburkay, a Kazak embroiderer he met in nearby Burqin county. Bulbul has been dedicated to the business of embroidery for decades and she owns a factory in the county that manufactures traditional Kazak embroidered goods. Kazak embroidery is commonly used on carpets and tapestries found in ethnic yurts and on clothing, as well as other decorations and items used in everyday life. In the workshop of Karaoy Village, Xinijang Uygur Autonomous Region, Kulman Badish is making a tablecloth with Kazak ethnic symbols on it. [For chinadaily.com.cn] "I inherited the craft from my family and it is a type of artistic embroidery. I have been designing, making and promoting the craft for more than 20 years," said Bulbul. "I agreed without any hesitation when Li asked me to set up a workshop in Karaoy, not only because the craft may help the villagers to earn more money, but also because it is a way to protect the craft by teaching more people to embroider," she added. The local government built a workshop in the center of the village and named Bulbul as the manager. Soon after the workshop was built, the government posted the recruitment information at the paths of the village. "It was not long before many villagers came to apply for jobs, and most of them were from poor families, so we decided to organize training courses to teach them how to embroider," said Li. After one month of training and instruction by Bulbul, 44 villagers learned simple embroidery patterns and started to work in the workshop. "As Kazak women, they are very talented, so it didn't take me much time to teach them. Now, eight of the best workers have full-time contracts with the workshop, so they can earn over 3,000 yuan ($430) a month," said Bulbul. "The rest of the 36 workers depend on the order quantity. If there are more orders, they can earn more. In the recent two months, we had some orders from Urumqi, the region's capital, and Kazakhstan, so most of them can earn more than 2,000 yuan," she added. The 40-year-old Kulman Badish is one of the eight full-time workers in the workshop, and she is assigned to make tablecloths and clothing with Kazak ethnic symbols on them. "My husband is working in Burqin county, which means I have to stay in the village in order to take care of the older members of our family. So, when Bulbul opened the workshop here, I was the first woman who came here to apply for a job," said Kulman. From Monday to Friday, Kulman works eight hours a day, and she can have a monthly salary of 3,200 yuan. Kulman said the job is tailored to her, not only because her house is next to the workshop, but also because Kulman feels she is keeping her ethnic heritage alive with this craft she learned. "I am enjoying my work now and I hope the products can be sold in many places, so that more people may get to know traditional Kazak embroidery," she said. (Source: chinadaily.com.cn) Eighty-five coronavirus cases have been linked to a single Michigan restaurant. YouTube/Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV Dozens of people have tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting a restaurant in East Lansing, Michigan, health officials said. At least 80 people who visited Harper's Restaurant & Brew Pub caught the virus after visiting, and five additional people caught "secondary infections" from those patrons, the Lansing State Journal reported. Health officials are asking anyone who visited the restaurant between June 12 and June 20 to self-quarantine for two weeks. The restaurant said in a statement on Facebook that it has closed temporarily and will eliminate lineups and install an air purifying system before reopening. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A Michigan restaurant has been recently linked to dozens of coronavirus cases, and public health officials are asking anyone who visited between June 12 and June 20 to self-quarantine for two weeks. On June 24, the Ingham County Health Department announced that 34 people who had recently visited Harper's Restaurant & Brew Pub in East Lansing were positive for COVID-19. Three days later, that figure shot up to 85, the Lansing State Journal reported Saturday. Related video: Risk ranking of everyday activities for COVID-19 Eighty of those who tested positive for the coronavirus visited the restaurant, and five were deemed "secondary infections," meaning they hadn't visited themselves but caught the virus from someone who did, according to the Lansing State Journal. The restaurant's owners said in a statement on Facebook that they had re-opened for business at 50% capacity on June 8, as per Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive order. But long lineups immediately began forming on the public sidewalk outside the restaurant, and some customers refused to follow certain social-distancing recommendations, the statement said. "We have attempted to instruct customers waiting in line to wear face coverings and practice social distancing through signage on the public sidewalk and with a banner on our railing," the statement said. "Our oversight of the line on our stairs has been successful, but trying to get customers to follow our recommendations on the public sidewalk has been challenging." Story continues The statement said the restaurant has closed temporarily, and plans to both eliminate lineups and modify its HVAC system to "install an air purifying technology." The statement noted that the new closure would likely harm restaurant employees, who had just returned from a three-month layoff. "They have rent, mortgages, car payments, grocery bills, and everyday living expenses to address," the statement said. "But we believe for the safety of all, it is the right thing to do." Read the original article on Insider We are a nation of animal lovers that cares deeply about animal welfare. We have brilliant farmers who produce food to the highest standards both for us and for export, contributing 9.6 billion to UK economic output in 2018. I say this with confidence, having seen it with my own eyes as the only veterinary surgeon in the Commons and, I believe, only the second MP vet since 1884. I was so proud to stand at the last Election on a Conservative manifesto that vowed: In all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. This is why I believe passionately we should keep that commitment, even if that means making a much-coveted, post-Brexit trade deal with the US a little bit more complex. Dr Neil Hudson MA, VetMB, PhD, DEIM, DipVetClinStud, PFHEA, FRCVS, is a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee Sadly, last month, the Government missed an opportunity to enshrine this principle in law and ensure that in any future trade deal with America or any other country, we will not compromise on our world-class farming by allowing imports of substandard foods. I was one of nearly 20 Conservative MPs who went against my partys whip to vote in favour of a legal commitment to uphold animal welfare and food production standards in future trade deals. I was dismayed that the amendment did not pass. For we missed a great opportunity to make a powerful statement that the UK can be a beacon in these areas: If you wish to trade with us, you must come up to our high standards. Its why I am appealing to the House of Lords, which will now debate this Bill, to do what MPs refused to do and vote to uphold our animal welfare and food production standards. Some say this will complicate trade deals, but I disagree. In the Department for International Trade and the Foreign Office, we have the best negotiators and diplomats in the world. Of course, in any negotiation there has to be give and take. But provisions on animal welfare have been included in free trade agreements such as those between the European Union and Chile, and the EU and South Korea. This led to improved slaughter standards in Chile. There are some who say that insisting on safeguarding our own food standards is protectionism pure and simple. That is not so. This is about our values. 'More than a million people, myself included, have signed the National Farmers Union food standards petition. We should show the world where we stand on these vital issues and putting it in law does just that,' says Dr Hudson More than a million people, myself included, have signed the National Farmers Union food standards petition. We should show the world where we stand on these vital issues and putting it in law does just that. Indeed, we would be protecting the welfare of animals across the planet. I have also heard it said that as long as the food is safe for human consumption, the market and consumers should decide. But that leads to an unethical race to the bottom. Veal from calves raised in crates may be safe to consume, but that does not make it right. And what of chlorinated chicken? Quite rightly, it is banned in the UK and EU. Some claim the process is safe, but a 2018 study by the American Society for Microbiology reported that the chlorination process was not 100 per cent effective in killing food-borne pathogens, and merely led to them being undetectable in the lab. In any case, this ignores the most important reason we should not be importing these products. This carcass disinfection process merely covers up and tries to mitigate Americas substandard animal welfare standards in poultry rearing. As for talk of this being controlled by the introduction of steeper tariffs on products such as chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef rather than an outright ban, I believe that would be the thin end of the wedge. Once the door is opened, more and more poor animal welfare foods could enter our market. Dr Hudson says: 'The Covid-19 crisis has shown the importance of food security and the need for the UK to be able to produce sustainable, local and accessible food for its population' And, in any case, steep tariffs can always be lowered at a later date. No, we must stick with existing bans which the Government has made clear will be transferred into UK law from EU law. Speaking to Ministers, I know that Government gets it. This was proven this month when Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials assured me that high animal health and welfare will be recognised and rewarded in the new funding system that the Agriculture Bill introduces. Of course, I understand that the Department for International Trade wants maximum flexibility in its negotiations. But I strongly believe that if it is affirmed in law that we will not lower those standards in trade talks, it would help negotiators in the long run because the nations stance will be crystal clear and non-negotiable. Dont get me wrong; the Agriculture Bill is a good one. But it could be stronger. The Covid-19 crisis has shown the importance of food security and the need for the UK to be able to produce sustainable, local and accessible food for its population. Happily, if the Lords vote the right way, it would mean that we MPs will get another chance to make the right decision on British farming and have our say before the Bill becomes law. This is an opportunity to raise animal welfare and food production standards both here and globally and show what our values are. We should seize it. Dr Neil Hudson MA, VetMB, PhD, DEIM, DipVetClinStud, PFHEA, FRCVS, is a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:50:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong police said on Sunday that they had arrested 53 people for unlawful assembly in Mong Kok area on Sunday afternoon. According to the police, those arrested include 41 males and 12 females. The police said that in the afternoon some people protested along Nathan Road from Jordan to Mong Kok, and some occupied roads, chanted slogans and behaved in a disorderly manner. Despite repeated warnings given by the police, some protesters refused to leave and continued to gather and behave in a disorderly manner in Mong Kok area. In the vicinity of Dundas Street, the police officers were jostled, thus pepper spray was used to stop the illegal acts. In view of the situation, the police took resolute enforcement actions and arrest operation. At around 5 p.m. local time, the police arrested 53 people for unlawful assembly. The police said they will closely monitor the situation of various districts and proactively intercept suspicious persons to combat and prevent crimes. Enditem When the cameras stop rolling, we know that celebrities don't freeze in place like statues -- they have homes, families, and cocaine to attend to. It's reassuring then, that when we hear the news talk about how everything millennials like to do in their spare time is dumb, that several icons of history did the exact same stuff during their downtime ... 4 Orson Welles Had a True Crime Podcast In February 1946, Sgt. Isaac Woodard, a Black army veteran, was returning from the frontlines of WWII when he was brutally beaten by a police officer at a bus stop. He was then arrested for being drunk and disorderly, a bullshit charge if ever was one, and languished in custody until his release several days later. Only then was he taken to hospital, where doctors confirmed that the attack was so vicious that his eyeballs were crushed, causing him to permanently lose his eyesight. The attack on Woodard infuriated the nation -- or at least, the parts that weren't racist -- no-one more so than Orson Welles, who responded by doing the most 2020 thing possible: he pivoted his weekly radio show, Orson Welles Commentaries, from celebrity gossip into a proto-true crime podcast that, throughout five episodes, investigated the attack on Woodard in the hope of finding his attacker. The first episode, which aired on July 28, 1946, saw Welles read an affidavit filed by Woodard, then openly declare war on the then-anonymous officer, saying: " invite you to luxuriate in secrecy. It will be brief. Go on, suckle your anonymous moment while it lasts. You're going to be uncovered We will give the world your given name, Officer X After I have found you out, I'll never lose you. If they try you, I'm going to watch the trial. If they jail you, I'm going to wait for your first day of freedom. You won't be free of me We have an appointment, you and I - and only death can cancel it." When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? 45 residents of this Calgary highrise have caught COVID-19 but outbreak's cause remains unknown The first Tatjana Dunn heard about an active COVID-19 case in her Calgary condo building was via an email from her landlord on June 10. Her landlord was notified by the building's management company the previous day. Then, more than a week later, her friends started sending her messages: her 25-storey highrise building was in the news. "I was fearful that I had exposed my friends and loved ones to the virus unknowingly, also a little bit afraid of the building," Dunn said. Alberta Health Services officially declared an outbreak at The Verve, a condo building in the city's East Village, on June 22, according to a statement from a spokesperson. As of Sunday there were 45 COVID-19 cases 34 active and 11 recovered. Three people were in hospital as of Thursday. The outbreak has led to Calgary-Centre being put under a "watch" for its COVID-19 rate by the province. Dunn is confused about how the virus spread through her building and feels the highrise and its residents have been unfairly stigmatized. From what Dunn has seen, the building's common spaces are clean and protocols are in place to ensure people enter and leave the building safely. Amenities are shut down, a lounge where people would normally gather is closed and all the furniture has been removed, and Dunn said staff throughout the building wear masks. "Maybe somebody had a gathering they know they weren't supposed to have," she said. The 288-unit building includes retail on the ground floor. Those living in the five-floor podium base have a separate entryway and elevator from those living in the tower. Dunn said she and her housemate are looking for answers and have questions for AHS. "I would ask them which floors were affected, and if there's any patterns or clusters to be aware of within specific locations in the building. I'd also really want to know if there's anybody who has come forward about a gathering or something like that," she said. "Because there's been nothing noted, anything is an option." Story continues Most cases have no known exposure Much of what Dunn is looking to find out is under investigation. Most of the cases have no known exposure and no clear link with other people in the building, that AHS officials have found. The investigation is trying to track whether there were person-to-person transmissions, and investigators are also looking at surface spread. AHS said investigators will be on site looking at high-touch surfaces as a potential source of transmission and plan to do environmental sampling this week which includes testing air, surfaces and water. Health Canada has said close contact between people is the most common way the novel coronavirus is spread, and it's not yet known how long the virus persists on different surfaces. Cleaner says Airbnb units were still operating Cassandra Raugust owns of All Details, a small business that cleans four units in the Verve building that are used as Airbnb rentals. She said she was there cleaning units every other day for the last month cleaning up after travellers who had left behind airline tickets from places like Toronto and Winnipeg. She said she was notified by a realtor on June 20 that there were two cases in the building. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, first mentioned the outbreak in her June 19 update. At that time, she said a highrise building in Calgary had 12 cases. She didn't name the building. Airbnb has continued to operate during the pandemic. Raugust is currently awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test, as she worries she may have contracted the illness on the job. We're just going to continue to stay diligent. -Tatjana Dunn, resident of Verve in Calgary Hinshaw has urged the importance of not stigmatizing a location or specific group of people because it's critical that those who come forward and get tested doesn't suffer negative consequences and continue to cooperate with officials. "Every measure that needs to be taken to prevent spread is being undertaken," Hinshaw said. "Alberta Health Services is working with that group of people and getting a lot of support from that building management group. AHS said when an increase in cases in the building was identified, public health inspectors visited the site to inspect food establishments and housing areas. "Appropriate measures to reduce transmission were already in place at that time, including enhanced cleaning practices, and no concerning lapses in procedure were identified," the emailed statement read. The management company, FirstService Residential, has kept residents up to date with numerous emails, which CBC News has reviewed. AHS held a town hall this week for residents of Verve, and another one is planned for this week. Onsite testing has also been made available. Dunn said she lined up and got her negative results quickly, though she noticed many in the line didn't wear a mask. Close friends of hers have also tested negative. "We're just going to continue to stay diligent," she said. "Continuing to follow the recommended protocols of frequently washing our hands, wearing masks, limiting those in your home and how often we are in public spaces." The federal government will keep secret its revamped plan for the $70 billion JobKeeper package before the key Eden-Monaro byelection, as it prepares to make substantial changes to the wage subsidy scheme. The $1500-a-fortnight wage subsidy is due to finish in September, but the government will reveal a new plan on July 23 for the scheme that has helped keep about 3 million people in work. Australians queued outside Centrelink offices in March as the crisis took hold. Credit:Janie Barrett Among the changes under consideration is an extension to those in need and the ending of JobKeeper for those that no longer require the support. This could be an extension for the regions, more support for airlines and a removal of the scheme for geographic areas that have recovered more quickly. Hard-hit industries such as tourism and hospitality have been lobbying for an extension to the scheme to cover businesses struggling because of social distancing, international flight restrictions and interstate border restrictions. Libyan militant Abdel-Rehim Al-Mesmari was executed on Saturday following his conviction of carrying out a deadly attack on security forces in Bahariya Oasis in 2017, a video statement by the Egyptian armed forces said. The Western Desert attack occurred in October 2017 when Al-Fath Al-Islami, of which Al-Mesmari was a member, ambushed a police patrol in the oasis of Bahariya, killing 16 and injuring 13. His execution comes nearly a year after he was sentenced to death by an Egyptian military court in November 2019 for convictions related to the deadly October 2017 ambush on police forces. He was convicted of premeditated murder of policemen, possession of unlicensed weapons and explosives, and joining a terror organisation, as well as being a member of an outlawed group that targets police and army and their institutions. He was also convicted of kidnapping a police officer during the deadly shootout, who was rescued later in an operation by security forces near El-Wahat highway where a number of terrorists were killed. Al-Mesmari admitted all the details of the Wahat attack in a media interview in November 2017 after his arrest following a security campaign, during which he expressed no remorse for murdering 16 police officers. The Wahat attack was the last operation carried out by the Libyan based, Al-Qaeda-affiliated group led by Hisham Ashmawy. Most of the groups leading members have now been liquidated. Ashmawy was executed last March after he was handed over to Cairo in May 2019 by Libyan authorities. Search Keywords: Short link: In view of the intense enquiries from news media organisations regarding the perceived delay in burying the late former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Oyo State Government wishes to place on record that there is no truth in the rumour making the rounds that the burial is being delayed by the state government, he said. A Sydney father-to-be has been given the heartbreaking prognosis he will never be able to talk again following an operation to remove his tongue. Family and friends have rallied around emergency services worker Sean Finnerty after he was recently diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma- a rare cancer in the salivary glands. The 15-year survival rate of patients in Australia is 40 per cent. The shocking diagnosis came months after he and his wife of almost two years Jess found out they were expecting their first child, a baby boy due in October. He will undergo surgery next month to remove his tongue, which means he won't be able to speak or communicate verbally. Sean Finnerty was diagnosed months after he and his wife Jess found out they were expecting their first child. Their baby boy is due in October Mr Finnerty will also be unable to eat solid food for the unforeseeable future. He will also be forced to give up his career as a fireman and paramedic, unable to ever work again in either profession. 'By the time their baby boy is born, Sean will have had surgery and radiation to attempt to limit the chance of the cancer returning,' a GoFundMe page states. 'Sean will miss being able to ever talk to his little boy by a matter of weeks.' The fundraising page to help relieve the massive financial burden facing Mr Finnerty and his wife in the future has already raised almost $120,000 in two days. Sean will be unable to speak or work as a fireman or paramedic again after he undergoes surgery to remove his tongue. He's pictured with wife Jess on holidays in Hawaii two years ago 'He will need support from his loved ones to get through this and if we could somewhat relieve the financial burden it will help tremendously with the stress hes already dealing with,' organiser Luke Rogerson wrote. 'Sean is one of the most selfless people I have ever met, throughout this whole ordeal he just worries more about how his family is than himself. Mr Rogerson has been overwhelmed by the support that has flooded the fundraising page has recent days. 'This is incredible, the love and support Sean has received from all of you... I cant even put the feelings into words,' he wrote. 'Sean and his family are overwhelmed, its beautiful to see. So many generous people I cant even begin to explain how much this will help Sean though this difficult time.' A significant drop in sea traffic brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has created what scientists call a rare opportunity to study how quieter waters affect southern resident killer whales off the British Columbia coast. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/6/2020 (574 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Orcas play in Chatham Sound near Prince Rupert, B.C., Friday, June, 22, 2018. A hush has blanketed the waters off the British Columbia coast as the pandemic has marked a significant reduction in sea traffic, which scientists say is an opportunity to study how noise affects southern resident killer whales. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward A significant drop in sea traffic brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has created what scientists call a rare opportunity to study how quieter waters affect southern resident killer whales off the British Columbia coast. Ocean Networks Canada, which has been monitoring noise from ships and sounds made by marine mammals such as orcas, said it believes the change will be a boon for the animals. "The anticipation is that the quieter environment will help the killer whales in communicating, in socializing, in navigating and most importantly, in finding food," said Richard Dewey, the organization's associate director of science. A paper published last month in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America said there has been about a 30 per cent decrease in commercial shipping traffic into the Port of Vancouver from China due to COVID-19 in just the first four months of the year. Dewey said it's not just commercial traffic that's gone down - there's also been a pause in whale watching boats, cruise ships, recreational vessels and tankers. That's led to a noise reduction of about 75 per cent, he said. "What we are seeing in the Salish Sea is levels of shipping noise that haven't been present for three or four decades," he said. "So we would have to go back to the 1980s before we would have heard such a quiet environment." One of the major concerns for the endangered southern resident killer whales is that shipping noises have been increasing and almost doubling every decade, he said. These mammals have a hearing that is similar to that of humans, and they communicate in a frequency band similar to ours, Dewey said. They use vocalizations to communicate within the pod, to navigate and most importantly to find their prey, he said. "They echo-locate to find their salmon. It's a very sophisticated sort of acoustic capability and the quieter the environment, they would have more success in finding prey." In the ocean, Dewey said whales use sound "continuously and all the time." Their eyesight helps them see up to a distance of about five to 10 metres while using sounds helps them scope out kilometres, he said, adding that the Salish Sea is a "very murky environment." Scientists believe the loud noises caused by humans increase stress hormones in orcas because they have to shout and cannot communicate over large distances, Dewey said. He compared it to someone going into a loud club and having to pause until noise passes, to speak more loudly or give up. He noted that unlike people in a club, orcas can't just leave for a quieter space. Scientists will be using 30 hydrophones to record sounds made by the killer whales when they come into the Salish Sea, which should be any time now, Dewey said. Hydrophones are underwater recording devices that record how loudly the whales talk when it's noisy or if they just give up. The team is hoping this study will yield much-needed data to make policy and regulation changes to help the animals survive, he said. "If we see them returning and staying in their critical habitat for longer periods ... if we have evidence of successful feeding on the salmon, then those are all good signs and in some sense the quieter environments can only have helped their survival," he said. The director of the University of British Columbia's marine mammal research unit said that in the past, killer whales would be seen in the Salish Sea in May and June, but for the past four years they have been coming in much later, sometimes as late as September. Andrew Trites said one of the reasons could be that there is not enough salmon, although mathematically there is enough fish for the 72 remaining southern resident killer whales. This has left scientists wondering whether the trouble is that the whales cannot hunt because of disruption from vessels, he said. "And there is an opportunity to see whether or not the behaviour of whales is different with fewer boats on the water and less noise." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2020. Unique Vidattaltivu under threat By Kumudini Hettiarachchi & Ruqyyaha Deane Tsunami of protests over moves to de-gazette part of this eco-sensitive Nature Reserve to set up a massive aquaculture project View(s): View(s): Serious concerns are being expressed by environmentalists over moves to revive a proposed large-scale aquaculture project, after de-gazetting a part of the protected Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve in the Mannar district. Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena said that the proposal had been strongly rejected by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) which had appointed a technical committee to study the impact of the aquaculture project on the sensitive and unique environment there. While staunch conservationist Dr. Malik Fernando strongly called it a bad precedent which would pose a major threat to all Protected Areas (PAs), Mr. Gunawardena argued that you cannot take a part of a PA without having a severe adverse impact on the whole eco-system prevalent there. This third largest Marine Protected Area, close to the Vankalai Sanctuary, was declared a Nature Reserve by Gazette 1956/13 on March 1, 2016 and covers 29,000 hectares. This followed the area being identified as needing protection by the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Northern Province conducted in 2012. Incidentally, during the war, the Sea Tigers used the coastal town of Vidattaltivu as their base to control that coastal stretch. The Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) under which Vidattaltivu has been declared a Nature Reserve is very clear, says Mr. Gunawardena. Altering/ceasing of an already declared Nature Reserve can only be done subject to Section 2 (4) of the FFPO. The discretion exercisable by the Minister in this regard is limited by Section 2 (5) of the FFPO which sets out that in the case of any change of boundaries or the disestablishment of a National Reserve, a study shall be conducted and such study shall include an investigation of the ecological consequences of the proposed change, quotes Mr. Gunawardena. The crux of the matter is that the use of a PA for any purpose would cause destruction to it, he said, reiterating that around the world aquaculture has been found to be unsustainable. Aquaculture is the controlled process of cultivating aquatic organisms for commercial purposes and Mr. Gunawardena underscores that investors are looking for gullible countries like Sri Lanka to carry out these harmful activities. Citing Puttalam as an example, he says that after engaging in aquaculture in an area, you have to abandon those farms and move onto other areas. However much the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) talks about eco-friendly technology, that becomes null and void if the site chosen is environmentally-sensitive and Vidattaltivu is. Why dont they move north of Vidattaltivu where there is adequate land for such a project, without touching this area which is ecologically important? The reason they have picked Vidattaltivu is because for aquaculture to succeed, they need ecologically-strong areas with mangroves. They will use this area, cause massive destruction and then abandon it, added Mr. Gunawardena. The Environmental Foundation Ltd. (EFL) too reiterates that Vidattaltivu has a rich and vibrant ecosystem consisting of mangroves, tidal or mud flats, salt marshes, sea-grass beds and coral reefs which support the livelihoods of fishermen. It is a hub for the blue swimmer crab, a sought-after seafood, which brings foreign exchange to the country, says the EFL. Strongly urging the stringent protection of Vidattaltivu which is unique in many ways, the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society (WNPS) points out that this is the only area in the whole of Sri Lanka where mangroves grow on the coast, facing the sea. While mangroves in other areas are in lagoons and estuaries, in Vidattaltivu, the sea is like a lagoon and mangroves can take root in this sedimented coastal area. The coast is relatively protected from both the northeast and southwest monsoons. Mangroves are vital in shielding the country from cyclones, storm surges and tsunamis (as experienced in 2004) and play a critical role in mitigating climate change, says the WNPS, adding that mangrove forests absorb up to four times more carbon per hectare than tropical forests, filter water, prevent erosion and contribute significantly to the livelihood of coastal communities as they are the breeding grounds for fish, shrimps and other aquatic species. If this aquaculture project is implemented, there is also the danger of diseases getting into the natural system as experienced by Sri Lanka in the case of shrimp aquaculture in the Mundel-Puttalam areas, the WNPS says. Some other concerns of the WNPS include the impact of such a project on migrant birds and the iconic, rare and endangered dugong (sea cow) which feeds on the sea-grass found here. While recognizing the need for investment and development of the fisheries industry, the WNPS suggests that other options such as high-value, nature-based tourism should be looked at without destroying unique Vidattaltivu. A myriad ecological and health impacts could follow the introduction of an alien species of prawn without an assessment of the effects of the species in Sri Lanka. These include the loss of mangroves which are the first line of defence against coastal erosion; loss of nurseries for fish and shellfish; and loss of biodiversity that comprise mangrove ecosystems and adjacent, ecologically connected littoral ecosystems, adds EFL. Aquaculture park will have an eco-systems approach, says NAQDA DG Why dont the environmentalists who have concerns about the proposed industrial aquaculture park in Vidattaltivu have a discussion with me so that we can explain the measures taken to prevent an adverse impact on the area, said the Director-General (DG) of the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA), Nimal Chandraratne.The NAQDA has adopted the eco-systems approach in planning the project, he said, explaining that approvals from divisional level through to district level, including land-use committees and finally the Mannar District Development Committee, have been secured. We are hearing concerns about the environment only through the media, he said.Giving the sequence of events, Mr. Chandraratne said that in 2014, a land survey was carried out for the establishment of the aquaculture industrial park. The survey found that an area in Vidattaltivu, a state land, was suited for this. It was not a Protected Area then. The concept is for the government to build the infrastructure such as roads, common inlet and outlet canals, sedimentation tanks and water storage areas in the park and seek large and small investments for aquaculture. By 2015, they had the approvals and a design for the park. He said that the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) also attended these meetings. However, by 2016, Vidattaltivu was declared a Nature Reserve. Referring to some of the concerns, Mr. Chandraratne who has visited the site 26 times said that the project would not lead to any destruction of mangroves, as the mangrove belt was far away near the sea. We made sure that the park would be at least 300 metres from the mangroves. Provision has been made to protect even small clumps of mangroves located elsewhere. He had also not seen many migratory birds in the area and requested environmentalists to do a proper survey to come up with data. When asked about flamingos, he said he had spotted some on the sand dunes but not in the area where the project would be. On another allegation that the park would have farms with Pacific white shrimp, the DG said they would also have many more varieties of prawns, crabs, sea cucumbers and seaweed. Allegations about a disease-spread like in Puttalam were baseless. Prawn farming which took off well in Puttalam and brought large amounts of foreign exchange had a setback in 2005 due to disease, but has picked up again. At that time there was no proper monitoring but everything is in place now. There were also fears of mangrove destruction but we re-planted those where necessary. We were accused of cutting mangroves which we grew again. Then there were allegations of Dutch canal issues but the canal was dredged. The whole industry is now regulated, he said. We planned to set up the aquaculture industrial park on 1,423 hectares at Vidattaltivu, but a study has recommended that only 1,171 hectares should be released with a few conditions being fulfilled, said Mr. Chandraratne. With regard to diseases, the DG said that only specific-pathogen-free (SPF) parent stock which is internationally certified would be allowed to be imported, while a laboratory within the park would check for diseases. Monitoring would be carried out by the NAQDA along with the Department of Animal Production and Health. The hope is to increase prawn production to 100,000 metric tonnes by 2025. We would use generators and water pumps with silencers to reduce noise. Waste would be sent to a big sedimentation tank and after all particles settle, the water recycled. No water would be sent out and as such sea-grass beds or corals will not be affected, he said. He added that this is a government development project with the aim of creating 4,500 jobs, 8,500 tonnes of seafood and foreign exchange earnings amounting to Rs. 10,000 million. If the NAQDA is able to implement the project at Vidattaltivu, it would mandatorily have to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), where all these issues would be addressed. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has suspended 27 Pakistani pilots working for local airlines after authorities in Pakistan recently suspected that over 260 pilots in the South Asian country have been using fake licenses. The pilots are all Pakistani citizens and had their licenses issued by authorities in Pakistan, Dinh Viet Thang, head of the CAAV, said on Saturday. The CAAV is waiting for Pakistani authorities to verify the legitimacy of the 27 pilots licenses. They will be allowed to resume their job in Vietnam if the licenses are confirmed to be legal. Authorities in Pakistan previously grounded 262 airline pilots suspected of dodging their exams following inquiries into their qualifications, Reuters quoted the countrys aviation minister as saying on Friday. The pilots were accused of having someone sit one or more papers for them, and sometimes even all the eight papers required for an airline pilots license. The move was prompted by a preliminary report on an airliner crash in Karachi last month, which found that the pilots had failed to follow standard procedures and disregarded alarms. Ninety-seven people were killed in that crash and the airline in question, state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), said on Thursday it would ground pilots with dubious licenses. Thousands of foreign pilots are currently working for airlines in Vietnam, namely Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, Vasco, Vietjet, and Bamboo Airways. In 2011, authorities in South Korea informed the CAAV that a South Korean pilot working for Vietnam Airlines had been suspected of using a fake license. An investigation later showed that the pilot had used bogus documents to get a license issued by the Indonesian Aviation Administration. The pilot quit his job at Vietnam Airlines before the CAAV finished its investigation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that President Trump is on track to lose against former Vice President Joe Biden in November "if he doesn't change course both in terms of the substance of what he's discussing and the way that he approaches the American people." Driving the news: Both state and national polls in recent weeks have shown Biden gaining a commanding lead against Trump. At a Fox News town hall last week, Trump told Sean Hannity that Biden "is going to be president because some people dont love me, maybe" an apparent acknowledgment of the dire state of his re-election campaign. Trump is also facing criticism for failing to outline his priorities for a second term in response to a softball question from Hannity. The president instead offered a rambling response in which he attacked his former national security adviser John Bolton. What he's saying: "The trend is obvious," Christie said. "The trend is moving towards Joe Biden when Joe Biden hasn't said a word. Joe Biden's hiding in the basement and not saying anything. No discredit to the vice president if you're winning without doing anything, why do anything." "The president has to change course here both in terms of the substance and answering that question much better than he did with Sean Hannity in terms of what he wants to do in his second term." The bottom line, per Christie: "He is losing, and if he doesn't change course both in terms of the substance of what he's discussing and the way that he approaches the American people, then he will lose." Scott Olson/Getty Two National Organization for Women board members say the group is retaliating against them and seven others for speaking up about racism within the iconic organization. The nine board membersincluding all four women of color on the boardpreviously called for President Toni Van Pelts resignation after a Daily Beast investigation revealed widespread allegations of racism in the groups chapters and national headquarters. Now, according to board members Nina Ahmad and Victoria Steele, the whistleblowers are being subjected to an internal grievance process meant to keep them from speaking out. We refuse to be silent on this matter because to be silent is to be complicit and allow the cancer of racism to destroy our organization, Ahmad said in a statement. We love this organization and are determined to save it and help it thrive, she added. With that, we are demanding the immediate removal of President Van Pelt so that NOW can begin to heal and tackle the systemic racism plaguing the organization. Dont Forget the White Women!: Members Say Racism Ran Rampant at NOW According to NOWs bylaws, grievances can result in a permanent removal from the organization. Steele, who is also an Arizona state senator, told The Daily Beast that the grievance filed last week accuses her and eight other board members of leaking confidential information to the press. But the real impetus behind the filing, she said, was to shut us up. There is a real strong push to keep us from speaking up, and we cannot be silent anymore, she said. Where theres this much smoke, theres got to be a fire, she added. If we allow this to be silent then were complicit in racism. In addition to the nine board members, 24 of the organization's 36 state chapter presidents have signed onto a letter demanding Van Pelts resignation. Several chapters have also issued public statements on their own. NOW Board Members Demand President Toni Van Pelt Resign Amid Racism Claims Story continues On Monday, the entire NOW Washington, D.C. board resigned their positions, saying Van Pelt and the executive board have demonstrated a lack of leadership and accountability regarding a number of accusations of racist behavior. As feminists, it is our responsibility to take action, hold others accountable, and fight for justice, they wrote. Instead, we see that the movement and our organization are being put on the back burner for one individuals pride. The groups head of college students, Grace Weber, also resigned her position in the wake of The Daily Beast's reporting. 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 Opec Fund for International Development, OFID, has approved US$243 million in new funding to support developing countries across the globe. The organisation also reported that it is already helping developing countries to mitigate, contain and recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, reported Emirates news agency Wam. The new funding was approved by the Opec Funds Governing Board during its 172nd Session, held virtually. It comprises public and private sector finance related to development operations in the education, infrastructure and water and sanitation sectors, as well as support for small- and medium-sized enterprises. "Our development finance supports operations in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development across Africa, Asia and Latin America," said Opec Fund Director-General Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa. "We are working hard to address Covid-19-related development issues, while continuing to support other urgent needs in our partner countries. The Sustainable Development Goals are deeply interconnected and the pandemic means even more pressure on resources for all areas of social, environmental and economic progress." The new public sector loans approved by the OFID, amounting to $163 million, will support the following projects: Burkina Faso with $23 million to support Dori and Fada NGourma Universities Expansion; China with $30 million to support Hubei Vocational Education; and Papua New Guinea with $50 million to help Sustainable Highlands Highway Investment Programme (Tranche 2). Also, $20 million to support Senegal's Water Valorisation for Value Chains Development Project; Sierra Leone with $20 million to assist Freetown WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping; and Uganda with $20 million to help Third Line of Credit to Uganda Development Bank Limited. Under the Opec Funds private sector operations, the Governing Board approved a total of $80 million. The $30 million will support SME's in Paraguay via a financial institution as those SMEs address business interruptions and other challenges related to Covid-19. The remaining $50 million will be extended to a financial institution for on-lending to infrastructure projects in eligible African countries. In addition to the new funding, OFID has in recent weeks approved $10 million to support Guatemalas response plan to Covid-19 as well as $20 million to help the Maldives combat the pandemic. Since the beginning of the outbreak, the organisation has dedicated $1 billion to fund Covid-19 impact and recovery efforts in developing countries. OFID was established in January 1976 by the then 13 member countries of Opec; including the United Arab Emirates. It is the development finance institution established as a channel of aid to developing countries. Victorians engaging in routine acts that are normally innocent may have been the source of coronavirus outbreaks in the state, the premier has revealed. The sharing of cigarette lighters between people in close contact may have led to one of Melbournes clusters of the deadly disease as the state continues to record worrying daily increases. Addressing media on Sunday, Premier Daniel Andrews said the virus being transmitted by simply touching the same item was a clear example of the wildly infectious nature of COVID-19. To the best of our knowledge, we believe that some of those cases may well have come from people sharing a cigarette lighter. Keeping their distance, but ultimately, sharing a lighter, he said. One between the other. Not a wilful breach of anything, but one of those things where an apparently innocent thing can lead to transmitting the virus. That is how wildly infectious this is. COVID-19 testing being conducted in the Melbourne hotspot of Broadmeadows on Saturday. Source: AAP Additionally, Mr Andrews said health officials suspected people riding in a car with an infectious person without knowing may have also led to a coronavirus cluster. You can never be certain, but there also seems to be some likelihood that some carpooling arrangements between staff may well have meant that they were in closer contact than you would like, he told reporters. The premier said such cases represented the fact it was impossible to deliver a risk-free model when it came to fighting COVID-19. A total of 49 new cases were recorded on Sunday, including just four linked to known outbreaks like the one at a Coles distribution centre in Laverton, where four people have now tested positive. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd addressed the nation on Sunday, expressing the numbers of COVID-19 cases being recorded daily in Victoria was a matter of genuine concern. He told reporters that of the 53 new cases in Australia, three were people in hotel quarantine in NSW, one Western Australian hotel quarantine and 49 cases in Victoria. Story continues Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday sharing a cigarette lighter could have caused a cluster in Melbourne. Source: AAP Eleven people are in hospital across the country while there is one person in intensive care, Prof Kidd said. He pleaded with Australians to not behave as though the pandemic is over, revealing many of the current cases were in healthy young people. This pandemic is not over. Unlike the outbreaks we saw related to cruise ships and residential aged care facilities earlier in the pandemic, many of the people who have been infected so far in the outbreaks in Melbourne are well young people, often with only mild symptoms, he said. You may not get sick or very sick if you become infected with COVID-19, but if you pass the infection onto your parents or your grandparents they could become very unwell, they could even die. This is not a second wave Prof Kidd assured Australians figures did not constitute a second wave, explaining it was correct to refer to current clusters of cases in Victoria as outbreaks. This is not a second wave and we hope that we do not come to the position of having a second wave of infections occurring within Australia, he said. An immediate increase in testing, activation of contact tracing and rapid action to get people into isolation was the reason a notable increase in positive cases had been detected, Prof Kidd said. So this is not a second wave. This is an outbreak occurring in the response which is occurring is very vigorous and appropriate, he said. A testing swab shown at a COVID-19 testing station in Melbourne. Source: AAP When pressed on what a second wave would look like if it was to occur in Australia, he said it would be incredibly high rates of infection, similar to what was observed during the Spanish flu pandemic. He said in that case, there was a wave which went right across the world with further very high rates of infection and very high rates of mortality occurring. Of course, that's not what we are seeing [in Australia] at this time, Prof Kidd said. More than 10 million COVID-19 cases worldwide Global coronavirus cases have now exceeded 10 million, according to a Reuters tally, with almost half a million people killed by the disease in the past seven months. The figure reached on Sunday is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organisation. The milestone comes as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last for a year or more until a vaccine is available. Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern in the coming months and into 2021. 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. Rural Telangana has been more compliant with guidelines to combat the spread of the coronavirus. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The Telangana governments initiatives on public health appear to have been more effective in combating the coronavirus in rural Telangana than in the state capital. In 10-day period beginning June 17, Telangana districts excluding Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri recorded 426 cases, though some of them have large towns such as Warangal and Karimnagar as well. That's a much smaller number than the 6,517 cases recorded by Hyderabad and the two contiguous semi-urban districts of Ranga Reddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri. Two-thirds of Telangana 's approximately 3.5 plus crore population lives in rural areas. The difference in the prevalence of Covid-19 cases makes a strong case for strengthening panchayat-raj-based village development organisations and systems. Urban areas need a similar structure and investing in such bodies is vital in the long run, said Dr G.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, director of the Indian Institute of Public Health. In a village, the word of the panchayat counts. There is social pressure on everyone to follow instructions. This is absent in the urban areas. A sense of ownership is critical for fighting this pandemic, Dr Murthy told Deccan Chronicle. In addition to follow-the-rules approach in rural areas, programmes such as Palle Pragati, again led by village panchayats, have contributed to the people in 12,751 gram panchayats making public hygiene and neighbourhood cleanliness a part of their lives. Healthcare programmes such as Kanti Velugu, Arogya Lakshmi and KCR Kits, have contributed to an increased awareness of health-related issues. These programmes contributed enormously in creating awareness of health, health minister Etala Rajendar said. Kanti Velugu saw nearly 1.5 crore people getting their eyes screened, while more than 30 lakh plus women have registered to deliver babies at government hospital since the launch of KCR Kits. When cases of COVID-19 began appearing in villages, residents decided to impose their own lockdowns and quarantining before official orders for imposition of such restrictions were announced, Rajendar said, which too helped in controlling the spread of the disease in rural areas. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 00:25:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOGADISHU, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's electoral body said on Saturday it will not be possible to hold elections in the east African nation this year. Halima Yarey, chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), said the poll body requires more than a year to prepare a credible poll where Somalia's people will have an opportunity to take part in "one person, one vote" election for the first time since 1969. Yarey said NIEC needs 13 more months to hold credible elections. "The commission needs to register citizens, register political parties and the candidates," Yarey told parliament in Mogadishu. She said the earliest Somalia can go to the polls is March 2021 if the parliament approves the manual voter registration option which she said could take only nine months as opposed to biometric registration which is costly in terms of acquisition and training of staff. Yarey said the election law which is currently being fine tuned in parliament only seeks for the use of biometric system and does not provide for manual option. The electoral official said the country will be ready for elections in August 2021 if the parliament approves for the use of a biometric system, noting that these timelines are based on the assumption that voter registration kicks off in July. Yarey said the electoral body is facing many challenges including lack of funding, insecurity and issues related to regional states. Somalia, with the help of the international community, is making urgent preparations for universal suffrage elections. Parliamentary and presidential elections took place in late 2016 and early 2017 through a system of indirect suffrage. Enditem Iran's Khamenei Warns Of Worsening Economy If Coronavirus Remains Unchecked June 27, 2020 Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned the country's economic problems could worsen if the coronavirus spreads unchecked. Iran has struggled to curb the COVID-19 outbreak since it reported its first cases in February. It shut down nonessential businesses, closed schools, and cancelled public events in March, but the government gradually lifted restrictions from April to try to reopen the country's sanctions-hit economy. "It is correct to say that something must be done to prevent economic problems caused by the coronavirus," said Khamenei on June 27. "But in the case of negligence and significant spread of the disease, economic problems will increase, too," he said at a meeting with judiciary officials, according to his official website. The Iranian rial has plunged to new lows against the U.S. dollar in recent days due to the temporary economic shutdown, border closures, and a halt in non-oil exports, according to analysts. Iran's economic problems have worsened since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a landmark nuclear agreement and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic republic, targeting vital oil sales and banking ties. Based on reporting by AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-s-khamenei-warns- of-worsening-economy-if-coronavirus- remains-unchecked/30693815.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 Until the death of her brother Adama in French police custody four years ago, Assa Traore had never been someone who campaigned for a cause. Today, the 35-year-old mother of three is an international figure in the fight against police violence and racism, thrust into the heart of the debate by the death in Minneapolis last month of George Floyd. And on Sunday, Assa Traore, who has been dubbed the French Angela Davis, will receive a BET award, a prize awarded by an American television channel to African-American or minority figures. "A reward for everything we have done in four years and which gives us strength for the future," Traore told AFP, dressed in her "Justice for Adama" t-shirt. For four years, she has campaigned, organised demonstrations, spoken out publicly and given numerous interviews. Supported by a solid "committee" of 20 relatives and activists, she tirelessly demands "truth and justice" for Adama, who died in police custody in 2016 in a Paris suburb. Her "truth" is that her brother was "killed" by the police -- but the investigation is still going on. Having become a full-time activist, she never returned to her job as a community worker and lives with her three young children in an apartment on the outskirts of Paris. For a long time, the "Adama fight" remained a local battle, unnoticed outside France. But the death of George Floyd has catapulted it into the global consciousness. Thousands of people demonstrated in Paris in early June and hundreds of others took to the streets across France, inspiring a new generation. "Assa, we're all fans of her with my friends. Girls in the neighbourhoods are getting politicised thanks to her," said 24-year-old Samira, in Paris for her first demonstrations. - 'She is a legend' - Committee member Youcef Brakni puts her on an even higher plane, saying that an Assa Traore comes around "once every 50 years!" "It's like Simone de Beauvoir, Angela Davis, she smashed everything in her path," he said, referring to the late French feminist writer and the US political activist. "Now the average Frenchman knows her. When she walks on the street, people stop her." Assa's "fight" has taken flight with several American newspapers running profiles while music star Rihanna, who has over 84 million followers on Instagram, shared a post saluting the Frenchwoman. "Black activism is built on a legacy of courageous people who fight injustice around the world," said Rihanna. The day after her brother's death, Assa Traore "naturally" became a spokesperson for the family, her older brother Lassana told AFP last year. "She is a little bit like a mother who lost her son," he added, because she "took care of her little brothers, took the family in her arms" after their father had died in 1999. Their father, of Malian origin, had 17 children by four different women - two white and two black, creating what Assa calls a family of "all colours, all religions". Since 2016, her speech has become more political. "In the name of my brother, I will change everything I can change," she told AFP on Saturday. This pushed her to lead a demonstration against the policy of President Emmanuel Macron in 2018, parading alongside the "yellow vests" and more recently with the caregivers. In 2019, she co-wrote a book with the left-wing sociologist Geoffroy de Lagasnerie, won over by her "completely new way of speaking about society, racism, social classes". Actor Omar Sy and figures from the world of French rap have all become her supporters. But Traore has also stirred controversy with calls for rebellion. "In Africa, they will overthrow a president, they will enter palaces. It happens like that in Africa, why should it not happen like that in France? We are ready, we can make a beautiful revolution," Le Figaro newspaper quoted her as saying during a 2018 protest. Her appeal has circulated on a video on Twitter. A senior police officer gave a more nuanced picture last year admitting with grudging admiration that Assa Traore "embodies cleverly an anti-system movement that lacked a charismatic standard-bearer". Since 2016, four of Traore's brothers have been imprisoned, some for violence that followed Adama's death, others for crimes unrelated to the case. "She is a legend, but the facts are cruel," added the police officer. All are "political prisoners", Assa insists. "They (the police) turned the Traores into soldiers in spite of themselves." Assa Traore is seen as the French Angela Davis Assa Traore (right) has been fighting for justice for her younger brother Adama Traore since his death in police custody in 2016 Crow and the piece of cheese View(s): A crow once stole a piece of cheese Flew away and rested on a tree Looking around and none to see Thought of tasting it leisurely. A cunning fox passing by, looked up to see A crow, with a delicious piece of cheese Thought, How could I get this piece of cheese? Only way was to praise and plead. Crows as you know are black and ugly Its voice unpleasant, sounds creepy So, the fox praised the crow, How beautiful and sleek, The voice sweet and of musical melody. The crow felt proud and was pleased Kark, Kark, it cried, opening its beak And dropped the piece of cheese foolishly The fox picked it up and laughed Fool! He-he. Kiara Gardiarachchi (9 years) Ladies College, Colombo The Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle also known as the Devils Triangle is a mystery but there are many stories surrounding it. One of the stories is about the USS Cyclops. It was a fine ship and had been sailing well since 1910. It was the biggest ship in USA at the time and it was headed to Baltimore. The route to Baltimore fell across the well-known Bermuda Triangle and just a few moments after it entered the Bermuda Triangle, the ship made a radio contact stating, All is well. But a few moments later the ship was gone! It had disappeared from the face of the earth. There are many more stories similar to the story of the USS Cyclops. Many cases have appeared up till now. However, the Bermuda Triangle remains a mystery. The most important mystery is how can the biggest ship in the USA disappear without a trace? No one knows Dhanuka Wijegoonaratne (Year 4) Gateway College Corona Virus Disease Corona Virus Disease 2019 also known as COVID-19 is a deadly virus that originated in Hubei, Wuhan, China. It started to spread in the year 2019 and killed many people in China. Corona means crown named after its structure which looks like a crown. Earlier this year in 2020 this pandemic spread to almost every continent except Antarctica. It killed many people regardless of age, race, religion or culture. Peoples lives have turned miserable and the economy of all countries is desperately low. Huge nations such as the USA, UK, Australia, Russia and even China have found it difficult to control this virus. Lots of people have been quarantined and lots of PCR tests have been conducted to check if they are COVID positive or negative. But Sri Lanka, my lovely country Im so proud of you! We have managed to so far control the virus up to some extent and only 11 deaths have occurred as to date. Our health sector, defense sector and all other government bodies have played a remarkable role during the last three months. Thank you to everyone who sacrificed so much of their time and effort to save our nation and move forward. Lets rise up Sri Lanka! I pray for the entire world to become COVID free very soon! Kavidi Madagedara (14 years) Rathnawali B. V., Colombo 8 The Great Fire A Great Fire erupted in China In the end of last year And it spread to the rest of the world In just four months In March they closed the schools And I never went out again And then I began to wonder When can we learn again? Everybody was scared of the fire And sad for the dying Worried about the people abroad But the doctors stay confident And the Great Fire spread and spread And its getting worse People are scared stiff Realizing how bad the situation But the doctors work non-stop Armed with extinguishers Suffering under the masks To protect from the Fire And people stay apart To stop the spread of the Fire But they still help each other Though some are being stubborn And whilst we worry and worry Wondering how the day will end Nature is coming to life Slowly healing itself again The birds dont care they sing The squirrels run about The sun shines every morning No matter what And I stay at home Reading books and playing games Writing stories and poems Wondering when we can go out again And I turn back at the past How did this happen? I look front at the future How will this end? Ifadha Deen (14 years) Leeds International School, Galle My new classroom My new classroom is Grade 8. Its a big classroom. There are 41 students in my class. My class teacher is Mrs. Sadunika Mihiravi. She wears very beautiful saris. Desks and chairs in my class are yellow in colour. There is a duty chart, attendance chart, clock, calendar, teachers table and a teachers chair in my class. There are two fans and two tubelights in my class. There are white boards and black boards in my class. The class captain of my class is Imalsha. And the vice-captain of my class is Navindi. All the children in my class are very good and very helpful. I like my classroom. Methupama Wijerathne (Grade Holy Cross College, Gampaha Exoplanets Exoplanets are planets that are outside our Solar System. They have different sizes from smallest to biggest. They are rocky planets, super-Earths, mini-Neptunes, ice giants and gas giants. Some of the super-Earth exoplanets may have oceans. Some exoplants called hot-Jupiters can have a low density. Lava planets and some of the hot-Jupiters have a high density. My favourite exoplanet is GQ Lupi b. It is much larger than Jupiter. I do not know whether any of these exoplanets are habitable. I hope aliens will be discovered in at least one exoplanet some day soon. Hiranga Suraweera (Grade 4) Trinity College, Kandy In Turkmen Disaster Zone, Officials Are Quick To Scrub Phones But Slow To Rebuild By RFE/RL's Turkmen Service June 27, 2020 TURKMENABAT, Turkmenistan -- Two hours of electricity a day. Phone and Internet mostly cut off, though users can catch an occasional signal. And homes still lying in ruins. It's the grim state of life in Turkmenistan's northeastern Lebap Province since devastating windstorms slammed it and neighboring Mary Province in late April. They downed power and phone lines in many areas, and the government has provided little or no support to some remote settlements as residents struggle to rebuild their homes, livestock shelters, and livelihoods. It marks a continuing crisis for them that the rest of the nation has seemingly ignored, despite dozens of deaths reported by eyewitnesses including RFE/RL correspondents. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov made no mention of the catastrophes when they sliced through this section of northeastern Turkmenistan, near the borders with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, on April 27. The state-dominated media, closely controlled to quell dissent and prop up a cult of personality around Berdymukhammedov, the country's second post-Soviet leader, also failed to cover the tragedy. And the silence mostly continues, bolstered by tight security precautions around Lebap. Officials in Lebap would not comment on recovery efforts or residents' complaints of a lack of support from the government. Checking Phones In villages where rebuilding work hasn't yet begun, residents tell RFE/RL, police and intelligence officers monitor people's movements and question visitors. The officials check mobile phones as people enter such areas and again when they leave, in an effort to ensure that no photos or videos of the lingering destruction go with them. Some residents suspect that authorities are deliberately blocking Internet service in many places to prevent information from getting out. "We think that until the recovery work is completed, the WiFi will remain blocked in Lebap," one resident told RFE/RL. Residents are even turning up at government offices in the provincial capital, Turkmenabat, and in the Charjew and Farap districts to complain, something they were previously reluctant to do out of fear of retribution. The government's handling of the situation led to a rare protest rally in Turkmenabat on May 14. Several hundred people gathered in front of a government building to demand that authorities restore water and electricity and help residents repair their homes and clear away debris. Locals openly criticized the authorities during recent conversations with an RFE/RL correspondent, a rare occurrence in a country that U.S.-based democracy promotion NGO Freedom House describes as "a repressive authoritarian state where political rights and civil liberties are almost completely denied in practice." Scale Of Damage Still Unclear Some sources put the number of dead from the windstorms and severe rains that first struck on April 27 at at least 37 people, but that number could not be verified. Homes still lie in rubble in the villages of Vatan and Osty in the Dyanev district, with similar scenes in many neighborhoods in the Charjew district, where life is far from returning to normal. In the absence of a developed and transparent home-insurance system, many homeowners long accustomed to the vestiges of Soviet life rely heavily on the government in such circumstances. For many of Turkmenistan's 6 million people, the fierce storms added to the woes of years of financial crisis, widespread unemployment, and mounting price hikes for food. It was through social media and smartphone images and clips that the outside world learned of the windstorms and their devastating aftermath in Turkmenistan. Having remained silent for months, Berdymukhammedov visited Mary and Lebap provinces in early June as part of his traditional tour of each region of the country. During the trip, which was extensively covered by state media, the president avoided visiting areas hit by the spring storms or meeting with any of the residents who lost family members, homes, or livelihoods. Written by Farangis Najibullah with reporting by an RFE/RL Turkmen Service correspondent in Lebap Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/in-turkmen-disaster- zone-officials-are-quick-to-scrub-phones -but-slow-to-rebuild/30693581.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 Five US states have reported record single-day infections as the new surge in Covid-19 cases continued unabated in the south with yet another day of more than 40,000 new infections countrywide on Saturday. The Trump campaign has in grudging recognition of a deepening crisis cancelled some upcoming political events with Vice-President Mike Pence in some of the states with spiking numbers. President Donald Trump, who has been loathe to acknowledge the new crisis, recently held two rallies in states hit by the surge. One of them, at Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was thinly attended continues to make news days after. The Washington Post has reported that two campaign staffers had removed cards saying Do Not Sit Her, Please placed in alternate seats to enforce social distancing. Many members of the campaign staff who worked on the rally have since tested positive and at least one news correspondent who covered it. Undeterred, Trump had simply moved on to hold a rally in Arizona, another state hit by the surge, at yet another indoor event and also with complete disregard for social distancing norms. Arizona is among the 16 states identified by the White house coronavirus task force where Covid-19 cases have been shooting up. And it was among the five that reported record single-day highs Saturday. Florida led the five with 9,585 new cases. Arizona was next with 3,591; followed by Georgia with 1,990, South Carolina with 1,604. and Nevada with 1,099. Texas, which has revived some of the social distancing norms because of the surge, reported 5,700 new cases. The countrywide total of new infections was 42,597 for Saturday, taking the cumulative total to 2.51 million. Fatalities went up to 125,538 with 500 deaths in the past 24 hours. Vice-President Pence was scheduled to travel to Texas for a Celebrate Freedom Rally later Sunday, but had postponed similar events in Tuscan, Arizona and Florida. scheduled for next week out of an abundance of caution due to the spike in cases in these states, the campaign has said. Pence, who also heads the White House task force on coronavirus, will still visit these states as he had said Friday to get a ground report on the Covid-19 outbreak there. He will meet their governors all three are Republican and officials, but wont hold political events. The Biden campaign lashed out at Pence for his Texas visit. Vice President Pences trip to Dallas epitomizes the dismissive attitude this administration has taken in addressing this crisis from the onset, Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said in a statement. Our leaders should be tackling this pandemic head on and laying out concrete recovery plans for the American people -- not jet setting across the country to hold events that go against basic public health guidance. Families in the Lone Star state and across the country deserve better. The United Nations Higher Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said that more than 5,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast so far this year, Trend reports citing Xinhua. "As of June 26, 5,049 refugees and migrants have been registered as rescued/intercepted at sea in 2020, by the Libyan Coast Guard and disembarked in Libya," UNHCR said. "By the way of comparison, over the same period in 2019, 3,457 individuals had been disembarked in Libya," UNHCR added. UNHCR also said that there are 48,834 refugees and asylum-seekers currently registered with the commission, adding that funding of 84.1 million U.S. dollars is needed for the Commission's activities in 2020. Libya is a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe, because of the state of insecurity and chaos in the country that followed the 2011 fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Shelters in Libya are overcrowded with thousands of migrants who are either rescued at sea or arrested by the authorities, despite repeated international calls to close those centers. Many colleges and universities in the United States are in small towns around America. When the coronavirus struck in March, students went home, leaving the towns empty. So, what will happen to those communities in the near future? The New York town of Ithaca is about to find out. In Ithaca, most of the 24,000 students at Cornell University and 6,200 from Ithaca College have left. Now, locals who run businesses that depend on students money are wondering if things will ever return to normal. Its going to be hard. I mean, normally we have about seven months that the colleges are here, said Gregar Brous. He runs several restaurants in Ithaca. He has brought about 100 of his usual 330 employees back to work. Brous added that one of the biggest problems for small businesses is that there are so many unknowns. Ithaca College says its students will return to the school in the autumn. But they will do so in October, several weeks later than usual. Cornell one of Americas so-called Ivy League Schools says it plans to bring students back this fall. But they also will arrive weeks later than usual. Many people expect that even if students do return, they will mostly stay on campus and not go out to restaurants and bars. Locals also worry that returning students will bring COVID-19 into their community. Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick said it is possible international travel restrictions could affect Cornell, since almost 25 percent of the universitys students are from other countries. If people dont feel comfortable sending their children across the country or across the world back to our campuses, then well start to shed jobs, Myrick said. Cornell students spend an estimated $225 million each year in Ithaca. There are many stores and restaurants on the Ithaca Commons, a shopping area near the campus. Before coronavirus, it was so easy to get a job. You couldnt avoid it, they were everywhere, said Matt Stupak. He was a cook, but lost his job when restaurants closed. Ithaca is still doing well compared to other places in the U.S. The areas April unemployment rate increased to 10 percent, but that is lower than other parts of New York. Cornell University is the areas largest employer, with 10,000 workers. So far, it has not had any job cuts. The university also gave $100,000 to help local businesses. But in many college towns, the local economy collapsed when the students went home. Our entire economy left, said Gabrielle Gould. She is executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District. Amherst, a college town in Massachusetts, had to deal with the sudden loss of 35,000 students from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and four other colleges in the area. By May, Amherst had a 32.6 percent unemployment rate, a study by the Pioneer Institute in Massachusetts found. Even if schools permit students to come back in the fall, no one knows how many will actually choose to return. Some students -- and their parents -- may not want to pay the high cost of tuition for a less social college experience. How worried am I for Ithaca if the future of higher ed(ucation) changes? Myrick said. I am worried. I am extremely worried. Im Pete Musto. The Associated reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Quiz - With No Students, Small College Town Worries over Future Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story campus - n. the area around a university or college shed - v. to lose or to get rid of something tuition - n. the cost of education mayor - n. the elected leader of a town or city shopping - adj. buying things with money for pleasure 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. H.I.S. Co plans to close around 80 to 90 outlets in Japan, or about a third, within a year as part of cost-cutting efforts after the major travel agency was left reeling at the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. H.I.S. has also decided to suspend new-graduate recruitment for the year starting April 2021. The company reported a group net loss of 3.45 billion yen or the fiscal 2020 half-year through April, falling into the red for the first time on an interim basis since its listing in 2002. It cited a host of overseas package tour cancellations as the main reason for the dismal results, and did not give an earnings forecast for the year through October. Speaking during an online press conference, H.I.S. Chairman Hideo Sawada said Friday it is difficult to see demand for overseas trips recovering before next year due to the impact of the virus. The company aims to slash spending by about 20 billion yen this year by cutting personnel and advertising costs, among other measures. It has also decided not to pay summer bonuses to staff. Leader hails anti-graft fight by Iran's Judiciary, urges continuation 'without negligence' Iran Press TV Saturday, 27 June 2020 9:57 AM Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has hailed Iran's Judiciary drive against corruption, saying the battle should continue "without negligence." Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks via a video conference with officials of Iran's Judiciary on Saturday. Expressing his satisfaction with the Judiciary's measures over the past year, the Leader said, "The fight against corruption, which has reached its peak in this period, should strongly continue without negligence and on the basis of rights, justice and law, with no encroachment and oppression of innocent people." "The anti-corruption fight [conducted] without consideration and negligence offers hope to the people as financial and economic corruption like the coronavirus are very dangerous and highly contagious," Ayatollah Khamenei stated. "The only difference between the coronavirus and the corruption virus is that the coronavirus can be removed by washing hands while the only way to deal with the corruption virus is to cut off the corrupt person's hand," the Leader added. 1,000+ anti-corruption sentences Ayatollah Khamenei hailed handing down of above 1,000 sentences by judicial authorities against those involved in economic corruption, saying that this trend would be followed up diligently. Enumerating more instances of successful relevant practice by the country, the Leader mentioned "devising of an enhanced and more advanced version of the Judicial Development Document" with the help of intellectual seminarists and academic thinkers as well as the experiences that had been yielded within the Judiciary itself. The country's Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi presented the document last year upon taking over from the country's former top judicial official Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani. Raisi pledged to bring about a legal transformation to address the country's changing priorities in the "Second Phase" of the Islamic Revolution. The official notified back then that the transformation would be based on a roadmap drawn up by the Leader. Enemy actions Ayatollah Khamenei considered change to be a constant imperative, urging that any such development be predicated on "Islamic principles" and warning that change that is lacking in foundation would instead lead to ambivalence and chaos. The Leader, however, warned that the countries' enemies were ceaselessly trying to "neutralize any reformative or developmental movement" through their media smear campaigns and by sowing pessimism across the public opinion. The way to resist this, Ayatollah Khamenei stated, was to "avoid inaction, [exercise] steadfastness, trust God, and valorously pursue the course of development." The Leader advised strongly towards protection of the country on all fronts, including against "adversarial actions by the evil America, evil Britain, and also actions taken by European states." "Should we act on our duties, those (the aforesaid states), who have been frustrated in all of their measures by God's grace, would not manage to realize their goals [this time either]," Ayatollah Khamenei noted. Such dutiful performance would cause the US's so-called campaign of "maximum pressure" against the Iranian people to instead result in "a blow swung by the Iranian people on their chest that would push them back," the Leader observed. Ayatollah Khamenei, meanwhile, expressed delight that the attention and endeavor that was exercised by the Iranian people upon the new coronavirus' outbreak helped depict the country as one succeeding in the face of the virus. The Leader, demanded, though, that all remain vigil in the face of the disease due to the persistence of its threat. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Patna: RJD President Lalu Prasad has credited his wife Rabri Devi with making the RSS opt for trousers after shedding the trademark shorts, which its volunteers had worn for 90 years. "We forced RSS to wear trouser. Rabri Devi had rightly said that they (RSS men) do not have wisdom. Elderly cadres roam freely wearing half pant without shame," Lalu said on twitter on Tuesday. Rabri Devi's statement forced them to transform, the RJD supremo said in a series of tweets. RSS volunteers cast away the khaki shorts, their trademark attire for nine decades, and put on trousers beginning today, heralding a generational change in the organisation which is ruling BJP's ideological mentor. Watch | RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat backs countless good people working for cow protection In an another twitter message, Lalu said,"Right now we have forced them to wear trouser from short. Likewise we will get their mind also become full...not only trouser but their thinking also needs a transformation...we will force them to shun weapon and would not allow them to spread venom." ALSO READ | RSS volunteers wear new uniform in procession taken out in Rajasthan During an RJD function in Patna in January, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi had made a pointed attack at RSS for its volunteers wearing khaki shorts and "elderly cadres roam freely wearing shorts without feeling shame". On the Vijya Dashmi day today, also RSS' foundation day, its volunteers donned smart dark brown trousers in place of khaki shorts at a ceremony in Nagpur attended by its chief Mohan Bhagwat. aaaa RSSaa aaa aaaaY aaaaa aa aaaaaaaaaaa aaaa aa aaa aaa aa aaaaaa aaaaaaaa aa aaazaa aaa,aaaa aaaa aaa,aaaaa-aaaaa aaa aaa aaaaY aaa aaaaa aa Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) October 11, 2016 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Crackdown on Opposition Rallies Widens in Belarus Authorities in Belarus are accusing Telegram users of organizing the countrys recent illegal rallies (see below). On June 20, police detained more than 100 people, including as many as 14 journalists, at opposition rallies in Minsk and elsewhere. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka declared his government had thwarted a "revolution" as it clamped down on opposition leaders, activists, and the media. Award-winning RFE/RL journalist Alaksandra Dynko is shown in this video being arrested by police while she is reporting live on air. RFE/RL cameraman Andrey Rabchyk was also detained, and the countrys Information Minister threatened to strip RFE/RLs Minsk bureau chief of his accreditation over the teams coverage. RFE/RL condemned the "direct attacks on the independent press. INCIDENTS AND THREATS Independent Belarus Blogger Detained Police on June 25 raided the apartment of Ihar Losik, the founder of the popular Belarusian Telegram channel "RB Brain." Nine agents with a warrant from the prosecutors office searched the premises before detaining Losik. Belarus Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Karaev told lawmakers the same day that illegal street rallies taking place in the country are well organized, managed through Telegram channels. Losik is a former Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellow with RFE/RL. Clooney Foundation To Monitor Russian Journalist Trial For 'Justifying Terrorism' The Clooney Foundation for Justice, a human rights watchdog founded by Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, Lebanese-British lawyer Amal Clooney, will be monitoring the high-profile trial of Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva, who is accused of "justifying terrorism." Prokopyeva and media advocates have rejected the charges as an effort to silence independent journalists. Ekho Moskvy Radio Station Fined For Coronavirus Report Ekho Moskvy radio chief Aleksei Venediktov has been fined approximately $2,878, and the outlets web editor Vitaly Ruvinsky was fined approximately $863, for publishing an interview with prominent academician Valery Solovei, who accused Russian authorities of misreporting Covid-19 mortality figures and compared the governments manipulation of information with the Chernobyl disaster and 2012 floods in Krymsk. (Russian Service) Why Declining Press Freedom In Bulgaria Should Worry Us All The Calvert Journals Interview With RFE/RLs Ivan Bedrov Press freedom in Bulgaria has nosedived over the last 10 years. Is its decline a warning of challenges to come across Europe as a whole? RSF Warns New Tajik Legislation Could Hamper Coronavirus Coverage Reporters Without Borders has called for the withdrawal of newly approved legislative amendments in Tajikistan which could lead to heavy fines for false or inaccurate COVID-19 coverage, or censorship and other violations of press freedom. Eurasianet reports that Tajikistan is intensifying and broadening its war on journalists. Kazakh Activist Convicted Of Criticizing Government's Coronavirus Response Alnur Ilyashev, an activist who criticized Kazakhstans ruling party on social media, has been convicted of spreading false information about the coronavirus and banned from social or political activism for five years, even as the government itself warns of a worsening outbreak. Kyrgyzstan Lawmakers Exonerate Country Of Links To Massive Smuggling Scheme Detailed In Investigative Report Kyrgyz lawmakers have approved the findings of a parliamentary commission that concluded Kyrgyzstan was not involved in hundreds of millions of dollars of alleged money laundering. The scheme was uncovered in a bombshell joint journalistic investigation by RFE/RL and OCCRP and its media partner Kloop. The lead reporter in the investigation, Ali Toktakunov of RFE/RLs Radio Azattyk, has received death threats in connection with the publication. Two Pakistani Journalists Allegedly Tortured By Paramilitary Force For Coronavirus Coverage Media rights groups are calling for accountability after two Pakistani journalists accused paramilitary forces of torturing them for their reporting on poor conditions at a coronavirus quarantine center on the Afghan border. Saeed Ali Achakzai, a reporter for the Urdu-language Samaa News TV, and Abdul Mateen Achakzai, a reporter for the Pashtun-language Khyber News TV, said they were beaten while under detention for three days in Pakistan's Balochistan province. Photos released on June 23 by the men, who are not related, show red marks on their backs. MAJLIS PODCAST: Central Asia Eases Lockdowns And Coronavirus Cases Rise PRESSROOM: Current Time And Coda Story Partner To Document Gulag History PRESSROOM: New USAGM Chief Dismisses RFE/RL President Jamie Fly 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. 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Digital Editor Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 11:31:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The White House denied Saturday that President Donald Trump had been briefed on intelligence that Russians offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition troops. "The CIA Director, National Security Advisor, and the Chief of Staff can all confirm that neither the President nor the Vice President were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. McEnany also noted that the statement "does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter." The New York Times reported Friday that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence that Russian intelligence units secretly offered bounties to Taliban-related militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan during U.S.-Taliban peace talks. The story also said the National Security Council discussed this issue at an interagency meeting in late March, while the White House thus far has not taken any actions to respond. The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, and the death toll of U.S. service members has surpassed 2,400 in this longest war in U.S. history. Trump has long complained about the endlessness of the war and sought a full withdraw from the Central Asian country. In the agreement signed in late February between the United States and the Taliban, Washington said it will reduce its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 within 135 days. The agreement also calls for the full withdrawal of the U.S. military by May 2021 if the Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with terrorist groups. Enditem The Tennessee River is 652 miles long and has three major tributaries, The Clinch, the Little Tennessee, aand the Hiwassee. In Paducah, Ky., the Tennessee becomes the largest tributary of the Ohio River, but this story isnt about rivers. Instead, its about the indisputable fact that for over 652 miles there are two major things the each of these five rivers have in common: the first is obvious water but todays topic is something as easily seen, yet a topic nobody as of late wants to talk about. Yes, every river and even the smallest creek has two banks. Ironically, a fast-growing number of stories involving white police officers and black suspects do, too. Yes, so whats the other side of the story? My senses were assailed when the Chattanooga Times Free Press horribly sensationalized a tape that was taken of Hamilton County Deputy Sheriffs fighting to restrain a black man roughly one month ago. The tape was of a most unfortunate encounter on May 23 between Reginald Arrington, Jr., age 32, and five deputies in Ooltewah. Arrington was stopped after several complaints were received that he was accosting female joggers on a popular roadway in ways that they alleged scared them. It is good and proper protocol that anytime a police officer steps from his cruiser, other law enforcement arrives as back up and that accounts for the number of officers at the scene. According to official reports, Arrington gave the officers a name other than his own, along with other false information. He then told the officers he was asking (the accosted joggers) for directions. Please, if you had been an officer in the group who had just told false information, looking for directions in broad daylight in Ooltewah didnt pass the smell test. Arrington had been most cooperative up to this point but the Sheriffs Deputies determined there was sufficient cause to take Arrington downtown for a few better answers this after he was handcuffed he began to fight and kick violently. Sheriff Jim Hammond and others at the sheriffs office have viewed the tape time and time again and believe Arrington was not beaten with any police batons, explaining that the batons are quite often employed to hold down a person who disobeys police commands, like stop fighting, quit trying to kick us, stop making this worse, and Please stop! Similar demands can be clearly heard in the inflammable tape. When Arrington arrived at the jail, every officer involved believed that they had subdued a violent arrest properly. They actually wanted one of Hamilton Countys judges to watch the tape in the event they needed to explain it but soon it was in the hands of (our very able) District Attorney General Neal Pinkston. Knowing Neal, he wished to do the right thing and sought FBI counsel, this at a most volatile time of racial discord. Because of how the tape was used for sensationalism, the three liberals on the Hamilton County Commission were primed and ready for a show that would dominate the newspapers front page for yet another day. Commissioner Katherlyn Geter acted as though she was seeking Best Supporting Actress, her lines appearing as though they were taken from a screenplay. I am mad as hell, she said under a sulking front-page photo. Enough is enough. We simply can no longer keep doing this, she said adding carefully, We cant breathe. Warren Mackey jumped in. This is unacceptable. I didnt see any efforts to de-escalate. I didnt see any effort to intervene, Dr. Mackey said, while also violating the one creek-two banks rule, one that he has consistently espoused as a commissioner. Had he listened to Sheriff Hammond or any officer involved in the tape that was already one month old, his answer was only waiting: It was because Arrington didnt stop fighting. Act Two was quick to follow. The Unity Group, a pro-racist crowd of pro whiners, issued a statement, aimed at the other six conservative commissioners who, quite frankly, are weary of the whining and the baseless allegations. In a letter entitled, The Silence of our Friends, it read, We say to the Commission, your silence makes you complicit; your failure to address is a ringing indictment; your ambivalence in answering and addressing the racial and social challenges of this community is just an example of why many will attest that you continue to be derelict in your duty. Those who demand justice, the letter read with the same weekly predictability that wore away long ago, for Mr. Arrington know what we call what was witnessed on video. We call it inhumane. We call it force excessive. We call it intolerable. We call it brutal. We call it immoral. We call it unjust. We call it cruel and unusual punishment, a clear constitutional violation. Well, lets hold it right there. One day before The Silence of Our Friends appeared on Chattanoogan.com, the same website reported that two men, ages 28 and 33, were shot on Dee Drive. This was only three days after a 14-year-old was shot on Grove Street and, lets not leave out the 54-year-old woman who was dropped in a hail of gunfire on Tunnel Blvd. Madame Geter, forget the gathering summer skim on the pond; dont you think we ought to focus on blacks who shoot other blacks? Please. Please, black men, women, and children are getting shot every week. Should we not instead seek the true and killing alligators in our pond? I was talking to our best lawman, Sheriff Jim Hammond who has a worlds wealth of police knowledge, and he told me the truth. Until the black community steps in and says, Enough is enough and helps the police, I dont think you can stop the shootings. Please, Comm. Geter, can you not see that 250,000 in our Hamilton County believe that Enough is enough! You delivered a beautiful and compelling analogy to say what if this beating had happened to one of your sons. Yes, it drew me, but, Katherlyn, your boys have a greater chance of being shot right now. Do you realize that? Yes, maam. We simply can no longer keep doing this! Further, its said the 58-year-old woman gunned down on Tunnel Blvd. told EMT techs, I cannot breathe. Should I keep going? And Comm. Mackey, how bout this partial paragraph in a letter written Friday. Your lack of leadership on this important issue (black on black shootings) continues to fail people you have sworn to protect. I am concerned it is yet another example of your lack of commitment (Warren!) to the vulnerable citizens who are victims of this violence and lack of respect for the men and women of law enforcement. Actually, the letter was written to the Illinois Gov. and Mayor of Chicago by President Trump after last weeks Fathers Day massacre set a national record for black on black destruction. From Thursday night last week until 5 a.m. this Monday, the inside-the-city-limits tally was 103 shot, and the 14 dead included three minors, the youngest 3 years old. This week its even stronger; the weekly count started Sunday, June 25 and was rolling toward midnight Saturday; thus far its 113 with 18 homicides. And then that comes to The Friends the Unity Group chides for being silent. I have read nothing from any in the Chattanooga black community about our local plague of 9 mm. rounds. The Black Pastors Association is quick to demand a photo op when they have a sullen statement about how blacks are being abused but other blacks are the real culprit. In Chicago this year there have been 315 homicides (roughly 75 percent from black guns and an estimated 22 percent by Latinos, mostly in the drug trade. Less than 5 per cent by whites.) The all-time record for black-on-black homicides in Chicago stands at 342 in 2017. Late yesterday afternoon the number was 317 with six more months to run. Hows the USofA doing? royexum@aol.com 1/3 of parents in 3 states may not send children to school because of COVID-19 ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Kindergartners in face masks. Closed playground structures. Random COVID-19 testing. They are among the long list of hypothetical scenarios for school in the pandemic era. And as lawmakers and educators reimagine the K-12 model for fall, a new survey assessed parents' plans for in-person school and support for 15 potential measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in schools in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. The majority of parents surveyed (two-thirds) said they will likely send all of their children to school in fall. Most also support certain safety measures, including decreasing the number of children on buses, daily temperature screens for students, alternating between in-person and online classes, regular testing of school staff, and requiring school staff and older children to wear masks. The report, published by the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center (CHEAR) at the University of Michigan, included 1,193 parents of school-aged children in the three states who were surveyed from June 12-22. "Families are facing a challenging decision regarding whether to send their children to school for in-person classes in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic," says lead author Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatrician and researcher at Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, CHEAR and the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, which funded the report. "On the one hand, sending children to school could increase the risk of COVID-19 among children and family members. On the other hand, children who don't return to in-person school may experience disruptions in their education. Some families simply don't have a choice because they need to go to work." Parents' plans on sending their children to school were similar between each state but varied by demographic factors. Respondents who were Black, Hispanic, or Asian were less likely to report that they will send all of their children to school compared with respondents who were white/non-Hispanic. Parents from low-income households were the least likely to report that they will send all of their children to school, with 40 % reporting that they are unsure of their plans or are not planning on sending at least one of their children. "The disparity by household income raises the possibility of potential educational disruption among less advantaged students," Chua says. "Efforts should especially be made to understand and address barriers to school attendance for these students, and to ensure high-quality education for students who do not attend school in-person." Views on masks and other safety measures The survey revealed strong support for a number of measures to reduce COVID-19 exposure risk at school. Three-quarters of parents supported daily temperature screens of students and requiring testing of children if a classmate tests positive for COVID-19. More than 60 % of parents supported decreasing the number of children on buses, alternating groups of children between in-person and virtual classes, staggering arrival and pick-up times, and random weekly COVID-19 testing for staff. Half supported random weekly COVID-19 testing of children and requiring children to eat meals in classrooms rather than cafeterias. Most parents supported requiring face masks for school staff and middle and high school students, but were less likely to support requiring face masks for younger children, especially kindergarten through second grade. Support was low for closing playground structures and stopping all extracurricular programs. Overall, the average parent supported or strongly supported eight of the 15 measures assessed in the survey. While this number was lower in some demographic groups, three-quarters of parents supported four or more measures. "Preferences for the number and types of measures vary among parents," Chua says. "But they broadly agree with the notion that schools should take steps to keep children as safe as possible." Factors impacting a return to school Twelve percent of parents surveyed indicated they will likely not send at least one of their children to school in fall, with health concerns being the biggest factor. Respondents were less likely to say their children would attend in-person school if they believe someone in their home has a condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19 illness. But many feel that the in-person school experience is best for their kids. "I feel like (my child) gets a better education in person. I want her to be able to go to school where she can directly interact with teachers," one Michigan parent said. Twenty-one percent of parents said they weren't sure yet about school attendance plans. Many are waiting to see how the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, while others are waiting to hear more about their schools' plans. "If the schools here decide to open, then that will mean we are trending in a favorable direction as far as the virus is concerned. I trust the local school districts to make the best decision based on their staff/cleaning/knowledge of the situation," a parent from Illinois wrote. Many respondents also indicated they had little choice to send children to school due to jobs and financial constraints. "We have no family to babysit and do not have the funds to hire a babysitter if the kids stay home. If one of us has to stay home to watch them we will likely lose our house," one Ohio respondent said. Many families indicated that a surge in COVID-19 cases would cause them to reconsider plans for sending children to school. Others would likely reconsider based on the safety strategies implemented in schools or the type of educational experience their children might have. Governors across the country are working with educators to develop plans to safely open school. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to announce her "Return to School Roadmap" on June 30, which will provide an outline for schools across the state to reopen for in-person learning in fall. As these plans are announced, Chua believes it will be important to continue to survey parents regarding their plans and support for COVID-19 risk mitigation measures. "In our survey, parents expressed a lot of uncertainty regarding their plans for school attendance," he says. "Many are waiting to see how schools address safety and how the pandemic evolves. It's very likely that parents' views and plans will change as new information becomes available." ### Other authors of the report included Melissa DeJonckheere, Ph.D., Sarah Reeves, Ph.D., Alison Tribble, M.D., M.S.C.E., and Lisa Prosser, Ph.D., all from the Department of Pediatrics at Mott or Department of Family Medicine at Michigan Medicine. This story has been published on: 2020-06-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. St. Petersburg businessman Alexander Konovalov in the "Civil" coffee shop, which provides the indoor service despite the lockdown restrictions - Maria Turchenkova Over an illegal coffee in central St Petersburg, Alexander Konovalov explains how he cheered for Vladimir Putin for 20 years of his life. Sitting at a teak table in his hipster coffee shop, open to the public in defiance of the presidents coronavirus lockdown restrictions, he says that now for the first time he has lost faith in the Russian leader who was born and raised just a few miles away. Ive always voted for Putin, he tells The Sunday Telegraph. But now Im ashamed to admit that I had no idea what was happening in the country before I personally ran into trouble. His loss of faith comes on the eve of a referendum this week to allow Russias president to rule at least until 2036 when he will be 83, the biggest constitutional change in the country since the Soviet Union fell. Mr Putins approval ratings last month dropped to a historic low of 59 percent, and support appears to be waning significantly in his hometown of St Petersburg where the Covid-19 crisis has bitten hard. Nevertheless, there is little chance his new powers to rule for at least two more terms will not be granted. The president's broad support - coupled with alleged vote-buying and ballot irregularities - is likely to be enough for a comfortable victory. If President Putin wins the referendum, he will be eligible to be Russia's head of state until he is 84 - SERGEI CHIRIKOV/AFP A graduate of the city's most prestigious law school, Mr Putin made a career in the KGB but swiftly joined the office of the reformist St Petersburg mayor after the fall of the Soviet Union. The 67-year old leader was born in then Leningrad, less than a decade after the deadly siege of the city during the Second World War, and grew up in a rough-and-tumble neighbourhood in the former imperial capital that grew shabby and destitute by then. In the two decades under Mr Putin, the city of 5 million people got an expensive facelift, with boutique hotels, local designer shops and organic food cafes at former warehouses popping all over town. Story continues St Petersburg now boasts not only world-class art at the Hermitage museum but also contemporary art venues, sailboat tours and fine dining at glitzy restaurants dotting its iconic canals. But the lockdown that began in March threatens to wind back the clock in Russias second-largest city, famous for its spectacular palaces and the so-called White Nights in summer when the sun barely goes down. Hundreds of thousands of people reliant on the hospitality industry were largely left to their own devices in the absence of any significant government aid. Hundreds of thousands working in the hospitality sector in St. Petersburg were left without government aid during the lockdown - Maria Turchenkova Mr Konovalov, who witnessed the boom of Russias economy in the 2000s, has now lost faith after promises of help in the middle of the epidemic turned hollow. I cant stand all these lies: He used to say he wouldnt run again, and now hes canceling the (presidential) term limits, the businessman said. On the citys web of rivers and canals, typically thronged with boats, it is eerily empty this year at the height of the travel season. Nikolai Predtechesnky, 33, who has been running a company which owns 120 boats and smaller yachts, said the lockdown and the lack of government aid has changed attitudes to Mr Putin to the worse. My friends, my own grandmother, my acquaintances who work for the government everyone is beginning to understand that this system is broken, he said. Society needs profound changes. The amendment that resets the clock on term limits for the sitting president is one of a myriad of constitutional changes that is up to vote including a pledge to keep increasing state pension payouts and boost the protection of the environment and the Russian language. Many voting in this weeks nationwide vote are likely to be unaware that they would be essentially allowing Mr Putin to rule for life since state media and election officials have been touting the amendments promising better living standards but have largely stayed away from discussing Mr Putins potential rule for life. St. Petersburg tourism businessmen Nikolai Predtechensky in front of his pleasure boats, which are docked in a yacht-club as the civil navigation is suspended - Maria Turchenkova Mr Putin's current term expires in 2024, and analysts say the Russian leader of 20 years has become irritated by Kremlin insiders who started looking for a possible successor. Opposition activists have unearthed videos of Mr Putins remarks from as much as a decade ago when he vehemently pledged that he had no intention of breaking the law or re-writing the Constitution to suit his needs. Putin would have been genuinely shocked if someone had shown to him back in 2000 what he would be up to this year, said Ms Stanovaya at the Moscow Carnegie Center. But people change, and 20 years is a long time. The closer he gets to the end (of his term), the scarier it is to leave. Veteran political analyst Lilia Shevtsova who rang the alarm about the former KGB officers uncontrolled rise to power two decades ago now warns about the danger of letting Mr Putin stay in office as long as he pleases. By cementing its authority today, the Kremlin is planting a bomb under the future, she wrote in a blog. The state is merging with the leader whose potential departure should evoke a threat of annihilation in peoples eyes. Visitors walk in a court, popular with its cafes and restaurants, which were recently opened for a take-away service, in St. Petersburg - Maria Turchenkova The vote was postponed in view of the growing Covid-19 epidemic and is now scheduled to run for a week, ending on 1 July. Coronavirus has claimed nearly 9,000 lives and infected more than 600,000 people, according to official statistics, but critics fear the real numbers are far higher. The vote is going to be held under new, lax rules, criticised for leaving much room for rigging, analysts say. Reports of potential vote buying as well as numerous complaints from public servants and state firms employees about being coerced to vote in the middle of the ongoing epidemic materialised as soon as the vote began on Thursday when several journalists documented how easy it was for them to vote twice - in person and in electronic voting. An opinion poll conducted by Russias only independent pollster Levada Centre showed that 44 percent would support the amendments, and 32 percent would vote against. But many people are hesitant about going to polling stations, which would benefit Kremlin supporters. Boat owner Mr Predtechensky, a graduate of the St Petersburg law school like President Putin, has no illusion about his vote making a difference but he still intends to cast his ballot: Ill have to put on a mask, latex gloves, bring a sanitiser and some cognac to get over this monstrosity. New Mexico usually forges its own path when it comes to social change. This was indeed true for the suffrage movement. New Mexico PBS is producing a short-run podcast series on the womens suffrage movement in New Mexico. The four episodes called New Mexico and The Vote are tying in with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The first will premiere on Tuesday, June 30. The remaining three will be released on Tuesdays for the next three weeks. The idea for the podcast began to take shape in December. At the beginning of 2020, NMPBS was awarded a grant and Megan Kamerick began to do research. Kamerick is the producer and host of the podcast. In this issue, the West was far ahead of its counterparts across the country, Kamerick says. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the state wrote its first constitution and they did allow limited suffrage for women. They could vote in school elections. New Mexico offers an unusual opportunity to present stories of the vote, not only because of its history as a Western frontier state, but also as it had an existing political structure and culture long before it became part of the United States. Womens clubs, made up mostly of Anglo Protestant women, began to organize around suffrage in New Mexico in the 1890s. But those early efforts did not include women of Native American or Mexican American ancestry. Yet, it was Hispanic women who would prove crucial in getting the 19th Amendment passed in New Mexico. These Hispano women were connected to lawmakers that were also Hispanos, Kamerick explains. This was the push that was needed to get movement forward. Kamerick spent months researching and doing interviews for the podcast. Working alongside Kevin McDonald, executive producer of Public Affairs Programming. Kamerick will also be leading a virtual meeting at noon, Wednesday, July 1. During the screening, clips from the American Experience documentary, The Vote will be shown. Joining her in the virtual meeting will be: Sylvia Ramos Cruz, M.D. Womens Suffrage Historian. Martha Burk Political Psychologist, Author of Your Voice, Your Vote. Pamelya Herndon Lawyer and CEO of the KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change. New Mexico and The Vote can listen to the podcast on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever they get their podcasts. The series will also be available to stream at nmpbs.org. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, wearing a Tartan face mask during a visit to New Look at Ford Kinaird Retail Park in Edinburgh - PA Nicola Sturgeon should examine introducing quarantine for English visitors to Scotland if the number of coronavirus cases south of the Border rises, one of her most trusted advisers has said. Prof Devi Sridhar, who has played a key role in helping Ms Sturgeon formulate her Covid-19 strategy, said Scotland was trying to eliminate the virus but England's strategy was to "reopen as soon as possible" despite having up to 6,000 new daily cases. She predicted Scotland could eliminate coronavirus by the end of the summer if the decline in new cases continues. There were no more deaths reported in Scotland on Sunday, for the third day running. 3 days in a row with no registered COVID deaths in Scotland. The sense of relief that I - & Im sure all of us - feel as these numbers fall is enormous. But its coupled with an anxiety that we do all we can to keep COVID under control. So please follow the rules and #StaySafe https://t.co/b2XXn16BxT Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 28, 2020 This meant it would be "really straightforward" for Scotland to become Covid-free if it was an island like New Zealand, she said, but instead "we have to find the next best solution." In particular, she advised "catching those cases through screening, through quarantine, through testing" and cited checks US states with low Covid-19 transmission have introduced for people from those with high rates. Visitors from nine US states with "significant community spread" will soon have to quarantine for 14 days if they travel to New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, it was announced last week. The policy will affect those travelling from Florida, Arizona and Texas, where more than 5,000 new cases were recorded in a single day last week. Story continues If Scotland & N.Ireland could do this within months, why not England? Its a political choice & about a clear strategy looking ahead 6-8 months. Why accept thousands of daily infections & deaths & repeated lockdowns? https://t.co/IpqH0yhLa6 Devi Sridhar (@devisridhar) June 28, 2020 But any such quarantine policy would likely face fierce opposition from the beleaguered Scottish tourism industry, for which English 'staycation' visitors are vital, businesses operating on both sides of the Border and Scots with family in England. The Scottish Government said it would "continue to consider any measures that might be necessary to protect against the risk of imported cases of the virus." Senior SNP sources said they could not rule out a quarantine system from England, but ministers were not planning to introduce one. Instead, they said people living in areas of England subject to any "local lockdowns" after a surge in cases would be asked not to travel to Scotland. Prof Sridhar, an Edinburgh University public health academic, is one of the most influential members of the Scottish Government's Covid-19 advisory group. On Friday Ms Sturgeon said Scotland was edging towards "total elimination" of Covid-19 after no new deaths were recorded on a weekday for the first time since March. Asked what she meant, Prof Sridhar told BBC Scotland's Sunday Politics programme "a zero Covid Scotland, which means there's no acceptable level of number of cases and they get driven down to become negligible so we get the economy going and society going." She cited the strategy adopted in countries like New Zealand, where "you get rid of community transmission and you just keep in place checks for any imported cases coming in, which might set off chains of infection." The academic said this was not the strategy being adopted in England, where she estimated there are between 5,000 and 6,000 new daily cases. Acknowledging the English strategy will not change before July 15, when Scottish hotels and tourist attractions reopen, she said: "The next best thing is to look across the world at Australia, Germany, even the United States. "Look at the policies being put in place between states which have high incidence like Texas and Florida, and those with low incidence now like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and trying to find ways whether it's quarantine or other checks to make sure when there are clear differences in incidence, then you make sure you are catching those cases through screening, through quarantine, through testing." A Scottish Government spokesman said: "To allow us to move out of lockdown it is critical that we keep transmission of the virus as low as possible and that includes transmission from high to low risk areas. "We are, in common with countries across the world, having to take unprecedented steps to deal with the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic brings." A slew of major insurers have stopped issuing new insurance cover for suppliers of department stores Myer and David Jones over rising concerns of mass insolvencies in Australia's anemic retail sector. Insurance brokers have told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the five largest providers of trade credit insurance in Australia have all begun to actively reduce their exposure to suppliers of the two retailers, viewing them as too risky to continue to insure. Major insurers are becoming increasingly cautious about providing cover to suppliers of Myer and David Jones. Credit:Eamon Gallagher Liam Berry, national manager of trade credit at multinational insurance brokerage giant Lockton said insurers were taking a pessimistic view of the department store sector. "What we know is all major trade credit insurers are reviewing their current credit limits provided on David Jones and Myer, and have been actively seeking to reduce capacity for existing clients. No insurer appears willing to provide new cover on either group in the current climate." John Bolton claimed Sunday morning that Donald Trump denying a report claiming he knew Russia paid the Taliban to kill U.S. troops is 'unconnected to the reality,' but asserts this is the standard for the president. 'There's a lot we don't know so we should be cautious, but from what we do know from the president's own tweets this morning, to me it looks like just another day at the office in the Trump White House,' Bolton told NBC News' Meet the Press. The former national security adviser is on a media tour promoting his new book, 'The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir,' about his 17 months as one of Trump's top aides. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded that Trump confront the Russians, telling ABC News on Sunday that his denial of the report is 'as bad as it gets.' 'This is as bad as it gets and yet the president will not confront the Russians on this score denies being briefed, whether he is or not, his administration knows,' Pelosi told This Week host George Stephenopoulos. 'Some of our allies who work with us in Afghanistan have been briefed and accept this report.' Former National Security Advisor John Bolton claimed Sunday that Donald Trump denying the report that he knew Russia paid the Taliban to kill U.S. troops is 'just another day at the office in the Trump White House' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also said Sunday that Trump's denial is 'as bad as it gets' The comments came after a pair of tweets Sunday where the president claimed the Times report was fake, and said he was not briefed on the situation in March, like it details The California Democrat also said that allies she and her colleagues have worked with in Afghanistan were briefed and accept The New York Times report. 'Just as I've said to the president, with him all roads lead to Putin,' Pelosi told This Week host George Stephenopoulos. 'I don't know what the Russians have on the president, politically, personally, financially or whatever it is.' Bolton said that if the reports are true, the U.S. should 'consider a number of strong measures against Russia.' Trump insisted in a sunday morning tweet that 'nobody told him' that Russia had reportedly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants if they killed U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. In a series of tweets Sunday morning, the president scathed: 'Nobody briefed or told me, VP Pence, or Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an 'anonymous source' by the Fake News New York Times.' 'Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us.....' Trump continued. The president's comments follow a report from the Times that he was briefed in March about the apparent Moscow led murder-for-hire plot, but has yet failed to take action against it. Bolton admitted to CNN's Jake Tapper that while he doesn't know about this specific situation detailed in the report, it sounded to him like an effort form the president to shift the responsibility away from himself. 'What would motivate the president to do that? Because it looks bad if Russians are paying to kill Americans and we're not doing anything about it,' Bolton said. 'So what is the presidential reaction, is to say, 'it's not my responsibility, nobody told me about it.' And therefore to duck any complaints that he hasn't acted effectively.' 'This is part of the problem with President Trump's decision making in the national security space, it's just unconnected to the reality he's dealing with, it's about his personal position,' Bolton told the State of the Union host. The president demanded the Times out the source from whom the newspaper obtained the information claiming otherwise, it's likely the source was made up. 'The Fake News @ nytimes must reveal its 'anonymous' source,' the president asserted. 'Bet they can't do it, this 'person' probably does not even exist!' In a rebuke of the claims made in the report, Trump affirmed that 'nobody has been tougher on Russia' than his administration, continuing that 'with Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine. 'Where's Hunter?' the president asked. 'Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their 'source'?' In rebuke, Trump affirmed that 'nobody has been tougher on Russia' than his administration, continuing that 'with Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine On Saturday, Democratic nominee Joe Biden accused Trump of betraying American families. He called the revelation of alleged inaction on the part of Trump 'shocking' as he claimed that Trump's 'entire presidency has been a gift to Putin'. In response, in another tweet Sunday morning, the president mused how it was 'funny' to hear Biden's admonishment which was 'obviously written by his handlers'. 'Russia ate his and Obama's lunch during their time in office, so badly that Obama wanted them out of the then G-8. U.S. was weak on everything, but especially Russia!' Trump continued. Biden's criticism came just before the White House vehemently denied that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence, as was reported in the New York Times Friday. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany fiercely refuted that the president had known of the plot for months, stating that 'neither the president nor the vice president were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence'. But she added: 'This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter.' That left open the possibility such intelligence does exist. 'The United States receives thousands of intelligence reports a day and they are subject to strict scrutiny,' said McEnany's statement. 'While the White House does not routinely comment on alleged intelligence or internal deliberations, the CIA director, National Security Advisor, and the Chief of Staff can all confirm that neither the President nor the Vice President were briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence.' Biden, however, took the opportunity to blast Trump on the report as he spoke at a town hall on Saturday afternoon. He said that, if true, it contains a 'truly shocking revelation' about the commander in chief and his failure to protect U.S. troops in Afghanistan and stand up to Russia. Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of betraying American families Saturday after a New York Times report claimed the president had for months failed to act on intelligence of Russian bounties offered to the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany fiercely denied the president had known of the intelligence but did not say that there was no merit to the report of Russian bounties to Taliban forces McEnany said Vice President Mike Pence, pictured, had also not been briefed in March 'The truly shocking revelation that if the Times report is true, and I emphasize that again, is that President Trump, the commander in chief of American troops serving in a dangerous theater of war, has known about this for months, according to the Times, and done worse than nothing,' Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said during the virtual town hall. 'Not only has he failed to sanction and impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law, Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin,' the former vice president added. 'He has had this information, according to the Times, and yet he offered to host Putin in the United States and sought to invite Russia to rejoin the G7.' Biden called it a 'betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation - to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm's way'. He said Americans who serve in the military put their life on the line. 'I think about this as a Dad, a father who sent his son to serve in harm's way for a year in the Middle East and in Iraq and I'm disgusted on behalf of those families whose loved ones are serving today,' Biden said. 'When your child volunteers to serve they're putting their life on the line for the country. They take risks known and unknown for this nation but they should never, never, never ever face a threat like this with their commander in chief turning a blind eye to a foreign power putting a bounty on their heads. 'I'm quite frankly outraged by the report,' Biden continued He promised that if he is elected, 'Putin will be confronted and well impose serious costs on Russia.' Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden blasted the president Saturday over his potential inaction Trump allegedly knew in March of intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants if they killed U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan The New York Times reported Friday that American intelligence officials concluded months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The report said the Russians offered rewards for successful attacks last year, at a time when the U.S. and Taliban were holding talks to end the long-running war. Twenty Americans were killed last year in the bloody Afghan war, which began in 2001, but it was not clear if any of these deaths were under suspicion. According to the paper, U.S. policy members developed a 'menu' of options, from a diplomatic slap to further increases in U.S. sanctions or other unnamed responses. But officials said the White House has taken no response to date and no explanation for the delay was given. The information was reportedly kept a closely guarded secret until the administration began expanding briefings this week. They also shared intelligence with the British government whose troops are said to be among those targeted. The news hit the Trump Administration as it was already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic and as Trump hoped that a peace deal with the Taliban would end the Afghanistan War in the last few months of his re-election campaign. Trump is currently withdrawing troops, meeting one of the militants' key demands as he attempts to end America's longest war. The Taliban have denied the report, reiterating that it was committed to an accord signed with Washington in February that paves the way for withdrawing all foreign forces from Afghanistan by next year. The militants also said homemade explosives account for most fatalities among US forces. 'The nineteen-year jihad of the Islamic Emirate is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country,' the Taliban said in a statement issued in Kabul. The Taliban said home-made explosives accounted for most of the casualties among US forces It came as Trump hoped that a peace deal with the Taliban would end the Afghanistan War in the last few months of his re-election campaign. Pictured Afghan Taliban fighters and villagers celebrate the peace deal signed between U.S. and Taliban in February The group, widely believed to have received years of support from Pakistani intelligence, also denied previous US accusations it was given arms by Russia. 'The Islamic Emirate has made use of weapons, facilities and tools ... that were already present in Afghanistan or are war spoils frequently seized from the opposition in battles,' it said. Russia has also denounced the report, with its embassy in Washington tweeting that the 'baseless and anonymous accusations' in the Times story had 'already led to direct threats to the life of employees' at its embassies in Washington and London. 'Stop producing #fakenews that provoke life threats, @nytimes,' it added in a later tweet. Russia has a tortured history in Afghanistan, where the former Soviet Union in its final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamist guerrillas, then backed by Washington. The Russian embassy in the United States fiercely denied the allegations in a Twitter thread on Friday night The U.S. has already sanctioned Russia following the country's interference in the U.S. elections, which prosecutors connected to President Vladimir Putin. The Trump administration took no action to retaliate for the bounties, according to the report The New York Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban attacks, including a desire to keep Washington bogged down in war. It said that the Russian unit may also be seeking revenge over the US killing of Russian mercenaries in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad. According to the newspaper, the Taliban operation was led by a unit known as the G.R.U., which has been blamed in numerous international incidents including a 2018 chemical weapons attack in Britain that nearly killed Russian-born double agent Sergei Skripal. In recent years, the unit has been linked to assassination attempts or revenge plots aimed at destabilizing the West. Yet it would be the first time that it was known to have initiated attacks on Western troops, a major escalation of force against the U.S. The COVIDSafe tracking app has not detected a single case of coronavirus outside of manual contact tracing despite more than six million downloads. The $2million app was launched on April 26 by the federal government to notify users whether they have been within 1.5 metres of someone infected with COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes. South Australian senator Rex Patrick said the effectiveness of the app has been an ongoing problem. 'I think the Prime Minister and the government were dishonest with the Australian public and I think that that's very sad,' he told SMH. The federal government Covidsafe tracing app has not found a single case of coronavirus outside of manual contact tracing Senator Rex Patrick said the government have been dishonest with Australians about the effectiveness of the app Scott Morrison claimed the COVIDSafe app would save lives and livelihoods, with more downloads leading to a greater likelihood that restrictions would be eased. The app has been downloaded 6.44 million times and is still having issues, with iPhones struggling to pair data with Samsung devices, or share information while locked or running in the background. Government Services Minister Stuart Robert previously stated that phones do not need to be unlocked for the app to work. Labor government services spokesman Bill Shorten claimed the government was being secretive as to whether the app worked at all. Labor's Bill Shorten said the Covidsafe app is another example of Stuart Robert's disasters 'Covidsafe has had major problems from the start,' he said. 'After millions of taxpayers dollars have been spent, the app would want to start showing some proper results soon for it not to be added to the pile of Stuart Robert's disasters.' When the app was launched at the height of Australia's pandemic, 6,696 Australians had coronavirus. There have been 926 confirmed cases since then, but only 40 of those 926 cases have the Covidsafe app. Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said contact tracers had downloaded data from the app 30 times, while NSW officials accessed data ten times. Neither identified a new contact through using the app. Staff at the Tanundra War Memorial Hospital test a patient for coronavirus at their clinic in the Barossa Valley, northeast of Adelaide, in March Mr Shorten said Australia should change program to use the Apple-Google contact exposure alert system. The system will be used in the UK after it was announced the NHS abandoned their tracing app to use the Apple-Google network, despite having already spent millions of pounds and the new technology not being available for months. A spokesman for Mr Roberts said the federal health department are working with Apple and Google and the developers of the Covidsafe app to understand how their technology can be applied to Australia. They ensured the current app is helping to identify and prevent the spread of coronavirus in Australia. 'The Australian community can have confidence it is working securely and effectively, despite the lack of community transmission of COVID-19,' the spokesman said. Almost 400 readers responded to a poll from our colleagues at RTL 5minutes on whether customers have been able to get cancelled plane tickets reimbursed. A large majority of respondents are still awaiting a refund. Have you had issues with getting your money back from airlines who cancelled flights as a result of the coronavirus crisis? That was the question posed by RTL 5minutes this week, to which 383 readers from Luxembourg and the wider region responded. The results are quite stark: 84 respondents had no issue getting their money back, or were satisfied with the offers they received. had no issue getting their money back, or were satisfied with the offers they received. 299 respondents are still waiting to be reimbursed or were displeased with the offers they received. The Lucky Ones Around 22% of responses were positive. Here are some testimonies: Sandra (Luxembourg): "It took nearly months but I was reimbursed eventually" she writes. (Luxembourg): "It took nearly months but I was reimbursed eventually" she writes. Coralie (Luxembourg): she was "automatically reimbursed" (Luxembourg): she was "automatically reimbursed" Lola (France): "Luxair proceeded to reimburse me a few weeks before the flight's departure". (France): "Luxair proceeded to reimburse me a few weeks before the flight's departure". Sissi (Luxembourg): "No worries for me, but 150 was taken out my refund in booking fees." (Luxembourg): "No worries for me, but 150 was taken out my refund in booking fees." Jean (Luxembourg): "OI had two trips that I had booked before lockdown reimbursed. I'm entirely satisfied". (Luxembourg): "OI had two trips that I had booked before lockdown reimbursed. I'm entirely satisfied". Valval (France) : "No problems with British air, but issues with Easy Jet". The Unlucky Ones Over 3/4 of respondents are thus unhappy with the way they have been treated. Here are some examples: Julia (Luxembourg): "the agency refused me a refund and instead gave me vouchers which are valid for 18 months, but it will be difficult to find a replacement trip with a similar price!" (Luxembourg): "the agency refused me a refund and instead gave me vouchers which are valid for 18 months, but it will be difficult to find a replacement trip with a similar price!" Emilia (Luxembourg): "We haven't been contacted for a refund or an exchange." (Luxembourg): "We haven't been contacted for a refund or an exchange." Henri (Luxembourg): "Customer service isn't answering. What I dislike the most is the phishing technique used to transform my cancelled flight into a voucher. They tell you to click on a link to find out more and when I arrived on the website a message tells me that I've transformed my flight into a voucher. For me that's a scam pure and simple..." (Luxembourg): "Customer service isn't answering. What I dislike the most is the phishing technique used to transform my cancelled flight into a voucher. They tell you to click on a link to find out more and when I arrived on the website a message tells me that I've transformed my flight into a voucher. For me that's a scam pure and simple..." Gilles (France): "I received a voucher from TUI but I asked for a refund. My request has received no response to this day." (France): "I received a voucher from TUI but I asked for a refund. My request has received no response to this day." Myriam (Luxembourg) : "My flight from Luxembourg to London from 3 April was cancelled but I still haven't been able to obtain a refund from the platform where I bought my ticket" (Luxembourg) : "My flight from Luxembourg to London from 3 April was cancelled but I still haven't been able to obtain a refund from the platform where I bought my ticket" Ben (Luxembourg): "No refund but a voucher for a flight before the end of 2021" (Luxembourg): "No refund but a voucher for a flight before the end of 2021" Cyril (Luxembourg): "Flights with Lufthansa for July 2020 were cancelled by the company on 22 April. They first offered vouchers but said they would give out refunds if the customer asks. However they have warned that there will be a long delay. As of yet I haven't received any reimbursement. Two worrying elements: I can't follow the process of reimbursement as my reservation has disappeared since the cancellation, and I've received no information on the delay." (Luxembourg): "Flights with Lufthansa for July 2020 were cancelled by the company on 22 April. They first offered vouchers but said they would give out refunds if the customer asks. However they have warned that there will be a long delay. As of yet I haven't received any reimbursement. Two worrying elements: I can't follow the process of reimbursement as my reservation has disappeared since the cancellation, and I've received no information on the delay." Lana (Luxembourg): "Je I haven't recovered the whole of my costs: I spent 2,200 euros; I've recovered 1,700 euros and then 267 euros, without any explanation." (Luxembourg): "Je I haven't recovered the whole of my costs: I spent 2,200 euros; I've recovered 1,700 euros and then 267 euros, without any explanation." Dirgni (Luxembourg): "Our flights have not been refunded. Thai Airways have gone into administration. No refund expected." Reminder Let's remember that these testimonies do not reflect airlines' commercial policies but simply the experiences of our readers. Every case is different, as shown by the fact that the same companies have appeared on either side of our poll. A note on the law: European legislation ensures that in the case of cancellation, travellers must be offered either a new itinerary or a refund, which can only come in the form of a voucher with the customer's consent. Companies who suggest anything otherwise are thus violating European law. People are outraged with the recent news about Russia putting bounties on US troops in Afganistan. Many expressed their dismay and anger on social media using hashtags #TraitorTrump, #TrumpTreason and #TraitorInChief. These hashtags were trending on Twitter along with the phrase "TRE45ON" which uses number 45 instead of the letters "a" and "s" signifying Trump as America's forty-fifth president. Here are some Twitter posts about the trending issue: Everyone in this picture is a patriot, with one exception. @realDonaldTrump apparently knew Putin paid bounties to militants to kill US troops & POTUS did nothing. Actually, it was worse than nothing. Trump last month invited Putin to the G7 summit. Traitorous behavior by Trump. pic.twitter.com/bIaQPvh8Jz Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 27, 2020 Two days ago, Trump laid a wreath at a memorial to American war dead while doing nothing about Russia paying insurgents to kill Americans. His presidency is a disgrace to anyone who has ever served this country. #TraitorTrump pic.twitter.com/ULAFedDFH9 The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) June 27, 2020 In this photo, #TraitorTrump salutes a West Point cadet ***knowing that he might send this young man off to die in Afghanistan with the help of his good friend Putin*** (whom he believes over anything US intelligence says). https://t.co/eWIGwvJDXM Grant Stern (@grantstern) June 27, 2020 Call it #TRE45ON . Call it dereliction of duty. Call it aiding and abetting terrorists. Call it whatever you want, this Russian bounty scandal is so ugly, even #TraitorTrump might not be able to shake it off: https://t.co/Ha3AHtgdAg Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) June 28, 2020 @realDonaldTrump I am sitting here creating a video about how you KNEW in MARCH that Putin had put BOUNTIES on the heads of U.S. SOLDIERS. He PAID a bonus for KILLING OUR SOLDIERS. And you did NOTHING. Not in March, April, May or June. You must resign. #TraitorTrump Don Winslow (@donwinslow) June 28, 2020 Why don't you attempt to identify the Russians who offered the Taliban bounties on the heads of American soldiers, you treasonous bag of shit? Oh, that's right -- you KNOW who did already. You tried to invite him into the G7. #TRE45ON pic.twitter.com/ZWwiizzUvU BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 27, 2020 Also Read: Donald Trump Refuses to Reveal Second Term Agenda Russia Pay Bounty for US Troops The public's reaction is based on the leaked intelligence information that the White House is aware of Russia paying bounties for killing US troops in Afganistan. According to US Intel, the said deadly operation was initiated by Unit 29155 of the G.R.U., which is a notoriously violent arm of Russias military intelligence agency. New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump was briefed about the matter months ago saying that despite having knowledge about the activity, the US did not take any action. This ignites questions on the stranglehold of Russia on Trump. Times of India said that Trump had been tagged as "Russian stooge" since the issue re-emerged, which is alleged to be an act of revenge on what US did to Moscow in 1980s. Although US remains silent on the matter, the Russian Embassy label the issue as fake news by posting a tweet that says: "Baseless and anonymous accusations [published by @nytimes] of Moscow as the mastermind behind killing of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan have already led to direct threats to the life of employees of the Russian Embassies in Washington D.C. and London." However, Donald Trump said that he is not aware of this issue. He even challenged the media to show him the source of the said intel leak. Related Article: Russian Spy Unit Allegedly Paid Bounties to Taliban to Lethally Attack US Soldiers in Afghanistan @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Two people received drug charges after an investigation Tuesday. Tiffany Samantha Whitney, 30, of 5130 Pea Ridge Road, was charged with felony trafficking heroin or opium and felony possession of alprazolam, according to a press release from the Burke County Sheriffs Office. Michael Allen Benfield, 30, of the same address, also was charged with felony possession of alprazolam, the release said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The charges came after officers with North Carolina Probation and Parole and detectives with the Burke County Sheriffs Office conducted an investigation at Benfield and Whitneys residence, the release said. A substantial amount of heroin was seized during a search of the residence along with alprazolam and several items of drug paraphernalia, the release said. Benfield has convictions of felony breaking and entering, larceny, larceny of motor vehicle, larceny after breaking and entering, possessing stolen goods, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and common law robbery, according to a records search on the North Carolina Department of Public Safety website. Police in Northern Ireland have named the victim of a shooting in Belfast as 28-year-old Warren Crossan. Officers believe two masked men chased the victim from the junction of Rodney Parade and St Jamess Road along Rodney Parade and St Katharines Road whist firing a number of shots fatally wounding him. Detective Chief Inspector Darren McCartney said: This was a callous and reckless killing. To bring firearms onto a residential street in broad daylight simply beggars belief. The gunmen did not give any thought to the risk posed to local people in this community when they ran through the streets firing shots, at least one of which struck a vehicle owned by a resident. It is too early to speculate on the motive for this callous murder and, over coming days, I will be working to piece together all the information and evidence. The PSNI have appealed for anyone with information to come forward. DCI McCartney added: We are also interested in Warrens movement prior to the shooting. We know he left his home in the Crumlin area shorty before 11am in a dark metallic blue Skoda Octavia. He was next observed parking the vehicle at the family home in Rodney Parade at approximately 12.40pm. We are keen to hear from anyone who saw Warren during this time. Any information you can provide no matter how trivial it may seem, could be important and could help us solve the murder. I am aware the area was busy with pedestrians and motorists so I am asking anyone who may have captured any footage of the incident to please bring that to us. Sandra Oh attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) The UK is behind in terms of diversity in television according to Killing Eve star Sandra Oh, who has said she is often the only person of colour on the set of the hit show. Canadian-born Oh, who is no stranger to the industry, said the UK-made assassin thriller is not as diverse as sets she has been on in the US. The 48-year-old stars alongside Jodie Comer and Fiona Shaw in the show, with Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge taking on role head writer for the first series. Read more: Jodie Comer planned to ditch Scouse accent but which actor persuaded her not to? Greys Anatomy star Omade the comments while talking with Kerry Washington on Varietys Actors On Actors series. She said: Being the sole Asian person is a very familiar place for me. But the UK, Im not afraid to say, is behind. Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer attend AMC Emmy Brunch 2019 on September 21, 2019 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for AMC) I am not only the only Asian person on set, sometimes it changes, very exciting when that does and someones comes on set, but the development of people behind the camera is very slow in the UK, I dont know about the rest of Europe. Sometimes it would be me and 75 white people and I have not come from that. Read more: Sandra Oh Wanted to Play Olivia Pope on Scandal Ive not come from that in my film career which has been much more independent, mostly working with women and women of colour. And my relationship with television, and in the United States has not always been all white. Being the sole Asian person is a very familiar place for me. Ohs comments come after British director Steve McQueen made a similar assessment about the film industry. The Oscar-winner told the Guardian earlier this month: The UK is so far behind in terms of representation, its shameful. Basically, if you want to examine race and class in this country, start by going in a film set. Country music legend Willie Nelson is headlining a virtual Texas fundraiser for former Vice President Joe Biden that will include performances from Robert Earl Keen and speeches by former Democratic presidential candidates Beto ORourke and Julian Castro. On social media, Nelson announced the Monday fundraiser that requires people to donate a minimum $250 to join in. It starts at 4:15 p.m. Nelson has never been afraid of speaking out politically. Hes endorsed many Democratic candidates for the White House and other offices over the years. Two years ago, he endorsed ORourke for the U.S. Senate and brought the candidate on stage to play guitar with him during his annual Fourth of July Picnic concert in Austin. A lot of people seem surprised that Im backing a candidate, but it aint my first rodeo, Nelson said in a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The Biden fundraiser aimed at Texans comes as polls show he is in nearly a dead heat with President Donald Trump. In a new Fox News Poll of 1,001 registered voters in Texas released last week, 45 percent said they would vote for Biden versus 44 percent for Trump. A Democrat has not won Texas in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976. But Democrats say recent election trends and voter registration gains have them poised to give Republicans their closest race in Texas in decades. The Trump campaign brushed off the threat of Biden winning Texas in a statement following Nelsons announcement. Joe Biden and Texas Democrats are delusional if they think they can turn the state blue, as they have no staff in-state and continue with pre-recorded virtual events streamed from Bidens basement bunker, Trump Victory spokesperson Samantha Cotten said. To watch the fundraiser, the Biden campaign is directing people to his page online. ORourke, the former El Paso Congressman, and Castro, the former San Antonio mayor, both ran against Biden last year for the Democratic nomination. But in November, ORourke dropped out of the race. He endorsed Biden just before the March 3 primary in Texas, when Biden defeated Bernie Sanders. Castro dropped out of the race at the start of 2020 and endorsed and campaigned for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in Texas. Earlier this month, he fully endorsed Biden and has been increasing his activities to support the former vice president. RED LODGE At Piccola Cucina, its all about the ingredients. Sicilian recipes, handed down from generations, are no secret, said executive chef Philip Guardione, who operates six Italian-focused restaurants across the world, including one in Red Lodge that is open seasonally. Its good ingredients: olive oil, salt and pepper. Nothing more. Theres no cream, nor butter. He wrinkles his nose at mayonnaise or ketchup. Perhaps, theres a little lemon to finish a dish. You dont need to make confusion on the plate, Guardione said. When the customer comes in, one, two, no more than three ingredients. You dont need the genius. Some people go crazy and it gets too complicated. For a third summer, Piccola Cucina has taken up residence at Ox Pasture, a restaurant on Broadway in Red Lodge, and will operate through Sept. 15. The chef and his crew connected to Red Lodge at the invitation of David and Alexia Leuschen, who own Switchback Ranch and Ox Pasture. Chef Benedetto Bisacquino, who comes to Red Lodge annually, isnt secretive about his process, either, and will gladly tell customers how their meal is prepared. Some people dont believe I dont use butter or cream, said Bisacquino. I just cook for a long time, and after I blend with the olive oil and basil. Thats it. The result is an immensely fresh taste, bright and simple, but also informed by the land and traditions of Bisacquino and Guardiones birthplace, where tomatoes raised in Mediterranean soil give their dishes a flavor of home. Such tomatoes are flown in from Italy. Fish and other hard-to-find ingredients are also flown in weekly, including octopus and Branzino (a flaky white fish from the Mediterranean Sea) that are used often in dishes. Meats and basil are sourced locally. In Montana you have the best meat. In Italy, you have the best tomato, said Guardione. Setting up shop The first season Piccola Cucina set up shop at Ox Pasture, there were some learning curves. When we come the first time, we try to understand what the people like, said Bisacquino. For us, its our first experience in town. We try to understand, what is the best menu we can make here? That first season, for instance, they didnt sell much octopus. In the beginning no one wanted it, but they try it and everyone liked it so we put it on the menu, said Bisacquino. After many years the people change a little bit with the tasting. About a dozen staff, most all who reside in New York on but have ties to Italy, arrived in Montana in April and were able to open Piccola Cucina on May 25, following two weeks of self-quarantine and a deep clean of the restaurant. Its a completely different situation between Montana and New York, said Guardione, whose restaurant in the Big Apple was closed for two months during the peak outbreak of COVID-19. Here, theres less risk, less people, so less contact. You have more space. In New York, the problem is space. There are not many big restaurants. The restaurant Guardione runs in New York is roughly half the size of the one in Red Lodge, where they are currently seating 45 people at a time based on COVID-19 restrictions in Montana. Erika Doddo, who works just about every position at the restaurant, was quite ready to leave New York for a bit. Red Lodge is always a nice break from New York, this year especially, she said. Doddos title ranges from manager to busser to waiter. Everyone here does everything, she said. Im the manager, but I also polish the silverware. Such a mentality, she describes, is deeply embedded in the traditions of Sicilian cooking. Most of the staff are Italian and grew up on the island, or are from Rome or Melano, and are in the U.S. on visas. For us, this is a house, Guardione said. So, when you go to a house, you do everything. Greet door, serve tables, help in the kitchen. Everyone do everything. The restaurant is rarely quiet, operating upwards of 300 covers a night, Guardione estimates, even in COVID-19 times where seating is reduced to 75 percent of capacity. Its a family experience. You have contact directly with the server, with the kitchen. Benny also goes to tables, talks with the customers. Everyone knows Benny. Benny is the king of Red Lodge. Laughing, Bisacquino adds that the staff try to make people comfortable and get to know each visitor. We like to make a relationship with the customer. Its not like you go in the restaurant, you eat and you sit. The customers, here they come back three, four times a week. Such local customers have the chefs considering a full time restaurant in the area, if not at Ox Pasture, then in Billings or Bozeman. Theyve been considering their options this year and scouting locations. When I come here, I never imagined this restaurant would become busy, Guardione said. In the wintertime, I dont see people, so I think, what do I need to do here? Then in the summer you get busy, every day you talk with someone from Red Lodge. We have fantastic clientele. Bisacquino is cautious about opening a year-round business. We are very busy in New York. So we dont want to risk moving people here and are not busy, so we prefer to close in the wintertime. Each season, as they prepare to pack up, Bisacquino said the regulars pack the place. Its just strange. Before we leave, all the usual customers, they want to come for the last days. Its incredible to see people cry because were leaving. Most every night, as staff begin to wind down, there is a small celebration of food and family. We put on music and the people start dancing, Guardione said. When we come the first year and we put the loud music, the people were shocked. Now they ask, when is the dancing? If you go Piccola Cucina at Ox Pasture, located at 7 Broadway Ave. N. in Red Lodge, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through September 15. For more information, visit oxpasture.com or call 446-1212. Photos: Piccola Cucina at Ox Pasture Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, second from right, talks with first-term lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea ahead of her lecture at the National Assembly, Thursday. Yonhap By Jung Da-min Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae is under fire for making remarks that went beyond her authority as a minister, acting and talking in a high-handed manner to newly-elected lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) last week. In a lecture to the new lawmakers, Thursday, the former five-term lawmaker recalled a National Assembly session the previous week, where some DPK members asked her about her conflicts with Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl questions that apparently made her angry. "Ruling party lawmakers posed me some very hard questions to me," Choo said opining that the questioners had gone too far. It is rare for a head of a government organization, which is subject to the Assembly's inspection, to assess lawmakers openly. She indicated that she thinks such lawmakers may want her to quit so they could take the position instead. "It is not right for a ruling party lawmaker to play the role of an opposition party member, believing 'if I offend the minister sufficiently, I'll be able to take the position later.' You (ruling party members) should not offend ministers," she said. Choo made other comments that seem intended at elevating her own status over that of the new lawmakers. She also made rough remarks toward Prosecutor General Yoon, with whom she has been at odds over various issues since her inauguration in January. The latest clash was over an inspection into an alleged pressuring of witnesses to commit perjury by prosecutors in the investigation of Han Myeong-sook, a former prime minister under former president Roh Moo-hyun. Talking on the issue, Choo said Yoon took a wrong step by not following her directions. "The prosecutor general gave the prosecution a misdirection although everything could have gone smoothly if he modestly listened to the justice minister's direction," she said. "Prosecutor General Yoon cut off half of my order I decided to instruct him again even though it would be a deadly affront against the prosecution." After the lecture, Choo was highly criticized by political observers and opposition political parties. "The administration and the Assembly hold each other in check, but Choo went much further, acting like a DPK chairwoman; not a minister," an opposition party member said. "She regards the lawmakers not as representatives of the people; she regards them only as her underlings," said Kim Jong-chul, the spokesman for the minor opposition Justice Party. "Overall, her remarks were far too rude and indiscreet. When the people are taking prosecutorial reform seriously, her way of describing the issue is making the core of prosecution reform appear like a power struggle between the minister and the prosecution," Kim added. Rep. Cho Eung-cheon of the DPK, a former prosecutor, also criticized Choo for making inappropriate remarks, the first such criticism from the ruling bloc. "I have been in the judiciary field for nearly 30 year and have never heard remarks like hers," Cho wrote on his social network outlets. "That is very embarrassing and left me speechless. Minister Choo needs to adopt some humility if she hopes to reform the prosecution." 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. 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Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. A recently-established African committee formed to deal with the issue of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will present its report to the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and President of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa within one week, a statement by the AU said on Saturday. The AU statement said the Bureau of the Assembly agreed to augment the Tripartite Committee dealing with the GERD issue, which consists of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. The committee was augmented with the participation of observers, namely South Africa in its capacity as Chairperson of the AU, members of the Bureau of the AU, and experts from the Commission, with a view to addressing outstanding technical and legal issues. The AU held on Friday an emergency online summit of leaders of the three countries chaired by Ramaphosa to revive the deadlocked negotiations over the $4.8 billion GERD after the last round of negotiations had failed to produce an accord last week. During the meeting, the participants agreed to reconvene in two weeks from the date of issuance of this communique to consider a report on the outcome of negotiations of the outstanding issues concerning the GERD. The meeting of the Bureau was held pursuant to consultations undertaken by Ramaphosa with the three negotiating parties concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), namely, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, the statement said. "The Bureau of the Assembly and participating heads of state and government welcomed the intervention of Ramaphosa and expressed their deep gratitude for his initiative to bring together the three parties to the GERD in order to find a negotiated solution on outstanding matters," the AU said. According to the AU statement, all the members of the AU Extraordinary Bureau of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government participated in the video-teleconference meeting, including Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, and President of Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The teleconference also saw the participation of the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Moussa Faki Mahamat. The Bureau of the Assembly noted that the three negotiating parties are founding members of the former Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the African Union (AU), and have contributed significantly to the unity, integration and the development of the continent. They further noted the potential of the GERD project for Africa. With regards to their respective positions pertaining to the GERD matter, the Bureau of the Assembly was addressed by the Egyptian president and the two prime ministers of Sudan and Ethiopia during its Friday's meeting. The Bureau expressed its deep appreciation for the positive and constructive approach displayed by the three parties in finding a peaceful, negotiated settlement on all outstanding matters, and emphasised the importance of a win-win outcome in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation The statement added that the AU Bureau received with appreciation a report from AUC head Mahamat, which, inter alia, noted that "more than 90 percent of the issues in the tripartite negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have already been resolved." "The Bureau of the Assembly decided to lend renewed impetus to the tripartite negotiations and urged the three parties to expeditiously work towards finding a mutually acceptable and amicable solution on the outstanding technical and legal issues in the negotiations process," the AU statement said. It also welcomed the commitment by the three parties to refrain from making any statements or taking any action that may jeopardize or complicate the AU-led process aimed at finding an acceptable solution on all outstanding matters. Accordingly, the Bureau of the Assembly and the participating heads of state and government requested that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) take note of the fact that the AU is seized of this matter. The UNSC is scheduled to discuss the GERD dispute in an open session on Monday. The Egyptian presidency issued a statement on Friday saying that "the technical committee will try to strike a deal within two weeks," and that it was agreed upon during the AU summit to "refrain from taking any unilateral measures, including the filling of the dam" before an agreement is reached. Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdouk also echoed the same conclusion on Friday, saying the three leaders have agreed to postpone the filling of the reservoir until an agreement is signed." This development comes against the backdrop of Ethiopia's previous assertions that it would begin filling the dams reservoir in July, even after the latest round of talks with Egypt and Sudan had failed. Earlier on Wednesday, Sudan said in a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that it is deeply concerned about Ethiopias decision to start filling its controversial dam on the Blue Nile without prior agreement with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan. Khartoum believes that the unilateral filling of the dam, located around 15 km from the Sudanese border, could cause substantial risks to Sudan and endanger the lives of millions of people living downstream. It also fears the GERD will put the operation of its Roseires dam at risk if not properly designed, filled and operated. Sudan's letter to the UNSC came after Egypt sent a letter to the UN body on 19 June requesting its intervention to resolve the dam, stressing that filling the dam without a deal would threaten international peace and security. Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 95 percent of its fresh water, fears the dam will significantly diminish its water supply, which is already below scarcity level. Search Keywords: Short link: A Twitter post showed Japan's newest aircraft carrier is just about ready to deploy, and the Chinese Navy is not happy with it. The upcoming deployment of the first aircraft carrier in 75 years is a response to the growing Chinese threat in the East and South China Seas. A photo on Twitter shows the upgrades on the helicopter carrier Izumo, that is well-equipped to carry heavy aircraft as well. The upgrades are currently undergoing at the Japan Marine United shipyard in Yokohama, according to Forbes. As far as the Chinese Navy is concerned, the upgraded Izumo is a threat, and sinking it will make dominating the sea lanes easier. Whether they succeed or not, that will incite serious trouble between the two nations. One of the reasons for the $28 million upgrades for the Izumo is to strengthen the deck for fixed-wing operations as well. According to Japan Times, the new F-35B stealth jump jets or Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) is far superior than Chinese carrier aircraft. To add to the headaches of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the sister ship Kaga will be given the same upgrades. The total length of the two carriers is 814 feet long, 27,000 tons, but how many F-35B's it can load is still uncertain. U.S. Navy's America-class assault ships, with 45,000 tons will carry more than 12 F-35Bs on its deck. Chinese analyst Fang Zheng ridiculed the capacity of Japanese flat tops, saying that a crow cannot beat a phoenix. American naval experts give their comments on the comparison of Chinese and Japanese naval power. According to them, the Izumo and Kaga have different jobs, compared to the USS Ronald Reagan whose homeport is in Yokohama. Also read: China Thinks US Navy's Three Aircraft Carriers Are Merely for Show, Although It Threatens Them The two converted Heli-carriers are the best ships for anti-submarine warfare, whose role is to hold the line from the Philippines to Japan and destroy Chinese subs that will all attack ships. Should any Chinese sub get by, other ships will attempt to kill the intruder, as reported in Naval News. Another Chinese analyst Yin He said the carriers are to defend the group from any attack from a defensive perimeter. This make commanding air superiority over the battlefield easier, which is often a problem for the limited range and loadout of Chinese carrier aircraft. Yin He forgets that US fighters have range and carry more weapons, compared to Chinese carriers that only have ski ramp. This limits the claim that Chinese fighters can rule the air. To offset the role of just sub-hunting, the Kaga and Izumo have the F-35B stealth VTOL that is not on the Chinese inventory. It has an operation range of 833km and 1,667km, which means it can loiter for other jobs near or far the Kaga and Izumo but Chinese planes need to resupply earlier. The F-35B will do air interdiction, and become ship killers too in combat. When the Japanese marines attack Chinese fortifications, the F-35Bs will act as suppressors or attack missile batteries. The Chinese military has the DF-21D and DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missiles, from the Washington, D.C., Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment. They are used to sink ships and avoid a line of sight and prefer a beyond visual range conflict. Their main targets are the USS Nimitz, USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Ronald Reagan, but the Izumo and Kaga are tempting targets as well, according to former Japanese fleet commander Vice Adm. Makoto Yamazaki. Next to the US 7th Fleet, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has the most destroyers with the Aegis air-defense system. The Chinese equivalent is even comparable to the Allied countries' defensive systems, like the SM-3 missile that stops Chinese anti-ship ICBMs. Related article: Japan's New Missile Defense Destroyer Starts Sea Trials Amidst Chinese Tension, Aegis Ashore Saga @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Published on 2020/06/28 | Source Samsung ranks fifth and LG 18th among this year's Top 50 innovative global companies as assessed by the Boston Consulting Group. Advertisement First on the largely predictable list was Apple, followed by Google's Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft. BCG polled 2,500 executives of more than 1,000 businesses around the world. It said it is not an easy task for a company to remain innovative, and 48 of the 160 global companies ranked by BCG since 2005 disappeared from the list after being includes just once. Only eight companies have been included all 14 times since the rankings began, including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Samsung. The American management consultants focused on 1,200 companies spanning 19 industries and concluded that the belief that smaller companies are more agile is not accurate. In fact, 42 percent of businesses with total sales of more than US$1 billion achieved results that surpassed the industry average. Also, BCG is satisfied that aggressive investments in innovation yields huge profits. The industry "leaders" spent 1.4 times more than the "laggards" on innovation, which yielded a four-fold increase in profits compared to sales. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:37:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China announced on Sunday that it will temporarily adjust the implementation of five administrative regulations in the pilot free trade zone (FTZ) of the southernmost province of Hainan to support its all-round reform and opening up. The adjustments, effective from June 28, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2024, cover regulations on customs guarantees, tariffs, international maritime transport, inspection of ships and offshore facilities, as well as domestic waterway transport, according to a circular issued by the State Council. Self-driving entry of overseas yachts will enjoy a guarantee-free policy in the Hainan FTZ, while the approval power concerning the operation of international passenger ships and international bulk shipping of hazardous liquid shall be delegated to the provincial transport department, the circular said. After the adjustments, foreign ship inspection agencies will be allowed to provide classification services for Chinese ships that are registered in the Hainan FTZ and engaged in international voyages. China announced plans in April 2018 to build a pilot FTZ covering the whole island and explore the establishment of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics. Enditem Nissan Motor Co, Ltd confirmed the appointment of Nasif Siddiqi as the new managing director of Infiniti Motor Companys International Markets group effective July 1, 2020. Reporting to Peyman Kargar, Chairman Infiniti Motor Company, Siddiqi will take the reins of a diverse region of Infinitis business based in Dubai in the UAE. "Nasif has been a strong leader over these past years in his global sales role for Infiniti. He has my full support and confidence in this new assignment. I look forward to seeing his passion, wit and dedication applied to the International Markets region for the brand," said Kargar. Prior to this appointment, Siddiqi held the role of general manager Global Sales Operations since 2018 for Infiniti Motor Company based in Yokohama, Japan. He joined Infinitis global staff from Nissan North America where he led strategy for the western region. Prior to joining the Nissan family, Siddiqi held leadership roles with Maserati North America and Toyota USA. Based in Dubai, Infinitis International Markets office encompasses the brands business in three diverse markets across the Middle East, parts of Asia and Eastern Europe. Siddiqi replaces Markus Leithe who has chosen to leave the company to pursue other interests. -- Tradearabia News Service Odds-on favourites Preeminence and High Roller Duke earned berths to next week's Kin Pace by way of wins in their respective eliminations on Sunday (June 28) at Clinton Raceway, while Marzannk Hanover parried the threat of an odds-on foe in her elimination. The first $7,500 elimination of the Kin Pace, restricted to Ontario-sired three-year-old pacing fillies, saw Preeminence ($2.70) live up to favoured billing in the end, but she had her work cut out for her early on. Away fifth in the field of six, the daughter of Sportswriter gave a 10-length head start to early pacesetter Coco Beach De Vie (Jody Jamieson) through a :29 quarter. With nine-sixteenths to go, Bob McClure slid Preeminence off the pegs, and after drifting to the three-path briefly on approach to the half in :58.2, she attacked in earnest on the second circuit. Preeminence struck the front nearing three-quarters in 1:28, put away Coco Beach De Vie, and did well to hold the second-over Highland Salsa (J Harris) at bay through the final turn. Off the corner, Preeminence dismissed of Highland Salsa but faced an inside threat from Century Gianna (Scott Young), who narrowly escaped traffic trouble on the final turn. Preeminence was driven to prevail by a length over Century Gianna's late pursuit, while Highland Salsa maintained third after levelling off. Marcel Barrieau trains Preeminence, who is now a three-time winner for the partnership of Claude Baril, Gilles Caouette and Michel Daneault. In the second elimination, Glenview Livestock homebred High Roller Duke ($3.20) captured her third straight win, controlling every step of a 1:58.2 mile and scooting clear to a handy 2-1/2 length margin of victory. The daughter of Bettors Delight forced a hard-leaving Fast N Relentless (Tyler Moore) into the pocket in a spirited first-turn duel and secured control of the terms through a :29 first quarter. On the far turn, Doug McNair was able to pull the tempo back, rating a 1:00 half before bracing for a first-over threat from Watch My Speed (Jamieson) on the second circuit. Mild outside pressure forced High Roller Duke to three-quarters in 1:29, but ultimately proved no threat. High Roller Duke coasted clear in the final furlong to a decisive score. Fast N Relentless saved second from the pocket, while Watch My Speed faded to finish third. Marzannk Hanover ($7.40) was the only elimination winner to not go off the favourite, but she proved strong in parrying two challengers en route to a narrow 1:58.4 score. Colin Kelly protected the pole with Marzannk Hanover on the first turn, and the pair forced 1-2 favourite Dreamdreamforme (Jason Ryan) and Tuggingoncredit (Tyler Moore) to draft behind early splits of :29.2, :58.4 and 1:28.4. Dreamadreamforme took her shot out of third midway up the backstretch and challenged on the final turn, but Marzannk Hanover shrugged her off nearing the eighth pole. As Dreamadreamforme faded, Tuggingoncredit had room to vacate the pocket she inherited, and she lunged forward with a sixteenth to go. Undeterred, Marzannk Hanover held her ground to the line, winning by a diminishing head while driven out. Tuggingoncredit was a clear second, 4 lengths better than Dreamadreamforme. Kyle Bossence trains three-time winner Marzannk Hanover for Darryl Newbigging. The top two finishers from each elimination are guaranteed spots in next Sunday's (July 5) $64,000 Kin Pace final, and will be joined by two third-place finishers to be drawn by lot on Wednesday (July 1). Wagering remained strong at Clinton, with the 10-race card attracting a season-high handle of just under $77,000. To view Sunday's complete results, click the following link: Sunday Results Clinton Raceway. (with files from Clinton Raceway) French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte smiled as they arrived to cast their vote in the local mayoral elections today despite fears of a mid-term wipeout. The couple, donning face masks, joined thousands of voters across the country turning out to cast their ballot in a delayed second round of local elections. Macron and his wife walked hand-in-hand out of the city hall polling station in Le Touquet, France, after casting their vote in what could be a damaging election for the President. President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte arrive to vote for the second round of mayoral elections in Le Touquet, France The vote is a mid-term test for Macron and his party, which could fail to win a single big city. A year ago he had hoped the municipal elections would help anchor his young centrist party in towns and cities, including Paris, ahead of an anticipated 2022 re-election bid. But more recently presidential aides have been playing down predictions as the party looks set to be rocked by heavy losses today. The 35,000 mayors in France set policy on issues from urban planning to education and the environment and, while local factors typically drive voter choices, they give the electorate an opportunity to support or punish a president mid-mandate. The couple wore masks as they entered to cast their votes as polling stations in Paris saw clerks wearing masks or face shields Voter Naouel, from Paris' 9th district said she was planning to back the centre-right opposition candidate because the government is 'completely disconnected from reality'. The country pressed ahead with the first round of the municipal elections in mid-March, less than 48 hours before Macron imposed one of Europe's strictest coronavirus lockdowns, forcing a long delay before the second round. It is possible the pandemic could still depress turnout as figures show, as of midday, it was at 15.3%, well below the 19.8% registered at the same time in 2014. In the Paris polling stations clerks wore masks or face shields, with some sat behind plexiglass screens. Pensioner Jean de Nathan said: 'It's better organised than last time.' In the capital, the election's biggest prize, the sitting socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo is on track for a comfortable win after a shambolic campaign by Macron and his La Republique en Marche (LaRem) party. Macron and party La Republique en Marche are predicted to be rocked by heavy losses in the election today And Paris is unlikely to be the only disappointment for Macron, with other cities predicted to turn towards voting for opposing parties. The Greens could to do well in cities such as Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux, sometimes in alliance with the Left, building on momentum they created in 2019's European elections. In Perpignan, Marine Le Pen's far-right party may take control of its first city with a population of more than 100,000. A government reshuffle is widely expected after Macron said he would 'reinvent' his presidency and present a detailed plan next month for the final two years of his mandate. The biggest question mark is over the future of Edouard Philippe, Macron's popular prime minister, who is running for his old job as mayor of Le Havre. France's Macron to Travel to Russia Soon By VOA News June 27, 2020 French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday that he would soon hold more "trust-building" talks in Russia with counterpart Vladimir Putin. Macron tweeted he would "travel soon to Russia" to discuss European security, regional conflicts and climate change, "including the melting of permafrost in the Arctic." The French president has urged European countries to reevaluate their strategic relationships with the Kremlin, arguing that their defiant approach toward Russia has been unsuccessful and that the country is crucial to Europe's security. Macron's announcement that he would meet with Putin came one day after the two leaders held a video call. Putin said Friday that he and Macron had promised to cooperate more closely to resolve global crises such as those in Ukraine, Syria and Libya, as well as tensions in the Balkans. The Russian president said the two had discussed the need to "combine our efforts" to confront common threats such as the coronavirus pandemic and international terrorism. Macron said after the call that "all regional crises we've experienced shows the importance of making the European space, in a broad sense, a real space of cooperation and peace." Relations between Moscow and the Western world have reached post-Cold War lows after Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, its role in Syria's conflict and its 2018 poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. Macron has, nevertheless, urged Europe and NATO to reexamine their strategic relationships with Moscow, to the consternation of some of their Western allies. RFE/RL contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HK school head proposes separate course for HK nat'l security law Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/6/27 22:43:40 Distinct nat'l security course urged The education authority in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) plans to introduce the national security law for Hong Kong to students through courses to enhance patriotism and correct the "wrong thoughts" of young people. The local education bureau will study how to help students better understand the significance of the law, its key content, and the influence on young people after the legislation takes effect, Hong Kong Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung told media on Friday. Introducing the national security law is necessary to protect youth against the lies of opposition and extreme forces, Hong Kong-based education experts said. They think a general introduction is far from enough, and suggested that authorities include the national security law in compulsory courses, textbooks and exams. Wong Kam-leung, the chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, believes that subjects such as liberal studies and Chinese history in middle and high schools, and general studies in primary schools, should include the national security law. With the introduction of the law, relevant national education should be incorporated in textbooks to strengthen the students' sense of national identity, Wong told the Global Times on Saturday. Tang Fei, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and principal of Hong Kong's Heung To Secondary School, believes the national security law should be an independent course. Fifty-one hours in three years of Basic Law education is required in secondary schools, which is scattered in different subjects such as history and geography. But the education authority does not supervise related education, Tang told the Global Times. "Such an education measure lacks systematization and organization, and in practice, it only depends on schools with no supervision," he said. Wong said the Education Bureau has already worked on new materials on the Basic Law and the Constitution, which are expected to be given to students in September. The SAR government doesn't play the role of an onlooker but a gatekeeper in terms of education issues, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Twitter on June 15, where she condemned separatist groups for instigating strikes against the national security law as utilizing students for their political ends. Lam said she expects [government] to make joint effort with families and schools to turn young Hongkongers into "a new generation with a motherland concept, Hong Kong feelings, international vision and social responsibility." The idea of introducing the national security law to Hong Kong students was welcomed on social media in the Chinese mainland, with many netizens saying studying the national security law is crucial in solving the long-standing problems in Hong Kong's education system, which has indirectly led to a weak national identity among local students. "Hong Kong must cultivate healthy values and choices in students to prevent them from blindly opposing China," a Weibo user said on Saturday. In May, Lam said the local government would deal with the controversial liberal studies by the end of the year, which was widely considered "biased education" known for inciting anti-mainland sentiment among Hongkongers by setting inappropriate exam questions. This included one which asked whether Japan did more good than harm to China between 1900 and 1945. That question had sparked outrage in Hong Kong and the mainland. "It's regrettable that many young people in Hong Kong have little knowledge and recognition of their motherland's history, culture and development, but are keen on mouthing empty Western-style slogans," one mainland netizens said on Weibo. Some suggested Hong Kong invite mainland teachers, including law professors, to improve Hong Kong students' national identity. Chinese mainland teachers in Chinese language studies, history and math have been invited to Hong Kong and Macao since 2008 to participate in local curriculum building and research. Wong said it is critical to train Hong Kong teachers on the national security law for Hong Kong, and suggested sending them to the mainland for training. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The lockdown may have brought neighbours closer, but for Matunga residents Varsha Padia and Varsha Shah, the love extended a lot further. One hot day in May, in the middle of the Covid-19 lockdown, they got down to work, kneading, rolling out, cooking and packing 60 theplas (flat breads) that would be delivered to the citys stranded migrants and daily-wage labourers. A few days later, they prepared 68 more. This is no mean feat. Padia is 70 and has been visually impaired for half her life. But shes refused to get left behind, says Shah, 49, who lives next door and has known her for two decades. She knows whats happening in the world news, films, events, Shah said. So its no surprise that when Padia heard of a crowdsourced food relief initiative, both women jumped in to help. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage We wanted to do something useful with our time, said Padia. And making large batches of food is not difficult; most Gujarati homes have 5 kg of flour at home at any given time. Watch | HT Salutes: Two Mumbai residents who made theplas for migrants amid lockdown They divided their tasks, with Shah taking over the cooking, and their first round went smoothly. We were done in just over an hour, Padia said. With a little encouragement from Padias daughter, locked down in Juhu, a suburb of Mumbai further up north, the women repeated their contributions a few days later. The thepla-making was part of a massive city-wide drive organised by the non-profit Circle of Love and Care. The volunteer-run non-profit work is involved in activities as varied as building hospitals and schools to offering elder-care assistance and vocational training to underprivileged women. During the lockdown, they also set up meal deliveries for front-line medical workers, government officials and policemen. Volunteers set up an open platform on Google Forms, mobilising contributions from residents. Housing societies signed up en masse, cooking as many theplas as they could, for contactless pick-up and distribution. The thepla is particularly well-suited to this kind of project. Its small, dry and nutritious. It travels well, can be stored for days, and tastes good. You can chomp down on the go, without cutlery, without fuss. It was the food of choice in 2017, when another Mumbai non-profit sent over 50,000 to flood-hit Gujarat. So its no surprise that Circle of Love and Cares drive generated 25,000 theplas so start with. Across the 21-day project, 500 volunteers collected and passed on over 24 lakh home-cooked theplas, neatly packed into sets of four. The theplas, along with other snacks and beverages, reached over 9.81 lakh migrants, says Alpa Gandhi, 46, a volunteer with the group for 10 years. Every community contributed, Muslims, Maharashtrians, Sindhis, even families whod never made theplas before and got in touch for help with the recipe. In Matunga, Padia and Shah needed no instructions. The ingredients and technique are secondary, Padia said. To make 60 good theplas, you first need the will. They made their theplas extra thick, so the migrants could get the most out of them. The women are close. Through the lockdown, the families have taken turns to host dinner once a week, to give each woman a break from the kitchen. We tell our neighbours things we dont even share with relatives, Padia said. Making those theplas was a way to spend time together, and help the people who needed it. We cant leave it all to the government, and if you want to help someone in need, nothing should stop you. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:54:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close --The new grim milestone reached faster than expected has proved that the global epidemic situation remains grave and that the international community should keep vigilant and join hands to fight harder. -- The Americas are a cause for concern. The United States has by far ranked first on the CSSE global tally, with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases and over 125,000 deaths nationwide. -- Many European and Asian countries have witnessed reassuring signs of the pandemic fight at home and gradually started easing restrictions and reopening their economies with precautions. A medical worker takes a swab sample at a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site in Washington D.C., the United States, May 19, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) by Xinhua writer Guo Yage BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Global confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 10 million on Sunday, with nearly 500,000 deaths worldwide, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The new grim milestone, reached faster than expected, has proved that the global epidemic is grave and that the international community should remain vigilant. Furthermore, as the sweeping pandemic is causing a deep economic contraction, world leaders and experts have stressed the urgency of strengthened coordination to jumpstart a global economic recovery. GRAVE EPIDEMIC The momentum of infections worldwide has been accelerating over the past month -- while it took eight days for the global tally to increase from 6 million to 7 million in early June, it only took six days this time for the number to reach 10 million from 9 million. The Americas are a cause for concern. The United States has by far ranked first on the CSSE global tally, with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases and over 125,000 deaths nationwide. Medical workers transport a patient at George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C., the United States, on April 27, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Robert Redfield, chief of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Thursday the number of people in the United States who have been infected is likely to be 10 times higher than reported. "We are facing a serious problem in certain areas," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Friday. Due to rising cases and growing concern about the virus's spread across the country, 12 U.S. states have rolled back or paused reopening plans, according to a tally by CNN on Saturday. Although a few states are meeting the benchmarks that experts recommend to lift restrictions, "most never fully controlled their outbreaks, instead forging ahead with reopening," Correspondent German Lopez wrote in a story posted by news website Vox on Saturday. "A mix of carelessness and partisanship is to blame." Meanwhile, the situation is not at all ebbing in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. Brazil, the second hardest-hit in the world, has registered 1,313,667 confirmed cases and 57,070 deaths by Saturday. Medical workers perform rapid tests for taxi drivers in Sao Paolo, Brazil, June 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Rahel Patrasso) Peru, with the second largest caseload in Latin America, hosts the sixth-highest number of infections in the world. Its caseload has reached 275,989 with 9,135 deaths by Saturday. Chile and Mexico are also among the countries with high infections in the region. Paramedics take part in a parade to commemorate medical personnel who lost their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico City, Mexico, May 30, 2020. (Photo by Sunny Quintero/Xinhua) "I would characterize the situation in the Americas in general, and in Central and Latin America as still evolving and not having reached its peak yet, and likely to result in a sustained number of cases and continued deaths in the coming weeks," said Michael Ryan, executive director of World Health Organization Health Emergencies Program on Wednesday. SILVER LININGS Still, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Many European and Asian countries have witnessed reassuring signs of the pandemic fight at home and gradually started easing restrictions and reopening their economies with precautions. Italy, once the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe, recorded 175 fresh confirmed cases and eight new deaths on Saturday, down from 259 and 30, respectively, on Friday. A passenger walks at Roma Termini Train Station in Rome, Italy, June 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting) The Italian central government and the Conference of Regions, which comprises governors of all the 20 regions and autonomous provinces, agreed on Friday that schools across the country will reopen for remedial classes on Sept. 1. In France, cafes, restaurants and bars throughout the country are reopening, along with swimming pools, museums, libraries, schools and cinemas. The Eiffel Tower, France's landmark monument, also reopened on Thursday with strict virus restrictions. People queue to visit the Eiffel Tower on its reopening day in Paris, France, June 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) The country is launching a "large scale" testing campaign to identify any "dormant clusters" and to get ready for a potential resurgence of the epidemic, Health Minister Olivier Veran said Thursday. Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said Thursday he saw a light of hope in the messages he received from health ministers in Europe that more and more people were being socially responsible and "adhering to physical distancing and wearing facial masks." Furthermore, Asian countries with a flattened curve of infected cases, such as Sri Lanka and the Philippines, are also gradually loosening the grip to give their severely affected businesses and people a chance to relax and revive. With the spread of the virus at home basically under control, China is now steadily reviving its economy while continuing adopting strict anti-epidemic measures. Currently, over 10,000 A-level tourist attractions in the country have reopened to the public, said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, adding the number of tourists is limited to 30 percent of the maximum visitor capacities during holidays. China has also been actively contributing to the global anti-epidemic fight and the building of a community of health for all in a bid to bolster global health. Apart from donating much-needed medical supplies, dispatching teams of medical experts and sharing epidemic information via video conferences, it has also been racing against time to find an effective COVID-19 vaccine, which it announced will be made a public good for all when available. Members of a Chinese medical team visit the Central Public Health Lab under the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah, June 14, 2020. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said Friday at least four Chinese companies are moving from phase two to phase three trials for vaccine candidates, and the WHO is in the process of signing confidentiality agreements with them. STRENGTHENED COOPERATION "Vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics are vital tools -- but to be truly effective they must be administered with another essential ingredient, which is solidarity," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday. Calling the COVID-19 pandemic the latest wake-up call "heard by everybody," David A. Chikvaidze, chef de cabinet to the director-general of the United Nations Office at Geneva, told Xinhua that a common reaction from many countries would be that they need to work together. During the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 held on June 17 via video link, Chinese President Xi Jinping called solidarity and cooperation "the most powerful weapon" against COVID-19. And such calls have extended to the realm of world economy, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday revised down its forecast for the global economy amid mounting COVID-19 fallout, warning of record debt levels in both advanced and emerging markets and developing economies. Global output is projected to decline by 4.9 percent in 2020, 1.9 percentage points below the IMF's April forecast, followed by a growth at 5.4 percent in 2021. Stressing that this is a crisis like no other, the IMF said in a report "strong multilateral cooperation remains essential on multiple fronts," adding "policymakers must cooperate to resolve trade and technology tensions that endanger an eventual recovery from the COVID-19 crisis." In a statement of the 36th ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit released Saturday, ASEAN leaders announced the establishment of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, and noted that free trade agreements and comprehensive economic partnership agreements are important in contributing to the post-pandemic recovery and in creating resilient supply chains. "We are calling for countries to address the economic grievances that are behind the tension that we see, to address the gaps in the multilateral rules-based trading system, to adapt it to the changing global economy," Malhar Nabar, division chief of the World Economic Studies Division in the IMF's Research Department, told Xinhua. (Video editor: Liu Yuting) If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). Last week we reminisced about the smallest Android, this week we will look at the iOS side of things. The original Apple iPhone SE was not the smallest iPhone ever, but it was the smallest in recent memory more importantly, the smallest that is still current. Apple announced that all of its phones that are running iOS 13 now will be able to update to iOS 14 by the end of the year. This includes the SE (which made its debut with iOS 9), but not the older 5s, on which the design was based. Not bad for a phone that came out over four years ago (March 2016). The design actually dates back to 2010 and the iPhone 4, which we covered in a previous Flashback episode. An aluminum frame with squared off sides was sandwiched between two panes of glass. A couple of years later the iPhone 5 bumped up the screen size from the original 3.5 to 4.0, but things didnt change much beyond that. Then came the iPhone 6 in 2014, which increased the base screen size to 4.7 and introduced the Plus model with a 5.5 screen. Many immediately jumped to the iPhone 6 Plus, having waited for years for Apple to give them something closer to the Android flagships in size. Many others, however, hated the change and wanted to keep using a small phone. Thats why the iPhone SE came as a surprise released in early 2016, it had the body of 2013s 5s and the brains of 2015s 6s. Apple mixed and matched other parts too, like using the older Touch ID system and skipping Force Touch (this was before it abandoned the idea). And it was relatively cheap - $400 for the version with 16GB of storage. That was a great price for a phone with the Apple A9 chipset, the fastest mobile chipset at the time, access to a thriving app ecosystem and an excellent camera to boot. Even better, in 2017 Apple doubled the storage (32GB and 128GB) and kept the prices the same. Also, this was the last iPhone to have a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The iPhone 7 dropped it, allegedly to free up room for the Taptic Engine. However, if you hold an SE and a 7 in your hands and note the difference in size, youll really start to question that explanation how can there be room for a 3.5 mm jack on the tiny SE, but suddenly the much larger phone is too cramped for one? With time weve come to appreciate how great the iPhone SE really was. How many Androids from 2016 will get the 2020 version of the OS (Android 10)? How many of those cost $400 brand new? This year Apple introduced a successor to the SE. However, the new model was based on the iPhone 6 design and has a 4.7 screen even with its chunky bezels its smaller than most smartphones out there (including its fellow iPhones), but not nearly as small as the original SE. Once again it starts at $400 and it comes with the fastest mobile chipset available today. We dont have to see the future to tell you that it will get years of software support as well. That said the 2020 version feels more outdated than the original iPhone SE did back in its day. A 16:9 screen with thick top and bottom bezels (the bottom one even has a button) and especially the single camera on the back just feel behind the times (and no wonder, the iPhone 6 is a design from 2014). The 12MP camera on the original SE was quite good for its day. The sensor may have been old, but the faster chipset enabled new features like Live Photos, which the 5s and its 8 MP camera didnt support. Better still, it could record 4K video, something that even the iPhone 6 didnt have the power for. Same for slow motion videos shot at 1080p 120 fps. The 1,624mAh battery was tiny, but with an Endurance rating of 73 hours in our test the SE handled itself honorably. The screen, small as it was, was sharp, bright, had high contrast and very accurate color rendering. The iPhone SE wasnt a lesser phone, it was a small phone. The same cant be said about most other petite smartphones out there. Not that theres anything this small the new iPhone SE with its 4.7 screen is as close as it gets. Even Sony abandoned the Compact phones and the Xperia 5 is fairly large compared to the SE. Its not clear if Sony will release a Mark II model either. Even though it was a 5s with updated internals, the original iPhone SE is quite unique. And despite its age, it still remains relevant. Perhaps not as a phone youd use today (though some still do and refuse to give it up), but as something for other phones to aspire to its small size didnt get in the way of the premium experience. 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. Police in Louisville, Kentucky, have arrested a suspect in a fatal shooting at a protest over the death of Breonna Taylor in Jefferson Square Park on Saturday night, per the Wall Street Journal. What's new: Steven Nelson Lopez was charged with murder and wanton endangerment following the death of 27-year-old photographer Tyler Charles Gerth, per AP, which reports authorities saying the suspect "had taken part in demonstrations but was disruptive and had been asked by other protesters to leave." Homicide investigators have interviewed the suspect, who's being treated in hospital for a gunfire injury to the leg after bystanders shot back, AP reports. Zoom in: Video from the scene shows a man at the park's edge firing several shots, forcing protesters to scramble for cover. Louisville Metro Police Department said in a statement that Jefferson County Sheriffs Department personnel "performed life-saving measures" on Gerth, but he died at the scene. What they're saying: Mayor Greg Fischer tweeted: "I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered. It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene." The big picture: The March 13 death of Taylor, a 26-year-old African American emergency medical technician, prompted protests across Louisville. Her killing has since become a focal point of the Black Lives Matter protests. Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was fired last Tuesday for "blindly" firing 10 bullets into Taylor's apartment, the police department announced. The Justice Department is investigating Taylor's shooting. Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. Madhya Pradesh has received 88 per cent excess rainfall in June so far as compared to the normal average due to the early onset of and conducive atmospheric systems, an official said on Sunday. The arrived in Madhya Pradesh on June 14 and became active in the entire state in next 10 days, G D Mishra, senior meteorologist of India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Bhopal office said. Earlier, the used to reach Madhya Pradesh in the second half of June and would take time to expand its footprint in the while state, he said. This time, barring Gwalior and Jabalpur districts, the state has received 88 per cent excess rainfall between June 1 and June 27, Mishra said. Against the normal rainfall of 99.1 mm, the state has received 186.4 mm rain, which means 88 per cent excess, the official said. Besides the early onset of monsoon, the atmospheric systems also caused rain, he said. The state capital Bhopal received 407.1 mm rainfall in the last 27 days against its average normal rainfall of 98.5 mm (313 per cent excess), he said. However, Gwalior received 34.3 mm downpour (37 per cent less) against the average normal rainfall of 54.5 mm rainfall between June 1 and June 27. Likewise, Jabalpur received 90.5 mm rainfall (25 per cent less) against its average normal rainfall of 120.7 mm during the period , he said. According to the IMD, heavy rainfall with thunderstorm and lightning is very likely at isolated places in the state in the next 24 hours. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all bars to close immediately in seven counties across the state - including Los Angeles - citing a rapid spread of coronavirus in the last few weeks. Newsom's decision to roll-back reopening efforts, which began just under a month ago, comes two days after Republican governors in Texas and Florida ordered similar closures in an attempt to stem a surge in COVID-19 cases. The decision was announced by the governors state public health director, Dr. Sonia Angell on Sunday afternoon, just two weeks after bars were permitted to reopen in California on June 12. Coronavirus has now infected more than 2.5million people in the US and killed 125,000, with cases rising by more than 40,000 on Sunday for the third day in a row. Those dire figures prompted Health and Human Services Alex Azar to warn that 'the window is closing for us to take action and get this under control.' He blamed 'inappropriate individual behaviour' for spreading the virus and causing the dramatic spikes. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all bars to close immediately in seven counties across the state - including Los Angeles - citing a rapid spread of coronavirus in the last few days Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order on Friday scaling back on reopening the state after a significant surge in coronavirus cases. Starting at noon, bars and breweries were ordered to close, except for to-go services. From Monday, restaurants, which had been operating at 75 percent dine-in capacity, will also have to scale back their operations back to 50 percent, following Abbots order. And in Florida, bars across the state were ordered to stop serving alcohol - unless in a to-go capacity - on Friday amid fears it could become the next epicentre of the virus. The seven counties in California immediately impacted by the bar closure order are Los Angeles, Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Tulare, Kings and Imperial. All of the listed counties, except for LA, are located in the Central Valley, which has seen a sharp increase in coronavirus infection rates in the last two weeks. Eight other counties have been advised to implement similar closures, however were not ordered to do so at this time. Among those counties is Santa Clara, Riverside and Sacramento. A customer wearing a facemask collects his drinks from a bar in Austin, Texas, amid the coronavirus pandemic Patrons drinking at Paoli's Bar in Los Angeles on June 28. Both they and the bartender are wearing face masks Cases in all three states have been increasing in recent months, with spikes seen in the past few weeks 'Californians must remain vigilant against this virus,' Newsom said in a statement. 'COVID-19 is still circulating in California, and in some parts of the state, growing stronger. Thats why it is critical we take this step to limit the spread of the virus in the counties that are seeing the biggest increases.' The counties immediately affected by Sunday's order were decided by daily reports about the spread of COVID-19, state officials said. Counties that have been on the states watch list for between three and 14 days are being asked to close bars. Those who've been on the watch list for more than 14 days are being ordered to do so. 'We are actively monitoring COVID-19 across the state and working closely with counties where there are increased rates and concerning patterns of transmission,' Dr. Angell said in her statement. 'Closing bars in these counties is one of a number of targeted actions counties are implementing across our state to slow the virus spread and reduce risk.' Governor Newsom's order is the first major rollback of efforts to reopen California's economy. Newsom allowed bars to reopen in the state on June 12 but gave county health officials the authority to keep them shut as long as they saw fit. The vast majority of California's 58 counties subsequently allowed bars to reopen, including Los Angeles which moved forward with the plans on June 19. California issued guidelines asking bars to maintain a social distance between patrons, remove at-bar seating and turn down music volume to mitigate the need for shouting - which reportedly expels droplets at greater distances. A Big Dean's employee checks customers temperature before letting them in the bar and restaurant amid the coronavirus pandemic in Santa Monica, California Earlier this month, Newsom also ordered all Californians to wear face masks in public and during 'high-risk settings'. However, photographs that have emerged of bars and nightclubs in the weeks since have shown large crowds of people gathered together without masks on and standing in packed lines without social distancing measures in place. Several bars in Sacramento have even closed of their own volition after learning COVID-19 had been spread within their premises. Coronavirus cases across the state have now topped 211,000, with nearly 6,000 deaths. Hospitalizations and infections rates continue to surge too, with officials citing a number of causes - among them is business reopenings and private gatherings. On Friday, Newsom said he was recommending that Imperial County implement stricter stay-at-home orders after it continued to report the highest per-capita COVID-19 infection rate of anywhere else in the state, as well as the highest number of tests. Imperial County's Board of Advisors made no immediate decision to order businesses to close down, A meeting with a state delegation for how to proceed was held Saturday but no decision was publicly made by the time of Newsom's order Sunday. In San Bernardino County, officials have warned that its hospitals are fast approaching 'surge capacity', with plans being made to open alternative care sites should the infection rate continue as it is. Similarly, in Los Angeles County, large increases in confirmed cases and hospitalizations have left LA at a 'critical moment' in the fight against the pandemic, with eased stay-at-home orders now in jeopardy should the current trend continue. Los Angeles County public health officials on Saturday reported 2,169 new coronavirus cases. 'If we cant find it in us to follow these mandates, including wearing face coverings and distancing when around others, we jeopardize our ability to move forward on the recovery journey,' county health director Barbara Ferrer said in a Saturday statement. 'Our collective responsibility is to take immediate action, as individuals and businesses, to reverse the trends we are experiencing.' Newsom allowed bars to reopen in the state on June 12 but gave county health officials the authority to keep them shut as long as they saw fit The vast majority of California's 58 counties subsequently allowed bars to reopen, including Los Angeles which moved forward with the plans on June 19 The total number of infections has now surpassed 2.5 million in the United States, For a third consecutive day on Saturday, the number of confirmed US cases rose by more than 40,000 - one of the largest surges in the world Only two states, Connecticut and Rhode Island, reported a drop in infection rates on Sunday. A rise in documented cases was reported in a staggering 36 states, including Florida, which some experts are tipping to become the next epicentre of the virus, after it reported 9,585 new cases Saturday and 8,500 more Sunday. Saturdays total, a single-day state record since the start of the pandemic in March, rivals that of New Yorks peak of daily cases recorded in early April. The new cases bring the statewide total to 141,075. Florida is now reporting 3,419 coronavirus related deaths, which is an increase of 29 since Saturday. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has insisted there is nothing to worry about and nothing has changed in the last week, blaming the states troubling surge as the result of a test dump. And inhabitants of the sunshine state appear unfazed, with the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases doing little to deter thousands from flocking to beaches all over Florida. Bars across the state were ordered to stop serving alcohol on Friday. Under the ban, businesses that rake in more than half of their sales from alcohol can still sell drinks in a to-go capacity. Another COVID-19 hot-spot that has emerged in the south since businesses were permitted to reopen in recent weeks is Texas. The state set a record for coronavirus-related hospitalizations for the 16th day in a row on Saturday, with 5,523 patients being treated. Despite the ominous statistics, hundreds of tubers were seen floating in close proximity on the Comal River in New Braunfels. As coronavirus cases soar in Houston, the citys paramedics say theyre facing hour-long wait times when transferring patients from ambulances into the hospital. Coronavirus cases across the state have now topped 211,000. Hospitalizations and infections rates continue to surge too, with officials citing a number of causes - among them is reopenings Bars in Florida were ordered to stop serving alcohol on Friday. Under the ban, businesses that rake in more than half of their sales from alcohol can still sell drinks in a to-go capacity. Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena told KHOU that transfer times had doubled or tripled in some cases as the department grapples with spiking calls for service and a shortage of first responders. The longer it takes us to service those critical calls, it is going to cost us lives, he told the news station. Our system is getting strained. Coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in Texas since the beginning of June, with Houston emerging as the states epicentre. Harris County, which encompasses the city, raised its COVID-19 threat indicator to the highest level last week, issuing an emergency alert which said the outbreak was severe and uncontrolled. Intensive care units at Houstons Texas Medical Center neared full capacity over the weekend, and health officials reported record hospitalizations statewide. Hospital executives said last week that they were prepared to deal with the influx of patients by scaling back nonessential procedures to free up beds. However, Marc Boon, president of Houston Methodist Hospital urged the public to take action, too, to prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed. The time is now for everybody to dramatically change their behaviors to get this virus under control, Boom said, so that our hospitals for the weeks to come are there and able to handle this. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order on Friday scaling back on reopening Texas after a significant surge in coronavirus cases. Starting at noon, bars and breweries were ordered to close, except for to-go services. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order on Friday scaling back on reopening Texas after a significant surge in coronavirus cases. Starting at noon, bars and breweries were ordered to close, except for to-go services In a letter, the organization said: We support our members in the constitutional right to protest by keeping your businesses open' (pictured: Kevin Shipp, operating partner of Cedar Street Courtyard, closes his bar on West 4th Street in Austin, Texas) The move is said to have angered the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance who said they will be filing a lawsuit against the state regarding the executive order Abbott voiced regret about prematurely reopening the state to KIVA, insisting: If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the re-opening of bars' From Monday, restaurants, which had been operating at 75 percent dine-in capacity, will also have to scale back their operations back to 50 percent, following Abbots order. I ask all Texans to do their part to slow the spread of Covid-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others, Abbot said announcing the measure. The more that we all follow these guidelines, the safer our state will be and the more we can open up Texas for business. Abbott voiced regret about prematurely reopening the state to KIVA, insisting: If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the re-opening of bars. People go to bars to get close and to drink and to socialise, and that's the kind of thing that stokes the spread of the coronavirus, he said. But the move is said to have angered the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance who said they will be filing a lawsuit against the state regarding the executive order. In a letter, the organization said: We support our members in the constitutional right to protest by keeping your businesses open. The letter called Abbotts decision irresponsible and shameful, adding that members have voiced anger about being forced to shutter their business while salons and restaurants are allowed to remain open. TBNA said it is providing legal counsel to any business owners that are fined, charged or have their licenses suspended for remaining open. The Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar has issued the dire warning that the 'window is closing' for the United States to get the coronavirus crisis under control as states are reporting a troubling surge of cases and record numbers of hospitalizations after reopening The alarming rise in cases has prompted the US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar to issued a dire warning that the 'window is closing' for the United States to get the coronavirus crisis under control. More than 85 people are infected with coronavirus after outbreak at Michigan college bar that saw lines out the door when it reopened at the start of June By JAMES GORDON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM More than 85 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Michigan after an outbreak at a college bar. The Ingham County Health Department has linked all of the cases to Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub in Lansing, close to Michigan State University's campus. Doctors have found that 80 of those infected had been to the bar while the others were from coming into contact with those who had been exposed to customers who had visited with 23 testing as asymptomatic. Patrons who visited the bar any time between June 12 and June 22 has been told to self-quarantine for 14 days. The bar reopened earlier in June and was completely packed with lines stretching out the door according to the Detroit Free Press. 'I'm just so frustrated,' said one mother, whose 19-year-old daughter has tested positive for COVID-19. 'I'm so sad. We stayed home as ordered and then let our guard down and now this. 'It's everywhere and I get that. And perhaps she shouldn't have gone to a bonfire,' the mother said. 'So now we wait for our test results and pray. ... Praying is all we have.' Advertisement 'Things are very different from two months ago... So it is a very different situation, but this is a very, very serious situation and the window is closing for us to take action and get this under control,' Azar said on CNN to Jake Tapper on State of the Union Sunday night. The pandemic, which gained traction in the US in March, has already infected over 2.5million in the country and killed over 125,000, and despite stringent measures being placed in some states, the virus is far from gone. For a third consecutive day on Saturday, the number of confirmed US cases rose by more than 40,000 - one of the largest surges in the world. The American Medical Association still reports a personal protective equipment (PPE) problem and some hospitals, such as in Arizona, are seeing facilities pushed to their limits with intensive care units at 87 percent capacity. However, Azar stressed that the country is more prepared than it was when the virus first emerged to tackle a rise in cases, pointing to increased testing, contact tracing, increased hospital capacity, a reserve of PPE and advances towards therapeutics and vaccines. Azar refused to blame the spike in cases on states reopening and said 'inappropriate individual behavior' was the culprit in spreading the virus. 'That's not so much about what the law says on the reopening as what our behaviors are within that,' he said, urging the public to wear masks and practice social distancing. 'If we act irresponsibly, if we don't socially distance, if we don't use face coverings in settings where we can't social distance, if we don't practice appropriate personal hygiene, we're going to see spread of disease,' he warily cautioned. His message is a far cry from Donald Trump's message to the public as he refuses to wear a face mask and hosts packed rallies on the campaign trail. On Friday Pence boasted that the US had 'flattened the curve', discounting the severe threat the virus poses today as 36 states report a rise in COVID-19 cases. Only two states were reporting a decline in cases compared to last week. On Sunday, Pence met with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and pledged to offer additional resources and testing after Abbot said the virus took a 'very swift and very dangerous turn' in the Lone Star state. 'President Trump wanted us to be here today with the developments over the last two weeks with the rising positivity and the rising number of cases with a very simple message and that is to use people of Texas: Were with you,' Pence said. While Pence acknowledged that something changed over the past two weeks, he didnt blame the resurgence of cases on the states reopening, and instead pointed to people failing to wear masks and practice social distancing. Karan Johar & Farah Khan have their own 'Weekend ka Vaar' going on social media with a fashion face-off and it's hilarious Television actor Karan Khandelwal, who has acted in shows such as Siddhi Vinayak and Saath Nibhana Saathiya, returned to his hometown in Kerala due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was not only finding it difficult to get essentials due to the surge in cases in his area but was also struggling with bills. In an interview with The Times of India, he said, Mumbai is one of the majorly affected cities in the country. There was a surge in Covid-19 cases around my area. I couldnt even arrange food and other necessities for myself. Plus, it was getting difficult to meet other expenses as well. Karan chose to drive all the way to Kerala instead of taking a flight. I had been living in Mumbai for several years, but the current situation forced me to leave the city and drive back to my hometown. I drove my car for almost 1,400 kms to reach home, he said. Also read: Varun Dhawan goes shirtless in new photo, has a funny reply when Dino Morea asked who clicked it There is a 90-day payment clause in the contracts of most television actors, which means that cheques are cleared three months after the shoot. Karan said that he was able to get by with financial assistance from his family. He added that he would not receive immediate payment for any new project due to the 90-day system. My family has been helping me with finances. Before the lockdown, I had shot for a web show and they immediately cleared my payment, which was helpful. But apart from that, I have many other pending dues from other projects. Now, even if I join a new show, I wont get the payment for a couple of months. So, it was a better option to return home, he said. Recently, television actors Shardool Kunal Pandit and Rajesh Kareer left for their respective hometowns as work dried up during the lockdown and they were struggling with finances. The cast and crew of the serial Hamari Bahu Silk raised a stink over the alleged non-payment of dues for months and threatened to commit suicide. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Lucknow: Making terrorism the centrepoint of his over 20-minute speech at Aishbagh Maidan in Lucknow, PM Modi said terror was the worst enemy of humanity and called upon the world community to speak in one voice against the menace to put an end to it. Here are top 10 points from PM Narendra Modi's Dussehra speech : 1. Breaking from tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the historic Ramlila celebrations here where he launched a veiled attack on Pakistan 2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Communalism, casteism, nepotism are forms of evil inside us, need to get rid of these Ravanas. 3. Modi stated the world was late in recognising terrorism.Terming it as enemy of humanity, Modi asked people to stand united in the fight against terrorism. 4. PM stressed the need of working collectively against gender bias and help provide all opportunity to them to shine. 5. The girl child has left a mark in every area, from studies to sports. Saluting their accomplishments on International Day of the Girl Child. 6. He also said, "You cant be Ram, but be the Jatayu who put up the first resistance to Ravana (terror). Fits in with his larger message of being alert towards terror. Exhorted society to make Dussehra a daily war to fight evils within." 7. He asked his political opponents not to play politics with terrorism, and not challenge the governments stand in Indo-Pak matters. 8. "In 1992-93, I was talking to someone from US Dept of State on terrorism, they said its your "law & order problem". That changed after 26/11," the prime minister stated. 9. Modi then shifted gears to poverty, illiteracy and said that we get rid of these social evils. 10. We cannot save humanity unless we fight terrorism and terrorists, he concluded. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. More than two-thirds of Britons are worried that a minority of political activists have too much say over the nation's monuments, a new poll has found. The fears over the treatment of statues have been revealed by new statistics from the think tank Policy Exchange that show 70 per cent are concerned a small few have too much influence. A huge 80 per cent of the British public think that Churchill's statue should stay in Parliament Square, after a Black Lives Matter leader said it should be removed, with clear support for Churchill staying put across all age groups. The polling also showed that 69 per cent of people are proud of the UK's history as a whole, with only 17 per cent saying it is something to be ashamed of. A huge 80 per cent of the British public think that Churchill's statue (pictured surrounded by police yesterday) should stay in Parliament Square In addition 65 per cent think 'it is unfair to make judgments about people in the past based on today's values' and agree that 'statues of people who were once celebrated should be allowed to stand'. Only 20 per cent of those who took part in the survey agreed that 'we should question how we look at British history and no longer recognise success if it caused misery or suffering to some victims'. The polling carried out for the think tank comes as it launches its History Matters Project chaired by the broadcaster and former politician Trevor Phillips. Concerns that children aren't being taught enough history, or well enough, to make value judgements about contemporary questions such as removing statues were also raised by the data. In the survey 60 per cent thought that children should have to study history to GCSE. The polling carried out for the think tank comes as it launches its History Matters Project chaired by the broadcaster and former politician Trevor Phillips (pictured) Serious concerns about the role of police in protecting statues were also brought up, with 75 per cent saying they need to protect statues from 'violent removal'. An overwhelming 77 per cent also said 'we should learn from history rather than try to re-write it'. Trevor Phillips, Chair of Policy Exchange's History Matters Project, said: 'Much of this action by mainstream institutions and public bodies is well-meaning. Some of it is happening alongside laudable and overdue efforts to increase diversity and tackle genuine racism. 'We all want to find ways to improve the life opportunities and outcomes for people from BAME backgrounds and we want to find ways to build shared narratives and histories. 'But what concerns me about the current moment is the rapid and unthinking way in which large swathes of our public heritage is being effectively re-written, or erased entirely much of it seemingly without much proper debate or forethought. 'It all adds up to a major transformation in the way in which we deal with history in the public square. At a minimum, we think there needs to be pause for reflection and to consider what is being done, why and with what effect. 'My worry too is that this new culture war risks distracting from us from the practical steps that need to be taken to make a real and lasting practical difference to the lives of BAME people in this country. 'When even one the most distinguished contemporary African leaders, Graca Machel, argues that Rhodes should not fall, and should serve as a constant reminder of the history of which he was a part, maybe we should listen to her words.' The survey questioned 1,560 people last week. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty At least two people are dead after a gunman attacked a Walmart distribution center in the Northern California town of Red Bluff on Saturday, hospital officials said. Local media confirmed the deaths with the St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, where four other victims of the rampage were said to be in fair condition. Police have yet to confirm details about the chaotic assault, which unfolded at about 3:30 p.m. when the shooter reportedly rammed his vehicle into the building, causing a fire and injuring people inside before opening fire. Witnesses cited by local media said he appeared to be using an assault rifle and fired off dozens of shots. Police reportedly shot him in the chest about 15 minutes after gunfire first erupted. Deputies with the Tehama County Sheriffs Office found that the gunman had circled the parking lot four times before plowing into the building and pulling out a semiautomatic weapon. But police have not yet determined a motive. Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston told the Record-Searchlight newspaper that investigators were working to determine if the attack was connected to another shooting earlier in the day that left several dead in Shingletown, about 40 miles away. There was an active shooter, he was shot, last I heard he was on his way to the hospital, Red Bluff City Manager Rick Crabtree told KRCR-TV. No further details were immediately available on the victims or the alleged gunman. Scott Pope, a spokesman for Walmart, said the company was deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our focus is on supporting our associates, as well as their families and co-workers in the facility. This is an active police investigation and we will continue to work with Tehama County Sherriffs Office and assist in their investigation in any way possible, Pope said. Witnesses were left reeling after the attack, which is said to have happened during shift change. Vince Krick watched the assault unfold from outside the facility, where he told the Record Searchlight he was waiting to pick up his wife and son. Story continues It was real crazy, because, you know, you cant do nothing, he was quoted as saying. He said he first saw the fire at the building while on his way to pick his wife up. It went on and onI dont even know how many times he fired, another employee, Scott Thammakhanty, told the newspaper. I just know it was a lot. Walmart employee Franklin Lister told The New York Times hed just started his shift when another employee ran by screaming, Active shooter! He said he realized it wasnt a drill when he saw blood running down the employees arm. To hear that much gunfire, it was frantic. People were running as fast as they could move. 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. They became parents for the first time when they welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday. And Dermot O'Leary looked in good spirits as he arrived at The Portland Hospital in London to pick up his wife Dee Koppang on Sunday after the birth. The TV presenter, 47, carried a car seat for the newborn tot as he was aided by a female assistant while Dee, 41, arrived out to the car. New parents: Dermot O'Leary, 47, looked in good spirits as he arrived at The Portland Hospital in London to pick up his wife Dee Koppang, 41, on Sunday after the birth Dermot cut a casual figure for the outing, sporting a grey T-shirt he tucked a pair of sunglasses into along with navy jeans. The X Factor host thanked the assistant as he got into the driver's seat while Dee could be seen in the back. Dee, who works as a producer, styled her brunette locks into an updo as she left the hospital. The new mother also sported a pair of large sunglasses while she wore a black and a gold necklace. Going home: The TV presenter carried a car seat for the newborn tot as he was aided by a female assistant while Dee arrived out to the car It comes after Dermot took to Instagram to announce the news as he gushed he was 'enjoying the cuddles in a newborn bubble.' Posting a sweet photo of the personalised baby grow, Dermot revealed they'd welcomed a son together, after first announcing that they were expecting in February. In his post, Dermot penned: 'Welcome to the world baby Koppang O'Leary... We're delighted to announce that we've had a baby! 'A little boy born on Tuesday 23rd June 2020 (Sankthansaften / Midsummer for you Norwegians) at 8.19am, weighing in at 6lb 13oz. Outfit: Dermot cut a casual figure for the outing, sporting a grey T-shirt he tucked a pair of sunglasses into along with navy jeans Proud parent: The X Factor host thanked the assistant as he got into the driver's seat New mum: Dee, who works as a producer, styled her brunette locks into an updo as she left the hospital 'Enjoying the cuddles in the newborn bubble... cats yet to be 100% convinced. Lots of love, Dermot & Dee x.' Just a day before their son was born, Dermot revealed that he and Dee were celebrating their impending arrival with a 'summer solstice' theme baby shower. Dermot and his wife Dee announced in February that they were expecting their first child together. Taking to Instagram, they shared a fun picture of a message board decorated with a floral wreath which said 'Koppang O'Leary productions' would be welcoming a 'new arrival coming soon'. In the post Dermot penned: 'We're pleased to announce that we're expecting a little Koppang O'Leary...' Exciting: Dermot and Dee became parents for the first time when they welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday Prepared: Dermot carried a car seat for his newborn son as he arrived at the hospital Announcement: It comes after Dermot took to Instagram to announce the news as he gushed he was 'enjoying the cuddles in a newborn bubble' Dee debuted her baby bump for the first time at the British Academy Film Awards 2020 Nominees' Party in February. Since then, the private couple have shared rare glimpses of Dee's pregnancy during lockdown. In April, the Norwegian producer and director showcased her growing baby bump as she revealed she had to do Dermot's hair and make-up for the One World Together highlights show. Dee joked: 'No pressure... had to do @radioleary hair & make up for tonight's @bbcone @glblctzn live show... (7.15pm). Family: Dermot revealed they'd welcomed a son together, after first announcing that they were expecting in February Happy: In his post, Dermot penned: 'Welcome to the world baby Koppang O'Leary... We're delighted to announce that we've had a baby!' He added: 'A little boy born on Tuesday 23rd June 2020 (Sankthansaften / Midsummer for you Norwegians) at 8.19am, weighing in at 6lb 13oz' 'Apologies in advance if he looks orange on the show There's only so much @sarahexley1 could teach me on a Zoom tutorial...' The presenter's news sparked a slew of congratulatory posts from stars including Holly Willoughby, Tamzin Outhwaite and Ruth Langsford. Dermot tied the knot with Dee in 2012 after ten years together at St Mary's Church in Chiddingstone, Kent. Dermot also said: 'Enjoying the cuddles in the newborn bubble... cats yet to be 100% convinced. Lots of love, Dermot & Dee x' Party: Just a day before their son was born, Dermot revealed that he and Dee were celebrating their impending arrival with a 'summer solstice' theme baby shower Announcement: The couple confirmed they were expecting a child when they shared a fun picture of a message board decorated with a floral wreath which said 'Koppang O'Leary productions' would be welcoming a 'new arrival coming soon' It proved to be a star-studded occasion with guests including Holly Willoughby, James Corden and Bear Grylls. In 2015 Dermot hinted that he was ready to start a family with wife Dee, telling Fabulous Magazine: 'I definitely want kids, but I've got a very busy wife with a very busy life. 'It's not fair for me to say, ''I want kids now''. I do want kids with my wife, but I want them when we both think it's the right thing to happen.' Dermot wrote: 'We're pleased to announce that we're expecting a little Koppang O'Leary...' Bump: Dee debuted her baby bump for the first time at the British Academy Film Awards 2020 Nominees' Party in February Expecting: Since then, the private couple have shared rare glimpses of Dee's pregnancy during lockdown Well wishes: The presenter's news sparked a slew of congratulatory posts from stars including Holly Willoughby, Tamzin Outhwaite and Ruth Langsford Relationship: Dermot tied the knot with Dee in 2012 after ten years together at St Mary's Church in Chiddingstone, Kent A-list: It proved to be a star-studded occasion with guests including Holly Willoughby, James Corden and Bear Grylls Late last year ahead of his seventh wedding anniversary, Dermot also spoke about the secret to his happy relationship, telling Fabulous: 'It's a work in progress, isn't it? 'The key for me is giving each other space, not giving each other a hard time and actually having fun together. And we do.' Dermot and Dee met in 2002 when they worked for the same TV production company, and got engaged in New York in December 2011. Honest: In 2015 Dermot hinted that he was ready to start a family with wife Dee, telling Fabulous Magazine: 'I definitely want kids, but I've got a very busy wife with a very busy life' Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 17:10:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A draft law on export control was submitted to China's top legislature for a second reading on Sunday. The draft, which added stipulations concerning intermediary services for goods subjected to export control, will be discussed at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, which runs until Tuesday. No organization or individual may provide agency, freight transport, delivery, customs declarations, third-party e-commerce trading platforms, or financial services for exporters engaged in export control violations, according to the draft. Those that provide intermediary services for exporters engaged in illegal activities under export control stipulations will have their illegal gains confiscated, and be fined, it said. Enditem A former Christian rock musician and special needs classroom assistant who secretly trawled the dark web for vile images of child sex abuse and rape, has narrowly escaped being sent to jail. Jekyll and Hyde pervert Jonathan Mark Hobson toured Europe, the USA and Canada for three years with a Christian rock band, Downpatrick Crown Court heard last week. But the east Belfast man also "masqueraded" as a 12-year-old girl on apps popular with kids and searched the web to locate, download and share sickening images. Chillingly, the court also heard that Hobson, from Reaville Park in Dundonald, was a classroom assistant in a special school in Co Down. Expand Close Jonny Hobson (32) from Dundonald. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jonny Hobson (32) from Dundonald. A prosecuting counsel said when cops raided Hobson's home on October 17, 2017, he immediately told them: "I have a problem with it." But Hobson also claimed there was "never any thoughts about the school". He further confessed, "I want to co-operate with you - I'm glad you're here", said the lawyer adding that in all, nine devices including laptops and mobile phones were seized and examined. Those examinations uncovered a total of 92,463 indecent or prohibited images and video files across the range of categories A, B and C. Category A is the most horrific as it depicts scenes including rape and/or scenes of a sexual nature involving an animal or sadism. The Christian band musician had 392 videos and 1,662 images classified at category A with an estimation that across all the categories, the age range of the vulnerable victims was between just five and nine years old. Expand Close Jonny Hobson (32) from Dundonald / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jonny Hobson (32) from Dundonald Forensic examinations also revealed that Hobson had installed a 'Tor browser' on a laptop to search through the dark web and which also allowed files to be shared. He had installed the same secretive browser along with other file sharing software on a second laptop where he had saved shortcuts to access child pornography sites and had saved files to be shared with others with names and titles too graphic to repeat in a family newspaper but which refer to sex acts and specific ages of the children therein. Arrested and interviewed, Hobson made full admissions over the images and also confessed that he had posed as a 12-year-old girl on the apps Kik and Musical.ly in order to swap indecent images where in among the chat logs were comments like "wanna trade? I like 'em young". Admitting that he had searched for 10-year-old children, Hobson told police he looked at indecent images and videos "sometimes daily, sometimes weekly". At an earlier hearing Hobson, who appeared in court via videolink from his solicitor's office, confessed his guilt to a total of 36 offences - 30 counts of making indecent images of kids, five of having prohibited images of children and one charge of distributing indecent images of children, all committed on various dates between February 2015 and October 2017. Defence counsel Mark Barlow said that in addition to his early admissions, Hobson had sought counselling through his church and effectively had a clear criminal record. During his sentencing remarks, Judge Geoffrey Miller said Hobson came from a "Christian household" and had a "happy and supportive childhood" before later touring with a Christian band. When he came back to Northern Ireland he had been a classroom assistant at a Co Down school for children and young people with additional special educational needs. Against that background, said the judge, were offences which "show that this is a man who has a deeply warped sense of sexuality". He said Hobson described to a probation officer of "feeling like two people, a Jekyll and Hyde personality - the one happy and balanced...while the other lived through a 'virtual reality' where he accessed this material and was aroused by it." Judge Miller said although his guilty pleas and clear record were mitigating features, there were multiple aggravating factors including the ages of the children, the amount of material, some of which was shared, deliberate searching for indecent images and a "large number of victims". Hobson appeared quite emotional when Judge Miller told him he had "thought long and hard about the correct sentence", adding that "the easy thing for me to do, and in fact perhaps the proper thing for me to do, is simply to sentence you to a substantial period of immediate custody". He told the pervert, however, that "not without some considerable hesitation", he had been persuaded to impose an enhanced combination order of two years probation and 100 hours of community service including "carefully crafted" programmes designed to address his sexual proclivities and reduce the risk of him reoffending. Judge Miller also imposed a five year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and ordered Hobson to remain on the police sex offenders' register for five years. VIENTIANE, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Lao Ministry of Defence has awarded Lao People's Army friendship crosses to members of the Chinese army medical expert team which has been assisting Laos in battling the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two months. Ti Xinyu, leader of the People's Libration Army (PLA) medical expert team, said at the cross-conferring ceremony on Wednesday that in the past two months, his team has fully shared China's anti-epidemic experiences with the Lao side, carried out cooperation with the Lao army over virus testing and confirmation, environmental disinfection and infection control, epidemiological investigation and personnel protection, and diagnosis and treatment training. The joint efforts have comprehensively improved the epidemic prevention and control capabilities of the Lao army, and contributed to consolidating and developing the friendly relations between the two armies and to building a community with a shared future between the two countries, said Ti. Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong congratulated the expert team on its excellence in the assistance mission. The ambassador said the expert team has properly adapted the Chinese anti-epidemic experience to the actual situation in Laos, participating in Laos' anti-pandemic battle from the phase with climbing infections to the phase of COVID-19 free. The expert team has worked in harsh conditions such as in the heat of over 40 Celsius degrees, demonstrating the PLA's endurance and high morale amid hardships, he said. Lao Deputy Defense Minister Aesamay Leuangvanxay said his country has received strong support from China in the fight against COVID-19, adding that the Chinese army not only sent an expert team in a timely manner, but also provided Laos with urgently-needed medical supplies. According to a press release from the Chinese embassy in Laos on Thursday, the Lao officer said at the ceremony that the Chinese experts have overcome many difficulties and fully demonstrated the PLA's deep friendship with the Lao army. He added that the anti-epidemic forces of the two sides have worked closely together to effectively improve the professional capabilities of the Lao army, making important contribution to the anti-epidemic battle in Laos. The Lao Ministry of National Defense highly appreciated and sincerely thanked the Chinese national defense ministry for its strong support and believed that this was a vivid practice of jointly building a community with a shared future between Laos and China, said Aesamay. At the invitation of the Lao People's Army, a group of five PLA anti-epidemic medical experts arrived in Vientiane on April 24. By Moira Warburton and Steve Scherer TORONTO/OTTAWA (Reuters) - A fast-track visa programme that Canada launched in 2017 has attracted a growing number of tech workers, and U.S. President Donald Trump's latest immigration crackdown is set to further boost intake once COVID-19 restrictions ease, lawyers say. The number of successful applicants to Canada's Global Skills Strategy (GSS) programme rose five-fold over its first three years, with more than 23,000 workers approved under the top five tech categories, data provided to Reuters by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows. More than 2,300 applications for those same top five tech roles were approved from January to March 2020, ahead of the COVID-19 shutdowns that led to border closures and a sharp drop in immigration. The programme boasts a two-week processing time. Immigration lawyers told Reuters they were broadly in favour of the programme, which some described as transparent and consistent, and an example of how Canada has been able to take advantage of Trump's immigration stance since he entered the White House in 2017. "There are employers who have non-U.S. employees in the U.S. who are definitely looking seriously at Canada," said Kyle Hyndman, a partner with McCrea Immigration Law in Vancouver, who was contacted this week by a "major" company about bringing employees to Canada. On Monday, Trump issued a presidential proclamation that temporarily blocks foreign workers from entering the United States on certain visas, which a Trump administration official said would create 525,000 jobs for U.S. workers. "The fact that people started contacting me pretty much the next day is perhaps a suggestion that there are going to be more people interested," Hyndman said. U.S. technology companies including Amazon.com Inc , Alphabet Inc , Facebook Inc and Netflix Inc have in recent years expanded their Canadian operations, although most companies declined to comment on their GSS usage or how Trump's recent announcement will impact their hiring plans. Story continues Tobi Lutke, the chief executive officer of Canadian e-commerce company Shopify , was quick to tout the Canada's attraction following Trump's immigration move. The programme "has made it possible to hire top talent beyond our borders," said Sandeep Anand, senior lead on the global mobility team at Shopify, adding that it has helped relocate employees to Canada. The majority of approved applicants to the fast-track visa programme were computer programmers and interactive media developers, followed by information systems analysts and consultants, the IRCC data shows. Indian citizens accounted for 62.1% of successful applicants to the fast-track programme, followed by Chinese citizens. Nearly 1,000 U.S. citizens also have seen their applications approved. The GSS data only covers the period up to March of this year, just before broader immigration in Canada fell off a cliff due to border closures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Lawyers, however, don't expect it to last. Betsy Kane, one of the founding partners of Capelle Kane Immigration Lawyers in Ottawa, said the programme is going to see a surge of applications. "Whenever one door shuts, the other door is sought." (Reporting by Moira Warburton in Toronto and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Additional reporting by Julie Gordon in Ottawa; Editing by Denny Thomas and Paul Simao) Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:01:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers on Sunday began deliberating a draft amendment to the Patent Law that facilitates the utilization of patents. The draft was submitted for a second reading at an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. The draft further clarifies the disposition right of on-the-job inventions and innovations, and adds stipulations on opening patent authorization. According to the draft, related administrative authorities should step up the building of the public service system for patent information, provide basic data of patents, and promote the dissemination and utilization of patent information. It also details patent protection for the partial design of a product, and makes provisions on the amount of compensation for infringing patent rights. Enditem Bihar's Backward and Extremely Backward Classes Welfare Minister Vinod Kumar Singh and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and were sent to an isolation ward at a city hotel in Katihar district, officials said. Katihar District Magistrate Kanwal Tanuj confirmed that both the minister and his wife have tested positive for the pathogen. The couple has been kept at an isolation ward created at a city hotel here, the DM said. For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here Singh, who is a BJP legislator from Pranpur, said his samples were tested in Patna and he returned to Katihar from the state capital on Sunday. The minister said when he came to know about his test report, he first went to Katihar Medical College and Hospital and thereafter to the isolation ward of a hotel in the town. People who came in contact with the minister will be traced to collect their samples for testing, the DM said. This is the first incident when a minister of the Nitish Kumar government has tested positive for COVID-19. CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH Earlier on June 22, a sitting BJP MLA Jibesh Kumar Mishra tested positive for the virus. He was admitted to AIIMS, Patna for treatment and supervision. The MLA was the first sitting member of the bicameral legislature in the state to have been tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier, veteran RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, a former Union minister, was admitted to the hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. BRUNSWICK, Ohio -- After failing to pass operating levies in November 2019 and March 2020, the Brunswick City Schools Board of Education voted at a special meeting June 22 to try again this November. The June 22 vote merely declares the necessity for the levy. The board is expected to vote at its July 20 regular meeting to officially place the tax levy on the Nov. 3 ballot. The district is asking voters to support the same 5.5-mill levy that has been rejected twice. If passed, the levy would collect $6,958,300 annually and cost homeowners $16.04 a month for every $100,000 of property valuation. In a press release following the board vote, school officials said the district is currently facing a significant fiscal crisis. The Brunswick City School District has not received an increase in operating money since 2006, the press release states. Couple that with the unexpected $1.4 million in COVID-19-related (local) funding cut announced by the State of Ohio in April, should voters reject the tax levy in November, the school district will be forced to cut significant programs and slash services directly impacting students in the classroom in order to avoid operating with a deficit. This dire prediction comes on the heels of district Treasurer Mark Peperas 5-year forecast update last month, where he said additional state cuts to public school districts could still be coming. Read more news from the Brunswick Sun. Google Pay Not Banned: Misleading Hashtag On Social Media Brews Trouble News oi-Sharmishte Datti Google Pay is working just fine and isn't banned by the National Payments Corporation of India. Earlier, a hashtag 'GPay Banned by RBI' started trending on social media. It was followed by reports where the Reserve Bank said that Google Pay wasn't a payment system operator. A few hours later, NPCI confirmed that Google Pay is still authorized, secured, and not banned. Google Pay Not Banned: Here's What Happened It started with the financial economist filing a PIL at the Delhi High Court, alleging that Google Pay enabled financial transactions without the authorization from the RBI. Promptly, a hashtag trend kickstarted on Twitter that spread to other social media platforms, that GPay was banned by RBI. Google Pay Not Banned: RBI Responds The Reserve Bank of India made a statement at the Delhi High Court in response to the PIL. RBI noted that Google Pay does not operate any payment systems, and that is why its name is not in the list of authorized operators, reports India Today. For the same reason, Google Pay isn't violating the law. Google Pay Not Banned: NPCI Responds Following the trending hashtag on social media platforms, NPCI issued a statement notifying that Google Pay was still authorized payments app in the country. The statement further explains that RBI authorized NPCI as a Payments System Operator (PSO). Firms like Google Pay are app providers to the PSO, protecting them under the law. "We would like to clarify that Google Pay is classified as Third-Party App Provider (TPAP) that also provides UPI payment services like many others, working through banking partners and operating under the UPI framework of NPCI," the statement reads. Also, all the transactions made using the authorized TPAPs are protected by the redressal processes. However, both RBI and NPCI's statements were subtly ignored by the trending hashtag, further leading to misleading posts on social media. As a conclusion, NPCI clarified that "all transactions made using any of the authorized TPAPs are fully protected by the redressal processes laid out by applicable guidelines of NPCI/RBI and customers already have full access to the same." The statement also appeals to the citizens not to fall prey to such malicious news. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications A barbecue restaurant in Red Bank canceled an order for the Back the Police Rally on Saturday after getting threats. A manager of Shuford's Smokehouse said one of the threats was to burn the business down. After that, Shuford's opted not to send the food to the rally near police headquarters on Amnicola Highway. Management said the food was not to have been donated, but was just another food order. Madison Davis, one of the owners, said, "A man came in on Tuesday and placed a $1,000 order for food. To us, it was just another order for a small business that is trying to make it in this COVID environment. To us, it had nothing to do with backing the police or with racism. It was just another order." She said the Shuford's Facebook page began getting "hateful posts and awful reviews" so our ranking went down from a 4.8 to a 4 in an hour." The Facebook page was then taken down. Ms. Davis said it came after Cameron "C-Grimey" Williams, one of the leaders of the Chattanooga protests, put on a post on his Facebook page accusing Shuford's of being racist. She said, "To me it's just not right for a protest group that is trying to change things for the better to post all these vile things and to set out to ruin a small business." Ms. Davis said the order was canceled after a male caller on Thursday made a threat to burn down the old Shuford's location on Signal Mountain Road, where the meat is still smoked. She said at that point it was decided to cancel the $1,000 order. "To us it was not worth the risk of putting our business and the lives of our employees on the line." The incident has been reported to the police. More congressional Republicans are advocating for face coverings and rigorous testing for the novel coronavirus, per the Wall Street Journal. Why it matters: Cases are surging in several Republican-led states notably in Florida, Arizona and Texas, and scientific evidence shows face coverings can help control the spread of COVID-19. A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. Driving the news: As several GOP lawmakers called on people to wear masks, Texas Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz wrote to the Trump administration Thursday asking for extensions to federal funding for testing sites in the state. Cruz said Friday he was grateful their request was granted. "Our fight against the coronavirus isn't over, and it is important to provide state and local officials every tool available to protect public health. We must remain vigilant as we work to defeat this virus and get our economy get back on its feet. Testing is crucial to those endeavors." Cruz What else they're saying: Urging people to use face coverings, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the No. 3 House Republican, on Friday tweeted the above photo of her father, Dick Cheney, who was vice president in the administration of former President George W. Bush, wearing a mask. The WSJ notes some Republicans hope wearing face coverings will "enable states to avoid business closures," with Rep. Chris Stewart (R.-Utah) telling the outlet Saturday: "Weve seen a spike now and we need to be more disciplined than that, maybe were not being as careful as we should be." Per the Washington Post, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters on Friday, "[Masks] are really important. ... We all need during this period, until we find a vaccine, to think of us as protecting not only ourselves but others." Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) told the Journalhe doesn't think the case for wearing masks is "settled science." "But I am willing to say if thats a condition of getting our economy back on track, Im willing to follow the rules," he added. Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) told the WSJ she wore an N95 mask when she attended Trump's Tulsa rally "because many of the attendees had no face coverings." CNN notes Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said last Wednesday, "Everyone should wear a damn mask," amid spiking cases across Florida. Yes, but: Some congressional Republicans have continued to push back on face coverings, with lawmakers including Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mark Green (R-Tenn.) seen without masks in recent weeks. Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), a physician, said Friday he could "cite many other professionals" who do not recommend masks, per Yahoo News. The Hill reports that House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), chair of the select committee overseeing the federal response to the pandemic, said Friday to Scalise, the panel's ranking Republican: "If you wish to continue having these meetings in person, you're going to have to adhere to the attending physician [guidance to wear masks] or I will not have the meetings in person." Go deeper: The U.S. divide on coronavirus masks If you turn on the news or read the internet, it appears that America is in flames. After all, thats what the mainstream media outlets relentlessly drill into us. But step back a minute and youll notice that the riots are geographically confined. That is, while people across America have chosen to exercise their First Amendment rights to peaceful assembly, only one type of city is consistently affected by violence and destruction, and that would be a Democrat city. Sure, there are exceptions (which we will discuss in a minute), but the overall trend is clear its Democrat cities that are cesspools of racism, and its in Democrat cities that all hell has broken loose. Donald Trump has noticed this too and said as much, only to have the Washington Post instantly attack him for stating another falsehood. Its the WaPo, though, thats got it wrong and laughably so. On Wednesday, as the WaPo accurately reported, Trump had some bad things to say about Americas few riot-torn cities: You hear about certain places like Chicago and you hear about whats going on in Detroit and other other cities, all Democrat run, he said. Every one of them is Democrat run. Twenty out of 20. The 20 worst, the 20 most dangerous are Democrat run. Philip Bump, whom the WaPo bills as a National correspondent focused largely on the numbers behind politics, wasnt going to let that stand. Instead, hes got the numbers to prove that Trumps wrong. Not just a little wrong. But wrong-wrong! And so Bump produced not just one chart but two challenging Trumps gross misstatement. The first chart ranks cities by overall violence; the second by violence per 10,000 residents: For tweet embedding purposes, here is the graph cited in The Washington Post's report titled: Trump keeps claiming that the most dangerous cities in America are all run by Democrats. They arent. pic.twitter.com/FeAskhbnDM Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) June 27, 2020 In the first chart, 85% of the most violent cities are Democrat-run. In the second chart, 95% of the most violent cities are Democrat-run. What this shows is that, while Trump may have over-stated his case, he did so by only the smallest margin. Also, what Bump conveniently ignores about two of those independent cities San Antonio and Las Vegas is that independent is a political fiction. While Texas supported Trump, Bexar County, in which San Antonio is located, voted for Hillary. Las Vegas, which is located in Clark County, also voted for Hillary. Only Springfield cast its lot in with Trump. That brings Democrat-style violence up to 95% in the first chart. Having essentially proved Trumps point, which is that Democrat-run cities are significantly more violent than Republican cities, Bump says that all cities are more crime-ridden than their suburban and rural counterparts. And having made that point, he admits that, in America, Democrats almost always run cities. In other words, Bump equated Democrats with all of Americas crime-ridden cities. Hows that for a Trump selling point? Bump tries to avoid his pro-Trump talking point by explaining why urban dwellers vote for Democrats (college-educated and minority populations). That explanation doesnt fix his core admission, which is that Democrats and crime are a matched set. It also suggests that college doesn't refine people, it degrades them by making them more violent, but thats am analysis for another day. Americas leftist mainstream media have a huge advantage in election years because they control political discourse. Thankfully, because so many people in the media are so invested in the narrative (Orange man bad) that they willingly jettison facts and logic, that slightly offsets their indecent and totally unearned power. Location of a shooting at a Walmart distribution center near Red Bluff, Calif., on Saturday. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times) Tehama County sheriff's officials on Sunday identified the suspect in a shooting the day before at a Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff that killed one person and injured several others before the man was fatally shot by police. The suspect, Louis Lane, 31, of Redding, was a former employee of the distribution center who was fired in February 2019 after he failed to show up for a shift, according to the sheriff's department, which is handling the investigation. Authorities said they are still investigating a possible motive for the shooting but said they believe Lane acted alone. Lane died after engaging Red Bluff police officers in a gun battle in the parking lot, officials said. The shooting unfolded within six chaotic minutes that began shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Walmart distribution center on Highway 99, the sheriffs department said in a news release. Lane allegedly circled the parking lot four times in a white SUV and then crashed his vehicle into the lobby of the building. As the SUV caught fire, he exited holding a semiautomatic rifle and began shooting randomly into the building, the sheriff's department said. Hundreds of employees were working inside at the time, Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston told reporters Saturday night, but most of them were not near the lobby area. The rifle was outfitted with a high-capacity magazine that's illegal in California, he said. About four minutes after authorities received reports of shots fired, a police officer arrived on the scene and exchanged gunfire with Lane in the parking lot, officials said. A second officer arrived moments later and also engaged Lane, according to investigators. A total of 20 to 30 rounds were exchanged during the shootout among the parked cars, Johnston estimated. One or both of the officers shot Lane, and by 3:38 p.m., he was disabled by his injuries, the sheriffs department said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Story continues Sheriffs deputies arrived on scene and found that one Walmart employee had suffered serious injuries. They rushed him to a local hospital, where he died. Authorities identified him as Martin Haro-Lozano, of Orland. The cause of his death was not immediately released pending an autopsy scheduled for Monday. Haro-Lozano had been an employee of the company for 12 years, and had family and friends who also worked at the distribution center, Walmart said in a statement. "This is a deeply painful moment not only for the Red Bluff facility but for the entire Walmart family," said the statement, which was signed by Chief Executive John Furner and executive vice president of supply chain Greg Smith. Six other people were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to moderate, the sheriffs department said. At least one person appeared to have been struck by the SUV, and others were injured by gunfire, Johnston said. At least two people were treated and released, he said. We are incredibly thankful to the associates in the building who acted heroically to prevent the situation from being even worse, Furner and Smith said. They risked their lives to help their fellow associates, and we are forever grateful to them. The distribution center has been temporarily closed, but employees will be paid and have access to on-site help, the statement said. The Tehama County Sheriffs Department is overseeing the criminal investigation into the shooting, while the county District Attorneys Office was investigating the officer-involved portion and a California Highway Patrol accident investigation team was investigating the crash. The state Department of Justice also was on scene helping to process evidence, the sheriffs office said. Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli in a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart Othman Al-Ghanimi said that the security and peace must be strengthened for the two nations, Trend reports citing IRNA. The Iranian top diplomat expressed the hope that at the upcoming meeting the two sides would ink the security MoU that had been prepared. He underlined that the two states can cooperate to fight against terrorism, organized crime, and drug trafficking. He further noted that the police of the countries can collaborate to maintain security of borders. The Iraqi Minister of Interior, Othman Al-Ghanimi, for his part, said that two states can cooperate in the areas of security, political and economic health. Security between the two countries is largely established, he said, adding that the two sides must not allow their lands to be used against the neighboring states. DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) Four suspected members of a Rohingya group allegedly involved in kidnapping for ransom were killed in a gunfight with Bangladeshi police near the sprawling refugee camps where refugees from Myanmar live, officials said. The gunfight took place Friday when a team of security officials was searching for the gang leader in a forest near the Rohingya camps at Cox's Bazar, said police Inspector Pradeep Kumar Das. Another inspector, Morzina Akhter, said the suspects opened fire at police, sparking the gunfight that led to their deaths. Police also recovered about 40,000 drug pills and locally made guns, he said. According to authorities and local media reports, the gang led by Abdul Hakim has kidnapped many locals for ransom and killed those whose families failed to pay. It had allegedly abducted at least seven Bangladeshis over the last two months and killed three hostages. Hakim remains at large. While human rights groups acknowledge there are criminal elements among some of the Rohingya refugees, they have urged authorities to thoroughly investigate such cases. In March, police fatally shot seven suspected members of a Rohingya gang allegedly involved in drug dealing and human trafficking. More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar into Bangladesh after the Buddhist-majority countrys military launched a crackdown against them in August 2017 in response to an attack by insurgents. Patrons of a bar in East Lansing, Michigan, are being asked to self-quarantine after 85 people contracted the novel coronavirus after visiting this past month. Harper's Restaurant and Brewpub, which reopened on June 8, saw the number of visitors contracting COVID-19 increase from 34 on Wednesday to 85 on Saturday, and that number is expected to rise, Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail told CNN. Vail said that anyone who visited Harper's between June 12 and June 20 should self-quarantine and report cases of coronavirus. "Given the number of cases in this outbreak, we consider this a higher risk exposure than a typical visit to a restaurant or bar," Vail said. "There are likely more people infected with COVID-19 not yet identified." RELATED: Florida Health Care Worker and 15 Friends Get Coronavirus After Going to a Bar: 'It Was Too Soon to Open' The Health Department said that Harper's followed safety guidelines for employees, capacity guidelines and table spacing, despite the increase of coronavirus cases. On June 22, the bar confirmed in a Facebook post that they were closing "temporarily" to install air purifiers and to eliminate lines. "This closing will cause a hardship on many of our employees through the loss of wages that had just re-started," the bar said. "This at a time when they are just overcoming a three-month layoff. They have rent, mortgages, car payments, grocery bills and everyday living expenses to address. But we believe for the safety of all, it is the right thing to do." RELATED VIDEO: New York Area Requiring 14-Day Quarantine for Travelers from States with Soaring Coronavirus Cases New York Area Requiring 14-Day Quarantine for Travelers from States with Soaring Coronavirus Cases The quarantine, for those coming to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, will be voluntary and individuals will largely be trusted to self-isolate on their own, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Story continues Michigan is among over half of the U.S. states currently seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases. As of June 28, the state has at least 69,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to the New York Times. On Sunday, CNN reported that the only states experiencing a decrease of coronavirus cases are Connecticut and Rhode Island. The states reporting a rise in cases, per CNN, are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Meanwhile, cases are tracking steady in Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota and Virginia. Martin Schwartz/PEOPLE On June 24, the U.S. set a new record for daily coronavirus infections with well over 36,000 new reported cases, surpassing the previous high from April. Despite the surge of cases, many states are continuing to roll back stay-at-home orders and moving forward with their reopening plans. As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here. This time last year, Kate Callaghan was a happy, healthy mum-of-two who thought the lump in her breast was due to breastfeeding. The New Zealand nutritionist died surrounded by her loved ones on Thursday aged 36, seven months after she was diagnosed with incurable stage four cancer. She detailed her brave fight for life on her Instagram page The Holistic Nutritionist, including a trip to Mexico earlier this year to seek alternative treatment at a cancer clinic. Ms Callaghan leaves husband of nine years Aaron and children Olivia, 5, and Ed, 3. Emma Simpson led the outpouring of tributes when she confirmed her friend's tragic death on Ms Callaghan's Instagram page. Kate Callaghan (pictured) has lost her brave fight with stage four breast cancer 'I know how heart-wrenching it is that someone we all love, as well as a stunning mother of two that fought so bloody hard could be taken so early,' Ms Simpson wrote. 'She fought, hard. Bloody hard. And her many, many victories, her impact on others and the legacy of knowledge and successes she has left behind are cause for celebration.' Ms Callaghan was remembered as a ball of resilience, an absolute knowledge fiend, beyond empathetic and loving to the core. 'This is the woman who allowed us the privilege to follow her physical journey and the emotions behind it,' Ms Simpson wrote. 'Kate always remained humble, with humility and her sense of humour fully intact. She refused to be a statistic, challenged and BEAT every prognosis, all whist continuing to work on her business helping people and being the most incredible mother, wife, friend and pun master.' The much-loved nutritionist leaves behind two children Olivia, 5, (right) and Ed, 3, (left) Kate shared her cancer journey with others on Instagram and called her cancer 'Sharyn' Ms Callaghan first noticed a small lump in her left breast in June last year but thought it may be due to breastfeeding. She saw a doctor in August, where she was told there wasn't anything to worry about but to keep an eye on it. She sought a second opinion a month later where she was given the same assurance but received a referral for a scan and ultrasound. By the time she had the ultrasound in November, the cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes. 'This time last week, my world was turned upside down as I sat in a consult room of the breast screening unit, after extensive testing on the lump in my breast and heard the words You have breast cancer,' Ms Callaghan wrote at the time of her shocking diagnosis. 'Tears started to stream as I sat in shock and disbelief. No no no no no. You havent done anything wrong they said. What? No no no no no. This is all wrong. I was coming down just for peace of mind.' Kate Callaghan died on Thursday surrounded by her family. She's pictured with husband Aaron and their children Olivia and Ed Kate saw her eldest child Olivia (pictured) celebrate her fifth birthday recently She was booked in for a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation before a full CT scan two weeks later revealed cancer had also spread to her liver. 'I didn't fit the mould,' Ms Callaghan told Daily Mail Australia last November. 'I am healthy and I am relatively young, I don't have any risk factors or any family history of cancer. 'It is hard to believe 21 days ago I was happy living my life.' Ms Callaghan shared her story in the hope it would encourage everyone to get checked if they suspect something is wrong. 'I would love for all women, and men, actually, to pay attention to their breasts, and if they notice any changes, not just lumps, then to go and get them checked,' she said. 'You are never 'too healthy' to ask for a referral from your GP for further testing.' Kate Callaghan (pictured) was a happy, healthy mum-of-two before her diagnosis She remained optimistic during the coronavirus lockdown, telling doctors in April she didn't want to hear a prognosis. 'I don't see any reason to know someone else's guesstimate of my life expectancy. Because it is just a guess. I feel good at the moment I feel really good. I don't see myself dying anytime soon,' Ms Callaghan told Stuff. In one of her last Instagram posts on June 2, Ms Callaghan described May as challenging, which included two ambulance rides, a rescue helicopter flight, three hospital visits, two bouts of vomiting blood, 12 bands put around varices in her oesophagus, several abdominal paracentesis and countless needles. 'Im not going to lie, it shook my confidence. BIG TIME. But Im slowly regaining my energy and optimism. Setbacks. Thats all they are. Just little setbacks,' she wrote. 'I may not seem to be as present on here as usual, but Im still here, and I can still feel your energy, and right now I need all of the positive vibes, energy healing, and prayers you can spare for me.' Ms Simpson said her friend will be dearly missed but that her legacy and work will live on. 'Be inspired by her strength, grace and adversity and empowered by the love she had for all. Hold each other a little tighter and celebrate your humans. Its what she would have wanted,' she wrote. Eight Iran November Protesters Sentenced To Death In Isfahan Radio Farda June 27, 2020 The Head of the Justice Department of Isfahan Province on Friday said eight individuals have been sentenced for "corruption on earth", a charge carrying the death sentence according to Iran's Islamic Penal Code. Mohammad-Reza Habibi who was speaking at a Friday prayer sermon did not mention any details about these cases but said: "We will be decisive against mercenaries and rioters if crimes are committed like what happened in 2009, 2017 and last November [when protests broke out across the country]" and added that eight trials have finished and those involved have been sentenced for corruption on earth". Habibi's remarks came only a few days after reports said three young men were sentenced to death for participating in the nationwide protests in November 2019. The death sentences passed by the Revolutionary Court have reportedly been upheld by the Supreme Court. The Judiciary, however, has not yet officially announced the sentences. After the decision of the Supreme Court was made public by the testimony of a lawyer involved in the case, a news website affiliated to the state-run broadcaster (IRIB) denied it, quoting only an "informed source". The United States State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus on Thursday condemned Iran's death sentence for the three young men accused of rioting and said Iran must respect human rights and stop the executions. An overnight three-fold increase in gasoline prices in November, 2019, triggered a wave of protests that soon turned into anti-Islamic Republic unrest in 29 out of 31 provinces of Iran. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/eight- iran-november-protesters-sentenced-to -death-in-isfahan/30693930.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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 01:00:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SARAJEVO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for high school students was held online in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Sunday amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Three high school students from BiH's capital of Sarajevo and Banja Luka, the second largest city of BiH, won the top three places. Judges selected the winners through Chinese speech, talent, quiz on Chinese history and culture and dictation in Chinese. Kevser Bukvic, who finished first in the contest, only started learning Chinese in February this year. As daughter of a Bosnian diplomat currently stationed in China, she has keen interest in Chinese culture. "I can even imagine walking on the Great Wall and seeing its beautiful scenery. I also want to visit ancient Chinese temples, learn about Chinese history, and imagine myself as someone who lived at that time. I want to explore Chinese culture on my own," Kevser said in her speech entitled "My Chinese dream." "Benefiting from closer economic and cultural exchanges between China and BiH, more and more Bosnians become interested in learning Chinese in recent years," La Weixin, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Sarajevo, told Xinhua. In Republika Srpska, one of BiH's two entities, Chinese has already been included in the curriculum for primary and secondary schools, said La. The "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition is an international contest held yearly and sponsored by the Beijing-based Confucius Institute Headquarters, or called Hanban in Chinese, according to Hanban on its website. It consists of three events -- "Chinese Bridge" competition for foreign college students, "Chinese Bridge" competition for foreign high school students and "Chinese Bridge" competition for foreign students in China. Enditem If youre a retiree with savings and looking to boost your monthly income, theres a way you can do that without worrying about it resulting in a clawback of your Old Age Security (OAS) benefits. OAS and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) payments are often not enough for seniors to help make ends meet, especially if theyre living in cities like Toronto or Vancouver, where the cost of living is very high. Below, Ill show you how, with about $24,000 in savings, you can boost your monthly income by $100 without taking on much risk or having to worry about the taxman. Use a TFSA to keep your dividend income away from the CRA A Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is something all retirees should take advantage of. With the possibility of putting as much as $69,500 in a TFSA, the account can shield a lot of taxes for investors. You wont receive a tax slip, nor do you have to worry about reporting any income you earn inside your TFSA. As long as the Canada Revenue Agency doesnt think youre operating a business (e.g., day trading within the account) then you wont have to worry about your earnings within the account being taxable. That also means that the earnings wont impact OAS and you wont have to worry about any clawbacks, either. Once youve got the money in your TFSA, all thats left is to choose a solid income stock to put in your portfolio to help generate those dividend payments. One stock that stands out not just for its dividend payments, but also for its stability and growth potential is Shaw Communications Inc. (TSX:SJR.B)(NYSE:SJR). The telecom giant is a household name and a stable business that investors shouldnt have to worry about. And with the company developing Freedom Mobile, theres still potential for a lot more growth in the future. Currently, the stock pays a monthly dividend of $0.09875. Although the company hasnt raised its payouts in recent years, investors can still earn more than 5% per year from owning the stock. And with an investment of $24,000, that would generate more than $1,200 per year in dividends. On a monthly basis, investors would be getting $100. All that income would be tax-free within a TFSA. Story continues If you have more savings, then you could certainly add more to boost that monthly income even higher. There are other monthly dividend stocks that investors can choose. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) on the TSX typically pay dividends on a monthly basis and offer a great way to diversify. TFSAs can offer investors lots of flexibility One of the big advantages of a TFSA over a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) is that you can take the money out as you need it. As the money contributed to a TFSA has already been taxed, theres no withholding tax when you go to withdraw it. For retirees, that can add a lot of flexibility in deciding whether to keep funds invested or not. But the one mistake TFSA investors should avoid is overcontributing to the account, which can happen easily if youve withdrawn funds and add them back before theres room in the TFSA (withdrawals dont free up space in a TFSA until the following calendar year). The TFSA is a valuable tool that can help grow your savings without incurring a big tax bill along the way. The post Retirees: Boost Your Monthly Income by $100 and Avoid OAS Clawbacks appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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 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. Joseph A. FitzGerald III, age 73, of Quincy, Mass., passed suddenly on June 22 at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Born in Dorchester, Mass., he was raised in Mattapan and graduated from Christopher Columbus High School and the University of Massachusetts Boston. He worked for many years as a foreman for Turner Construction before retiring. Harness Racing was his passion and he wrote about his favourite sport in many worldwide periodicals. He was also known as Over Trick in the Boston Globe comment section, where he was recognized for his sense of humour and tongue-in-cheek remarks. FitzGerald is survived by his dear friend, Mary Ellen Manning, of Norwood, Mass.; sister, Nancy Papy, of Virginia Beach, Va.; three nieces, many cousins, and a close circle of friends. Due to current restrictions, a private funeral and burial will be held at Milton Cemetery in Milton, Mass. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in FitzGerald's memory to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at www.mspca.org. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the friends and family of Joe FitzGerald. About eight million people have sought help with their debts during the coronavirus crisis, research by Virgin Money has found. The figures will raise fears of a growing debt bubble with Britain's consumer loans now standing at 220billion despite attempts by many families to pay down debts during the lockdown. Virgin Money surveyed more than 4,000 people to assess the state of the nation's finances as the taxpayer schemes propping up many bank balances are set to wind down. Trying to make ends meet: Banks are expecting large numbers to default on loans in the second half of the year It found around one in eight had called on their bank for help in the form of overdrafts and payment holidays on mortgages, personal loans and credit cards. Spending is expected to ramp up as the economy reopens, limiting the spare cash available to pay off credit cards. Banks are expecting large numbers to default on loans in the second half of the year. The Big Four lenders Barclays, RBS, HSBC and Lloyds have set aside a total 20.5billion to deal with bad loans. Howard Archer, chief economist at EY Item Club, said: 'You will probably see a surge of repayment in consumer credit in May. 'On the face of it, that's quite good news. But some people who are reasonably well off are less affected and it's the people with lower incomes that have had their finances squeezed. 'Overall repayments are improving, but there are people who are struggling financially and having to dip into savings.' Virgin Money found a quarter of people on the Government's furlough scheme have asked their bank for help, while 15 per cent of those still employed have requested assistance. In addition, 42 per cent of business owners have sought bank support. Nearly a third of people in employment have seen their income fall and 67 per cent of those furloughed have experienced a decline in money coming in. Banks are likely to bear the brunt of the pain when the furlough scheme closes on October 31 and customers' payment holidays run out. Households paid down debt of nearly 7.5billion in April the largest fall ever recorded by the Bank of England at a time when their outgoings were reduced substantially. Economists estimate consumers repaid 2.4billion in May. Gary Greenwood, banking analyst at Shore Capital, said: 'The big unknown is how many people are going to be able to keep making loan payments when all this taxpayer help starts to unwind.' The Workers' Party introduces four candidates for the 2020 General Election: (from left) Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim, 54; He Ting Ru, 37; Leon Perera, 49; and Gerald Giam, 42. (PHOTO: Workers' Party) SINGAPORE The Workers Party (WP) unveiled on Sunday (28 June) its campaign slogan Make Your Vote Count, party manifesto and final slate of four candidates for the 10 July General Election. In an online media conference from its party headquarters, WP chairperson Sylvia Lim said that its manifesto calls for an accountable democracy and resilient Singapore, one which embraces a diversity of views and encourages robust debate about the way forward. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that Singapore will have to deal with challenges which are real, unexpected and sudden, Lim said during the media conference. No single political party, however powerful, can find all the right answers from within itself... The Workers Party has contributions to make. We have good people who are committed to Singapores success. Let us move ahead in empowering Singaporeans of all political persuasions. Five areas of concern in manifesto In its manifesto, WP listed five areas of its concerns: tackling COVID-19 and thriving in a post-COVID world; achieving dreams through inclusive education and social policies; providing good jobs and producing dynamic workers; providing a home for all through reducing the cost of living; and building a resilient democracy via accountable political and governance institutions. While it acknowledges the governments efforts so far in dealing with this COVID-19 crisis, it calls for the government to offer free vaccinations for the coronavirus when a vaccine becomes available and approved. It also urges the government to plug gaps in support, such as forgiving HDB rents for low-income residents; making the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme automatic for all self-employed adults below the age of 37; and allowing Singaporeans who have CPF balances that exceeded their minimum sum to withdraw a reasonable percentage of their excess balance. The party also calls for introduction of a minimum wage of $1,300 per month for full-time work, as well as abolishment of the retirement age, so that Singaporeans are allowed to work for as long as they are able and willing to. Story continues It opposes the imminent Goods and Services Tax hike to 9 per cent, and calls for the abolishment of the group representation constituencies (GRCs). It also wants to lower the current voting age from 21 to 18, and the courts of Singapore to approve government Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) directives. Last four WP candidates unveiled WP also unveiled four candidates for the upcoming GE: former research Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim, 54; lawyer He Ting Ru, 37; Leon Perera, 49, chief executive officer of an international market research consultancy firm; and Gerald Giam Yean Song, 42, chief technology officer of a tech start-up company. Of the quartet, He, Perera and Giam have had prior experience in contesting in GEs, with Perera and Giam having been appointed Non-Constituency Members of Parliament. He had contested in the Marine Parade GRC in GE2015. With the quartets unveiling, the WP have announced all its 21 candidates for the GE. The party will be contesting in four GRCs and two single-member constituencies (SMCs). They are: Aljunied, Marine Parade, Sengkang and East Coast GRCs, and Hougang and Punggol West SMCs. Follow Yahoo News Singapores GE2020 coverage here. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: GE2020: Workers' Party contesting 2 SMCs, 4 GRCs, including Hougang, Aljunied, Sengkang, Marine Parade GE2020: PAP's manifesto focuses on 'keeping Singapore going' GE2020: SPP calls for greater democracy, strengthening retirement adequacy in manifesto AWARE calls on politicians to end all discrimination in gender equality manifesto Demanding "greater accountability and transparency", beverage giant Coca-Cola has decided to suspend advertising on social media all over the world for at least a month starting July 1. Coca-Cola is believed to be among over 90 companies that have stopped online ads in support of the #StopHateforProfit campaign against social media companies, including Facebook. "There is no place for racism in the world and there is no place for racism on social media," James Quincey, the company chairman and CEO said, reported BBC News. Quincey, however, clarified the company was not stopping the ads due to the campaign but to reassess its ad policies to see if the revision was needed. The decision by Coca-Cola comes days after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced some policy changes ahead of the 2020 elections in the United States. Also read: Facebook, Twitter shares plunge after Unilever decides to pull down ads Zuckerberg said: "Specifically, we're expanding our ads policy to prohibit claims that people from a specific race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity or immigration status are a threat to the physical safety, health or survival of others. We're also expanding our policies to better protect immigrants, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from ads suggesting these groups are inferior or expressing contempt, dismissal or disgust directed at them." Despite these efforts by Facebook to contain hate speech on its platforms, several organisers of #StophareforProfit campaign have termed them "smaller changes", which they claim would not make much difference. Meanwhile, shares of Facebook tanked 8.3 per cent on Friday, evaporating $56bn from the company's market value and about $7.2 bn off of Zuckerberg's personal net worth, Bloomberg reported. Before Coca-Cola, clothes manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co also decided to stop ads on Facebook and accused the giant of not doing "enough". Its CMO Jen Say was quoted by BBC News as saying that while the company appreciates that Facebook announced some steps in this direction today, it's simply not enough. European consumer-product maker Unilever has also decided to halt US advertising on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram through at least the end of the year. The company said it took the move to protest the amount of hate speech online. Unilever said the polarized atmosphere in the United States ahead of November's presidential election placed responsibility on brands to act, Associated Press reported. Those behind the #StopHateforProfit campaign say Facebook has apologised in the past too, promised to concrete steps but nothing happened except "meagre" steps. They have urged Zuckerberg to set up permanent civil rights infrastructure in the company, which includes making public "identity-based hate" and removing certain groups that spread hate on social media. The Coca-Cola Company is a total beverage company, offering over 500 brands in more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to the company's Coca-Cola brand, its portfolio includes AdeS, Ayataka, Costa, Dasani, Del Valle, Fanta, Georgia, among others. Also read: How to lock your Facebook profile? All you need to know Big Brother Australia lovebirds Chad Hurst and Sophie Budack have announced their surprise engagement. International model Chad, 27, proposed to former gymnast Sophie, 25, after striking up a romance on the reality TV reboot. On Sunday's episode, the couple spoke about taking the next steps in their relationship - leaving their housemates shocked. Scroll down for video Wedding bells! Big Brother Australia lovebirds Sophie Budack (pictured) and Chad Hurst (right) announced their SHOCK engagement on Sunday's episode after the proposal happened in the house Sophie casually let slip of their engagement while the cast made their beds at Big Brother's request. 'Chad last night, I dont know if you recall this Chad, he asked for my hand in marriage,' Sophie said with a smile and a slight giggle. Marriage celebrant Shane Vincent reacted in shock: 'Say what? This 17-day romance is peaking!' Chad laughed off the comments, as Sophie joked: 'Youre all invited to the wedding!' TV romance: They have previously been filmed cuddling and kissing on the show, and last week Sophie was busted falling out of her bed topless 'He asked for my hand in marriage... you're all invited to the wedding': Sophie casually joked about the pair's engagement plans as the cast made their beds at Big Brother's request Attraction has bloomed between the pair ever since they entered the house at the same time as latecomers on episode two. They have previously been filmed cuddling and kissing on the show, and last week Sophie was busted falling out of her bed topless. According to housemate Angela Clancy, there were strict rules banning after-dark activities in the shared bedrooms. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 38-year-old mother-of-two explained: 'Once the lights went out, everyone had to be in their own bed for the whole night.' Separation makes the heart grow fonder? Chad (pictured) is at his Bondi apartment while Sophie has been unable to visit him, stuck in Darwin, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions However, it appears Chad and Sophie's relationship outside of the house may have already fizzled. A source recently revealed to Daily Mail Australia that the reality TV lovebirds have not seen each other since filming the show in April, and are living in separate states amid the coronavirus pandemic. Chad is hunkering down in his Bondi apartment while Sophie has been unable to visit him, stuck in Darwin due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, a friend of the couple insisted they were still an item and said: 'Sophie misses him, and they speak everyday.' Big Brother Australia continued on Monday from 7:30pm on Seven 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 17:11:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WUHAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Tourism is steadily rebounding in central China's Hubei Province, which was once hit hard by the outbreak of COVID-19. The province received more than 6.78 million tourists during the recent Dragon Boat Festival holiday, said local authorities. Tourism revenue generated during the three-day holiday that ended Saturday totaled 2.69 billion yuan (about 380 million U.S. dollars), according to the Hubei provincial bureau of culture and tourism. Both figures mark a sharp drop from those for the same holiday last year, but they indicate that tourism is steadily rebounding in the once hard-hit province as the epidemic has eased. As of Saturday, a total of 330 tourist attractions in Hubei had reopened, accounting for 85.3 percent of the total, the bureau said. To prevent crowding, tourists were required to book tickets online, and the number of visitors was kept below 30 percent of the maximum capacity of each scenic area. More than 620 travel agencies, 320 star-rated hotels, 101 cultural centers, 102 libraries and 114 museums in the province had resumed services. No newly confirmed, asymptomatic or suspected cases of COVID-19 were reported in Hubei Saturday, the provincial health commission said Sunday. Hubei had reported a total of 68,135 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 63,623 cases had been discharged from hospitals after recovery by the end of Saturday. The disease has claimed 4,512 lives in the province. Enditem India to finalise private partner for ECT By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s): The commencement of the controversial East Container Terminal (ECT) is being pushed forward even as India is currently picking a private partner to run the operations. It is learnt that India is engaged in identifying a private partner as per the terms of the agreement in the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) entered into in 2018 to manage the operations of the terminal. In this respect if they are to finalise the private partner as identified they need to obtain the concurrence of the Sri Lankan authorities as well, informed sources said. The terminal has been unused for a number of years and a subject of much controversy as port unions oppose its involvement with any outside partner. In addition as a partner of the Colombo South Harbour project, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) entered into an agreement with authorities to ensure that the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) run the terminal but the subsequent establishment of the West Container Terminal (WCT) will be a public private partnership. The ECT is vital to the SLPA and Port of Colombo due to its 18 metre draft that would enable ultra large vessels to berth and allow the port to generate higher revenues without sharing profits with other partners. However, in 2018 authorities engaged India and Japan to form a consortium to run the operations of the ECT with a 49 per cent minority stake in the terminal leaving 51 per cent for the SLPA. Industry officials say that India coming into the venture is plausible as at least 70 per cent of the transhipment volumes that come to the Colombo Port is for India. Sri Lanka is said to stand to gain from installing cranes purchased with a loan obtained from Japan for a period of 40 years at 0.1 per cent. The said cranes never arrived but authorities are now mulling installing three cranes purchased for the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) at the ECT. These cranes arrived on June 20 and this is now opposed by the port unions that carried out a protest on Thursday at noon blocking the roads during that time. SLPA Chairman Gen. Daya Ratnayaka said that the cranes ordered for JCT 5 had arrived and that for the last two to three months they were trying to find a solution to this issue. Now we have already analysed it and taken into consideration and the best thing will be done, he said adding that they were also reconsidering the arrangement entered into with India and Japan as well. India has continuously insisted that among other projects assisted by the subcontinent the ECT needs to be considered a priority. This was conveyed during a meeting with President Gotabaya Rajapakse and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi last year and then again during their recent discussions held over the telephone on May 23. 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 (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The Covid-19 pandemic is intensifying the most destructive trends in global trade. Support for free trade has given way to talk of decoupling and de-globalization. Tensions between the U.S. and China are rising, as are calls for protectionism and re-shoring of far-flung supply chains. It is no longer seen as desirable, or even possible, to integrate countries that possess different economic systems or ideologies. Reversing these trends will require dramatic action. One decision could make a real difference for China to join the grand Pacific trade agreement the U.S. led and then abandoned. Eighteen months ago, the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership heir to the more concisely named TPP came into effect. Billed as a next-generation trade agreement for its high-standards and focus on emerging sectors, the pact covers 11 nations, nearly 500 million people and more than $13 trillion of GDP. The agreement is notable for accommodating very different economies and political systems. Its members include industrialized Western democracies such as Canada and Australia, emerging markets in Latin America and Asia, and the socialist state of Vietnam. At a time of unprecedented challenges to global trade, the CPTPPs deep, interlocking commitments offer a way to boost growth and reduce uncertainty. Several countries have shown interest in joining. Thailand has set up a committee to decide whether to seek membership. The U.K. is soon to launch bilateral trade negotiations with Japan, which Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government sees as a stepping stone to joining CPTPP. At the end of May, even Chinese Premier Li Keqiang suggested that China might join the CPTPP. The idea is gaining traction in Chinese policymaking circles. There are two obvious stumbling blocks to Chinese membership. First, Chinas economic system doesnt yet meet the standards for membership. Rules on subsidies for state-owned enterprises and restrictions on cross-border data transfers, for instance, still need to be upgraded. Story continues Yet, domestic reforms and the phase one trade deal with the U.S. are beginning to close this gap. Over the past three years, efforts to improve the environment for foreign investment have accelerated. These include a new Foreign Investment Law, market opening in financial services and manufacturing, and stronger intellectual-property protections. More such reforms can be expected. The Chinese government recently pledged to shrink the negative list of sectors closed off to foreign investment even further and to dismantle informal barriers to such investment. On June 2, a new plan was published to build Asias largest free-trade port on the island of Hainan, which will serve as a testbed for deeper liberalization. This follows the release of a sweeping new economic blueprint for broad pro-market measures and reform of state-owned enterprises. Of course, these words need to be translated into action. But the other CPTPP nations can obviously judge Chinas record before allowing it to join. More problematic may be the pacts origins. At least some of its American authors clearly saw the agreement as a means of binding the U.S. closer to Pacific economies and weaning them away from China. With the U.S. pullout, however, such considerations have been muted. Most current members appear open to the idea of including China. Beijings warming ties with Tokyo are also a promising sign, as Japan is a driving force in CPTPP as well as a close ally of the U.S. American officials might still oppose Chinese membership, of course. But they should consider this: CPTPP rules would incentivize China to make many of the structural reforms that U.S. officials have been demanding, such as subjecting state-owned companies to market discipline and improving intellectual-property protections. Accession would boost economic reformers within China, who can argue that the changes demanded by the pact align with national development objectives from innovation and efficiency to environmental protection. Having China in CPTPP would benefit members and the wider global economy. It would add the huge consumer market that was lost when the U.S. pulled out. With China, CPTPP would cover over 28% of global GDP. That would more than quadruple worldwide gains from CPTPP to $632 billion, according to projections by the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Chinese membership would also bring more of the regional economy under a formalized set of rules driven by multilateral consensus, supporting growth and stability. For China, the benefits should be equally obvious. Accession would give Chinese companies greater access to a vast, dynamic market. In particular, CPTPP would help Chinese technology firms go global, given its emphasis on services and e-commerce. Joining would also bolster Chinas role at the heart of Asia at a time when the regions economic landscape is shifting. Supply chains are being restructured as companies and governments seek to diversify production. This process will unfold more favorably for China if it is part of CPTPP, since moving components between China and other member states will become cheaper and more stable. Membership would give Beijing greater say in shaping future trade rules and show the nations commitment to free trade and integration. In the long-term, an enlarged CPTPP could provide a blueprint for reforming the World Trade Organization and getting the global free-trade agenda back on track. Democratic nominee Joe Biden is open to rejoining the pact, so there is even a chance that China and the U.S. could one day come under CPTPPs common umbrella. And, regardless of what the next U.S. administration decides, Chinese membership could help reduce frictions by aligning China closer with progressive global trade norms. In the wake of Covid-19, we face the worst global recession of our lifetimes. Free trade can aid the post-pandemic recovery. If there were ever a time to consider an idea as improbable as China joining CPTPP, this is it. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Wang Huiyao is founder and president of the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing and vice-chairman of the China Association for International Economic Cooperation. 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. Chinese military power and strategic attention is overwhelmingly directed towards the Pacific Ocean. Which is why Beijings military planners are presently dividing their attention between troop face-offs in Ladakh and three US carrier groups in the Pacific Ocean. The last time there were so many US super-carriers in the Pacific was three years ago because of North Korea. The US Indo-Pacific Command last month added that all its forward-deployed submarines were at sea. The US naval deployment, while not originally motivated by events along the Sino-Indian border, has inevitably become part of Chinas larger strategic calculus. Explains Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra, who just completed a term as the maritime expert on the National Security Advisory Board, the movement of naval forces escalates things. Whenever you move them into an area of confrontation it serves to send a message. The Chinese will worry about what the carriers can do, not what they necessarily will do. Chopra says, It has to be taken into account. Thats the main point of a carrier, it injects a degree of uncertainty. While one carrier is off the US Pacific coast and another is near the Philippines, the USS Theodore Roosevelt has moved southwards to Vietnam. This location, says Mohan Malik, professor of strategic studies at the Pentagons Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, means that in the event of a war, this carrier group would probably move to the Malacca Straits and the Bay of Bengal. The USS Roosevelt is a super-carrier, three times the size of an Indian or Chinese carrier, and its battle group would include accompanying cruisers, destroyer squadrons and submarines. The US could deter the outbreak of a two-front war involving China and Pakistan on one side and India on other by dispatching an aircraft carrier battle group to the Indian Ocean, says Malik, if events were to spiral out of control. The unusual carrier deployment is a remarkable consequence of the Covid-19 epidemic. In March, viral outbreaks infected three US carrier crews. At one point , only one functional US carrier was left in both the Indian and Pacific Oceans. China began increasing naval and air force incursions into Taiwans airspace and tightening its grip on Hong Kong. The official WeChat account of Eastern Theatre Command of the Peoples Liberation Army posted articles in mid-April calling for China to prepare for war. A Chinese scholar on the US, Wang Jisi, warned in a webinar the same month that hawks in China saw opportunities in the US preoccupation in the election year and over the pandemic. Concerned China might consider an attack on Taiwan, Washington ordered all three of its active super-carriers, now virus free, and at least eight nuclear submarines into the Pacific. Beijing warned Washington to stop moving chess pieces around the region and flexing its military muscles around China. This underlines the degree to which the US deploys its military with an almost single-minded determination to contain China. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Thursday explained that US troops withdrawing from Europe were being moved to tackle the threat China posed to countries like India. His is the latest in a series of senior US official statements derived from the 2018 National Defence Strategys broad recommendation that US military power be directed primarily at China. US officials have privately told their Indian counterparts that one reason for their desire to leave Afghanistan was to divert the $ 50 billion-a-year the US spends there to take on China. US Pentagon chief Mark Esper in February spoke of converting the 2018 strategy into a new war plan that would be completed this summer. The plan would integrate the assets of the four US military services in the Indo-Pacific. As Esper explained to Defence News, A drone sees an enemy target, relays it to an airplane, an F-35, which relays it to a Navy ship, which either shoots it or relays it back to a Marine Corps long-range precision fire thats island-based. Esper called this a big pivot point for us, possibly recalling the original and militarily feeble pivot to Asia of the Obama administration. The US militarys biggest concern is its missile gap against China. The US was banned from testing or deploying intermediate-range missiles (500 to 5,500km range) globally because of a Soviet-era arms control treaty. Exploiting this lacuna, China has deployed over 2,000 long-range missiles along its shore. The US has war gamed that, if forced to fight close to the Chinese shore, its military would be defeated. The Trump administration pulled out of the missile treaty last year and begun the rapid deployment of similar missiles along the Pacific. But Beijing knows it is secure against even a limited military engagement near the mainland for the next few years. It is likely this has emboldened China and contributes to the recent aggression it has shown to a variety of countries, the most recent being India. In the Cold War between China and America, India has emerged as a front line state. Chinas military pressure all along the disputed boundary is clearly aimed at the Finlandization of India. Beijing wants to deny India a peaceful environment essential to realizing its economic developmental goals that would narrow the power gap with China, says Malik. BEIRUT (AP) Lebanons foreign minister summoned the U.S. ambassador to Beirut over comments she made recently in which she criticized the militant Hezbollah group, state-run National News Agency reported Sunday. In Hezbollah's stronghold south of Beirut, some 500 protesters marched on foot and motorcycles through the streets chanting: Oh America, you are the Great Satan. The agency gave no further details other than saying that the meeting between Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti and Ambassador Dorothy Shea is scheduled for Monday afternoon. Local media said the minister will tell the ambassador that, according to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, an ambassador has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of another country and should not incite the Lebanese people against one another. On Saturday, a Lebanese judge banned local and foreign media outlets in the country from interviewing the U.S. ambassador for a year, saying that her criticism of Hezbollah was seditious and a threat to social peace. The judges ruling came a day after Shea told Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath that Washington has great concerns over Hezbollahs role in the government. The move was harshly criticized by many in Lebanon, which enjoys one of the more freer media landscapes in the Arab world. Others, however, criticized Shea for comments deemed an interference in Lebanons internal affairs. Since the ban by the judge was imposed Saturday, several local TV stations aired fresh comments from Shea in which she described the judges decision as unfortunate. She added that a senior Lebanese government official, whom she did not name, apologized to her. I was contacted yesterday afternoon by a very high-ranking and a well-placed official in the Lebanese government and this official expressed apologies, conveyed that this ruling did not have proper standing, Shea told the local MTV station on Sunday. Shea added that the official told her that the government will take the necessary step to reverse it. Story continues The court decision reflected the rising tension between the U.S. and Hezbollah. It also revealed a widening rift among groups in Lebanon, which is facing the worst economic crisis in its modern history. Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah on Sunday called Sheas comments a flagrant aggression on the sovereignty of our country and its national dignity. He called on the foreign ministry to force the ambassador to respect international law. Lebanon is gripped by a deepening financial crisis, and talks with the International Monetary Fund for assistance has been complicated by political infighting. The local currency has lost more than 80% of its value in recent months. Shea said Lebanon is reeling from years of corruption of successive governments and accused Hezbollah of siphoning off government funds for its own purposes and of obstructing needed economic reforms. In southern Beirut, some protesters blamed American sanctions on Hezbollah and neighboring Syria for the crash of the currency, which is throwing more Lebanese into poverty. No matter how hungry we are, and how much in need we are, at least we have dignity," said protester Ahmad Jawad referring to Hezbollah's defiance of the U.S. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shiite group, and its allies are dominant in parliament and back the current government. It is designated by Washington as a terrorist group and the U.S. has continued to expand sanctions against it. However, Washington is one of the largest donors to the Lebanese army, making for one of the more complicated diplomatic balancing acts in the region. The United Arab Emirates will not receive passengers coming from Pakistan as of June 29 until a special COVID-19 lab is set up to test them, the civil aviation authority said on Sunday. The decision also applies to transit flights originating from Pakistan, where the number of cases is rising rapidly, the General Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement carried on state media. Dubai state carrier Emirates had already said it was suspending flights from Pakistan effective June 24. Search Keywords: Short link: First Nations worry they'll lose out on cash to clean up old oil and gas wells in Western Canada As Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan dole out $1.5 billion in federal funding to reclaim inactive oil and gas wells, Indigenous leaders are concerned none of the cash will be spent cleaning up their land. The federal government announced the program as part of its aid package to the oilpatch, designed to stimulate work for the oilfield service sector while reducing the environmental risk from aging infrastructure. The three provincial governments have already started dispersing the money, but so far none of it has been directed toward remediating wells on First Nations land, said Stephen Buffalo, president of the Indian Resource Council, which represents more than 100 First Nations with oil and gas reserves. "We have been here before where we were told that things will be taken care of. Right now, we're in working committees [with government officials]. Meanwhile, these funds are being flowed out," Buffalo said. "I don't think some of our members are satisfied with how the process is going." Meghan Grant/CBC The federal money was divided between B.C. ($120 million), Alberta ($1 billion) and Saskatchewan ($400 million). Another $200 million from Ottawa to Alberta's Orphan Well Association is to be repaid. As of June 19, the Alberta government had approved $40 million to more than 102 companies. The government spending is proving popular with industry. For example, the first phase of Alberta's program gives companies up to $30,000 to clean up wells. Within the first month of the program's launch on May 1, about 3,000 companies had already applied to remediate close to 37,000 wells. The IRC is asking that each province allocate 10 per cent of the federal money it receives to First Nations, which would represent about $150 million. So far, only British Columbia has signalled a willingness to set aside funding specifically for First Nations. "The second increment of $50 million may include a specific allocation for Indigenous contractors," said a letter from the province to the IRC earlier this month. Story continues Kyle Bakx/CBC In an emailed statement, Saskatchewan government spokesperson Ashley Schoff said Indigenous businesses, communities and peoples will benefit appropriately from all phases of the well cleanup program. The government is working on its engagement process and intends to reach out to Indigenous groups in the "coming days and weeks," she said. Is there a specific allocation? The Alberta government also did not commit to a specific allocation, but spokesperson Kavi Bal said in an emailed statement that "the necessary supports are in place to build broad Indigenous community participation." WATCH | Stephen Buffalo on the opportunity to clean up inactive wells: Buffalo said discussions are taking place with all three provinces. But he said what First Nations really need is a firm commitment. "I'm just hoping that we don't fall through the cracks," he said. "Not everyone feels confident with the process that we're going through right now." Buffalo said the primary concern is to clean up the wells to ensure there aren't any leaks that could contaminate First Nations land. The spending could also provide jobs in communities and activity for Indigenous-owned oilfield service companies. There are at least 900 wells on First Nations land that would qualify for the federal funding, said Chief Roy Fox of the Blood Tribe in southwest Alberta. In a letter to federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller this month, he said that he is afraid little if any of the money will go toward cleaning up wells on Indigenous territory. Indian Oil and Gas Canada, the federal agency that manages resource development on First Nations lands, is encouraging the three provinces to ensure that some of the money from Ottawa is allocated to Indigenous groups. "This will boost employment opportunities for community members and promote their general well-being, specially in such unprecedented times," Strater Crowfoot, the agency's CEO, wrote in separate letters to the three provincial governments. A man from Metz has been arrested after being stopped on the A6 with around 600,000 of cocaine in his car. Belgian police had alerted the Luxembourgish authorities that a driver had fled after a traffic stop in Belgium. The car, registered to the Netherlands, took flight in the direction of Luxembourg at more than 200km/h on Friday night. As he fled, the driver tried to push a chasing police car off the road. After being alerted, Luxembourg police put in a place measures to stop the car in its tracks. The driver was forced to brake after an intervention by police in Capellen. He lost control of the vehicle and crashed by the Steinfort exit on the A6. He was not wounded and was immediately intercepted by Luxembourg police. With the help of a police dog, 7,647.83 grammes of cocaine were discovered in the car, with a street value of around 596,000 euros. The individual was arrested and his car seized. Lew Seok-choon, a sociology professor of Yonsei University. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye Lew Seok-choon, a sociology professor of Yonsei University in Seoul, is facing mounting criticism for repeating his controversial arguments that Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery were "kind of prostitutes," in his contribution to Japan's conservative magazine, Hanada. Last September the renowned right-wing scholar called Korean sexual slavery victims "prostitutes" during a school lecture, denying that the Japanese military forced them to work in brothels during World War II. The university's disciplinary committee gave him a one-month suspension for making the remarks. Televangelist Kenneth Copeland says his faith is protecting him from 'creep' coronavirus Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Televangelist Kenneth Copeland said Tuesday that his faith in God is shielding him from the new coronavirus, which he dismissed as a creep and the flu. He also urged born-again Christians to put their angel to work by activating their faith against the disease. Im talking now to Holy Spirit born-again, Holy Spirit baptized, Holy Spirit speaking in other tongues, healing, believing Christians that dont watch anything but COVID-19 on the television. Your faith is idle and dumb, Copeland said in a clip from his ministrys Victory Update. He warned that repeatedly watching news reports about the pandemic instead of feeding their minds with faith-building content is leading them to make covenants with wrong spirits like fear, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from the devil and little work for their guardian angel. Your angel has nothing to do because all youre listening to is the news broadcast, and youre exalting this creep that you have authority over, he said. Oh yes but brother Copeland what happens if I get it? Well, get healed, dear God! he declared. Copeland insisted that Christians who opened the door to fear from the coronavirus will most likely get infected but argued that if they stand in faith against it they wont get sick. And youll get it, yeah youll get it. Youll draw it into your home. The devil will see to it that youll get in contact with someone that has it. But when you stand in faith and say, No, I dont mind telling you, I will never have COVID-19. I will never have any other kind of sickness and disease because thank God forevermore, He bore my sins in His own body on the tree and He said be dead to sin and live under righteousness by whose stripes I was healed glory to God. Im not healed now, I was healed then. And grace is given into me now. Im not the sick trying to get healed. Im the healed and the devil is trying to give me the flu! Well, I dont take it, he said lifting his arm to his face like a shield. He also declared that with his faith as his shield, he will not get sick from the coronavirus. I have my shield up, thank you very much. Glory to God! You couldnt give me that flu even if you tried. Copeland, who leads Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Newark, Texas, has been speaking out against coronavirus since the pandemic began. In April, he called forth a supernatural heatwave to kill the virus in New York City, which was being ravaged at the time. As conditions improve in New York City and across New York State, the virus is now exploding across Texas as well as multiple southern and western states. In an interview with KBTX Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott said that Texas reached an all-time high of more than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases and urged residents to stay home whenever possible. The governor also raised concern that too many Texans arent taking the virus seriously. The first obligation that we have is to make sure people around the state really comprehend the magnitude of the challenge were dealing with, Abbott said. There remain a lot of people in the state of Texas who think that the spread of COVID-19 is really not a challenge. At my back I can hear View(s): If I have changed a word or two from Andrew Marvells classic poem To His Coy Mistress with its metaphysical conceits, it is for good reason. Yes I could hear Times winged chariot hurrying near as I lay in a hospital bed earlier this month contemplating the tragic and continued happenings nearby as thousands of innocent people died as the government tried to halt a pandemic that it was not prepared to deal with initially and is now struggling to overcome. Even worse are the repulsive and dangerous developments going on around the world as politicians old and new and others greedy for power readily use this worldwide phenomenon to further their personal and political interests and subjugate their peoples. As I spent those days in hospital talking to patients and medical professionals and hearing stories of distress from many parts of the world they came from it was not hard to guess what was in store for many, as societies were being forcibly changed and some being reduced to servility. Time-honoured institutions that free people so admired seem, I fear, being gradually turned into instruments of subservience. Riding on the back of the coronovirus a new world was being created in the name of a new-fangled ultra nationalism that is sweeping across the globe, from the Pacific to Europe to the United States. And as elections approach these forces become increasingly dangerous as they try to force their majoritarianism on pluralistic societies. Just across from Sri Lanka, Indias long standing democracy is being put to the test. At various times under the Modi government, Indias democracy has been shaken to the roots as racial and religious triumphalism has threatened to end the countrys years of democratic traditions. But Indias waning democracy, brittle in some states where laws are used to crush dissent, hardly supersedes the deplorable conduct of China readying to impose new laws in the next few days to suppress the Special Administrative Regions independent judicial system and control Hong Kongs Court of Final Appeal. The idea is to crush dissent and the freedoms that were promised to the Hong Kong people. Even while Chinas authoritarian regime was battling on the one hand the coronavirus which first erupted inside its own territory leading to widespread speculation that it was the result of experiments gone wrong, Beijing did not halt its planned crack down on Hong Kong and its justice system. It was a despicable betrayal of the promises it held out to the Hong Kong people and the world in the international treaty that came to be called the Sino-British Joint Declaration that served as a legal marker of how Hong Kong was to function as an intrinsic part of the one country two systems formula that Deng Xiaoping had enunciated as a solution for the next 50 years. Not only have President Xi Jinping and his communist cabal betrayed Deng Xiaoping who changed the face of Chinas economic thinking, modernising it to suit global trends, they are now returning to hardline repressive politics. It is not just China that is throttling freedoms and engaging in abrasive politics. Today Poland goes to the polls led by a party that is appropriately abbreviated as PiS and hypocritically named Law and Justice. Polands president Andrezej Duda is a another rightwing dictator that President Trump to whom sanity appears a pariah word and continues to sow reckless chaos within his administration and in the country, holds to his bosom. Is it any wonder then, lying in my hospital bed I could hear, as Andrew Marvell did in a different context, Times winged chariot hurrying near. Time, alas, is running out as power-grabbers around the world manipulate to sink their hands into what is not theirs and destroy institutions that have over decades and even centuries provided stability and rights and freedoms to people. I scoured news from several parts of the world for some signs of a return to sanity and a world untrammeled by political pestilence and peoples with a pathetic trust in a brace of amateur Machiavellis beginning to jump over the parapet in the name of reforming their nations. In that hospital bed, too, heard the sounds of the winged chariot coming closer for, in the words of the poet Robert Frost, I too had promises to keep but seemed to have forgotten or casually pass. If I look for a starting point then perhaps the most relevant would be at the turn of this century when I hosted a lunch for departing High Commissioner Mangala Moonesinghe and his wife Gnana who were returning to New Delhi for a second posting there. I knew him from the time he entered parliament in 1965 as MP for Bulathsinhala. It was perhaps inevitable that our conversation with Mangala and my other guests turned to politics and society from the early years in Ceylon to current times. As we talked and laughed and joked, Mangala struck a chord that I could not forget. Yet I have been too lazy or indisciplined to put it into writing. Mangala said that some of the anecdotes I mentioned were hardly known and in some instance known only to me and the other person. He urged me to write a book and include in it some of the episodes I mentioned then as otherwise they would never be known and would disappear with me. I said I would. When I met him again in New Delhi which I visited at the invitation of the Indian Foreign Ministry while I was with the Hong Kong Standard, he asked me how far I had proceeded with my book. I had to shame-facedly admit that I had not got down to it. But then Mangala is not the only one who I seem to have let down. Some of my university colleagues, close friends of mine, have been pressing me, almost each time we met in Colombo or elsewhere. Sarath Amunugama, a year senior, but from that time developed a close friendship, is one. Another is Dr Nihal Jayawickrama, my batchmate and colleague at Marcus Fernando Hall and now internationally-known jurist and legal academic who I also met in Hong Kong where he taught law. A third is legal luminary Faisz Musthapha, a former high commissioner to London, who was also a university colleague and with whom I met each time I was in Colombo except last February. They are among several who come to mind as I rolled over in my mind those unforgettable decades in journalism and life in Colombo and elsewhere. As they persist in saying not to let those memories die and those anecdotes vanish with the mists of time, like the JVPs attempt to kill me in August 1989 and the LTTE targeting me here in London, I suppose they must be told. Perhaps I should resurrect some of the political stories originating from associations with our prime ministers and ministers and later, presidents, some of our well known diplomats and memorable civil servants and administrators and my years as a diplomat and present them through this column the Editor of this newspaper willing. (Neville de Silva is a veteran Sri Lankan journalist who was Assistant Editor, Diplomatic Editor and Political Columnist of the Hong Kong Standard before moving to London where he worked for Gemini News Service. He was later Sri Lankas Deputy Chief of Mission in Bangkok and Deputy High Commissioner in London before returning to journalism) Snail mail has taken on fresh resonance in this period of isolation, grief and unrest. Sympathy cards are selling out as the coronaviruss toll continues to rise. Constituents are mailing in primary election ballots and addressing handwritten notes to local officials with compliments and complaints. (In some cities, they may also be sending letters to the police.) Many more are writing postcards to friends and loved ones, and calling for the U.S. Postal Service to be saved from its dire financial straits. Priti Patel dampened hopes of Britons desperate to jet off on holiday as soon as possible today, warning that quarantine-free 'air bridges' will not be up and running 'overnight'. The Home Secretary spoke out after travel companies reported their biggest Saturday sales ever as bargain hunters rushed to book before a 'traffic light system' is introduced this week. The plan to allow Brits go on holiday to the safest destinations without having to quarantine for 14 days is expected to come into force on July 6. The Foreign Office will also lift its advice against 'all but essential travel' to low or medium-risk destinations, making it possible to obtain travel insurance. But Speaking to Sky News' Ridge on Sunday today, Ms Patel said that there may be some heavy negotiations ahead before some countries allow UK residents to travel. She said: 'There will be an announcement in the next few days ahead, the review point is tomorrow, which is what the Government has outlined. 'You will have to, along with members of the public, listen to the advice, see what the government is saying in terms of the countries that we are going to be opening up with, who we are working with, the countries that my colleague the Transport Secretary (Grant Shapps) is in dialogue with right now. 'But of course these measures won't come in overnight, they will take time, because some of this will be down to negotiation, discussions with certain countries.' The Home Secretary (right) spoke out after travel companies reported their biggest Saturday sales ever as bargain hunters rushed to book before a 'traffic light system' is introduced this week (left) Travel companies have reported their biggest Saturday sales ever as bargain hunters rushed to book before a 'traffic light system' is unveiled on Wednesday (pictured: beaches are jam-packed on the beach of Calella in Barcelona on June 20) Countries across the world are highlighted in green, amber or red based on the infection levels, the reliability of official data and confidence in test and trace system It came as Sir Mark Walport, the former government chief scientific adviser, said the UK needs to maintain 'constant vigilance' as it eases out of lockdown. How will flights look different? Socially-distanced queues at check-in and security. Passengers must wear masks throughout the flight, including children. There will be temperature checks on arrival. Passengers will fill out contact tracing forms and give their holiday address and home address. Advertisement Speaking to Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, he said the Government faced a 'fine balancing act' between managing the virus outbreak and the health harms caused by a damaged economy. He said people needed to be 'sensible and responsible', and to try and reduce social contact as much as possible. Citing coronavirus case numbers, he said: 'The virus is out there, it is very widely distributed and we have to have constant vigilance.' Asked whether a second spike of the coronavirus outbreak was inevitable, Sir Mark added: 'When outbreaks occur they typically occur in clusters and we're seeing certain work environments, for example, food processing factories, as being fairly common places for those clusters to rise. 'The common denominator is really being indoors, being crowded, being there for prolonged periods of time, noisy environments where people are coughing and shouting, and so there's more droplet transmission. 'It comes back to local control being really important to identify those clusters when they happen and clamp down on them quickly. 'We need to do everything we possibly can to avoid a widespread second wave. 'The evidence that the virus does transmit better in cold workplaces again suggests that winter might be quite a risky time again.' Asked if the virus could come back in winter when the NHS is under more pressure, Sir Mark said: 'That is obviously a significant risk.' He said that the virus probably lasts longer in the air and on surfaces in cold and wet environments. The partial dismantling of Priti Patel's quarantine scheme means UK holidaymakers will be able to return home without having to self-isolate for 14 days. The Foreign Office will also lift its advice against 'all but essential travel' to low or medium-risk destinations, making it possible to obtain travel insurance. The Eurotunnel website crashed early yesterday with online bookings not working properly as 'too many customers are trying to make a booking', according to the company. Spain-holiday.com, the third biggest holiday rental site in Spain, said it had a record-breaking Saturday morning while TUI, Britain's leading tour operator, reported a rise of 50 per cent in bookings compared to last week. Tour operators were yesterday offering record discounts of up to 70 per cent for trips to France, Spain, Italy and Greece. The changes will also let foreign tourists visit the UK, giving a boost to the beleaguered hospitality sector. Head of International Brands at Spain-holiday.com Peter Jarvis said: 'We're already seeing a huge increase in online interest in our holiday homes from the UK market, with pool properties being the most popular (up 104 per cent). 'Vigilance is absolutely still needed but with sensible precautions on either end we are confident we will see a safe summer in the sun for Brits again this year.' Under the traffic light system, drawn up by the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England and set to be in place by July 6, countries will be rated green, amber or red based on coronavirus infection levels, the reliability of official data and confidence in test and trace systems. The automatic 14-day quarantine requirement will remain only for 'red-rated' countries such as the US and Brazil. Travel between 'green' and 'amber' countries will be quarantine-free, but passengers will have to fill in a 'locator form' to trace their movements. 'Green' countries are expected to include Austria, Croatia, Greece and Germany while 'Amber' countries include France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain. It is hoped an agreement will be reached with Australia and New Zealand in the coming weeks to add them to the list of 'green' countries. Portugal, Sweden and Turkey set to miss out on Britain's air bridge list Portugal, Sweden and Turkey are all set to miss out on Britain's air bridge list, which is set to be unveiled tomorrow. Boris Johnson is due to give the green light to foreign holidays from Monday, as he unveils a list of 50 countries Britons can travel to and from without needing to quarantine for 14 days upon returning. But Portugal, Sweden and Turkey are all set to be excluded because of their levels of coronavirus infections. However, Portuguese officials are insisting that its outbreak is 'clearly controlled' and saying there is no scientific or empirical justification to keep them off the list. British holidaymakers account for 20 per cent of Portugal's income from tourism. A lockdown has been reimposed in 19 Greater Lisbon parishes with an 8pm curfew for all businesses apart from supermarkets, restaurants and service stations in the rest of the city. Around 70 per cent of Portugal's daily 300 cases are being reported in the capital. However, Professor Henrique Barros, president of Portugal's National Health Council, said the outbreak was 'clearly controlled' and that the UK's status was 'worse'. He said: 'The places where tourists tend to walk are the safest in the country. Tourists are not taking the overcrowded metro or train at 6am in the morning to go to work. 'I mean the risk is almost negligible.' Sweden, meanwhile, was identified last week as suffering a coronavirus resurgende. However, Anders Tegnell, a state epidemiologist, said the rise was due to more testing. He added: 'The number of admissions to intensive care is at a very low level and even deaths are starting to go down.' Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus cases in Turkey jas doubled in a month after the country started easing lockdown restrictions in late May. Professor Guner Sonmez, of Uskudar university, said he feared the government was losing control. Advertisement Up, up and away! Country by country, your guide to the destinations and the sunshine deals By Tom Chesshyre With much of Europe set to reopen for the summer holidays, here's our guide to the leading 'air bridge' contenders and the getaway deals that are ALL between 30 per cent and 70 per cent cheaper than usual: France says 'Oui' President Emmanuel Macron had refused to lift France's quarantine on British visitors unless we did the same for French citizens coming here. Now an 'air bridge' is set to be formed, opening up our second most popular holiday destination. Expect strict social distancing in restaurants, bars, markets and stores, where shopkeepers reserve the right to demand customers wear face masks. Gatherings of more than ten people in public are banned. Nightclubs are closed. Holidaymakers are able to book holidays again as ministers agreed last night to open air corridors with dozens of countries, including Spain, who have put plans in place for the tourist season (above) Bag a bargain: A fortnight at a cottage for four in Brittany from 1,200 in August including Portsmouth-St Malo ferry crossing with car (brittany-ferries.co.uk); A fortnight at a four-star beachfront hotel in Cannes with flights and transfers departing from Gatwick in August from 1,400pp (easyjet.com); A week at a villa sleeping six on the Aigues Mortes Marina in Languedoc Roussillon from 950, excluding flights (holidayfrancedirect.co.uk). What will hotels look like? Guests will wear masks at reception and other indoor communal areas. Receptionists will be behind a Perspex screen, similar to those in supermarkets. Some will test temperatures on arrival. Different groups should not get in the same lift. At breakfast, guests will be asked to wear a mask and sanitise their hands at the entrance. Many resorts are handing out disposable plastic gloves. Some hotels are scrapping breakfast buffets, with staff bringing food to your table. The hotels which still serve buffets are adopting a one-way system and a limit on the number of people at food counters. Tables will be 1.5 metres apart and guests will be encouraged to eat outside, if possible. Advertisement British annual visitors: 10.3million Smiling in Spain After holding back over Britain's indifferent Covid record, Spain reopened its borders to UK visitors on June 21. A royal decree to wear face masks has been issued for hotels, restaurants, museums, attractions and shops when social distancing of 1.5 metres is impossible; see spain.info. Bag a bargain: A fortnight at the Jardin del Sol Apartments on Gran Canaria from 640pp departing from Gatwick on August 8 (tui.co.uk); A fortnight for a family of four from 2,436 at Cristina Villas in Cala Millor on Majorca departing from Manchester on August 16 (jet2holidays.com); A fortnight for a family of four from 2,156 at Villa La Canada, a self-catering property with a pool near Frigiliana in Andalucia with Gatwick flights on August 29 (jamesvillas.co.uk). British visitors: 18.1million Gunning for Greece With fewer than 4,000 coronavirus cases, Greece has avoided the worst of the pandemic. Since early May it has been relaxing its lockdown rules with shops, archaeological sites, restaurants, cafes, bars, leisure parks, and spas opening. From July 1, cultural events will be allowed. Ferries have been running for more than a month. Face masks must be worn on public transport, in taxis and in some shops. Bag a bargain: A seven-night all-inclusive stay at Crete Maris Beach Resort from 3,332 for a family of four with Gatwick flights on August 7 (bestattravel.co.uk); A fortnight-long three-star, self-catering break in Aghios Georgios in Corfu from 438pp with Luton flights on August 1 (travelsupermarket.com); A fortnight at upmarket Villa Penelope I, sleeping four, with a pool, from 4,691 on August 16 (oliverstravels.com); Easyjet flights for family of four from 828 (easyjet.com). British visitors: 3.4million Tour operators were yesterday offering record discounts of up to 70 per cent for trips to France, Spain, Italy and Greece. Pictured, a passenger arriving on the first flight from Stansted on 21 June Italy is ready Hotels, bars, restaurants, museums, campsites and, even mountain huts have reopened. Face masks must be worn in indoor public places, and in outdoor places where one-metre social distancing is impossible. What will be the scenes on the beaches? Masks will not be compulsory on the beach. At popular resorts, a traffic light system will let people know how busy the beach is. When it hits red, no more will be allowed on the sand. In Benidorm, below, visitors will have to book a 13ft x 13ft taped-off area on the beach using an app. Areas will be colour-coded: blue for general use and red for the over-70s Big signs have been put up with advice on how to stay Covid-free. Tourists will be asked to keep a three-metre space between umbrellas and a 1.5 metre gap between towels. Sunbeds will be spaced two metres apart and fixed down in some resorts. They will be disinfected before reuse. Mattresses will have plastic covers to help keep them sanitised. Some beaches are banning team games such as football and volleyball. Inflatables are also banned. Children can bring buckets and spades, but they cannot be shared with other children At busy resorts, tourists will be asked to wear masks on promenades and will have to follow a blue-arrowed one-way system. Advertisement In Lombardy it is still mandatory to wear masks outdoors. Social distancing on beaches is 1.5 metres. Temperature checks may be requested. Bag a bargain: A fortnight at the four-star Grand Hotel Francia e Quirinale in Tuscany from 952pp B&B on August 22 with Heathrow flights (citalia.com); A week at TUI BLUE Astro Azzurro in Piano di Sorrento from 1,076pp all-inclusive on August 24 (tui.co.uk); A fortnight at Villa Le Vignacce in Volterra, Tuscany, sleeping four, from 3,476 for a family of four including Gatwick flights on August 28 (jamesvillas.co.uk). British visitors: 5.1million Portugal at risk The possibility of an air bridge to Portugal is still in doubt after its infection rate rose, with an announcement expected next week. But authorities there have introduced a 'Clean and Safe' standard requiring hotels and B&Bs to maintain stringent hygiene standards. In public areas, social distance of two metres is required and face masks are mandatory on transport and in busy shops. Golf courses, zoos, oceanariums, restaurants and cafes have reopened. Some extra restrictions have also been put in place in Lisbon. Bag a bargain: A fortnight at the Monica Isabel Beach Club in Albufeira, the Algarve, from 1,333pp with Stansted flights on August 14 (onthebeach.co.uk); A fortnight at the Jupiter Algarve Hotel in Praia da Rocha from 1,267 B&B on August 7 from Manchester (firstchoice.co.uk); A week at the upmarket Pine Cliffs Resort in the Algarve from 3,439 B&B for a family of four with Stansted flights and transfers (destinology.co.uk). British visitors: 3.3million Cyprus on the map It will have taken a while for Britain to get the tourist thumbs up from Cyprus 22 countries in the EU were ahead of us. But it will be worth the wait, especially as visitors have reassuringly been promised free medical attention in the (highly unlikely) event of coming down with Covid. Intensive care units have been set aside and the cost of lodging, food, drink and medication will be covered for those affected and their families. Social distancing is required in hotels, restaurants and bars. All travellers returning to the UK will have to provide contact details in case an outbreak is traced to their flight and they have to self-isolate. Failure to comply could result in a 1,000 fine (above, German tourists arriving in Spain on June 15) Bag a bargain: A week at the five-star Azia Resort & Spa in Paphos from 697pp B&B with Stansted flights on August 26 (loveholidays.com); A fortnight at the Avanti Holiday Village near Paphos from 3,476 self-catering for a family of four departing Glasgow on August 1 (jet2holidays.com); A fortnight at the Village and Coastal Villas in the Troodos mountains from 1,143pp self-catering with Manchester flights on August 1 (sunvil.co.uk). British visitors: 1.3million Croatia wants us The chief of the Croatian National Tourist Office in London says government officials are 'actively lobbying Britain we really value British guests'. Britons can already visit Croatia, but visitors are required to fill out an online form at entercroatia.mup.hr. They must also provide proof of accommodation has been booked on arrival. Restaurants, hotels, cafes and beaches have been open since May. Bag a bargain: A fortnight at Hotel Lapad in Dubrovnik from 1,084pp B&B departing Stansted on July 26 (jet2holidays.com); A fortnight at Villa Ruzica in Trogir from 643pp departing from Stansted on July 26 (onthebeach.co.uk); A fortnight at Villa Konalic on the Dubrovnik Riviera from 2,001 for a family of four departing on August 20 from Manchester (supertravelmarket.com). British visitors: 898,000 Marvellous Malta Malta has established an accommodation hygiene standard, with regular audits. Social distancing is required at hotels, restaurants, bars and on beaches. Pool capacity is capped at 50 per cent. Face masks are required in confined spaces. Bag a bargain: A fortnight at the ST Bluebay Apartments on the Sliema/Gzira promenade from 471pp including Stansted flights and transfers on August 1 (maltadirect.com); A fortnight at the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Valetta from 909pp from Gatwick on August 1 (ba.com); A fortnight at the Ramla Bay Resort with Stansted flights on August 4 from 3,207 for four (onthebeach.co.uk). British visitors: 640,000 Customers wear face masks as they wait to have breakfast inside the Nuria restaurant in Barcelona, northeastern Spain earlier this month Will Turkey take part? Despite talks between national officials there is a belief that Turkey will not be in the first wave of air bridges. Nevertheless, preparations have been made, including temperature checks on arrival. And how about restaurants and bars? Masks will have to be worn as you enter and hand sanitiser must be applied. Masks can come off at the table but worn to walk to the toilet In some restaurants, diners are handed plastic barcodes which you scan on your phone to access the menu. Some are placing tables 1.5 metres from each other, although others don't bother. All waiters, waitresses and chefs will wear masks Bars are encouraging drinkers to be served at their tables. Those who do approach the bar must wear masks. Masks must also be worn in supermarkets, shops and cafes. Advertisement Bag a bargain: A fortnight at Club Candan in Marmaris from 1,051pp self-catering with Gatwick flights on August 7 (firstchoice.co.uk); A fortnight at the Dalyan Resort in Dalaman from 2,608 B&B for a family of four departing from Gatwick on August 1 (ba.com); A fortnight at Villa Ebru in Kalkan from 3,655, for six, in August; flights excluded (oliverstravels.com). British visitors: 2.5million Belgian cheer A key country for Eurostar services, with Brussels a major hub and many tourists travelling on to enjoy the delightful cities of Bruges and Ghent. Hotels, restaurants and bars have reopened with social distancing. It is recommended to book tables at restaurants. Wearing face masks is mandatory on public transport. Bag a bargain: A return journey by train to Brussels from St Pancras with a week at the Aparthotel Adagio Brussels Grand Palace from 504 for two departing August 9 (eurostar.com); A week at the four-star Augustin hotel in Brussels with flights from Glasgow on August 16 from 490pp (lastminute.com); A week's stay at the Theatre Hotel Brussels from 325pp including Heathrow flights on August 23 (ba.com). British visitors: 1.8million Dutch courage Amsterdam is back, one of Britain's most popular short break destinations. Groups of as many as 30 people are allowed to gather in public places but a strict 1.5 metre social-distancing rule remains. Hotels, cafes and restaurants are open. Until September 1, cannabis cafes may only provide a takeaway service. Nightclubs are also closed until then. Bag a bargain: A return by train to Amsterdam from St Pancras with five nights at the Urban Lodge Hotel from 331pp on August 20 (eurostar.com); A week at Hotel de Hallen in Amsterdam from 402pp including Glasgow flights on August 16 (lastminute.com); Five nights at the WestCord Fashion Hotel Amsterdam from 277pp from Luton on August 6 (easyjet.com). British visitors: 3.5million Speaking of numbers, Bob C. from Iowa wrote in April to say that I was misinterpreting what he a Trump voter and others were saying about the [corona]virus. Were not actually saying itself is a hoax. We are saying the press and the Dems are working together (to take) advantage of the virus and make it worse. It should really be termed a scam. Well, Bob, I like your sense of humor; Dems working together now thats funny. What isnt funny, though, is the number of COVID-19 dead in the U.S., now about 120,000 and climbing. As such, if COVID is a scam, its the deadliest scam either you, me or the nation has ever witnessed. Another emailer, Marvin H., had a different take on an April column that examined COVID-19s impact on rural America. Its not the disease thats killing people, Marvin suggested; instead, Fear is killing people. Fear? Well, How many alcohol and smoking deaths are there per year? 10 million worldwide, he claimed. And with social distancing people are sitting at home in fear, drinking and smoking to calm their nerves. OK, Marvin, you got me on that one. Riyadh (AFP) - Vacant religious sites. Abandoned pilgrim tents. Lifeless hotels. A stunning emptiness -- and fears of economic ruin -- haunt the usually bustling city of Mecca after Saudi authorities curtailed the hajj pilgrimage over coronavirus. Islam's holiest city usually hosts millions of pilgrims for the annual rite, but the kingdom has barred overseas visitors from this year's event, scheduled for late July. The hajj and the lesser umrah pilgrimage together rake in some $12 billion, keeping the economy humming in Mecca, home to two million people and marble-bedecked skyscrapers towering over Islam's most sacred sites. A construction boom in recent years has added shopping malls, apartments and luxury hotels, some offering spectacular views of the sacred Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure in the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray. But most premises have lain empty since the pandemic reached the kingdom. The virus, which hit Mecca hard, has also battered pilgrimage-reliant businesses that support hundreds of thousands of jobs, from travel agents to street barbers and souvenir shops. Many have reported sweeping layoffs, pay cuts or delayed salaries. "Zero sales, zero income," said Ahmed Attia, a 39-year-old Egyptian who works for a travel agency in the city. "We're not used to seeing Mecca empty. It feels like a dead city. It's devastating for Mecca." - 'Photo-op' - A tsunami of cancellations has also battered overseas hajj operators who organise travel logistics for pilgrims, many of whom invest their life savings in the five-day ritual. Saudi authorities had already in March suspended the umrah pilgrimage, which can be performed at any time. Then, in a hugely sensitive but long-awaited decision, they said they would only allow around 1,000 pilgrims already present in the kingdom to perform the hajj. That is a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million pilgrims who attended last year. Story continues "It will be a symbolic event, a photo-op that allows the kingdom to say 'we didn't cancel the hajj as many expected'," said a South Asian official in contact with hajj authorities. Saudi Arabia has stressed that the watered-down hajj will be open to people of various nationalities. But the selection process for the few spots is expected to be hotly contested, as some Mecca residents expect to be given priority over outsiders. "I have gone to hajj before and hopefully this year, with God's will, I will be among the first pilgrims," said Marwan Abdulrahman, a Saudi living in Mecca. Many feared the pilgrimage, which packs colossal crowds into small religious sites, could have been a massive source of contagion. The novel coronavirus has hit the kingdom with the highest number of cases in the Gulf -- more than 178,000 confirmed infections including 1,511 deaths. But scaling the pilgrimage back will deepen the kingdom's economic slump, analysts say. The move follows a sharp downturn in oil prices and coronavirus-led losses, which triggered austerity measures including the tripling of a value added tax and cuts to civil servants' allowances. The hajj decision "does compound Saudi Arabia's economic difficulties", Richard Robinson, a Middle East analyst at Oxford Analytica, told AFP. On Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund warned the kingdom's GDP will shrink by 6.8 percent this year -- its worst performance since the 1980s oil glut. - Salary delays - The Saudi Binladen construction group, a bellwether known for vast mega-projects, has missed salary payments for thousands of workers in recent months, according to a source close to the company and employees complaining on social media. The Arabic hashtag "Delays in Binladen salaries" has gained traction as the slowdown impacts the firm behind a series of critical projects, including a $15 billion skyscraper hotel complex that towers over Mecca's Grand Mosque. The company is seeking to charter a number of private jets to send many of its laid-off South Asian labourers home, according to the source. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The downturn has also disrupted Riyadh's ambitious plans to build a tourism industry from scratch, a cornerstone of the Vision 2030 reform programme to reduce the kingdom's reliance on oil. "The government has singled out tourism as a key area for growth under its diversification strategy, and the loss of hajj revenues could set the sector back through lost investment or bankruptcies," said Robinson. The kingdom began offering tourist visas for the first time last September in moves to open up one of the last frontiers of global tourism. "While Saudis are looking to diversify tourism revenues beyond religious tourism, their efforts still build from the hajj," said Kristin Diwan of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. "Not having it at this time of disruption in oil markets is a blow." June 26, 2020 News By JIM GARAMONE , DOD News Defense.gov NATO Chief Talks Nuclear Arms, Burden-sharing, NATO 2030 NATO welcomes nuclear arms talks between the United States and Russia, and strongly supports the idea of China's would-be involvement, as well, Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels this week. The secretary general spoke as part of the Brussels Forum. Arms control treaties are the best way "to reduce the number of nuclear weapons, and that will make us all safer and reduce the risk of any use of nuclear weapons," he said. "I welcome that Russia and the United States are now sitting down and talking to each other on arms control. But having said that, I also strongly support that China should be involved. China is a global power. China has a responsibility to be part of global arms control arrangements." China is modernizing and enlarging its nuclear arsenal and the means of delivery. "We assess that within a decade, China will have doubled the number of nuclear warheads," Stoltenberg said. "That matters for all of us." China is becoming a more important military power with long-range power projection capabilities. The effect of these moves is felt worldwide. Chinese participation in arms control negotiations would help head off an arms race, Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg was asked about the solidarity of the alliance, especially in light of President Donald J. Trump's insistence that allies reach the 2% of gross domestic product invested in defense. At the same time, Trump is committed to the alliance, Stoltenberg said. "He has also now publicly, several times, recognized that European allies and Canada are investing more," the secretary general said. Eight of the 30 nations in the alliance spend 2% of GDP on defense, but all have increased spending. Since the summit in 2016, European allies have invested $130 billion more than originally planned. "That helps and it strengthens the solidarity within the alliance," he said. It remains to be seen what effect the coronavirus pandemic will have on the economies of all nations in the alliance, he said. Russian presence in Libya concerns the secretary general, and NATO allies have also expressed their concern for the development. "There are differences between NATO allies on the situation in Libya, at the same time, all NATO allies agree that we are concerned about the increased Russian presence in Libya," he said. "This is part of a pattern with more Russian presence in the eastern Mediterranean. We see them in Syria. We see them elsewhere." Russia has deployed fighter jets and other military capabilities including Russian mercenaries to the country. "All allies are concerned about the increased Russian presence," he said. "We also agree that we need to monitor and follow this very closely and share intelligence and information on the increased Russian presence." Stoltenberg discussed his NATO 2030 initiative at the forum saying the reason the alliance has preserved peace is because of its ability to change. "Now we have to change again," he said. "It's about keeping NATO strong militarily, it's about strengthening NATO politically and it's about developing a more global approach to NATO." Part of that will entail the alliance cooperating more fully with the European Union. It also requires a keen eye on China and an awareness of actions in the Mediterranean and into continental Africa. "One of the purposes of NATO 2030, is to make sure that we adapt, that we change, as we see the world is changing," he said. "This is partly about Russia." But it is also about China, and the effect of new technologies like artificial intelligence, big data, hypersonics and more. "We don't regard China as an adversary," he said. "We don't see any threat against any NATO ally. But just the fact that we have such a growing power, which is actually coming closer to us in the Arctic, in Africa, in cyberspace, investing in our infrastructure here in Europe and with weapons systems that can reach all NATO allies, of course matters. That's the reason why this is part of NATO 2030." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A nurse rests in a makeshift ward at an emergency Covid-19 care centre in New Delhi, India - T. Narayan/Bloomberg It had taken a long time for Pramila Minz, 28, to persuade her mother to relocate from her remote village deep in Odishas tribal belt to New Delhi. After her mother, Gurubari Minz, 55, began showing coronavirus symptoms and had a suspected stroke, Ms Minz was secure in the belief her mother would receive the best possible healthcare now she lived in the capital. She took Mrs Minz to Safdarjung Hospital late on the evening of June 10. To her horror, after conducting a CT scan and X-ray, a doctor refused to admit her because of a shortage of staff and beds. Mrs Minz was rejected by five other major hospitals in New Delhi during a frantic 24-hour search. Her condition was worsening by the minute. She was experiencing increasing breathing difficulties and drifting in and out of consciousness. Despite these grave symptoms, her daughter still could not get her mother admitted, despite explaining to doctors that she had suffered a stroke 18 months previously and therefore had comorbidities, making her extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. Social media is full of similar stories, helping to build a picture of a healthcare system in crisis as India battles the fourth-highest number of cases globally. The extreme challenges faced by hospitals have been exacerbated by the number of doctors and nurses contracting coronavirus themselves. Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, says: Everyone is focused on beds and ventilators but I am more concerned about the shortage of medical personnel. Qualified doctors and nurses are working flat out and are exhausted. They then face additional stigma in their communities. A vendor sells tomatoes at Azadpur wholesale vegetable market after the government eased a nationwide lockdown - XAVIER GALIANA / AFP Unless there is a national effort to organise and leverage all available medical expertise in the country, it is going to be a long Covid season in India. Pre-coronavirus, Indian public hospitals were already severely understaffed, with a nationwide shortage of 600,000 doctors and two million nurses. This scarcity is compounded by the high proportion of quack doctors among the 1.2 million registered - over half of doctors have no medical qualifications, according to the World Health Organisation. Story continues For years, the Indian government failed to allocate more funding to train medical professionals to fill the staffing gap or provide existing healthcare professionals with the knowledge to provide advanced care. Healthcare workers have been referred to as corona warriors, says Dr Saurabh Sacchar at Safdarjung Hospital. It can take 10 years and discipline to reach that stage - to develop a person who can work well independently in an intensive care unit, can work in a team, and decide whats best for the patient." Indias public healthcare system is one of the most underfunded and outdated in the world, with less than 12 spent per person annually. Poor working conditions and a failure to increase wages have also prompted 100,000 doctors to emigrate to countries such as the UK and Australia. Ms Minz saw for herself the shoddy conditions in many hospitals when she took her ailing mother around New Delhi, trying desperately to get her a bed. At one, there were not enough staff to lift her mother onto a stretcher and she had to do it herself. A volunteer walks past disposable beds made out of cardboard at the campus of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a spiritual organization, where a coronavirus care centre has been constructed in New Delhi - REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui Ms Minz is haunted by guilt for persuading her mother to move to the capital. At one hospital, the doctors made me run around the wards, she said. Eventually, Mrs Minz was admitted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital after Ms Minz's local MP intervened following a plea on social media. This week, India registered 500,000 coronavirus cases but its peak is not predicted until November, with the virus set to spread rapidly in the country's densely-populated cities. New Delhi has the largest number of infections out of any city in India at 73,780 but the city's Deputy Chief Minister has predicted that by the end of July, it will see 550,000 infections and require 80,000 more hospital beds. Our current healthcare workforce is under a lot of pressure at this moment not only due to the duration of the epidemic until now but also to cope with the spurt in cases. We wonder how the government will manage to get enough healthcare workers to support the expansion of hospitalisation facilities, said Malini Aisola, co-convenor of the All India Drug Action Network. The shortage of healthcare professionals is being exacerbated by the failure of the Indian Government to provide adequate personal protective equipment, with doctors contracting coronavirus from the patients they are treating. Healthcare professionals in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata told the Daily Telegraph that while supplies had increased since the lifting of a nationwide lockdown on June 1, there were still shortages and they were often having to re-use torn PPE. We understand these are difficult times, and it would be extremely wrong to think of our selfish interest now, said a nurse at one Delhi hospital, on condition of anonymity. We are not asking for money or anything like that. After all that we try to do, we just want to be treated like humans. Another nurse in New Delhi said over 300 members of staff in his hospital had tested positive for Covid-19, and blamed a lack of protection. The shortage of staff is there at every level, from doctors and nurses to housekeeping, he said, also on condition of anonymity. This is the main issue we are facing now." A government doctor in a hospital in the city of Surat told the Telegraph that shortages meant each employee was having to care for 30 coronavirus patients. A health worker in personal protective equipment collects a sample using a swab from a person at a local health centre - REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Private hospitals are not faring well either, with three facilities in Mumbai closing after a large number of staff tested positive for coronavirus. Healthcare professionals are facing increasing stigma and pressure from their families to stop coming to work. Most of the staff left the hospital when it was converted to treat Covid-19 patients, because their families said they shouldnt be around the sick, said Dr Solanki, owner of the Dharamveer Solanki Multispeciality Hospital in New Delhi, which specifically treats coronavirus patients. We have had to hire new nursing, laundry and security staff four or five times over the last 20 days, because everyone is so scared, they refuse to come. Dr Solanki fears he will have to shut his hospital down and that many others will follow suit over the next few months, due to staff shortages. Reports of patients such as Mrs Minz being refused admission by hospitals prompted the Indian government to step in and take control away from the government of Delhi. It first proposed the institutional quarantining of every positive case but this was overturned after the authorities in Delhi said they had nowhere near enough healthcare staff to cope with the sudden influx. To cope with the predicted 80,000 extra beds it will need by July 31, the Delhi government is converting 500 train carriages and setting-up a 10,000-bed Covid-19 care facility in an ashram in the centre of the city. Eyebrows were raised when it announced 25 luxury hotels would house patients, with unqualified staff expected to deliver medicines instead of room service. Relatives of a coronavirus victim wear protective gear at the funeral - REUTERS/Adnan Abidi The upcoming couple of months will be mayhem, predicts public health expert, Dr Yogesh Jain. The German Embassy in New Delhi warned its citizens this week that they face "little or no chance" of any hospital admission. The onset of Indias annual monsoon, and with it a surge in diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, will see a further spike in patients needing hospitalisation. There is, however, good news for Mrs Minz, who has been moved from an ICU to a general ward after 17 days. Ms Minz hasnt received a phone call from anyone caring for her mother since her admission and has instead been receiving updates from a sympathetic ambulance driver she befriended at the hospital. She has been told that while her mother is showing signs of recovery, her prolonged battle against coronavirus is a result of her delayed admission. I will do all that it takes to have her back. Will you please pray for us? she asked. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security 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. Cranes for ECT: India insists on strict adherence to tripartite agreement By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): The Sri Lanka Ports Authoritys plans to install three cranes at the unused East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port were scuppered by India and Japan, reminding the Government that any development there must be within the terms of a tripartite agreement signed last year. Now, amidst trade union protests, the SLPA has expedited talks with India to finalise a joint venture for the ECT so that the terminal can finally be engaged. This is despite the Government preferring to run the facilitythe deepest in the Colombo portthrough the SLPA. Sri Lanka, India, and Japan in May 2019 entered into a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) to jointly develop the ECT. It was agreed that the SLPA would retain full ownership of the terminal while holding a majority 51 percent stake in the joint venture company. It was decided to buy and install six ship cranes and 18 electric rubber-tired gantry cranes for operations. However, the SLPA is now saddled with three cranes, all much smaller than what the ECT deep water facility needs. They were ordered by the last administration at US$ 25mn (Rs 4.6bn) for a separate terminal that it then failed to build. The equipment recently arrived and is idling on a barge because the SLPA has been forestalled from installing it on ECT. It is the only place where these cranes could be of some use as Colombo Port has now reached full capacity. Port unions are demanding that the SLPA must not sell national assets to foreigners. They want the cranes installeddespite not being of the required specifications for such a deep water facilityand the ECT run under the SLPA. However, the MoC entails international obligations that India, in particular, is keen to enforce. Development of Colombo Port has significance for promoting commerce in our region, an Indian High Commission spokesperson said. Around 60 percent of transhipment from Colombo Port is linked with India Therefore, its development in tripartiteSri Lanka, India and Japanwould be a win-win situation. Indias Adani Shipping has approached John Keells Holdings (JKH) to be its joint partner in the company that is expected to be set up to manage ECT, authoritative sources said, adding that this was part of a Government-to-Government formula that has well-established precedents. JKH has indicated willingness. The process, however, is at an early stage and industry sources question why the opportunity was not being opened out to other Sri Lankan companies through an open tender, as due process required. To be operational, the ECT needs significant additional investment, including at least 12 cranes the size of those at the Chinese-run Colombo International Container Terminals (Ltd). While it currently has a pier of 440m of quay length, an additional 880m of berth is required. Around 50 hectares of land must be filled to create a yard. Multiple other equipment must come on along with rubber tired gantry cranes, trucks, administration buildings and repair facilities. The facilitys total project cost is around US$ 650mn of which just around US$ 80mn has been deployed. The cranes that are now on the barge are suitable to handle ships of three generations ago, an industry source said. They do not merit sitting on ECT. The new cranes have their origin in a 2017 Cabinet paper put up by then Ports Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. The proposal, however, was to induct a new, fifth terminal at Jaya Container Terminal (JCT 5) and to bring three cranes for use therein. While JCT 4 can currently handle just one 330m vessel, an extension would have enabled it to accommodate two of the same size. In October 2018, after following procurement guidelines, a Cabinet-appointed negotiating committee approved both the construction and purchase of cranes. Contracts were signed with China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC) to extend the pier and with Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Ltd (ZPMC) for the cranes. They are not large cranes, a source close to SLPA said. They work 20 containers on a ship across and are not meant for a deep draft berth like ECT. But a Cabinet reshuffle in December 2018 saw Minister Samarasinghe replaced by Sagala Ratnanayake who, in turn, appointed his brother, Kavan, as SLPA Chairman. They decided to order the cranes without proceeding with the civil works, the source said. This is illegal because Cabinet approved both components. And where do you put the cranes when they come in? This situation, he said, has now come to pass, he pointed out. India now maintains that the SLPA cant start the ECT project without it, he continued. Even doing so with small cranes would be against the spirit of the understanding. And even old rubber-tired gantry cranes that the SLPA decided to transfer from the Unity Container Terminal to ECT are stuck at the Bandaranaike Quay for the same reason. The SLPA wants the problem resolved and the ECT, which could have been commissioned as early as 2015, operational. Timelines have been given to both India and Japan. ECT needs to be put to use, said a senior shipping source. The Colombo Port received a reprieve in the form of COVID-19. We were going to lose volume because we are at about 85 percent capacitywhich is 15 to 20 percent beyond the point at which additional capacity should have been built. 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. In a major setback to the Sirhaul underpass and flyover project, coming up on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to stop work after they failed to get funds from the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and two private stakeholders. The NHAI said that almost 75% of the work has been completed on the Rs 162 crore project but the contractor has been compelled to stop work as they were unable to get funds from GMDA, DLF and Ambience Developers. Going by the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the GMDA has to bear 50% of the cost of the u-turn underpass at the Sirhaul toll plaza while Ambience Developers and DLF were to pay 25% of the cost each. Likewise, the GMDA was supposed to pay 25% of the cost of the Shankar Chowk flyover, while NHAI would bear the rest. Ashok Sharma, project director, NHAI said they have written to the stakeholders time and again since June 2019 asking them to make payments but nothing has happened. We have spent more than our share of the funds but have not received funds from the other stakeholders. Work has been stopped as it violates the MoU. The NHAI cant spend beyond what has been stipulated in the agreement or beyond its mandate, he said. The u-turn underpass, opposite Ambience Mall, will help commuters turn towards Iffco Chowk on the expressway without going all the way to Rajokri in Delhi. The flyover at Shankar Chowk would allow traffic coming from Cyber Hub to take a seamless turn towards Delhi and Udyog Vihar with ease. Both are part of the same project. The halting of work at this stage could also delay the projects and it could miss its deadline of September 4. If funds are paid up in the next week or so, we are confident of completing the underpass and the flyover in time, otherwise it will be delayed, said a representative of the contractor, not authorised to speak to the media. According to details shared by the NHAI, the GMDA has to pay Rs 14.74 crore as its share of the total cost of the flyover. Ambience Developers and DLF, meanwhile, have to pay Rs 25.737 crore each, which is 25% each of the total cost of the project. Till date, the NHAI has spent Rs 70 crore on this project, said Sharma. When asked about the matter, a DLF spokesperson said it was committed to paying its share for the project. We have always supported authorities in completing our commitments. We are committed to paying our share. We have always worked for improvement of the infrastructure in the city and the 16 lanes Raghvendra Marg expressway is a testament to it, he added. A representative of Ambience Developers said that the matter had been delayed due to the pandemic in the last three-four months. The matter is under consideration of the headquarters but due to closure of offices since March, the issue could not be finalised, said Vijay Aima, vice president, Ambience Developers. KC Sharma, General Manager (technical)-cum-project coordinator, GMDA, did not respond despite repeated phone calls and messages. Gurgaon MLA Sudhir Singla, meanwhile, said that this infrastructure project was crucial for the city and he will take up the issue of funds with higher authorities. This matter has come to my notice only now. I will take up this issue with GMDA officials and also the state government in Chandigarh. This project should not get delayed, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After the launch of the drug 'Coronil', the AYUSH ministry asked Patanjali Ayurved to provide details on the research leading up to it and its composition, telling the company to stop advertising it till the issue is examined. The Rajasthan Police on Saturday lodged an FIR against yoga guru Ramdev for launching an Ayurvedic drug that claims to cure COVID-19 without getting the AYUSH ministry's approval, a senior officer said. Four others MD of Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved Acharya Balkrishna; Director of National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMS), Jaipur, BS Tomar; his son Anurag Tomar; and senior scientist Anurag Varshney have also been named in the FIR, he said. Haridwar-based Patanjali Ayurved on Tuesday launched "Coronil", claiming it can cure COVID-19. It said the drug, when taken with another Patanjali product, had cured all coronavirus positive patients who took part in a trial within seven days. The trial, it said, was conducted in association with the NIMS, a Jaipur-based private institute. Hours after the launch of the drug, the AYUSH ministry asked Patanjali Ayurved to provide details on the research leading up to it and its composition, telling the company to stop advertising it till the issue is examined. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashok Gupta said a case has been registered at the Jyoti Nagar Police Station in Jaipur on the basis of a complaint lodged by advocate Balram Jakhad. He said multiple complaints were received against Ramdev at various police stations. The five have been booked under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, according to police. The main accusation is cheating people under the garb of selling COVID-19 medicine, Jakhar told Indian Express. I will also approach the court to demand a CBI inquiry. It is our demand that action be taken against the accused. Jakhar, who identified himself to the newspaper as an independent advocate subscribing to the ideology of the Congress party, cited previous cases registered against Tomar to demand a detailed investigation into the matter. The complainant Jakhad said a press conference was organised in Haridwar wherein Ramdev claimed to have developed medicine to treat coronavirus. The medicine has not been approved by the AYUSH ministry. Stating that FIRs had earlier been registered against Tomar in different matters and he was also in judicial custody, Jakhar further told the newspaper, It should be investigated how Tomar, who runs a hospital not related to Ayurved, launched this alleged COVID-19 medicine with Ramdev. We demand a detailed investigation into roles of every accused in the case. Tomar claimed that Patanjali had permission to conduct Coronil trials on patients, India Today reported. He said, "We had all required permissions for conducting the trial on patients. Prior permission for testing was taken from CTRI, which is a body of ICMR. I have papers to show permission." "Trials were conducted on 100 patients at NIMS, Jaipur and 69 percent of them were cured in three days, while 100 percent were cured in seven days," he further told India Today. He added, "The question of whether Coronil should have been propagated as an immunity booster or cure should be asked from Patanjali. We had informed the Rajasthan health department on 2 June." On Thursday, Patanjali claimed that it has complied with all legalities. The license for the drug was obtained on the basis of the traditional knowledge and experience related to the medicinal virtues of Ashwagandha, Giloy, and Tulsi, Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijarawala said, as per PTI. No illegal claim has been made on the label of the medicine, he further said. With inputs from PTI Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 02:22:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi (C) chairs a meeting with his advisors and several high-ranking government officials in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, on June 27, 2020. Yemen's internationally-recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Saturday urged the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to stop violence and return to implement a power-sharing deal brokered by Saudi Arabia last year. Hadi chaired a meeting with his advisors and several high-ranking government officials including members of the country's parliament to discuss the situation and the latest developments in the war-ravaged Arab country. (Str/Xinhua) ADEN, Yemen, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's internationally-recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Saturday urged the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to stop violence and return to implement a power-sharing deal brokered by Saudi Arabia last year. Hadi chaired a meeting with his advisors and several high-ranking government officials including members of the country's parliament to discuss the situation and the latest developments in the war-ravaged Arab country. During the meeting, organized in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, Hadi called on the Aden-based STC to return to implementing the power-sharing deal as the only solution to stop the bloodshed in the country and unite efforts to fight the Houthi rebels. He said that the "implementation of the Riyadh agreement has long faltered as a result of the continuation of escalatory practices." He also stressed that "resorting to arms and force to achieve personal gains or regional projects will not be acceptable...and Yemen's people will be always present to defend their republican system and protect their national gains." The Yemeni president said Yemen and Saudi Arabia both "face great and common challenges and lots of coordination, patience and hard work is needed to overcome them." In April, the STC leaders announced a plan for implementing a self-ruled administration in the country's southern port city of Aden and other southern provinces. The STC's self-governance declaration escalated the tensions with Yemen's government that mobilized hundreds of troops to Aden, sparking armed confrontations in Abyan. Last year, Saudi Arabia persuaded the STC and Yemen's government to hold reconciliation talks, which succeeded in reaching a deal to form a new technocrat cabinet of no more than 24 ministers. But numerous obstacles prevented the implementation of the deal's provisions, including failure to form a new government or achieving permanent stability in the country's southern part. The main points of the deal also included the return of the exiled Yemeni government to Aden and the unification of all military units under the authority of the country's interior and defense ministries. The Saudi-brokered deal excluded the Iranian-backed Houthis who are still controlling the capital Sanaa and other northern provinces of the war-torn Arab country. The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern areas including Sanaa. Geneva: The UNs rights chief warned Wednesday that Donald Trumps statements pointed to a dangerous figure emerging on the world stage if he won the US presidency. At a press conference in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said he was not keen or intent on interfering in any political campaign. But, he said, in light of the unsettling and disturbing comments from the US presidential candidate it was only right to sound the alarm. If Donald Trump is elected, on the basis of what he has said already, and unless that changes, I think that it is without any doubt that he would be dangerous from an international point of view, Zeid said. He referred to Trumps call to bring back interrogation techniques that legal experts say amount to torture. And, he said, Trumps attacks on vulnerable communities such as Muslims, immigrants and minorities suggest that they may well be deprived of their human rights. Last month, Zeid launched a scathing attack on populists such as Trump and Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, calling for action to halt demagogues and political fantasists. He had also compared Trump to Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Frances leader of the National Front Marine Le Pen, and leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage. Those comments sparked a harsh reaction from Russias ambassador to the UN in New York Vitaly Churkin earlier this week. Churkin complained the rights chief had overstepped his authority and had no business criticising foreign heads of state and government. Churkin denied that he had taken issue with the remarks directed at Trump, but his remarks fuelled renewed speculation that the Kremlin is working to help the Republican candidates campaign. Zeid dug in today. We are not a political office, so we are not going to get into... politics, but where it affects the rights of people and especially vulnerable groups, we will speak, he said, insisting: I see no reason to curb what it is that we are saying. Zeid insisted that his office wholeheartedly supports the freedom of expression. We believe it to be not just a right, but the greatest check against tyranny he said. However, when you fan resentment and seek as a political leader to pin blame on a specific community for deeper problems, real problems, this is highly regrettable, he said. Zeid pointed out that populists often try to (say) that if you criticise a populist leader, you are criticising those who support him or her. And this is false. There are very real fears that are being stoked and exploited, he warned, stressing that it is within the mandate of the office to speak out where we feel that vulnerable groups are being targeted for reasons that are misplaced. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. US, Brazil most 'failed' COVID-19 states Global Times By GT staff reporters Source:Global Times Published: 2020/6/27 22:48:41 To save America, 'at least put a mask on' As global confirmed COVID-19 cases are expected to soon hit 10 million, observers said there is no question that the US and Brazil - which account for nearly 40 percent of the world's total cases - are the most prominent failed states in the fight against the virus, and their incompetence threatens global social and economic recovery. While most countries stumble to switch on the "recover" button, experts told the Global Times that the "irresponsible attitude" of the governments and top officials of the US and Brazil and their anti-science tactics not only drag the two countries into the abyss, but also dampen the future of global social and economic development. Chief epidemiologists and experts also warned that the situation in the US and Brazil could further deteriorate due to mask-less rallies, protests and changing weather conditions, when the two countries have already witnessed record-breaking new increases in confirmed cases, with a daily increase of more than 40,000 in each country. Liang Manchun, an associate research fellow at the Institute for Public Safety Research of Tsinghua University who has been closely following the epidemic, told the Global Times on Saturday the number of worldwide confirmed COVID-19 cases is likely to exceed 10 million on Monday, as the daily average of new confirmed cases stands between 150,000 and 200,000. "It's more likely to continue to rise, and hard to predict when the epidemic would peak," he said. To effectively prevent the virus from spreading, Liang stressed the importance of wearing masks. His research model shows this would prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading more than 10 times. Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows more than 9.8 million infections worldwide as of press time. Worse scenario Data shows that in the past two weeks - from June 13 to June 27 - confirmed cases in the US increased from 2 million to nearly 2.47 million, and the figure in Brazil soared from more than 828,000 to more than 1.27 million. Liang told the Global Times the epidemic in the US is out of control, especially in the states of Florida, California and Texas. A daily increase of 40,000 is not the highest point, and new confirmed infections in the US are expected to further rise, given that many states in the country are experiencing protests, and the presidential campaign has brought together large gatherings, Liang noted. After the death of African-American George Floyd on May 25 due to police brutality, Black Lives Matter protests swept the US, calling for equality and end to racial discrimination. A comparison of China and the US on the timelines of their response to COVID-19 showed that when Wuhan was put under lockdown on January 23, the US had only one confirmed case, and when the lockdown in Wuhan was lifted on April 8, there were 400,000 confirmed cases in the US. It only took about a month for China to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Wuhan. But the coronavirus curve in the US continued to soar over the past three months. As for Brazil, Zeng Guang, the chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times on Saturday that as the country enters the winter season, the colder weather will accelerate the spread of respiratory diseases. Zeng called on Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, not to drag down worldwide efforts in fighting the deadly virus, as many countries are already on track to resume business activity. The epidemic situation in Peru, Mexico and Chile is also rapidly deteriorating, Zeng warned. Observers said one of the key reasons for the failure to curb the virus are politicians in the US and Brazil who ignore scientists. US President Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro downplayed the risks of the virus at the beginning. And when the situation worsened, they began to pin the blame on others, including China and the WHO, instead of focusing on anti-epidemic work, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Saturday. "The leaders of the two countries use 'politics' instead of 'science' to fend off the virus," he said. Another reason is the lack of coordination between the central government and local governments, Li said. Lu Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Saturday that "The performance of the current US government is the worst, not one of the worst." "COVID-19 is unfamiliar to the world, but the US and Brazil refuse to adapt to the unfamiliarity, and even suppress scientific voices, which has eventually led to this disaster," Zeng said. Without a medical background, the two leaders even touted unproven medications and other ways, like injecting people with disinfectant. "Their failure to curb the virus increases the uncertainty in the fight against COVID-19," Zeng said. Slowing global recovery EU countries are very likely to ban travelers from the US when the bloc begins to open to international travelers, CNN reported. That means the bloc recognizes that the US has failed to curb the coronavrius, Li said. He added that it's "right" for the EU to make such a move as it is still struggling with pandemic prevention. Despite the grim situation, the US and Brazil did not slow down their steps to restart their economies. However, their poor performance in virus control has persuaded others to stop visiting and welcoming them, analysts said. While both countries are enthusiastic about restarting their economies without paying attention to virus control, Li said their major projects will have to be suspended amid the pandemic. He said the two countries' situation will also harm global economic integration, and disrupt the world's industrial and supply chains. "The world economy's future will be bleak if the situation continues to deteriorate. Restricting people amid the pandemic impedes the start of the economy. The world will further bear the brunt," Li said. We need to prevent the recurrence of the epidemic and make every effort to strengthen the weak parts in the industrial chain, and maintain security and stability in our neighborhood, Lu said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mali's government is facing a rising wave of protests, a development which is alarming the international community keen to prevent the fragile West African state from sliding into chaos. Following are key questions about how the country arrived at this point. - What's the context? - One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali has been engulfed in conflict since 2012, when ethnic Touareg militias and jihadists launched a rebellion in the country's north. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita -- known by his initials, IBK -- came to power in 2013 to hopes that he would turn the country around. But despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops in poor Sahel nation of some 19 million people, the conflict has only deepened. Jihadist insurgents have swept south into central Mali, as well as into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger -- inflaming ethnic tensions along the way. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed in the conflict to date, and hundreds of thousands have had to flee their homes. Eight years on from the initial rebellion, militant attacks and ethnic killings are routine, and large swathes of the country remain outside of government control. Keita is nonetheless viewed as one of the principal actors in the fight against the Islamist militants. - Why the protests? - Demonstrations in Mali have revived after protests in April 2019 against violence and ethnic massacres forced the resignation of the then prime minister. On June 5, tens of thousands of people hit the streets in the capital Bamako in anger at the continued failures to stem the bloodshed as well as the government's record on the economy and fighting corruption. Galvanised by a new opposition alliance led by a popular religious leader, the protesters have demanded that Keita resign. Commentators say the resentment seems stronger than before and concurrent failures across several areas have created a unity of purpose. "What's new is that people are fed up," said Baba Dakono, a Bamako-based political analyst. Ibrahim Maiga, an analyst for the Institute for Security Studies think tank, said, "You have disgruntled teachers in the streets, all those who have lost a lot in the security crisis, frustrated by bad governance and repeated scandals." - What about elections? - Coronavirus-related restrictions and parliamentary elections have also increased tensions. The government held the parliamentary poll in March, which Keita's party won. Turnout was low -- at about 35 percent -- and the election was marred by jihadist attacks and the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cisse. Then in April, Mali's constitutional court overturned the results for some 30 seats, which triggered protests in several cities. One politician who won a seat because of that decision was Moussa Timbine, a Keita loyalist who has since been elected president of the parliament. The affair tainted the political class in the eyes of many Malians. Baba Dakono, the political analyst, said that Malian politics have a "crisis of legitimacy," where few feel the parliament or the constitutional court represents them. - Who is Keita's challenger? - Brema Ely Dicko, a Bamako-based sociologist, said that Keita has not lived up to the many challenges he faced when coming to office. Now, the president is surrounded by scandal and is widely perceived as having secured positions for political allies ahead of presidential elections in 2023. Adding to the sense of instability, Keita has also run through six prime ministers during his time in office. Mali's political opposition had previously suffered from a lack of talented leaders, according to Maiga. But the new broad-based opposition alliance has now grouped behind the charismatic Islamist hardliner Mahmoud Dicko. An imam, Dicko has channelled various strands of discontent with the government, while hammering home messages about moral values, and what he calls Mali's national 'humiliation'. But experts say his ultimate aim is unclear. Dicko is a former Keita ally himself who helped the president to power in 2013, before turning opponent. Brema Ely Dicko, the sociologist, said he thought Dicko had felt slighted after Keita dropped him as a go-between with jihadist groups. Anger: Protestors in Bamako's Independence Square on June 19 On patrol: A soldier on the perilous highway between Mopti and Djenne in central Mali Muslim protesters pray in Independence Square. The placard reads 'IBK out, long live Dicko,' referring to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Imam Mahmoud Dicko, who has risen to challenge him Under pressure: President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, known by his initials as IBK Protestors have converged around Imam Mahmoud Dicko, a former Keita ally who became a political opponent New Delhi: 1. IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company bags massive Rs 162.58 crore pipeline order from GAIL Indian construction major IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company has won a massive Rs 162.58 crore pipeline order from GAIL in Bihar. The engineering major "has received the Fax of Acceptance (FOA) from GAIL for laying and construction of pipeline along with associated facilities of section II pipeline from Chainage 159.70 km to Receiving Terminal Cum Future IP Station-4 at Dobhi (Chainage 345.08 km.) for Phulpur-Haldia Pipeline Project (Phase 1B) in Bihar", as per a BSE filing. Also Read: IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company bags massive Rs 162.58 crore pipeline order from GAIL 2. Global recall of Note 7 could burn a $17 billion hole in Samsung accounts Samsung decided to recall 2.5 million Note 7s in early September. Earlier, reports claimed the phones are catching fire and it has finally announced the recall. The recall of Samsung's flagship device Galaxy Note 7, would hamper the company's business by a great margin. The loss could be as huge as $17 billion. If Samsung stops selling the Note 7s, that will translate into lost sales of up to 19 million phones that the firm was expected to generate during the Note 7's product cycle, according to analysts. Also Read: Global recall of Note 7 could burn a $17 billion hole in Samsung accounts 3. Ssangyong Motor Co to set up manufaturing plant in China by forming joint venture with China's Shaanxi Automobile Group Mahindra Group's South Korean arm Ssangyong Motor Co will set up a manufacturing plant in the world's largest automobile market, China by forming a joint venture with China's Shaanxi Automobile Group. Ssangyong Motor Co, which was acquired by Mahindra & Mahindra in 2011, has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the China's Shaanxi Automobile Group for a joint venture that will establish local production plant for CBU vehicles as parts of its efforts to grow in China. Also Read: Ssangyong Motor Co to set up manufaturing plant in China by forming joint venture with China's Shaanxi Automobile Group PHIs seek legality View(s): The overworked, underpaid Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) have taken advantage of the limelight they find themselves in since the outbreak of COVID-19 to fight for their rights. Unlike those in many other vocations, they are not asking for pay hikes or objecting to private universities, rather they are lobbying to activate the Government to regularise the onerous assignment entrusted to them to combat the spread of the deadly virus. Without a Parliament to pass laws, they are asking that powers vested in them by an archaic law to prevent infectious diseases be at least gazetted to make them legal. Citizens have every right to question the legal basis on which PHIs are visiting them and making inquiries with powers to impose punishments. There are cases of PHIs being assaulted and they have no recourse to the law if they are not backed by it. At the same time, there are those who masquerade as PHIs and citizens need to be vigilant to ascertain the bona fides of those visiting their homes. It shows that the PHIs themselves feel there is a lacuna in the law as it stands today. With elections round the corner, PHIs have been given added responsibilities. In these cases one can expect political party supporters, given their propensity to indulge in thuggery and violence, especially those inebriated by alcohol and power, to ride roughshod over these PHI officers expected to do their duty by the nation. They have no safeguards against such persons who will have the protection of their political masters. Crisis talks with the minister this week have not proved conclusive and the grievances of these PHIs are still unresolved with the very real possibility of them refusing to take on election work. No doubt the ministry was overwhelmed by work, coordinating the safety of the public, but not ensuring that PHIs were protected by law is a bad miss on its part. The fact that Parliament remains closed to pass enabling laws adds to the situation, but at least gazetting these powers would have covered the PHIs with a cloak of legality in what they have been asked to perform in these trying circumstances. Think thrice before reopening the countrys borders With the Government, like all Governments around the world, under pressure to open up the economy in the midst of a global pandemic, there is no better word of caution than what came from someone no less than the President. He says in a tweet this week that though Sri Lanka has achieved a remarkable victory in combatting COVID-19, and while other countries are suffering from it, the virus has not been liquidated in this country. The fact that the economy had to be loosened from the grip of a lengthy curfew is undisputed. Many countries took the attitude that the closure of the economy had a more debilitating impact on the lives of their people than the virus itself. There was an element of truth in that argument. However, some right-wing leaders, in the United States and Brazil in particular, went to the extent of dismissing COVID-19 as just another flu and pushed for their economies to remain open for business ignoring the advice of medical experts. Now their people are paying the price for this error in judgement with deaths from the virus rising sharply in their respective countries. There has been a spike, as was anticipated these recent weeks in many countries, not just in the West but closer home in India as well. The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned this week of a second wave with countries reopening their economies prematurely. In the UK, the British Medical Journal has issued a warning of a second wave as their PM said he was lifting what he called national hibernation. He had ordered the opening up of the hospitality, culture and tourism sectors on July 4. Several US states are getting slammed by this second wave, so much so that the European Union (EU) is weighing whether to ban American travellers from entering Europe. New Zealand which declared itself COVID-free is now wondering if it had a victory lap too soon. Fresh cases have been reported there imported cases, by allowing, on humanitarian grounds, some foreigners from the UK to visit the country. Sri Lanka is hoping to open its borders for tourists in August, seemingly under pressure from the tourism sector. Many European countries rely heavily on tourism to bolster their economies and they have a race against time as the sun shines only for three months of the year (June, July, August) and once that is over, they have lost it all for 2020. Sri Lanka has no such limitations as the sun shines all year. It should therefore, consider a wait and see policy without rushing to open its borders for the sake of promoting the tourist sector and thereby rejuvenating its economy, however much in shambles it may be. All the positive gains achieved so far in tackling COVID-19 could be dashed as a result. Lessons must be learnt from having delayed closing the countrys borders even when COVID-19 was known to the world in February and March. There were no cases internally until it was imported from abroad. The peak tourist season in Sri Lanka is usually the November-April period when it is winter in the Western Hemisphere and even though nowadays tourists from India and China fill hotel rooms all year round, waiting a little longer to open borders might still be a prudent thing to do. Scientific evidence on asymptomatic transmission is still not conclusive making the test and trace strategy for those carrying the virus all the more difficult. In the meantime, there are thousands of Sri Lankans, especially migrant workers marooned abroad unable to return. The Government has an obligation to bring them back home. There is also an exercise awaiting locally; i.e. the re-opening of schools and universities. Even if a fraction of these persons are COVID-positive theres going to be a massive strain on hospitals and a huge demand on quarantine centres. Tourists are only going to add to the burden unless more hotels are converted into quarantine centres. With a global second wave anticipated, the Government will need to think thrice before re-opening the countrys borders too soon. By Donna Thornton The Gadsden Times Centre police are looking for whoever threw a rock that struck a police officer during a traffic stop Friday, according to Chief Kirk Blankenship. Officers had a vehicle pulled over Friday night on Chesnut Bypass betweeen OK Tire ad Cherokee Electric Co-op, Blankenship said in a Facebook post. While on the traffic stop, an officer was struck when someone threw a rock from a vehicle while yelling obscenities. Thankfully, the officers vest protected him from injury, the chief said. The suspect vehicle is described as a black or dark-colored Dodge pickup truck. Police have not determined the year model of the truck; they are reviewing videos to get more information, Blankenship said. If you have any information on this incident please contact Centre Police Department, Blankenship asked. We will not tolerate our officers being assaulted while on duty. When this person or persons is identified and a full investigation is completed, this person or persons will be prosecuted to the full extent, he said. Thank you to those of the public who continue to always support our officers, Blankenship said. (c)2020 The Gadsden Times, Ala. Visit The Gadsden Times, Ala. at www.gadsdentimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Workers paint a line on the street to adapt the mobility of pedestrians and ensure social distancing in Barcelona, Spain, May 19, 2020. (Barcelona City Hall/Handout via Xinhua) The presence of COVID-19 in Spain's sewage offers a clue on the virus' existence, either in people or animals, before China reported its first COVID-19 patient in December 2019, Chinese experts said, after Spain detected the presence of the novel coronavirus in March last year, and Italy made similar findings. Research led by the University of Barcelona showed the presence of the virus in samples of wastewater in Barcelona in March 2019, and infections were present before knowing of any case of COVID-19 in any part of the world. The University of Barcelona released the findings in "SARS-CoV-2 detected in wastewater in Barcelona on March 12, 2019" on its website on Friday, and the findings were also published in medRxiv. The source of COVID-19 is slowly being unearthed, as the virus may have existed in other countries before the first case was reported by China. These findings may alter the chronology on the evolution of the COVID-19, experts said. The presence of the virus in the sewage offers us a clue about the existence of the virus in Spain, either among people or animals, before China reported its first COVID-19 patient in December 2019, Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital, told the Global Times on Saturday. China reported its first COVID-19 case on December 31, 2019, and Europe reported its first case in France in late January 2020. When the novel coronavirus spread in Spain in March last year, the virus may have been less contagious, which explains why it took such a long time to find a COVID-19 patient in Europe. It then became more infectious as it mutated, Wang said, urging researchers to examine the virus' full genome sequencing to track the virus' origin. The findings confirmed the existence of the virus in human or animal excrements, Yang Zhanqiu, the deputy director of Wuhan University's pathogen biology department, also said. But Yang told the Global Times that the detection of the novel coronavirus in the sewage doesn't mean the virus could spread through water or alter the fact that the virus is spread mainly through droplets. Scientists in Italy had found traces of the virus in sewage collected from Milan and Turin in December 2019, Reuters reported. The report said many nations are sampling wastewater to track the virus, as research in the Netherlands, France, Australia and elsewhere has found signs that the virus that causes the epidemic are found in waste water. Wang is also urging China to conduct wastewater-based epidemiology of the virus in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province to prove that Wuhan was not the origin of the epidemic. The US government is making China the scapegoat for its own failure in combating the epidemic, and is blaming China for spreading the virus, media reported. Detecting the origin of the disease is of great scientific importance, and reflects the consciousness of the scientific community in the face of US attacks on China, Zeng Guang, a chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times on Saturday. The Spanish research quoted Albert Bosch, president of the Spanish Society of Virology, as saying, "Those infected with COVID-19 could have been diagnosed with flu by mistake in primary care." In March, when asked if some people in the US died of coronavirus rather than influenza last year, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Robert Redfield admitted that some cases were wrongly diagnosed. Iran announced new measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus as the country counted 144 new fatalities, its highest death toll for a single day in almost three months Iran said Sunday it will make mask-wearing mandatory in certain areas and has allowed virus-hit provinces to reimpose restrictions, as novel coronavirus deaths mounted in the Middle East's worst-hit country. The new steps were announced as Iran counted 144 new fatalities from the COVID-19 disease, its highest death toll for a single day in almost three months. The Islamic republic has refrained from enforcing full lockdowns to stop the pandemic's spread, and the use of masks and protective equipment has been optional in most areas. President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would have to live with the virus for the "long haul", as he announced the latest measures to combat it. Mask-wearing would be "obligatory in covered spaces where there are gatherings", he said during a televised meeting of the country's anti-virus taskforce. According to him, the measure would come into force as of next week, continue until July 22 and would be extended if necessary. Rouhani said the health ministry had devised "a clear list" of the types of spaces and gatherings deemed high-risk, but he did not elaborate. He also did not say what the penalty would be for those who fail to observe the measure. According to deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi, services would not be provided to those without masks in areas such as government organisations and shopping malls. But implementing the measure may be difficult, as according to Tehran's mayor, many do not wear masks in places like the capital's public transport network, where it is already mandatory. "Fifty percent of metro passengers wear masks... and even fewer in buses," Mayor Pirouz Hanachi was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency. "We can't forcefully confront people without masks," he added. - 'Red' counties - Iran reported its first COVID-19 cases on February 19 and it has since struggled to contain the outbreak. The health ministry on Sunday announced 144 virus deaths in the past 24 hours, its highest for a single day since April 5, raising the total to 10,508. Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari also raised total confirmed infections to 222,669, with 2,489 new cases during the same period. Mask-wearing will be obligatory in covered spaces and gathering places, Iranian authorities announced after a rise in virus cases Official figures have shown an upward trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections. "Considering the rising numbers, I plead with you to definitely use masks outside and in covered places," Lari said. Iran closed schools, cancelled public events and banned movement between its 31 provinces in March, but the government progressively lifted restrictions from April to try to reopen its sanctions-hit economy. The economy is starting to suffer under the pressures of the health crisis. The country's currency, the rial, has hit new lows against the US dollar in recent days, mostly over border closures and a halt in non-oil exports, according to analysts. The increasing virus caseload has seen some previously unscathed provinces classified as "red" -- the highest level on Iran's colour-coded risk scale -- with authorities allowing them to reimpose restrictive measures if required. According to Rouhani, the measure would also be extended to provinces with "red" counties. "Any county that is red, its provincial (virus) committee can propose reimposing limitations for a week", which could be extended if needed, he said. The government launched an "#I wear a mask" campaign on Saturday and pleaded with Iranians to observe guidelines aimed at curbing infections. One Iranian is infected with COVID-19 every 33 seconds and one dies from the disease every 13 minutes, Harirchi said on Saturday. Zanjan county in northwestern Iran has already reimposed restrictive measures for two weeks, its governor said in a televised interview. It followed a "certain indifference from Zanjan residents and as the number of our (virus) deaths picked up again in recent weeks," said Alireza Asgari. The limitations include closing wedding halls and a ban on funeral events held at mosques, as they can lead to large gatherings, he added. Several Vietnamese artists have put pressure on a Chinese illustration artist to remove a marine biodiversity map containing incorrect information on Vietnams sovereignty in the East Vietnam Sea. The map in question was showcased on the Behance account of Chinese illustrator Feifei Ruan. Behance, owned by American software company Adobe, is an online platform for displaying artworks by artists all over the world. Feifeis illustrated map presents drawings of 35 endemic species of marine animals as wellas their distribution and conservation. The map shows half of the animals living in the waters that Vietnam has sovereignty over. An illicit and disgraceful 'nine-dash line' was added to the map to give the wrong impression that all of those marine animals live within Chinese waters. The nine-dash line is an arbitrary demarcation line used on Chinese maps to illustrate Beijings illegal and unilaterally declared claims to vast expanses of the East Vietnam Sea, including large swathes of Vietnams Continental Shelf. The marine biodiversity map in question is a part of the project Haibaotu (Map of Ocean Treasures), which is inspired by Haicuotu, an ancient book of marine life drawn by Chinese artist Nie Huang dating back three centuries. The logo of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is displayed on the controversial map. On World Ocean Day on June 8, the verified Weibo account of the WWF in China also posted the map, calling on users of the Chinese social networking site to protect the environment and reduce plastic waste. After discovering the illustration whose content is in violation of Vietnams maritime sovereignty in the East Vietnam Sea, many Vietnamese artists expressed their disagreement with Feifei on Behance. In a matter of several hours, the Behance account got hundreds of comments asking the Chinese artist to take down the illicit map, with many reporting the post for violation. As of Thursday morning, the map had been removed from the platform, while Feifei had also deleted the map with the 'nine-dash line' from the artists personal site. My friends and I have been asked to take part in some similar projects by European media agencies, Vietnamese illustration artist Pham Quang Phuc told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper: We were told to illustrate the tourist books of three Chinese provinces bordering Vietnam, draw some celebrated landscapes of China, and illustrate Chinese tourist maps, he said, adding that most of the projects were aimed at young audiences. He often rejects such offers as well as advises his friends to do the same despite their very high pay, according to Phuc. I cant make sure what they would do with my drawings after they receive them. I dont know what the publishers and distributors may add to my illustrations to change the original content, he explained. Phuc advised young Vietnamese artists to think twice before signing any contracts with Chinese partners, especially ones concerning maps, tourism, geography, and the like. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-29 04:37:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he was never briefed on intelligence that Russians offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. troops. "Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an 'anonymous source' by the Fake News @nytimes," Trump tweeted Sunday morning. "Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attack on us," he added. Casualty records, however, showed that the year of 2019 was the deadliest year for U.S. service members in Afghanistan since 2014, with 22 American troops killed. Trump's tweets echoed the White House Saturday statement on this matter, in which Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said several senior officials had confirmed that neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence was briefed on the intelligence. McEnany also noted that the statement "does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter." The New York Times reported Friday that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence that Russian intelligence units secretly offered bounties to Taliban-related militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan during U.S.-Taliban peace talks. The story also said the National Security Council discussed this issue at an interagency meeting in late March, while the White House thus far has not taken any actions to respond. Democrats and former officials cited the story as fresh evidence of Trump's disqualification as the president. Former Vice President and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden Saturday criticized Trump's failure to punish Russia as "a betrayal of the most sacred duty." Trump's former National Security Adviser John Bolton Sunday said in an interview with CNN that Trump's morning tweet indicated "his fundamental focus is not the security of our forces ... he's saying well nobody told me therefore you can't blame me." Others doubted the theory that Trump had not been briefed on this matter. "I have trouble believing it, but as someone who got the presidential daily briefing for more than 7 years the idea that a POTUS wouldn't be briefed on a Russian bounty on US troops is even more alarming," tweeted Ben Rhodes, who served as deputy national security advisor in Obama administration. In a Sunday interview with ABC, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also expressed concern that some officials may have avoided bringing the issues to the president. "We'll find out he has briefed and it was in his daily brief, but if it were not, what does that say about the concern that those who briefed the president have about not going anywhere near the Russia issue with this president?" she said. "Something is very wrong here, but this must have an answer," she added. The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, and the death toll of U.S. service members has surpassed 2,400 in this longest war in U.S. history. Trump has long complained about the endlessness of the war and sought a full withdrawal from the Central Asian country. In the agreement signed in late February between the United States and the Taliban, Washington said it would reduce its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 within 135 days. The agreement also called for the full withdrawal of the U.S. military by May 2021 if the Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with terrorist groups. Commander of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie said earlier this month that the U.S. military had reduced its troops level to 8,600 in Afghanistan, fulfilling its first phased pullout obligation under the U.S.-Taliban deal. Enditem House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said that a federal mandate on wearing masks is "long overdue," as state governors call for a consistent national message on the issue amid a surge in coronavirus cases across the nation. Pelosi said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the use of masks to reduce the spread of the virus but never mandated it as to "not offend" President Donald Trump. The president has repeatedly flouted public health guidelines by refusing to wear a mask in public since the start of the outbreak. "The president should be an example. Real men wear masks, be an example to the country, wear a mask," Pelosi said in an interview on ABC's "This Week." "It's not about protecting yourself, it's about protecting others." Mask wearing has become a point of contention across the U.S., despite research showing that face coverings prevent coronavirus transmission. U.S. coronavirus cases surged by more than 45,000 in one day on Friday, a record breaking spike that brought the nation's total to more than 2.5 million cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday deflected a question about a federal mandate requiring Americans to wear masks, and said people should listen to what state and local officials are saying about wearing masks in public. The vice president said in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" that "every state has a unique situation" and "we believe people should wear masks wherever social distancing is not possible." Asked if the president and the vice president should be doing more to set an example on the wearing of masks, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, said Sunday that there should be a "consistent national message" to wear masks. "You can have two messages at the same time. Your message is, let's grow our economy, but let's also have the message of social distancing, protecting ourself and others from the virus," Hutchinson said in an interview on ABC's "This Week." Arkansas, like a dozen other states, has seen a significant increase in new coronavirus cases in recent days, with the seven-day average increasing 36%. Democratic nominee Joe Biden has said that if elected he would require the use of masks in public. The CDC currently recommends that people wear face coverings in public where social distancing is hard to maintain, and some states and local communities require masks. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday criticized the president for his "damaging" tweets and failure to provide a "message of health" to Americans to help control the pandemic. "Instead of tweeting the other day about the importance of masks, he tweeted about the monuments," Inslee said in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Now we need a president who will care more about living Americans and less about dead Confederates. This has an enormous impact." "And if we can get everybody wearing a MAGA hat to wear a mask, we're going to tame this virus, because this masking is very, very effective," Inslee added. The furious activity to topple or remove statues and monuments that protesters find offensive may seem outlandish to North Dakotans. However, we need to pause and realize the reason for the movement and its merits. The Tribune editorial board doesnt approve of mobs taking down statues under the cloak of darkness. We do understand why many of the statues and monuments create so much scorn. It goes beyond statues to include the names of parks, military bases and symbols. Its a situation thats been simmering for a while. North Dakota isnt immune to the demand for change. Earlier this year there was an attempt to rename Custer Park in Bismarck. Two mothers asked the Bismarck Park Board to rename the park because they felt Custer is a reminder of violence and genocide. The board rejected the request but adopted a process for renaming parks and promised to create an educational marker to tell visitors about the parks history, its namesake and area tribes. The Spirit Lake Tribe did succeed in getting Sullys Hill renamed. Sullys Hill is on tribal land and served as a stark reminder of the Battle of White Stone Hill in which many Sioux died. The states congressional delegation supported the change. A longtime favorite of North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt, has been caught up in the firestorm of change. The American Museum of Natural History decided to remove a statue of Roosevelt from its entrance. The statue has Roosevelt on horseback with a Native American man and a Black man on foot next to him. Its considered condescending at best. Roosevelt had a spotty record when it came to the treatment of minorities. Its something organizers of the proposed Roosevelt presidential library in Medora need to keep in mind. They have promised to tell the full story of Roosevelts life and they should, warts and all. The Tribune doesnt see the movement to remove monuments, names and symbols from public view as an attempt to rewrite history. Our history has been the focus of writings since this nation was founded, and new volumes come out daily. Honoring some people with statues or naming military bases after them seems out of place. Naming military bases for Confederates who tried to overthrow this nation in the name of slavery is wrong. Theres a good reason the Pentagon is considering banning Confederate symbols from all branches of the military. There needs to be a process for deciding what goes; it cant be done through the judgment of protesters. Some decisions wont be easy. Theres a push to remove Emancipation memorials in Washington, D.C., and Boston. The memorials have a freed Black man kneeling at the feet of Abraham Lincoln. The memorials were paid for by freed slaves, but they didnt get to decide the memorials design. People today find the memorials offensive. Closer to home, the president of the Oglala Sioux, Julian Bear Runner, wants the presidents on Mount Rushmore removed but not blown up. He doesnt want to harm the environment with a big blast. It may seem like heresy to want Mount Rushmore removed, but the history of the land, monuments and the presidents honored are marred by ownership of slaves, mistreatment of Native Americans and bigotry. While we dont favor removing Mount Rushmore, we understand Bear Runners dissatisfaction. We cant rewrite history by taking down monuments and changing names. We can provide a better perspective of those who preceded us. Some deserve honors and some dont. Deciding who does requires a reasoned approach, not mob action. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Today's Highlights in History: On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending the First World War. On this date: In 1838, Britain's Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey. In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Maj. Gen. George G. Meade the new commander of the Army of the Potomac, following the resignation of Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker. In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were shot to death in Sarajevo by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip an act which sparked World War I. In 1939, Pan American Airways began regular trans-Atlantic air service with a flight that departed New York for Marseilles, France. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act, which required adult foreigners residing in the U.S. to be registered and fingerprinted. In 1964, civil rights activist Malcolm X declared, "We want equality by any means necessary" during the Founding Rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity in New York. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, which moved commemorations for Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day and Veterans Day to Monday, creating three-day holiday weekends beginning in 1971. In 1975, screenwriter, producer and actor Rod Serling, 50, creator of "The Twilight Zone," died in Rochester, New York. In 1978, the Supreme Court ordered the University of California-Davis Medical School to admit Allan Bakke, a white man who argued he'd been a victim of reverse racial discrimination. In 1994, President Bill Clinton became the first chief executive in U.S. history to set up a personal legal defense fund and ask Americans to contribute to it. In 2000, seven months after he was cast adrift in the Florida Straits, Elian Gonzalez was returned to his native Cuba. In 2010, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., the longest-serving senator in the nation's history, died in Falls Church, Virginia, at 92. The Senate Judiciary Committee opened its confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. The Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that Americans had the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they lived. The FBI announced the arrests of 10 suspected deep-cover agents, including Anna Chapman, the chic 28-year-old daughter of a Russian diplomat. (All 10 were later returned to Russia in a swap.) In 2013, tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi rallied in Cairo, and both sides fought each other in Egypt's second-largest city of Alexandria, where two people including an American were killed and scores injured. The four plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned California's same-sex marriage ban tied the knot, just hours after a federal appeals court freed gay couples to obtain marriage licenses in the state for the first time in 4 years. In 2015, Authorities in upstate New York captured David Sweat, one of two convicted murderers who'd escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6; Sweat was apprehended two days after his fellow escapee, Richard Matt, was shot and killed in a confrontation with law enforcement. After 18 straight successful launches, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket broke apart minutes after soaring away from Cape Canaveral, Florida, while carrying supplies for the International Space Station. Comedian Jack Carter, 93, died in Beverly Hills, California. In 2019, Avowed white supremacist James Alex Fields, who deliberately drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing a young woman and injuring dozens, apologized to his victims before being sentenced to life in prison on federal hate crime charges. President Donald Trump joked with Russian President Vladimir Putin about interfering in U.S. elections as the two met on the sidelines of an international summit in Japan. The U.S. team advanced to meet England in the semifinals of the Women's World Cup soccer tournament with a 2-1 victory over France. Thousands converged on New York's Stonewall Inn for the 50th anniversary of a clash between patrons and police; the rebellion served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has confirmed that one person with Covid-19 has died today. There has now been a total of 1,735 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. The HPSC has also confirmed three new cases of Covid-19 in Irish hospitals. A total of 25,439 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have now been confirmed here since the outbreak began. Validation of data also resulted in the denotification of one confirmed case of Covid-19 in Ireland. The HSE has said that it is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had, and that it will provide them with information and advice on how to prevent further spread of the virus. In Northern Ireland, one further person has also died as a result of coronavirus today. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland now lists the total number of Covid-19-related deaths there at 550. There has also been one new confirmed case of Covid-19 in Northern Ireland. Earlier today, Professor Philip Nolan. chairman of the NPHET Irish epidemiological modelling advisory group, said that the number of new travel-related Covid-19 cases was of 'grave concern'. Professor Nolan asked people to consider whether they really need to take a foreign holiday this year, due to the risk of a second wave of the virus. New travel-related COVID-19 infections a grave concern. A surge seeded by travel is a risk to public health, to healthcare workers, to the vulnerable in our community. We can protect them by foregoing our holiday abroad. A useful question for any activity: luxury or necessity? pic.twitter.com/iArJcB7ORX Professor Philip Nolan (@PhilipNolan_SFI) June 28, 2020 Newly-appointed Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, also expressed his concern that international travel could lead to a resurgence of the virus. We are beyond nervous. We are concerned about travel as a potential source of infection for this country, he said. If there are countries that have verifiable information that tells us that they are either below the threshold that makes sense ... then we can contemplate those arrangements," he added. In Bangladesh, the government imposed lockdown but never called it lockdown. They declared it a general holidays. by Swadesh Roy The COVID-19 situation of Indian sub-continent is worst now. Here, in the Indian sub-continent, with the increasing of number of affected people and the death toll, the character of community and cluster spread of COVID-19 is getting a very worse shape every day. It seems uncertainty grasps the problems, for none of the countries of this Sub-continent does not know when they will get rid of it. Notwithstanding, the governments of these three countries are seemed to be a little bit helpless. Even that, they are not firmly clear about their ending or the destination. Rather, some distinguished people of these three countries are thinking that their governments or countries are now in a tunnel. They do not know what is waiting for them at the end of the tunnel. Is it a ray of light or a piece of stone, which block the tunnel or like big key as it was in the famous movie 'Tunnel'? Trade during the COVID-19 Given this context, the first question arises why they are in this dark tunnel. First of all, among the countries which are affected by the COVID-19 till now, these three countries are more densely populated. Poverty is extreme here. Moreover, most of the people live in this sub-continent depending on destiny. They think that destiny is all. No science, no rationality works in the majority of people's lives in this locality. That's why it is very much tough to make the common people cautious about the healthcare regulations guided by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding coronavirus or COVID-19. Despite, the common people believe that life and death are fixed by the God. It is the act of God. No diseases can be a cause of death without the will of God. Even that, there are many people in the cabinet and the administration in these three countries whose beliefs are more or less the same. When people and the guidance of the governments believe lay in this surface, it is a very tough job to make the people cautious regarding a contagious disease like COVID-19. However, the authorities of these three countries imposed lockdown earlier. It was the third week of the March but their preparation was not that much organized. They did not deploy the law and order forces strongly and properly to implement the lockdown. Rather, it was like public holidays. On the other hand, the big country India faced protest against lockdown from the inter-province migrant labors and the Hindu fundamentalists. Before imposing the lockdown, the government of India had not thought about these inter-province migrant labors. They should have arranged a system before imposing the lockdown to settle the inter-province migrant labors problems, for example, they could have arranged some special trains for sending them to their home towns. After settling this, if they imposed lockdown, thousand hundreds people would not gather in the bus and railway station day after day. And they would not be the cause of rapid contagion of COVID-19. Besides that, as the Hindu religious fundamentalist party is in power now, they could forbid their religious fundamentalists who were spreading unscientific method and those Hindu priest groups who demanded to open the temples and continue the congregational prayer. But it did not happen in time. They had been suffered by their migrant labors, and they had to seek the help from the highest court of the country for stopping the huge religious gathering; one of their Hindu religious festival 'Juggernaut's Roth Jatra'. Simultaneously, Pakistan faced the worst things that happened regarding imposing lockdown. Their Prime Minister Imran Khan had to step back for the hit of the Maulanas (Islamic Clerics). After imposing lockdown, Imran Khan banned congregational prayer inside the mosques. But the Maulanas of Pakistan robustly protested it and Imran Khan had to bow down to the Maulanas immediately. In Bangladesh, the government imposed lockdown but never called it lockdown. They declared it a general holidays. Except the cautious middle class and upper class, all the people took it as general holidays. They moved here and there and gathered in the kitchen market and other places. After all, the lockdown was never imposed in Bangladesh strongly. Beside those irregularities, these three countries couldn't understand the curve of the COVID-19 contagion. Though, they could study the curve of COVID-19 contagion from the other affected countries like China, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA. They could easily understand the curve which always rises through a geometric ratio. So, when a curve's character becomes geometric, it always starts slowly but increases in a high rapid speed after a certain stage. In these three countries, it also happened like that. Seeing the slow curve in the initial stage, the authorities of these three countries thought Covid-19 would not spread extremely here like West and China. Besides, some virologists and other medical experts misguided the authority. They expressed the wrong views. They said that the immunity of the Sub-continent's people is strong with which they will be able to resist the coronavirus. They also told that the climate of this Sub-continent is different from the West and Wuhan of China. The hit and humidity are high here, so COVID-19 virus would not spread here that much. The authorities of these three countries believed it. So, they did not find out any method of lockdown which will be workable in this kind of people dense country. Seeing this slow curve of contagion, the business group and the authorities of these three countries thought that Covid-19 might have been a business opportunity for them. They thought many investments will be shifted from China to this Sub-continent. Not only the business group and the authorities of the states but also some journalists and experts wrote many articles that investments would shift from China to this Sub-continent. In these circumstances, the business groups of these three countries got the upper hand. They advised the authorities following the COVID-19 situation that if they ran the industries and businesses, the country would attract more investment and earn more foreign currency exporting their commodities. By all these incidents, the situation became boomerang for this Sub-continent. From religious belief to investment theory, all helped the rapid contagion of Covid-19. And now these three countries are basically staying in a deep dark situation. They could not find out the way of walking that can help them to reach towards the light, for they have lost the opportunity of total lockdown for breaking the chain of the virus. Now, virus has spread in the community as clusters and is spreading rapidly. Even that, it is not just spreading in the people dense main city of the countries. It has also spread like a very remote and thin populated town Guwahati of Assam. It has spread in many villages of the Punjab in Pakistan, West Bengal in India, and many villages in Bangladesh. In this situation, World Health Organization (WHO) and world monetary organizations have to think about this Sub-continent, because, 1.8 billion people live here. It is almost 30% portion of the world population. On the contrary, the healthcare system is very much poor here and has already broken down. Besides that, more or less 40% of this Sub-continents population lives below the poverty line. So, if this Covid-19 situation continues here like the present way, a huge number of people will die by the disease and starvation. That's why, now it is the duty of the world community to save these poor people. Here to mention another humanitarian crisis. As a people dense poor country, Bangladesh is maintaining one million Rohingya refugees. In this COVID-19 period, most of the government and non-government organizations have withdrawn their helping hand already. So, UNHCR has to take a special measure for Rohingya refugees. Otherwise, it is unbearable for Bangladesh to maintain one million refugees in this COVID-19 situation. Swadesh Roy, Senior Journalist, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a highest state award winning journalist and can be reached at swadeshroy@gmail.com Universities are exploring new ways to tackle cheating and prepare students for workplace demands in a post-coronavirus world, with a particular focus on how exams and other assessments are conducted. Academic integrity researcher Cath Ellis, who is associate dean of education in the faculty of arts and social sciences at the University of NSW, has found the bulk of students who cheat do so under the noses of supervisors during old-fashioned exams. Universities are trying to find new ways to combat cheating in exams. Credit:Shutterstock "The trust that people put in the integrity of invigilated exams may be misplaced," she said. Associate Professor Ellis and a team of researchers recently found that close to 6 per cent of more than 14,000 university students surveyed admitted to cheating. Of those, more than half said they had provided help with exams and 41 per cent said they received help. About 8 per cent admitted to taking an exam for someone else and 4.2 per cent admitted someone else had done their exam. Gauteng currently has the worst COVID-19 infection rate in the country, and its lack of field hospitals and other support systems could see it overtaking the Western Cape in total cases. This is according to Wits Univesity vaccinologist professor Shabir Madhi, who told the Sunday Times that within three weeks, Gauteng will match the Western Capes current case numbers. Following that, Gauteng may potentially overtake the Western Cape to become the worst-affected province in South Africa. While five quarantine sites have been built in the province, no field hospitals have been built and the shortage of beds is expected to reach 5,000 in two weeks, the report said. This resource deficit and continuing rise in the number of cases could lead to a serious problem in terms of the treatment and management of infected residents. Modelling data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) shows that the number of COVID-19-related deaths in Gauteng could triple every two weeks. Hotspot areas in Gauteng include the Johannesburg inner city, Sandton, Soweto, Randburg, and various districts within Ekurhuleni. Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni currently reflect the largest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, followed by Tshwane. The number of recorded COVID-19 cases in South Africa rose to 131,800 on Saturday 27 June, an increase of 7,210 cases which is another record 24-hour high for the country. The minister announced 73 new COVID-19 related deaths, taking the total up to 2,413, and a mortality rate of 1.8%, while recoveries increased to 67,094 which translates to a recovery rate of 50.9%. Gauteng has 34,285 confirmed cases according to the latest data, as well as a total of 166 deaths more than any other province except for the Western Cape. Businesses reopening under advanced level 3 This record growth in COVID-19 cases comes as businesses and schools start to reopen under the advanced level 3 lockdown regulations. The cabinet has decided to ease restrictions on a number of economic activities under this COVID-19 alert level, which includes the reopening of restaurants, hotels, and casinos. The directive detailing these rules was published on 25 June and provides more details on the businesses which may reopen under the countrys advanced level 3 lockdown and the limitations which they will be subject to after they reopen. The regulations describe the circumstances under which restaurants, casinos, cinemas, theatres, and a number of other new activities allowed to resume operation under the advanced lockdown rules will be allowed to reopen. Other businesses that are allowed to reopen include theatres, sporting activities, museums, libraries, hairdressers, salons, and tattoo parlours. It is interesting to note that exercise in groups of greater than four people is now expressly prohibited under the new regulations. South African schools have also begun to reopen, albeit with strict limitations and hygiene protocols in places. Cameras are installed in classrooms, dividers placed on desks, and surfaces covered with plastic, and students are instructed to maintain social distancing at all times. Schools were allowed to reopen on 8 June for Grade 7 and Grade 12 students. COVID-19 cases have been recorded at several schools in the past few weeks, however, some of which have had to be completely or partially closed again. An entirely new stage of relations began between Georgia and the European Union 6 years ago, on June 27 of 214. The Association Agreement for our country is a foundation based on which Georgian European future is being built, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said in a statement, Trend reports citing Georgian First Channel. According to PM, Georgia has reached progress with respect to EU integration so far. We have a road ahead with more reforms that needs efforts, courage and mutual support, PM said. Gakharia added that strong cooperation with European structures made the European integration process irreversible. Three members of the Minneapolis City Council have been provided with a private security detail after receiving death threats for supporting proposals to defend the citys police department in the wake of George Floyds killing. A city spokesperson said the private security details ordered for council members Andrea Jenkins, Phillipe Cunningham and Alondra Cano have cost taxpayers $63,000 over the past three weeks a rate of $4,300 per day. News of the arrangement surfaced Friday, the same day the council voted 12-0 to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department, initiating steps toward establishing peace officers and a new holistic approach to public safety. The police force, which is largely white, has failed to regain the citys trust after the death of Floyd. The new proposal would eliminate the existing police department and instead create a department of community safety and violence prevention. While the measures have been welcomed by those protesting in the citys streets and calling for the department to be defunded, many of the council members said they have received death threats from white nationalists for publicly backing the proposal. Three members of the Minneapolis City Council have been provided with a private security detail after receiving death threats for supporting proposals to defend the citys police department in the wake of George Floyds killing (Councilmember Andrea Jenkins shown at a protest with Rev. Al Sharpton) Phillipe Cunningham (left) and Alondra Cano (right) have also been provided security, costing taxpayers $63,000 over the past three weeks a rate of $4,300 per day The police killing of George Floyd has sparked nationwide unrest and protests calling for police reform and condemning systemic racism Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham declined to discuss the security measures when asked by Fox 9. I dont feel comfortable publicly discussing the death threats against me or the level of security I currently have protecting me from those threats, Cunningham wrote in a text message, adding that the security is temporary. Cano also decline to provide further details about the threats levelled against her or the extent of her security. Meanwhile, Councilmember Andrea Jenkins said she has been asking for security since she was sworn in back in 2018. Jenkins said the latest threats have come in the form of emails, letters and social media posts. My concern is the large number of white nationalist[s] in our city and other threatening communications Ive been receiving, she told the network. The security detail is being provided by two firms, Aegis and BelCom as an interim fix until other security solutions can be established When asked why MPD are not providing security to the councilmembers, a city spokesperson said the departments resources are needed elsewhere in the community. The hourly cost of private security is similar to the cost for a police officer, the spokesperson added While the measures have been welcomed by those protesting in the citys streets and calling for the department to be defunded, many of the council members said they have received death threats from white nationalists for publicly backing the proposal. Alondra Cano (pictured speaking during the 'Path Forward' meeting in Minneapolis on June 7) declined to speak about the nature of the threats levelled against her The Minneapolis Police Department, which would traditionally provide security in this scenario, told Fox 9 it doesnt have any records of recent threats against the three council members, however conceded that the complaints have been filed confidentially. Jenkins said she hadnt reported the threats to the MPD because she has been preoccupied with focusing her efforts on the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic and the global uprising sparked by the Memorial Day death of Floyd. Jenkins disclosed that the threats have attacked her ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality. The security expense does not need to be approved by the city council unless it surpasses $175,000. A spokesperson for the city told Fox 9 that the temporary security costs are not anticipated to rise that high. It is unclear who authorized the expenditures. City Coordinator Mark Ruff and City Council President Lisa Bender have not yet commented on the matter. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal George R.R. Martin knows a little something about science fiction and fantasy writing. This is why the Santa Fe-based author has teamed up with the New Mexico Film Foundation to sponsor a sci-fi/fantasy screenwriting grant for six years. Dirk Norris pitched the idea to Martin at Tomasitas. He liked the idea of supporting screenwriters, says Norris, NM Film Foundation executive director. He also wanted it to be for sci-fi and fantasy writing. George has always been very supportive of the local film community. Beginning on Wednesday, July 1, the NM Film Foundation will open its submission process for the grant. Norris says the foundations mission makes strides to support above-the-line filmmakers. I was talking to people that are above the line to see what their interests were, Norris says. This was a way to recognize some of the local screenwriters. According to the foundation, those interested in applying for the grant can submit the first five pages of a feature film or one-hour pilot, plus a five-page treatment of the story. More information can be found at nmfilmfoundation.org. Submissions will be taken through 5 p.m. Sept. 15. Norris says the submission process is open to New Mexico residents only and those submitting cant be a member of the Writers Guild of America. The winner will receive $5,000 to help finish the script. Norris says six writers have been awarded the grant. Weve been able to give $30,000 in total, Norris says. Those winners include Kevin Atkinson, Jocelyn Jansons, Michael Chase Walker, Sam Dabbs and RJ Houston, Sara Cordova and Kirt Bozeman. Norris says theres been a waxing and waning of numbers over the years. The first year, there were more than 60 submissions, he says. Then people realized it was a serious grant. It has grown since then. The judges have a hard time making decisions because there is a lot of good material. Norris says judging will be done by professional screenwriters. The winner and runner-up will be announced in October and a presentation of the check will be done in late October or early November, he says. Norris is hopeful for change when it comes to incentives for above-the-line New Mexicans in film production. Its still a situation and it needs to be addressed on all levels, Norris says. During the last NM Film and Media Day, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham did mention screenwriters, so maybe theres something coming. Previous winners Kevin Atkinson 2014 Jocelyn Jansons 2015 Michael Chase Walker 2016 Sam Dabbs and RJ Houston 2017 Sara Cordova 2018 A second major investor has hit out at HSBC for backing China's crackdown on Hong Kong. Hermes said it is in talks with the bank after HSBC supported a new law in a post on Chinese social media platform WeChat. Hitting out: Hermes said it is in talks with the bank after HSBC supported a new law in a post on Chinese social media platform WeChat Roland Bosch, of Hermes Investment, told The Mail on Sunday: 'We are engaging with HSBC to fully understand its position on the Chinese national security law for Hong Kong. 'We have questions on the bank's statement amid concerns the law may have an adverse impact on human rights in Hong Kong. We expect firms to support improvements in protections for citizens, not back their removal.' Two weeks ago Aviva said it was 'uneasy' about HSBC's support for the new security law, which critics fear will silence dissidents in Hong Kong. Standard Chartered and HSBC supported the law after their activities were threatened by former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying, who said they profited from Chinese business without defending the state. HSBC declined to comment. For the First Time, Images Show Rapid Spread of Infection May be Explained by Extensive Filopodia, Stringy Protrusions in Virally Infected Cells Discoveries Emanate from QBI UCSF "Blueprint Map" Revealing how SARS-CoV-2 Hijacks Human Cells SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pioneering a new paradigm in drug discovery by leveraging biological understanding of how a virus interacts with its host, an international team of researchers conducted a global analysis of proteins in human cells to determine mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 shifts cellular activity in infected cells. During the study, the researchers discovered for the first time that cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 exhibit filopodia, stringy arm-like extensions, which may explain rapid viral spread throughout the body. The quantitative study, ' The Global Phosphorylation Landscape of SARS-CoV-2 Infection ' online now in Cell, builds upon a previously published novel "blueprint" of the 332 human proteins that interact with 27 SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins. In an extension of the blueprint, the scientists evaluated all human proteins that exhibited changes in phosphorylation. Phosphorylation, the addition of a phosphoryl group to a protein by an enzyme class called kinases, plays a pivotal role in the regulation of most cell processes including the production of the cytoskeleton, protein function, cell-to-cell communication, cell growth and cell death. The scientists collaborated with Zoic Labs to overlay this new phosphorylation information onto the interactive version of the previously published protein-protein interaction map . "By conducting a systematic analysis of the changes in cell programming through phosphorylation when SARS-CoV-2 infects a cell, we identified several key factors that will not only inform the next areas of biological study but also therapies that may be repurposed to treat patients with COVID-19," said Nevan Krogan, Ph.D., director of the Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at the School of Pharmacy at UC San Francisco, senior investigator at Gladstone Institutes, and lead investigator of the study. Key scientists from UCSF, QBI's Coronavirus Research Group (QCRG), Gladstone, EMBL's European Biosciences Institute (EMBL-EBI) in Cambridge, England, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, Institut Pasteur in Paris, University of Freiburg in Germany and NIH Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana participated in the research. "Our understanding of how this virus co-opts human cells continues to be a fruitful source of key virus-host cell interactions, which are leading us to promising therapies already in existence that can disrupt the virus' clever way of surviving and thriving within the body," continued Dr. Krogan. Phosphorylation of Viral and Human Host Proteins During Infection The team determined that 40 of the 332 human proteins that interact with SARS-CoV-2 were significantly differentially phosphorylated in cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. In addition, they identified 49 human kinases, out of a total of 518, that showed changes - either upregulation or downregulation - of phosphorylation activity. The most strongly hijacked kinases include casein kinase II (CK2), kinases within the p38/MAP kinase (p38/MAPK) pathway, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and phosphatidylinositol 5-kinase (PIKFYVE), all of which fall within a set of cell signaling pathways. Because kinases possess certain structural features, they are very druggable targets with more than 500 compounds commercially available or in development. Researchers then set out to evaluate whether existing compounds would inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in infected cells in which specific kinases had been manipulated by the virus. "We employed state-of-the-art bioinformatics approaches to readily identify regulated kinases from sparse phosphorylation profiles, many of which are likely to be established drug targets with therapeutic potential," commented Pedro Beltrao, Ph.D., group leader at EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute. Specifically, the researchers found that: CK2, a kinase that plays a key role in cytoskeleton formation, cell growth and proliferation as well as apoptosis (cell death), physically interacted with the SARS-CoV-2 viral N protein and was significantly more activated in virally infected cells. Using a CK2 inhibitor in the laboratory experiments eliminated the virus. Several kinases within the p38/MAPK pathway respond to and control the production of potentially harmful pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-alpha. Inhibiting p38/MAPK signaling in virally infected suppressed the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines and directly impaired viral replication, suggesting that p38/MAPK inhibition may target multiple mechanisms related to COVID-19 pathogenesis. CDKs are kinases that regulate cell cycle and DNA damage response. Cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 have significantly reduced CDK activities, which may facilitate viral replication. Inhibition of CDKs may halt viral replication. PIKFYVE, a FYVE finger-containing phosphoinositide kinase that regulates cytoskeleton function, is targeted in a variety of different cancers. The compound apilimod that targets this kinase potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 in the laboratory setting. Repurposing Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of COVID-19 The team triangulated changes in phosphorylation to specific protein kinase targets and identified 87 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs and compounds in clinical trials or development. Based on an initial systematic review of these compounds, the researchers identified seven agents, primarily anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory compounds, that demonstrated antiviral activity in laboratory experiments: silmitasertib, gilteritnib, MAPK13-IN-1, SB203580, ralimetinib, apilimod and dinaciclib. "We are encouraged by our findings that drugs targeting differentially phosphorylated proteins inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell culture," said Kevan Shokat, Ph.D., professor in the department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UC San Francisco (UCSF). "We expect to build upon this work by testing many other kinase inhibitors while concurrently conducting gene knockout experiments with RNAi technologies to continue to identify both the underlying pathways and additional potential therapeutics that may intervene in COVID-19 effectively." Importantly, additional studies are needed to further characterize the anti-viral potential of the compounds identified through this analysis. Filopodia on Virally Infected Cells Newly Discovered Through Advanced Imaging Interestingly, while studying the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on CK2, high resolution imaging of virally infected cells produced by the NIH/NIAID/Rocky Mountain Laboratories and University of Freiburg revealed actin-rich filopodia containing viral proteins. Human CK2 and the viral N protein were found co-localized within the filopodia, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks CK2 and co-opts it into creating these tentacle-like protrusions that poke holes in their neighboring cells. Conversely, other viruses including vaccinia, Ebola and Marburg take over the host cell cytoskeleton to promote egress and rapid cell-to-cell spread. However, in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, the filopodia exhibit longer tentacles and branches, enabling more aggressive transmission than some other viral infections. "The distinct visualization of the extensive branching of the filopodia once again elucidates how understanding the biology of virus-host interaction can illuminate possible points of intervention in the disease," continued Dr. Krogan. "Our data driven approach for drug discovery has identified a new set of drugs that have great potential to fight COVID-19, either by themselves or in combination with other drugs, and we are excited to see if they will help end this pandemic." About QBI: The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) is a University of California organized research unit reporting through the UCSF School of Pharmacy. QBI fosters collaborations across the biomedical and the physical sciences, seeking quantitative methods to address pressing problems in biology and biomedicine. Motivated by problems of human disease, QBI is committed to investigating fundamental biological mechanisms, because ultimately solutions to many diseases have been revealed by unexpected discoveries in the basic sciences. Learn more at qbi.ucsf.edu. About UCSF: The University of California, San Franciscoand other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area. Learn more at ucsf.edu or see our Fact Sheet . About Gladstone Institutes: To ensure our work does the greatest good, Gladstone Institutes focuses on conditions with profound medical, economic, and social impact-unsolved diseases. Gladstone is an independent, nonprofit life science research organization that uses visionary science and technology to overcome disease. It has an academic affiliation with UC San Francisco. Learn more at gladstone.org. Authorship and funding: This work was funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, both part of the National Institutes of Health; the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; the Center for Research for Influenza Pathogenesis; the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the Centers of Excellence for Integrative Biology of Emerging Infectious Diseases of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (France); F. Hoffmann-LaRoche AG; Vir Biotechnology, Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies (CIBSS), European Research Council (ERC) and the Ron Conway Family. Shokat is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. A complete list of authors and full funding information is available in the Cell paper. Media Contacts UCSF QBI Angela Bitting, Wheelhouse LSA a.bitting@comcast.net 925-202-6211 UCSF Pete Farley, UCSF Office of Communications peter.farley@ucsf.edu 415-317-3781 Sylvia Wheeler, Wheelhouse LSA swheeler@wheelhouselsa.com Gladstone Institutes Megan McDevitt, Gladstone Communications megan.mcdevitt@gladstone.ucsf.edu 415-734-2019 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9145af6f-0c38-4690-97a7-d60db05a6770 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/96f65f4c-c1a8-4ed2-a504-a48019388204 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c3198fcf-1b2a-4bd0-a783-4d9026327c19 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 August 5 elections unlikely to herald in qualitatively different new parliament View(s): When one reflects on the political future of this country, if one goes by current trends there is little cause for optimism. The prospects of a qualitative change in the composition of parliament following the parliamentary elections scheduled for August 5 look rather bleak. One of the main arguments put forward against the recall of the earlier parliament during the debate on the advisability of holding early elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, was that the previous parliament was discredited and therefore a new parliament should be installed. Ironically this claim was most loudly made by those who had themselves contributed to the despoiling of the parliament. It is estimated that out of the 225 members of the previous parliament 208 are seeking re-election. Going by past records it is likely most of them will be re-elected by voters. Of the new faces many of them are proponents of the same ideological forces represented in the earlier parliament. For instance some of the new faces are those who have aligned themselves with the corrupt or with those who have worked against national unity. Thus even if they get elected they will continue to support these very same forces to pursue their agendas. The fresh faces who pass the test in terms of integrity and new ideas will have considerable difficulty in getting themselves elected as they are relatively unknown and will face several hurdles In introducing themselves to the people. The current electoral system is heavily weighted in favour of those who are better known in public circles. Those who have been members of parliament previously or have a high profile in some particular field will have an advantage. Those who are lesser known but may have the necessary integrity and a vision for the country will find it more difficult to reach out to the people not only because of the electoral system but also because of the difficulties in campaigning in view of the health guidelines resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic. One of the best ways of assessing the 208 former parliamentarians is to determine their contribution to the processes of government and legislation. While some of the previous parliamentarians have been vigilant and participated constructively in the legislative process, others have remained silent even when critical national issues have been taken up in parliament. Another yard stick would be to see who are those who have indictments relating to corruption pending in the court of law. The Attorney General would not have filed an indictment against any individual unless there was sufficient material which if proved would be sufficient to convict the individual concerned. Another factor to be considered will be the public conduct of former parliamentarians as well as those aspiring to enter parliament. Of particular interest to voters will be the behaviour of the parliamentarians during the October 2018 Constitutional Coup, when President Maithripala Sirisena attempted to replace Ranil Wickremesinghe with Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister. If not for the courageous leadership of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in resisting the clearly unconstitutional move, the history of the country may have taken a different trajectory. The Supreme Court subsequently endorsed Jayasuriyas stand when it ruled against the course of action taken by President Maithripala Sirisena. The behaviour of some parliamentarians during those troubled times horrified people. Investigations on those incidents were completed and the findings are being studied by the Attorney Generals Department. If the Attorney General serves indictment against whom there is evidence well before the general elections of August 5, 2020, it will help voters with their choice of representation. Another shortcoming in the current election campaign is the absence of a national conversation on issues affecting the country. Most speakers on political platforms and discussions prefer to skirt around these issues without taking clear policy positions. The discussions seem to centre around personalities and their shortcomings rather than vigorous debates on the policies that a new government should take forward. What has made the situation worse is the plight of the two national parties the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party which have alternatively governed the country since independence. The UNP is split right down the middle and is unable to guide voters on the issues facing the country. The UNP and the Samagi Jana Balavegaya seem to be directing more of their energy in criticising their erstwhile colleagues rather than focusing on the Government which should have been their natural target. The plight of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party is much worse. They have been reduced to mere appendages of the newly formed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and are compelled to silently go along with the humiliation continuously being heaped on them by the SLPP. Not only do they have to face criticism of their actions in the Yahapalana Government while sharing the platform with the SLPP, they also remain silent without responding to such criticism. The younger elements in the SLPP seem to enjoy going the extra mile in ridiculing the SLFPers. The SLFP candidates in the SLPP list are having a difficult time at ground level in conducting their election campaign. This situation is clearly a precursor of what is likely to happen in the event the SLPP forms the Government after August 5, 2020. It is likely the SLFP will be completely sidelined after the elections and not enjoy any respect or dignity. The fact that the SLFP did not obtain all that was promised to them at the time they signed the agreement to join the SLPP in an alliance prior to the presidential elections is clearly a sign of things to come. Be that as it may the country can only hope that the August 5 elections can in some unexpected way give rise to a better political culture that facilitates the progress of the country. (javidyusuf@gmail.com) 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 China's largest mid-year online shopping festival 618, deriving its name from its culmination on June 18, has helped businesses make a strong comeback after they suffered from waning consumption earlier this year due to the novel coronavirus epidemic. Bestore Food, a snack food retailer headquartered in Wuhan, Hubei Province in central China where the epidemic caused the most disruptions, had seen its offline businesses wilt. But it regained growth momentum by driving online sales. Then the mid-year shopping festival, lasting from June 1 to 18 with pre-sale promotions in May, saw it make up its losses further. The company said its sales during the shopping spree exceeded 500 million yuan ($70.7 million). Its online store on e-commerce giant JD.com's platform increased 54.7 percent year on year. Total sales were on par with the volume during Double 11 last year, the other major shopping carnival held on November 11. Live-streaming and short video platforms became the key channels for expanding online sales during the mid-year shopping event, Zhao Gang, Vice President of Bestore, told Digital Marketing magazine. "Though I had not planned to buy anything at first, the snacks Bestore showed in their live-streaming looked so delicious that I couldn't help but splurge on them, especially as I had some coupons," a netizen called Jelly posted on Weibo, the popular Chinese social media platform. Shopping frenzy The 618 festival was started by JD.com in 2010 and has become as popular as Double 11 initiated by another e-commerce giant, Alibaba. For e-commerce retailers, 618, the first large-scale shopping festival since the novel coronavirus outbreak this year, was a major opportunity to boost sales. With people still staying indoors and making online purchases to prevent another outbreak, sales on e-commerce marketplaces saw robust growth during the promotion. The Chinese consumption market once again showed its potential. China's e-commerce giants set new sales records. With pre-sale volumes surging 515 percent year on year within the first hour, Alibaba's online marketplace for branded goods, Tmall, saw deals totaling 698.2 billion yuan ($98.6 billion). JD.com recorded 269.2 billion yuan ($38 billion) in orders during the promotion, up from 201.5 billion yuan ($28.5 billion) last year. Xu Hongcai, Deputy Director of the Economic Policy Commission, China Association of Policy Science, told Beijing Review the demands of indoor consumption as well as consumption coupons distributed by local governments and discounts offered by the e-commerce platforms increased people's enthusiasm during the festival. Data from Chinese online payment clearing house NetsUnion Clearing Corporation showed 26.18 billion transactions worth 16.91 trillion yuan ($2.38 trillion) were made from June 1 to 18, up 52 percent and 42 percent respectively from last year. The number of transactions on June 1 hit nearly 1.6 billion, a single-day record. More than 100,000 brands signed up for the event on Tmall, double the number last year. National stores launched and operated by the governments of nine countries, including Russia, Singapore and Thailand, also participated in the event for the first time, Alibaba told Global Times. To attract more customers, many e-commerce players, including Alibaba, JD.com, Suning.com and Pinduoduo, offered discounts and coupons. JD.com offered 50-percent discounts on more than 200 million commodities, including electronic products, home appliances, daily necessities, cosmetics and even housing. Since many local governments have issued consumption coupons to encourage both online and offline consumption, the e-commerce platforms are exploring new partnerships. Tmall collaborated with local governments and brands to float discounts and coupons worth over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion). The shopping frenzy was reflected in the buzzing delivery sector. According to the State Post Bureau, postal and courier companies handled nearly 4.7 billion packages, up more than 48 percent over the same period last year. Around 260 million packages were handled daily on average from June 1 to 18. The freight volume of express delivery rose 27.1 percent during the June 1-18 period compared to the same period in May, which suggested consumer confidence and economic recovery, Manbang, a China-based freight service provider, said in a report released on June 19. "The 618 promotion helped ease the impact of the epidemic on businesses, drove domestic demand and accelerated economic recovery," Xu said. With the resumption of production and logistics, China's retail consumer goods sales, especially online sales, have gradually recovered. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, online retail sales increased by 4.5 percent year on year in the first five months, quickening by 2.8 percentage points from the first four months. New channels Online sellers are also exploring the booming lower-tier markets. According to Pinduoduo, consumers from third- and fourth-tiered cities have strong upgraded consumption demands. For rural sellers, the e-commerce platforms are providing new channels for their local agricultural products, which can now be sold more widely. This has also become a key driving force of poverty alleviation. Data from Tmall showed that over 1.2 million sellers from poverty-stricken counties had joined the marketplace by June 18, up 36 percent year on year. To benefit both rural sellers and consumers, it is necessary to promote agricultural product brands, improve the quality control mechanism and upgrade supply chains, Xu said. Live-streaming, the new trending sales promotion mode, continues to be widely embraced by e-commerce platforms to engage buyers more. Many sellers as well as local officials and celebrities have joined live-streaming promotions. On June 1, transactions made during live-streaming on Taobao, Alibaba's another popular online marketplace, amounted to 5.1 billion yuan ($720 million). During 618, 13 live-streaming programs on Taobao saw a turnover of over 100 million yuan ($14.1 million). For e-commerce sellers, 618 is now also an opportunity to launch trials of new digital technologies, Chui Xue, Vice President of Alibaba, told Global Times. Besides live-streaming, Tmall adopted augmented reality (AR) technology for customers to try out shoes and cosmetics online. According to Xu, the burgeoning online sales modes will drive traditional enterprises to seek digital transformation and make full use of the advantages of the digital economy. Though 618 concluded with remarkable results, according to Pan Helin, acting Dean of the Digital Economy Institute at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Wuhan, services will still have to be enhanced and supplies improved to sustain consumption growth. Most US Christians uncomfortable with returning to church: survey Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Nearly two-thirds of American Christians are uncomfortable with returning to in-person worship services over coronavirus concerns, according to a recent survey. The American Enterprise Institute conducted a poll of 3,504 Americans from late May to early June, asking them about their comfort levels on returning to church. Among respondents, 64% said they were either somewhat uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with returning to in-person church services. People are equivocating and uncertain about whether they feel comfortable attending, said Daniel Cox, who oversaw the study, to The Associated Press and Religion News Service. We're seeing among laypeople a significant amount of discomfort in going back to formal in-person religious practices. While most of the overall sample were uncomfortable, the AEI survey found considerable variance in responses by racial and religious classification. White evangelical Protestants were the most comfortable with attending services, with 61% saying they were either very comfortable or somewhat comfortable with attending. By contrast, only 26% of Hispanic Catholic respondents said they were either very comfortable or somewhat comfortable with attending in-person services. Among black Protestants, 42% said they were very uncomfortable with attending, which was the same percentage for respondents who identified as major non-Christian religion. Respondents who identified as unaffiliated were the most likely to say they would be very uncomfortable, at 66%, with only 8% of that group saying they would be very comfortable. In response to the spread of the coronavirus, the vast majority of churches in the United States opted to shut their doors, with most moving their worship to exclusively online services. As states have begun to reopen, many churches have done the same, often with safety measures, including spacing out attendees, barring physical contact, and wearing face masks. Many churches have remained closed as a precaution after a couple of churches that reopened have found themselves reclosing amid new COVID-19 cases emerging among attendees. Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly Stated Clerk the Rev. Herbert J. Nelson, head of the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S., recently urged caution with reopening. In a video posted online earlier this month, Nelson said that while worship is important, churches should take our time and not rush into reopening for in-person services. Recognize that we are still in the midst of this coronavirus, said Nelson. The practices that many of you have continued to push through that had been created out of your own imagination even when we were unable to go into sanctuaries and other church buildings, expand upon that." Allow us to take this slowly and to recognize in all things that we are to be the persons who help to build the abundant life that individuals seek on this side of Heaven. Officials from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said that schools should reopen with students present in the fall. In recently released guidance, the AAP listed several re-entry policies for school administrators to follow as they prepare for the fall semester amid the coronavirus pandemic. The organization also noted that schools should consider reopening with students present inside their classrooms. 'The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school,' the guidance reads. Officials from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said that schools (April 16, 2020, image of a closed school in Montana) should reopen with students present in the fall 'The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020.' According to the AAP, 'lengthy time away from school and associated interruption of supportive services often results in social isolation, making it difficult for schools to identify and address important learning deficits as well as child and adolescent physical or sexual abuse, substance use, depression, and suicidal ideation'. 'This, in turn, places children and adolescents at considerable risk of morbidity and, in some cases, mortality. 'Beyond the educational impact and social impact of school closures, there has been substantial impact on food security and physical activity for children and families,' the AAP continued. In late May, President Donald Trump called for US schools to be reopened as soon as possible. The president's remarks at the time followed a Fox News segment which claimed that students don't spread the coronavirus. 'The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school,' the guidance reads. Teachers prepare students for their 5th grade graduation in New York City on June 16 'Schools in our country should be opened ASAP,' Trump tweeted on May 24. 'Much very good information now available,' he added, tagging Fox News anchor Steve Hilton and the outlet. In the AAP's release, the organization acknowledged that children rarely suffer severe symptoms of the coronavirus. According to the AAP, evidence indicates that 'children and adolescents are less likely to be symptomatic and less likely to have severe disease' resulting from COVID-19. 'In addition, children may be less likely to become infected and to spread infection.' The group also wrote that 'policies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within schools must be balanced with the known harms to children, adolescents, families, and the community by keeping children at home'. The guidance comes during a time when several states have seen an uptick in coronavirus cases as the number of cases in the US soars over 2.5 million. On Friday, the US recorded more than 45,000 new cases of COVID-19, the largest single-day increase of the pandemic, according to a Reuters tally. Texas, Florida and other southern states are having to reverse their reopening process as the cases continue to climb. In a reversal of his early moves to relax restrictions, Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday ordered bars across the state to close and required restaurants to limit indoor seating capacity to 50 per cent. Florida, another state that reopened its economy quickly, told bar owners in the state to immediately stop serving alcohol on their premises. Florida issued its new rules after recording 8,942 new cases on Friday, eclipsing the state's one-day record of 5,511 reached on June 24. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Querencia: Reflections on the New Mexico Homeland is an anthology of exhaustive essays by scholars. The books foreword and introduction make the general reader, regardless of ethnicity, feel welcome in reading the 15 essays that follow. Rudolfo Anaya, the dean of Chicano literature and an Albuquerque resident, wrote the foreword. In it he gives a clear-eyed, many-sided understanding of what querencia means. Querencia is love of home, love of place. That is the love I felt for our humble home, Anaya wrote. Querencia are those prayers I still hear echoing in our sala where, nightly, my mother led us in rosaries and prayers for her family. That home was built on a little hill near Santa Rosa in the early 1940s. Earlier in the foreword, he wrote, On that lomita, my father, my three older brothers, friends and neighbors slowly raised our casita de adobes, built a two-seater escusao, dug a cisterna, used dynamite to dig a well, constructed a windmill, and built a corral for the cow and a hutch where I raised rabbits and chickens. Those elements, and others, form Anayas querencia, his patria chica. He also pointed out a multicultural aspect to the concept: Each Pueblo has enjoyed its own deep, abiding sense of querencia. Following that explanation, poet Levi Romero wrote in his introduction that everyones meaning of querencia is unique to them. Romero said he learned that from classroom discussions and student papers in the course Querencia: Place and Identity that hes been teaching at UNM where hes assistant professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies. He said he heard that Spanish term growing up in the village of Dixon in northern New Mexico, though it differs in meaning from the varying senses of querencia his students have expressed. Romero, one of the three editors of the anthology, finds it wonderful to see how the essayists (himself included) expand on the concept in considering home, place and identity. Romero wrote the books final essay, Following the Manito Trail: A Tale of Two Querencias. Manitos refers to Hispanics of Northern New Mexico. A second anthology editor, Spencer Herrera, associate professor of Spanish at NMSU, wrote the essay, New Mexico Triptych Querencia Etched in Wood, in Media and in Our Memory. In the three-part essay, Herrera examines the 1953 U.S. government propaganda film And Now, Miguel, the recent New Mexico Tourism Departments marketing campaign New Mexico True, and Romeros poem Molino Abandonado, an abandoned village mill thats a metaphor for a lost sense of community revived by remembrance. Perhaps the most topical essay is anthology editor Vanessa Fonseca-Chavezs Contested Querencia in The Last Conquistador, the title of a 2008 documentary about Don Juan de Onate. Onate is the subject of two present-day controversial statues in Albuquerque and north of Espanola that have been removed following recent protests. Sometimes you dont know that your work will have the effect it was intended, but it was very good timing, said Fonseca-Chavez, an assistant professor of English at Arizona State University. Even with differing individual points of view about Onate, theres a lot of gray area that people today dont want to explore, the New Mexico native said in a phone interview. Maybe the protests and the statues will lead to what she called a more careful engagement of our history. She said that she and Esteban Rael-Galvez, a former New Mexico state historian, are developing an extended Onate bibliography that could be ready in a few weeks as an online forum. In addition, Fonseca-Chavez and New Mexico cultural anthropologist David Garcia are organizing online teach-ins in response to the statues coming down. Book of the week review 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. The Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's June 27 remarks defending the reputation of the former head of the Judiciary seem to have had an immediate impact on important corruption trials. Khamenei had strongly supported the former Chief-Justice Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, praising him as a "virtuous" personality, far from financial corruption. Ali Khamenei went even further, calling his protege "the initiator" of the anti-corruption campaign "within" and "beyond" Iran's Judiciary. A day later, the charge against a well-connected businessman, Abbas Iravani, changed from "corruption on Earth" to "disrupting the country's economic system. Based on the Islamic penal code, "corruption on Earth" is punishable by the death penalty. He is implicated in a corruption trial related to the auto industry. In another case labeled as the "bribery gang" or Akbar Tabari's trial, the court focused on several cases regarding the transfer of several luxury apartments in the north of Tehran. The apartments, located at the posh Roma Towers, were given away as bribes, the court was told on Sunday. One of the defendants, Rasoul Danialzadeh, insisted that he had done nothing bad," in his whole life, and never bribed the prime suspect, Akbar Tabari, the former deputy to the Chief-Justice in executive affairs. Judicial officials in the Islamic Republic refer to Rasoul Danielzadeh as a "Super Debtor" to the banks. Furthermore, the name of the former head of the Judiciary was not even mentioned in Sundays hearing. Besides his connections to the former Judiciary deputy's case, Danialzadeh has already been convicted in a financial corruption case related to the Islamic Republic President Hassan Rouhani's brother. Rouhani's brother, Hossein Fereydoun, 63, was responsible for Ayatollah Khomeini's security in the first few years after the revolution. Described as his older brother's "eyes and ears" in the negotiations leading up to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Hossein Fereydoun was arrested July 15, 2017. He was released two days later and reportedly paid as much as 500 billion rials bail (about $15.3 million at the time) for his release. 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. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday took a swipe at BJP legislator Gopichand Padalkar over his controversial comment about NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Padalkar, a member of the state Legislative Council, is under fire over his alleged remark that (Sharad) Pawar was a corona that has infected Maharashtra. Every person should speak keeping in mind his own worth. People should respect each other. This is our culture. This is what late Yashwantrao Chavan (first chief minister of Maharashtra) taught us and we should adhere to it, Ajit Pawar said. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here The senior NCP leader who is a nephew of Sharad Pawar was speaking to reporters after reviewing the Covid-19 situation in the Satara district. You can check what he (Padalkar) had saidabout (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi in the past, Ajit Pawar further said, apparently referring to Padalkars alleged statements when he was not with the BJP. Also read: Sharad Pawar calls for action against private hospitals charging high fees Padalkar had lost his deposit from the Baramati Assembly segment in the election last year, said Pawar, who had defeated him. Pawar also recalled late BJP leader Arun Jaitleys comment that the whole country will be developed if it has 100 towns like Baramati, a bastion of the Pawar family. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage He (Jaitley) was seen as second-in-command after Modi. All respect (Sharad) Pawar saheb. Some cheap people think they will become famous by talking against big people, the deputy chief minister said. Pawar, who holds the finance portfolio, also informed that he had instructed the authorities to set up a Covid-19 testing laboratory in Satara district hosptial in the next three to four days. Demonstrators gather at the Lincoln Memorial during a protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, U.S., June 6, 2020. Carlos Barria/Reuters Researchers from the Netherlands looked at the scientific literature covering why people protest. From the existing published papers, the authors came up with five overarching theories: grievances, efficacy, emotions, identity, and social embeddedness. Though the study was published in 2013, protesters participating in the Black Lives Matter movement today show similar reasons for making their voices heard in the streets. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. There are many reasons why people protest, but researchers in the Netherlands say they've teased out the motivations fueling the desire to join public demonstrations like the Black Lives Matter rallies happening across the country in the wake of George Floyd's killing. Psychologist Bert Klandermans and sociologist Jacquelien van Stekelenburg, both of VU Amsterdam, looked at the social psychology literature on protests since the 1950s. They mainly looked at books and articles about protest analysis with a social psychological approach, and focused on Western democratic countries, van Stekelenburg told Insider. The authors say you can think of protest as a type of market metaphor the type seen in an economics class. In economics, consumers demand a product and suppliers give it to them. Enough aggrieved citizens will demand protests, and then organizations will need to help supply them by coordinating when and where a protest happens. Van Stekelenburg equates the role of marketing in economics to mobilization, or getting people from their homes and into the streets, for protests. Marketers identify demands and help lead consumers to the best product for that demand. Protest mobilizers see that people are angry and help guide protesters to the street at a certain date and time. While it may sound crass, you can think of why people protest as why they would buy a product. The reasons why protests occur are unique, and the paper focused on social psychology and not behavioral economics. The study, published in Current Sociology Review in 2013, found five main factors behind why people protest and they mirror what we see in Black Lives Matter demonstrations today. Story continues Demonstrators protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 6, 2020. Bastiaan Slabbers/Reuters Grievances Citizens must be angry about something, which creates a demand for change. "Most of the time, nothing happens," Klandermans said. "They're angry, they're angry, and they are angry, and then nothing happens." But Klandermans explained that when a grassroots organization or a political leader comes along, they can help mobilize these angry citizens into action. Efficacy Efficacy is an individual's belief that they can change their conditions or policies through protest, the researchers wrote. They base this statement on 2008 research finding that those who feel high efficacy are also more likely to participate in a protest. The authors also used older research from 1999 suggesting that group rather than personal efficacy prompted people to protest. Mariah Parker has been the Athens-Clarke county commissioner for Athens, Georgia, since 2018. Parker helped organize protests for a variety of issues and has recently participated in some of the past 10 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the college town. "We have all the energy as young folks," Parker told Insider. "When we gather collectively and have a show of strength in terms of sheer numbers, I think that can be pretty powerful." An aerial view of Hollywood Boulevard painted with the words 'Black Lives Matter as protests continue in the wake of George Floyds death on June 13, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. The message, fully displayed as 'All Black Lives Matter', was painted in rainbow colors to represent diversity within the black LGBTQ+ community amid Pride celebrations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Mario Tama/Mario Tama/Getty Images Identity The more you identify with a group, the more likely you are to participate in protests benefiting that identity, van Stekelenburg said. Even if you're not a part of that group, identifying with others creates an awareness of your shared fate in your political system, which can spur you into action. "I, as a Latina identifying woman, grew up in the melting pot bubble that is South Florida," Dayami Gomez, an NYC Buddy System Coordinator for Brooklyn, told Insider. "It wasn't until I moved to New York City last year that I became surrounded by [racism and police brutality]." Gomez described watching and intervening when racism affected her Black and brown peers. The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor broke their hearts and hers. "I became restless," Gomez said. "I didn't know how or what I was going to do, so I just got up, got dressed, and went outside to join my community." Emotions "Anger is seen as the prototypical protest emotion," Klandermans and van Stekelenburg wrote in their study, which posited protests as group-based anger transformed into action. Anger, rather than other emotions like shame, despair, or fear, also gives people a more adversarial relationship with authorities, the authors wrote. Demonstrators march during a peaceful protest against police brutality and racism on June 6, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. Cooper Neill / Stringer / Getty Images Social Embeddedness People came together to make protests occur. Talking to others about what's wrong in your society creates shared grievances and emotions instead of personal ones, van Stekelenburg said. These networks also help identify "what's making us mad, who's to be blamed, and what can we do about it," she said. And when other social networks or political leaders create the means to mobilize, it's these social networks that keep people accountable. Social networks are of the "utmost importance" for protests to occur, van Stekelenburg said. The NYC Buddy System helps people find others to attend BLM protests with. It also gives information on where and when protests will happen. "The reason I first got involved was because I supported the BLM movement but felt that reposting and donating didn't seem like enough," Emely Jude, an NYC Buddy System Coordinator for Queens, told Insider. Jude couldn't physically protest due to family members at high-risk for COVID-19, but she saw the NYC Buddy System as one way to participate in the social movement. "This was all started to help those who were going to protests, rallies, chalk-writings, etc, to be able to have a group or someone to go with if they were planning on going alone," Jude said. "It has been a unifying feeling getting to see how willing people are to help one another, even if it's to simply answer a question." Read the original article on Insider Kanye West to bring Yeezy brand, but not sneakers, to Gap Kanye West is bringing his Yeezy brand to Gap. The rap superstar will design adult and kids clothing that will be sold at the chain next year. Yeezy is best known for pricey sneakers that sell out online quickly. But Yeezy footwear, made with sneaker company Adidas, wont be sold at Gap stores. San Francisco-based Gap Inc., whose sales are dwindling, hopes the deal will keep it relevant with shoppers. For Yeezy, being in more than 1,100 stores worldwide could get the brand in front of more people. ADVERTISEMENT On Friday, West tweeted a photo of what the collaboration might look like: bright colored hoodies, jackets and T-shirts. Shares of the retailer soared nearly 19% Friday. West has a history with Gap. He worked at one of its stores in Chicago as a teenager. And he told Vanity Fair magazine back in 2015 that he wanted to be creative director of the brand. Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that surging coronavirus cases across the Sun Belt are a result of "community spread that's been underway for some time" and that even if states take aggressive action to curb the spread now which they're not cases will continue to grow for weeks. Why it matters: Skyrocketing cases in Florida and Texas have caused state leadership to hit pause on parts of their reopening plans. But Gottlieb argued that the piecemeal actions these new hotspots are taking, like closing bars, are far weaker than stay-at-home orders and will only have a "marginal" impact that may not manifest for weeks. "These are major epidemics that are underway in the South and the Southeast right now," Gottlieb said. "Look at New York. New York implemented the stay-at-home order on March 20, it was a Friday. It went into effect on Sunday. They peaked in terms of the number of daily cases that they were reporting on April 7," he added. "So almost three weeks after they implemented the stay-at-home order, the cases continued to build and then they started to slowly decline." The big picture: Over half the country 26 states have seen their coronavirus caseloads increase over the past week. The Trump administration has blamed the surges partially on increased testing, but public health experts say that increasing test doesn't fully explain the massive spike in infections Gottlieb argued that states like Florida and Texas should have taken a two-week pause between phases of their reopening in order to assess the impacts of reopening, pointing to the success of Maryland, New Jersey and Michigan as an example. His comments echo those of former CDC director Tom Frieden, who equated states reopening while cases were still growing to "leaning into a left hook." What they're saying: "It's going to be hard to extinguish. We're going to have many weeks ahead of us of continued growth in these cases, at least two or three weeks even if we take aggressive actions right now, which across the board we're not doing," Gottlieb said. "You look at states like Florida, which might be in the worst shape right now, it looks like they may be tipping over into exponential growth, and so they're going to see perhaps rapid acceleration in number of cases," Gottlieb said. Between the lines: While new coronavirus cases are largely being reported in younger populations, Gottlieb says that this trend is "not likely to stay that way." "This spread is likely to seep into more vulnerable communities and we're likely to see total daily deaths start to go back up again." Go deeper: Pence disputes that virus surge was caused by states reopening too quickly MasterChef Australia judge Melissa Leong has reportedly signed a generous new deal to host the next two seasons of Junior MasterChef. After making her debut on the main show this year alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen, the 38-year-old 'breakout star' is said to have impressed executives at Channel 10 so much that she will now be rewarded accordingly. A source told New Idea: 'Melissa has a new big MasterChef deal. It's confirmed. She will head up the judging panel of Junior MasterChef, and it's a million-dollar deal for the next two series.' 'Million-dollar deal': MasterChef Australia judge Melissa Leong, 38, has reportedly signed a generous new deal to host the next two seasons of Junior MasterChef As well as offering her culinary expertise to the young contestants, Melissa has also reportedly signed on the dotted line to return to MasterChef next year. 'There's no denying she's the breakout star of the new judges,' the insider added. 'All of her hard work has paid off. With her new increased MasterChef salary for 2021 plus Junior, she has hit the magic million mark. Everyone loves her!' According to the source, Jock and Andy will be returning to MasterChef next year, but they won't be involved with Junior MasterChef. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for further comment. Exciting: As well as offering her culinary expertise to the young contestants, Melissa has also reportedly signed on the dotted line to return to MasterChef next year In April, Channel 10 surprised cooking fans with the unexpected news that spin-off series Junior MasterChef was casting for a new season. The Australian version of the competition ran for two seasons between 2010 and 2011, and was hosted by judges Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris. Meanwhile, Melissa's exciting news comes after she appeared on The Sunday Project and hit back at trolls who said that she 'wasn't qualified' to be a judge on the show. Casting: According to a source close to production, Jock Zonfrillo (left) and Andy Allen (right) will be returning to MasterChef next year but they won't be involved with Junior MasterChef 'I didn't know the trolls had a copy of my CV, of my decade-long journey through food!' she said. 'But it is a cathartic thing to show my knowledge about food, but there's always more to learn. So let's just add to the CV.' She then cheekily waved to the camera and said: 'Hi, trolls!' Israeli warplanes conduct fresh airstrikes against positions in besieged Gaza Strip Iran Press TV Saturday, 27 June 2020 12:33 AM Israeli warplanes have carried out fresh airstrikes against the besieged Gaza Strip, targeting a number of areas in the south and center of the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli military said in a statement that the Friday night strikes were carried out against targets belonging to the Hamas resistance movement, a few hours after Tel Aviv claimed that two rockets were launched from the coastal sliver at southern Israel. According to the statement, the rockets fell in open areas, with no casualties or damage caused. It said that Israeli fighter jets, among other targets, hit "a workshop" that produces "rockets as well as infrastructure used to manufacture weapons for Hamas." The rocket launch triggered alert sirens in several Israeli communities along the border. Palestinian media reported that Israeli airstrikes hit targets in the southern and central areas of the Gaza Strip. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Gazan authorities. The Israeli regime every so often launches strikes against positions in the blockaded enclave, accusing the resistance groups there of launching rockets. The Israeli strikes came just a day after Hamas repeated its condemnation of the Israeli regime's planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley, saying the contentious decision amounts to "declaration of war" on the Palestinian nation. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has time and again announced that he would begin cabinet-level discussions for annexing more areas in the occupied West Bank on July 1, in accordance with US President Donald Trump's the so-called deal of the century. Gaza has been under Israeli siege since June 2007. Since 2008, Israel has waged three wars against Gaza, where two million Palestinians live under a 12-year Israeli blockade. Thousands of Gazans have been killed in each of these deadly wars. The crippling blockade has caused a decline in the standard of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty in the Gaza Strip. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 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. Jennifer Carole sleeps with a small baseball bat nearby, keeps bells on her door and has taken multiple self-defense classes. Gay Hardwick never feels safe alone, and cant sleep with an open window. Both womens lives were forever changed by the Golden State Killer, a rapist and murderer who haunted the state for more than 40 years. He murdered Caroles father and stepmother in bed in their southern California home and sexually assaulted and terrorized Hardwick when she was 24. In 2018, California authorities said they had identified Joseph DeAngelo, a former police officer, as the suspect in at least 13 murders and more than 50 rapes attributed to the Golden State Killer between 1974 and 1986. Authorities have told some of the survivors that the 74-year-old DeAngelo will plead guilty on Monday a deal that would see him sentenced to life in prison and would spare the state a costly trial. The Sacramento county district attorneys office would confirm only that a hearing is scheduled. Related: 'Golden State Killer' suspect reportedly to plead guilty to avoid death penalty DeAngelo was arrested in 2018 after law enforcement compared DNA from the crimes committed in the 1970s and 80s to that of users on the open-source genealogy website GEDMatch. Law enforcement had spent decades trying to solve the crimes, which spanned 11 counties, but the case gained renewed attention in 2016 when the Sacramento DA announced the creation of a task force to identify the killer, who has also been called the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker, and the FBI put up a reward of $50,000 for information leading to his capture. The scope of the crimes, and long unidentified perpetrator, drew particular interest from the true crime community and spawned dedicated discussion boards. Ill Be Gone in the Dark, a bestselling book about the true crime writer Michelle McNamaras search for the Golden State Killer, brought wide attention to the case when it was released months before DeAngelos arrest. Story continues DeAngelo is a US navy veteran of the Vietnam war and father of three and had worked as a police officer in communities near where the crimes took place. He was fired from his job at the Auburn police department in 1979 after being arrested for allegedly shoplifting dog repellant and a hammer from a Pay n Save store. DeAngelo worked at a Save Mart distribution center from 1989 until 2017, the Sacramento Bee reported, and in 2018 was reportedly living with his daughter and grandchild on a quiet street in a suburb of Sacramento. It was there he was arrested, in one of the communities the Golden State Killer had terrorized years earlier. Joseph DeAngelo appears in Sacramento county superior court in January 2020. DeAngelo is accused of having committed at least 13 murders and more than 50 rapes. Photograph: Rich Pedroncelli/AP For many survivors, DeAngelos plea comes with mixed emotions as well as a fear that he could opt out of the agreement at the last moment. Its a difficult place to be in, to know that at any time he could change his mind and that he is highly manipulative. I wont believe anything until it is written in ink and approved, Hardwick said. Hardwick was 24 in 1978 when a man broke into the home she shared with her now husband, woke the couple up at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her. They survived and did their best to move forward, selling the home they felt unable to live in. But Hardwick suffered for years from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder and the attack had long-lasting impacts on her career and emotional state and took decades to work through. Im hoping and praying it is going to be finally over for all of us. Once and for all [Ill] know that he is in a place where he is never going to leave. The statute of limitations for rape convictions expired three years after the attack on the Hardwicks, but she said she considers the plea an opportunity for justice. Carole wanted DeAngelo to have to face a courtroom and the evidence, but she thinks the plea deal is the right thing to do as it will save the state millions of dollars and spare his daughters from further pain. That DeAngelo is pleading guilty as US police face a reckoning over systemic racism and violence is particularly salient for Carole. Weve got a dirty cop that had skills he acquired as a police officer and used to terrorize, rape and murder, Carole said. Caroles father, Lyman Smith, and his wife, Charlene, were bludgeoned to death in their Ventura home in 1980 when Carole was just 18. Her 12-year-old brother discovered the bodies. The family didnt learn the crime was the work of a serial killer for 20 years, and it was only after DeAngelos capture that Carole realized the extent to which the murders had affected her life. Im going to be really happy to have this be done. Im tired of him having any real estate in my head, Carole said. But, she added, you cant get your people back. You cant get your sense of safety back. He stole something from everyone in California that endured his terrorism. As Mondays hearing approaches, Kris Pedretti goes back and forth about attending. Pedretti became the Golden State Killers 10th victim when she was sexually assaulted in her home at the age of 15. This is my one opportunity to hear this person who attacked me admit guilt, she said. Pedrettis attacker crept into her home days before Christmas in 1976, sneaking up on her as she played piano and threatening her with a knife before sexually assaulting her. It left Pedretti with post-traumatic stress, but in recent years she has found comfort through therapy and a Facebook group she created where sexual assault survivors can share their stories. Born out of a horrific crime she suffered at the hands of someone who sought to terrorize her community, Pedretti said the group has been healing. We share our stories. We share what books have been helping us. I am finally at a place in this journey where I can see some sunlight because I can use what I learned. The arrival of summer has a slightly unexpected effect on me. At the first sign of regular sunny days I feel the urgent need of a brightly coloured, just-fitted-enough...cashmere sweater. A while back you couldnt find such a thing, it was like looking for ski wear in August. But now, judging by the number of desirable cashmere sweaters out there, the luxe, colour-pop pull-over is officially part of the British summer wardrobe as useful as a go-anywhere dress or the perfect pair of sunglasses. It makes sense when you think about it. The first obvious point in a cashmere sweaters favour is the weather. However hot it is when you arrive at the neighbours barbecue in your sleeveless top or midi dress, it will turn chilly enough for a sweater before you leave. And, because you dont want to cover up the effort youve made after months of no effort at all, you dont want that sweater to be your husbands bobbly grey crew-neck. Shane Watson shared her advice for embracing this season's knit trend, as seen on Olivia Palermo (pictured) What you want is a warm but lightweight and soft-against-the-skin extra: an outfit-enhancing, skin-flattering add-on. (NB: it doesnt have to be cashmere, but only cashmere can be thin and chill-proof and not remotely itchy against bare skin and only cashmere comes in a full range of juicy fruit and sorbet colours.) For the real appeal of a summer cashmere sweater is as a brightening accessory. I have a button-through Zara dress in a floral pattern with a hint of coral nothing special, but sling a zingy coral sweater (135, hush-uk.com) around your neck or knot it at the waist and the outfit instantly looks more interesting and stylish. A belt would lack the soft nonchalance of a skinny sweater; a wrap would be too dowdy and overwhelming. Then, of course, there are all the benefits of a bright cashmere sweater in its own right. Hush also does a Judith cashmere jumper in lilac or peony with one of those deep, loose V-necks that you might find sliding off one shoulder. The pink looks good with a hot pink satin slip skirt; the lilac looks great with light denim or white jeans. No need to point out this sweater serves an entirely different function to the navy funnel-neck you wore all winter. The secret with summer cashmere is fresh and unexpected colour were not talking grey or navy or a pretty pattern. 2020 SUMMER KNITS: THE RULES The slide-off, wide V-neck is the neckline of the summer. Pick a bright colour that matches the print you are wearing. Go for the best quality you can afford, it will wear better. Keep cashmere sweaters lightweight and not too baggy. Advertisement For plain, sweet-pea shades in classic shapes you can do a lot worse than Uniqlo, which has some of the best-priced cashmere on the market. Its relaxed-fit V-neck is currently on sale (59.90 uniqlo.com) or, for a little more, theres Iris & Ink (115, theoutnet.com). In the stand-alone sweater camp, if youre just looking for something to wear with jeans or shorts, its worth considering Boden, which has a bold-striped crew-neck (now 65, boden.co.uk), or a cute, fitted, ivory sweater with cornflower-blue spots (now 91). For bolder, bright patterns, Chinti & Parker, the label best known for its star-print cashmere, is a good place to start. Its rainbow-stripe sweater (350, chintiand parker.com) is one of those go-with-everything styles. Parisian brand Kujten does various dip-dyed designs and even a rainbow tie-dyed sweater in four colourways (214, kujten.com). It has a huge selection online, including a cashmere V-neck in 33 colours (86) and the very wide V-neck of the summer in seven colours (114). Some of the styles come with a deliberately frayed neckline, which may strike fear into the hearts of those battling moths. On which note, cashmere is expensive and there is no doubt moths love it above all other fabrics. You might want to try the cashmere and cotton blends (mostly cotton) at NRBY (nrbyclothing.com). Finally, it doesnt quite fit the brief, but & Other Stories does a slip-off-the-shoulder V-neck in pale oatmeal (120, stories.com) which could turn out to be very useful. According to Giau, if there was no COVID-19 pandemic, participants would have discussed more issues, including commitments among governments in the ASEAN Community and the implementation of policies and agreements. The interface focused on discussing COVID-19-related matters, with delegates hailing the concerted efforts made by the governments, parliaments and people of ASEAN member states. Such efforts have contributed to effectively initially controlling the pandemic. Highlighting the speech given by NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan as Chair of the 41st General Assembly of the AIPA (AIPA-41), the official said it communicated the message initiated by the Vietnamese legislature and agreed by the parliaments of member states. Regarding Vietnams AIPA chairmanship as part of its ASEAN Chair 2020, Chairman Giau said the pandemic has changed many of the traditional activities, for example, face-to-face meetings being replaced by online ones. Virtual meetings hosted by Vietnam have been highly valued by ASEAN governments and law-making bodies, he noted. Concerning the contribution of Vietnam as AIPA 41 Chair to COVID-19 prevention and control and the building of a strong ASEAN Community, he mentioned the NA leaders letter urging AIPA member parliaments to join hands in protecting ASEAN from the pandemic. The letter has received significant positive feedback, he added. The interface demonstrated Vietnams sense of responsibility as the ASEAN and AIPA host country in 2020 as well as the spirit of solidarity and consensus of ASEAN member countries in their joint work to overcome the pandemic and further enhance the task of building the ASEAN Community. At the function, the Vietnamese NA spoke highly of and agreed with the positive progress recorded in the ASEAN Community, which, under the chairmanship of Vietnam this year, will improve bloc solidarity and promote ASEANs central role in the region. The Vietnamese NA is now working to prepare the content and theme of the AIPA-41 General Assembly. Participants in the interface hoped AIPA would continue its role as an important partner of ASEAN, boost cooperation, dialogue, and information exchange among parliaments, and coordinate in the implementation of the programme on building the ASEAN community. Ray Goedeker goedeker@grinnell.edu William Robert Morrison began homesteading a parcel of land right outside of Grinnell in 1865. The farm survived The Great Depression and a fire which burned down the original family homestead. Now, Marla Morrison Inks, the great granddaughter of William R. Morrison, co-owns the farm with her brother. She believes there is a new threat to their historic farm a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). As defined by the United States Natural Resources Conservation Service, a CAFO is an intensive animal feeding operation in which over 1,000 animal units are confined for over 45 days a year. Nearly a half mile down the road from the Morrison farm, a new 2,450-hog CAFO will be installed and run by John McNulty. In recent years, McNulty has been in the process of taking over his grandparents farm and just two months ago decided to take on his first hog confinement under the label MCNULTY PORK LLC. McNulty did not respond to multiple requests for comment. McNultys confinement is not an uncommon occurrence in Iowa. Since 2001 the state has gained a whopping 500 new confinements each year. Today there are an estimated 10,000 state-wide. William Robert Morrison and his family bought the Morrison farm in Iowa in 1865.Iowa ranks first in pork production nationwide, reaching $13.1 billion in sales annually, just over 35% of the pork industrys national sales. McNultys plan has been met by an outcry from the surrounding Grinnell community. A petition created by Tommy Hexter 21 has received 2,100 signatures calling for the cease of construction as of June 26. Grinnell locals have a reason to be upset, as a recent study by Joe Herriges, a professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, found that hog confinements in the state of Iowa decrease neighboring property values by an average of 6%. Aside from the property value, quality of life and airspace is a constant struggle for those who live near CAFOs as well. There are huge waves of large, biting flies, a constant noise of squealing pigs and incredibly toxic fumes pouring out of the buildings, and they have fans that are blowing it out into our air constantly, said Inks. The Iowa Environmental Council in 2017 found that of the 41 private wells in Poweshiek County, 24 of them were contaminated with bacteria and elevated nitrate levels associated directly with hog confinements. Iowas water quality is already about 49th out of 50 states, and there are a lot of things that contribute to the poor state of water, but the CAFOs surely do not help, said Inks. In this years US News and World Reports ranking of both water and air quality, Iowa ranked 41st of the 50 states. However, on a recent community Zoom call with the Poweshiek County Board of Supervisors and local farmers, McNulty said that he is not doing this to harm the community in any way. But some, like Poweshiek resident Joyce Otto, strongly disagree. I am in the area that the new building will be in, and there is already a big corporation that put in two confinements near me, the second one just a half a mile away. It has completely ruined my personal life, my personal rights for clean air and quality of life, she said on the Zoom call. Inks said that many young farmers get their start by building large hog confinements, and most of the time they are all owned by large corporations. In a quest to end the construction of the new CAFO, many of the farmers in virtual attendance at the supervisors call stated their willingness to help McNulty create a different farm. The farmers around here are earnest in their want to help John start out the right way. I grew up with farm people, and they will always help you out, said Inks. Hexter, who started the petition against construction on the facility, added the same sentiment. We need to be raising farmers in our towns who want to buy land and support and feed the community, he said. Construction of the McNulty Pork CAFO is set to begin in August, and Grinnellians have no course of legal action to block the incoming building. For now, they simply hope McNulty has a change of conscience. [The CAFOs coming in] are heartbreaking to a person who grew up in a different time with beautiful farms. I know this CAFO practice has been going on for a while now, but when it lands in your own backyard you wake up and it hits you personally, said Inks. There are some wonderful memories for me around Grinnell, and I hope that continues for the future generations. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 16:04:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory message to Taneti Maamau on his re-election as Kiribati's president. In his congratulatory message dated Friday, Xi pointed out that since the resumption of China-Kiribati diplomatic ties in September 2019, relations between the two countries have grown rapidly and their exchange and cooperation in various areas have yielded fruitful results. Xi recalled that he has held a fruitful meeting with Maamau during the latter's successful visit to China in January this year. In the combat against the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said, China and Kiribati have sticked together and supported each other, which again demonstrates the friendship between the two peoples. Noting that he highly values the development of China-Kiribati relations, Xi said he stands ready to work together with Maamau to promote bilateral relations to new levels and bring more benefits to both countries and peoples. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 22:33:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presides over a symposium on stabilizing foreign trade and investment in Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2020. Vice Premier Han Zheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also attended the meeting. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday urged continuous efforts to expand opening-up and stabilize the overall performance of foreign trade and investment. Stabilizing the overall performance of foreign trade and investment is of great importance to stabilizing economy and employment, Li said at a symposium of government officials and enterprise executives. Li said the country's foreign trade environment will remain grave and complex as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread worldwide and plunges the global economy into recession, while the Chinese economy is deeply integrated into the world economy. The premier stressed efforts to ensure stability on the six fronts and security in the six areas, while promoting higher-level opening-up. The six fronts refer to employment, the financial sector, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment, and expectations. The six areas refer to job security, basic living needs, operations of market entities, food and energy security, stable industrial and supply chains, and the normal functioning of primary-level governments. Enditem Sales down 31% to NZ$1.3m Total revenue down 18% to NZ$2.55m Underlying loss (before non-cash impairment and share-based payments) down 25.7% to NZ$2.5m China remains primary focus, recent entry into Vietnam Improvement in operating cash outflow Successful capital raise of NZ$5.243m early in the new year Cervical cancer screening technology company TruScreen Limited (NZX: TRU ) (the Company) has released its audited financial results for the year ended 31 March 2020. China continued to be Truscreens primary market of focus with a screening population of ~ 400 million women and share of Truscreen total sales at 60% (2019:55%). Sales were adversely impacted in the final quarter with device roll out suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions. The approval of the TruScreen cervical cancer screening device by the Ministry of Health of the Vietnam Government and the first product shipment in the new financial year is a further significant milestone for the Company. The Company continues to work with existing distributors in Low-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs) in furthering its acceptance in these markets with new opportunities emerging in eastern Europe. Total income, including a research and development tax offset declined by 18% to NZ$2.55m (2019: NZ$3.1m). The Company continued to invest in research and development during the year in enhancing the robustness of its product for LMICs. With the uncertainty created by COVID-19 and the potential delay in Truscreens device roll out programmes a review of the recoverable value of its non-current assets resulted in a non-cash impairment charge of NZ$2.38m in the current year. This was in addition to the amortisation of intangibles in the amount of NZ$0.52m (2019: NZ$0.53m). Total overhead expenses excluding impairment, amortisation and depreciation costs decreased to NZ$2.2m for the year (2019: NZ$2.8m), with the 2020 year also including a NZ$0.3m non-cash charge for share based payments. Overall the Company recorded a net loss of approximately NZ$5.2m (2019: NZ$3.4m). Underlying operating loss before the non-cash impairment and share-based expenses was NZ$2.5m (2019: loss NZ$3.4m). Net operating cash outflow for the period was lower at NZ$1.6m (2019: NZ$2.7m), reflecting an improved underlying trading result and a higher research and development tax offset. As at 31 March 2020, Truscreen had cash and cash equivalents of NZ$1.0m (2019: NZ$1.7 million), and was then successful in raising $5.243m early in the new financial year with outstanding support from its shareholders. Operational performance and update TruScreens large-scale evaluation programme with Chinas Obstetrics and Gynaecology Association (COGA) is progressing well, with eight out of the 10 participating provinces already having launched the programme, and 66 hospitals actively screening women. COGA Hunan Province interim TruScreen results of 2,065 women across 7 hospitals showed excellent results. The programme plans to screen up to 20,000 women. Truscreen has assisted its distributors in establishing technical centres in China, Russia and Vietnam to enable technical support and technical services facilities in these major markets. Since being granted TruScreen distributor rights in early 2019, our Russian distributor IMS has shown strong support for the TruScreen technology and is making excellent progress. IMS is promoting TruScreen as a primary screening tool, with patients requiring follow up reviews to undergo further tissue sample testings. Following the inclusion of TruScreen in the cervical cancer Technology Landscape, TruScreen arranged a meeting in Mexico between Unitaid strategy and programme managers, and the National Institute of Cancer (INCan). INCan is a decentralised organisation operating under Mexicos Ministry of Health, providing specialised medical care to cancer patients. INCan is considered to be the governing body of cancer treatment in Mexico. Discussions centred on Mexicos strategy for cervical cancer screening and the value of TruScreen in government-funded and other public health sector screening programmes. During the year TruScreens distribution partner, Gorton Health Services, along with the Vietnams Ministry of Health (MOH) commenced a TruScreen pilot study based at the Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynaecological Hospital (HOGH). The pilot programmes objective was to evaluate the TruScreen technology, prior to a national rollout of the TruScreen device as the primary screening method. Truscreen received approval from MOH early in the new financial year and then secured its first order from HOGH. The outstanding results from TruScreens first cervical cancer screening trial in India were announced in January 2020. The trial, conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi and the town of Ballabgarh over the period January 2018 to February 2019, screened 645 women for cervical cancer. Results of the TruScreen trial have been submitted to the Journal of the Indian Medical Association for publication. During the year the Company was acknowledged in a joint publication that Unitaid released with the World Health Organisation and the Clinton Health Access Initiative. The report was presented at the 72nd World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2019. The report is a technical landscape describing the current technologies available for screening for pre=cancerous changes to the cervix. It also focuses on screening and treatment technologies and their advantages for use in low and middle-income countries. COVID-19 has resulted in a temporary halt to the roll out of TruScreen cervical cancer screening devices in the countries within which we operate at various times. China has at the date of this report recommenced and it is expected that other countries will resume as they are able to control the spread of the virus. The Company has used the hiatus to improve and strengthen supply chain and quality assurance processes. Given the COVID-19 related slowdown, TruScreen took steps to reduce its cost base to conserve cash and has made application for Government support where appropriate. The Company has relocated its sales and administrative premises at Surry Hills, Sydney, and has consolidated its operations in one location at West Lindfield, in northern Sydney. Appointments Truscreen appointed Ms Victoria Potarina as Chief Executive Officer, commencing 2 March 2020. Ms Potarina brings more than twenty years commercial experience, previously working at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in both the UK and across Europe. In addition, she has held positions at multiple multinational companies in the FMCG, over-the-counter, medical devices and healthcare sectors. While at J&J UK, Ms Potarina was Business Unit Director of the UK and Ireland Diabetes Care Division which comprised of two business units, including; LifeScan, a diagnostic systems manufacturer focusing on the diabetes market specifically blood glucose monitoring systems, and Animas, which specialises in making insulin pumps for diabetes. Prior to this, she was LifeScan Marketing Director of Eastern Europe, a US$200 million turnover business. During her time in this position, Ms Potarina successfully facilitated a market share turnaround in Russia and consistent year-on-year double-digit growth in Eastern Europe. Subsequent to year end the Company appointed Mr Edmond Capcelea as Chief Technology Officer. Mr Capcelea has a Masters Degree in Engineering Physics. Mr Capceleas previous roles include Divisional Director Head of Implants and Design Development at Cochlear Limited where he held various positions over eighteen years, and Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Saluda Medical. Mr Capcelea has extensive experience in leading complex R&D projects from concept to commercialisation and has led the end to end product development of a wide range of Medical Devices ranging from Class I to Class III. Resignations Mr Robert Hunter (Director) and Mr William Hunter (Alternate Director) resigned on 1 November 2019 and Professor Ronald Jones (Director) resigned on 31 March 2020. Mr Martin Dillon resigned as Chief Executive Officer on 31 December 2019. Outlook In the 2021 financial year Truscreen will continue with its strategy to become the cervical cancer screening method of choice in selected low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) where conventional laboratory- based methods are not a good fit for purpose. To deliver on this strategy Truscreen has developed 5 Growth strategy pillars to enable sustainable business growth and return value to our shareholders: Efficient roll-out in established core markets. China is our priority market and we target to double the number of hospitals where TruScreen system will be available for patients. Russia is another large market of focus where our distributor has been implementing best in class educational programmes reaching 2,000 doctors across the country and has prepared a robust plan for further roll-out. Relentless focus on product quality and innovation. Product quality remains an absolute priority. Recently implemented electronic systems of quality assurance control will provide significant efficiency in this area. We are aligned with our customers (distributor) and our customers customer (the hundreds of doctors and nurses working with the TruScreenUltra) needs, and plan further improvements based on their feedback and requirements for a medical screening device. Focus on commercial efficiency. As a growing company we need to invest to support a significant increase in product sales in 2021. While growing revenues, we will remain focused on improving gross margin through manufacturing efficiency and the benefits of increasing sales volumes. Expanding clinical support. Truscreen and its distributors have invested heavily in clinical trials in a number of countries. Publication of the positive results achieved in these trials in respected medical journals is key to clinical advocacy of the TruScreen cervical cancer screening device. The publication of the study undertaken at the Royal Hospital of Women, Sydney, under our Medical Advisory Committee supervision expected in the 2021 FY will provide support for the accuracy and reliability of our system in a teaching hospital environment. To support our commercial roll-out framework TruScreen will be launching an on-line education program with certification for health care professionals, initially to be piloted in Vietnam. This approach will enable our team to manage complex commercial roll-outs with a need to educate simultaneously many doctors in different countries starting their journey with Truscreen. Enhance team capabilities. TruScreen have a strong and capable team and will add talented professionals with expertise in medical devices & LMICs in line with projected business growth. Source: TruScreen Limited (NZX: TRU Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. 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Approval in the vote that concludes July 1 will allow Putin to seek two more six-year terms after his current one ends in 2024. His approval ratings are at an all-time low as Russia's economy reels under the impact of the coronavirus epidemic and the slump in oil prices. His popularity rating at 59 per cent is the lowest since he became president in 2000. However, there is little chance that the referendum could go against him. Vladimir Putin's approval ratings are at an all-time low - but he is expected to win a referendum to keep him in power until 2036 Reports say people have been able to vote twice - online and using a normal ballot. There are worrying claims of mass coercion of state employees in a poll that allows voting anytime between June 25 and July 1. Voters are reported to be in fear of losing their jobs if they fail to vote the 'right' way. Prizes of new flats, cars, and even pots and pans are openly on offer for those who vote, as well as vouchers worth up to 46 for use on groceries, museums, restaurants, or parking. Against all the norms, some media outlets are offering a running total of those supporting Putin based on exit polls, with the figure of a 78.6 per cent highlighted today with almost one in five ballot cast. TV journalist Pavel Lobkov, of independent channel Dozhd, claimed he had successfully cast his ballot twice, prompting the authorities to say they would invalidate all the votes in the ballot box he had used. Putin foe and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny said: 'Case closed. 'The system counted two votes. 'It is clear that in this way from each state employee there will be 30 votes in favour (of Putin).' Russian policewomen dressed in Soviet Army styled uniforms take part in the Victory Day parade T-14 Armata tank (back) follows T-80BVM tanks down Vasilyevsky Spusk Square after a Victory Day military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II If the landmark changes pass - as is widely expected - Putin would be legally entitled to stand for two more terms, until the age of 83, effectively becoming tsar for life. There would also be a ban on gay or lesbian marriage, while 'faith in God' would be enshrined in the constitution. Putin has declared that the ballot must be seen to be fair but there are growing doubts. One supposed 'polling station' in a St Petersburg park apparently shows ballot papers being surreptitiously stuffed into a box. Voting official Grigory Margolin-Kagansky admitted: 'We see something similar to ballot stuffing in the video. 'This story is also being checked. There is some evidence that this story is fake, but it really worries us. 'Therefore, we cannot say yet that the verification is completed. We will continue to study this issue.' There are unconfirmed claims of buses delivering voters to polling places, a tactic previously criticised for rigging. Golos, election monitoring group, warned of 'mass coercion' to vote by employers, government officials and local authorities. 'The secret of will (of electors) was not always ensured' in initial voting. 'Citizens were forced to fill out ballots on benches, tree stumps, and car boots in front of other voting participants and members of [electoral] commissions.' Ballot papers are being issued to voters who have already registered to have voted online. A map shows alleged violations from Golos highlights 'abuses' across Russia. Independent news outlet Meduza reported that in one Moscow precinct three times the total number of voters had applied to cast their ballots online. The peculiar situation was blamed on a 'technical error'. Russia's senior election official hit out at provocations over voting during the coronavirus crisis which allows for outdoor balloting. 'I was sent [messages] about complaints on outdoor votes,' said Ella Pamfilova, evidently unaware of the makeshift ballot stations across Russia's 11 time zones. 'They are saying on the internet that it is illegal to vote on benches and boots of cars. 'Forgive me but no-one is voting on benches and trunks of cars, no-one is voting in tents. 'No voting on benches and car boots has been provisioned.' Putin said this week the most important task is ensuring 'the results of the nationwide vote are absolutely veracious, legitimate. Voters should not be coerced and turnout shouldn't be artificially inflated 'so that afterwards, no one can cast doubt on the position that the people will express.' When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? The University of Montana is hosting three summer classes focused on dismantling racism. The classes, AAST 291: The New Jim Crow to Black Lives Matter, AAST 491: Dismantling Racism: From Theory to Practice, and HSTA 342: African American History to 1865, will all be held online. Tobin Miller Shearer, associate professor of history and director of the African American Studies program at UM, is teaching two sections of the Dismantling Racism class this summer, one regular four-credit class and a one-credit version for continuing-education students. He said his colleagues had been grappling with how to respond to the recent civil unrest that came after the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. His department released a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement but wanted to do more. We just thought, how can we best support the Black Lives Matter movement right now? Shearer said. And we had this stuff we could put out now, we had the courses on the books. So we got it started. Shearers course is designed to give students practical tools to be actively anti-racist, as he describes it, equipping them with a road map to dismantle racism in their institution. Olivia Perez, a sophomore at UM studying public health and communication, enrolled in Shearers Dismantling Racism course to better equip herself to stand against intolerance. Growing up in Polson, on the Flathead Reservation, she said shes experienced racism first hand. I want to learn how we could change things, how we can address the problem and work together to solve it, Perez said. Because in my one year on campus, I definitely didn't feel like anyone was working together. Perez said she hopes to learn how to explain injustices more directly, how to point out racism in its face and describe why its wrong. I feel like this will really help me know what to say, she said. I want to help them understand us. And I feel like this class is a great opportunity to help me learn different points of views and different histories. Shearer said putting together syllabi for the classes and jump-starting them a session ahead of plan wasnt difficult, because these classes have been in the works for a while. Two of the classes, Dismantling Racism and African American History to 1865, will be offered during the normal fall semester as well. Even though the courses will be held through UM and taught by UM professors, registration will be open for any Montana University System (MUS) student, Shearer said. The credit will transfer to any MUS institution. We are going to set aside any complication (among campuses) because this is way more important, he said. To facilitate this undertaking, Shearer reached out to Brock Tessman, deputy commissioner for academic, research and student affairs for the MUS. Tessman said this kind of universal course and credit system is something hes been trying to instate for awhile. He thought that Shearers courses were a perfect jumping-off point for this system. The classes Professor Shearer is looking to advertise were built to accept that kind of enrollment for students across the state, and what better example of one of our campuses truly serving the state? Tessman said. I dont mean to restrict it just to the anti-racism classes, but I think this summer, theres no class more relevant to be offered to all our students. Tessman said these classes would be a great model for future campus class collaboration. Alhaji Conteh, a professor at the University of Connecticut, will be teaching The New Jim Crow class. He has taught in the African American Studies Program at UM in the past, and will be returning in the fall to teach African American History to 1865. He said truly understanding the history of racism is important to understanding the issue of racism as a whole. As a historian, I think understanding how we got to this point is always important. Students don't always understand how racism developed in the United States, Conteh said. People think racism has always existed, but when you look at the history of it, racism has a lot more to do with colonization and slavery, and it developed as a justification. Where Shearers course is focused more on individual action, Conteh said his course is targeted toward educating students on this historical context. And once we see how racism was developed, it gives us a better understanding of how to dismantle it, he said. Once we see that it was something created by people, it gives us a better idea of where to start to dismantle it. MUS students who wish to register for the summer session of any of these courses can do so by contacting the UM summer staff registration officers. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Warning from US health secretary comes as world records 500,000 deaths and 10 million cases with reopenings rolled back. The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to come. About 25 percent more than 125,000 of the deaths have been reported in the United States. The country with the next highest toll is Brazil with more than 57,000, or about one in nine of those infected. The true death toll from the virus is widely believed to be significantly higher as many victims died early on from COVID-19 without being tested for it. COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks, said Governor Greg Abbott, who allowed businesses to start reopening in early May but on Friday shut down bars and limited restaurant dining amid a spike in cases. California Governor Gavin Newsom rolled back the reopening of bars in seven counties, including Los Angeles. He ordered them to close immediately and urged eight other counties to issue local health orders mandating the same. More Florida beaches will be closing again to avoid further spread of the new coronavirus as officials try to tamp down on large gatherings amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said interactions among young people are driving the surge. Caution was thrown to the wind and so we are where we are, DeSantis said. The World Health Organization announced on Sunday another daily record in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world topping more than 189,000 in a single 24-hour period. The tally eclipses the previous record a week earlier at over 183,000 cases, showing case counts continue to progress worldwide. Time running out The United States surpassed 2.5 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus with the countrys health secretary Alex Azar warning time to take decisive action on the respiratory disease was running out. To date, more than 125,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the US, the most of any country, since the virus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December. The US confirmed its first case in February, but the caseload has risen as the disease has spread into southern and western states, as well as rural regions, which were less badly affected at the start of the outbreak. On Sunday, for the third consecutive day, new US cases rose by more than 40,000. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, appearing on CNN and NBC on Sunday, warned the window is closing for the US to take action to effectively curb the coronavirus. He urged Americans to act responsibly by social distancing and wearing face masks especially in the newly emerging hot zones. Five populous states in the west and south Florida, Arizona, South Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada on Saturday also reported record daily highs for new coronavirus cases. Evolving outbreak On the west coast, California and Washington, DC, which were hit hard early in the outbreak, have also seen a troubling rise, prompting state leaders to slow reopening plans. Meanwhile, an array of less-populated states and counties have seen an increase in daily cases, despite largely escaping the earlier surges. Idaho, Oklahoma, and Kansas have seen their number of daily reported cases jump. Many rural counties in California, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Florida saw their total number of cases double from April 19 to April 26, according to The Associated Press news agency. The increase prompted Vice President Mike Pence to cancel campaign events for the upcoming presidential election in Florida and Arizona out of an abundance of caution, according to the campaign. Pence however, did visit Texas on Sunday, where he urged residents in affected areas to wear masks, despite there being no state-wide mandate to do so. Wearing a mask is just a good idea, he said. The shifting situation in the US has created a distinct divide, with some areas that were initially hardest hit, and which imposed some of the harshest lockdowns, including New York and its neighbouring states, reporting declining cases and moving ahead with reopening plans. Reopening too soon Several states where cases are surging have been criticised for beginning to reopen too early, or not properly signalling to residents the severity of the outbreak and the precautions that need to be taken. Kami Kim, director of the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine at the University of South Florida, told Reuters news agency the states leaders had claimed victory too soon after lockdowns were lifted starting in early May and had given conflicting messages on face coverings by not wearing masks themselves. It was just complete denial by a huge swath of the politicians, she said, predicting the state may need to shut down again. Unfortunately, our community still isnt taking it very seriously. People arent wearing masks. Washington state Governor Jay Inslee said on Saturday he would delay plans to further open the states economy because of rising cases. In Texas, a state that was on the vanguard of letting people get back to work, Governor Greg Abbott ordered bars across the state to close and restaurants to limit indoor seating, expressing remorse that, in hindsight, he had allowed bars to open too soon. On Sunday, Abbot urged residents to stay home as much as possible. We need to understand that COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks, he said. India on Sunday recorded more than 19,000 new cases of the coronavirus disease, which pushed its tally closer to 5.30 lakh. As far as the states are concerned, Maharashtra continues to be battered by the coronavirus disease. On Saturday, the state recorded 5,318 fresh Covid-19 cases - the fourth record single-day jump in infections and the second consecutive day of over 5,000 cases. Delhi also crossed the 80,000-mark with Tamil Nadu at close third. Heres a look at the statewise coronavirus situation across the country. Maharashtra The state Covid-19 tally jumped to 1,59,133 on Sunday. Over 84,000 (84,245 to be exact) people have recovered from the disease in Maharashtra while 7,273 have died. Delhi The national capital, already the second worst-hit in India, saw its tally rise to 80,188 after 2,948 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the last 24 hours. So far, 49,301 have bene cured or discharged in Delhi and 2,558 have lost their lives. A serological survey began in some parts of Delhi on Saturday to determine the extent of the coronavirus diseases spread. Tamil Nadu The state stands third on the tally with 78,335 coronavirus disease cases. Tamil Nadu has witnessed 1,025 fatalities due to Covid-19 while 44,094 have recovered. Gujarat Gujarats tally of Covid-19 disease reached 30,709 on Sunday, according to Union health ministry figures. The state has seen 22,409 people recover from coronavirus while 1,789 have died. Uttar Pradesh The Covid-19 tally in Uttar Pradesh has jumped to 21,549 while the number of recoveries has reached 14,215. The states death toll stands at 649. Though the state is at number five in the list of states affected by the coronavirus disease, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday praised the state government for keeping the fatalities low despite the huge population. Rajasthan The state has reported 16,944 Covid-19 cases till Friday, the health ministry website showed. Covid-19 death toll in Rajasthan stands at 391 while 13,367 patients have recovered. West Bengal As many as 16,711 people have contracted Covid-19 in West Bengal till date. The state has seen 10,789 recover from coronavirus while 629 people have died. Haryana The coronavirus tally in Haryana has touched 13,427 while the death toll stands at 218. Over eight thousand four hundred people have recovered from the contagion in Haryana. Madhya Pradesh Over 12,965 people have been infected by coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh till date. While the state death toll stands at 550, 9,971 people have been cured or discharged from the hospitals. Telangana The state stands at the tenth spot on the Covid-19 tally with 13,436 coronavirus cases. While 4,928 people have recovered from the disease, the Covid-19 death toll has jumped to 243 in the state. Situation in other states Karnataka has witnessed 11,923 coronavirus cases till date while the number stands at 12,285 in Andhra Pradesh. Bihar has recorded 8,931 Covid-19 cases, while in Jammu and Kashmir the tally stands at 6,966. In Odisha, cases have jumped to 6,350 while Assam has reported 6,816 cases till date. Punjabs Covid-19 tally is 5,056. The number of Covid-19 cases in Kerala is 4,071. States with less than 3,000 cases Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Tripura, Manipur, Goa and Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry have less than 3,000 Covid-19 cases. Mizoram, Chandigarh, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh have reported under 500 Covid-19 cases or less. In states like Meghalaya, Sikkim and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have less than 100 Covid-19 cases. Note: Figures are from official data released by the Ministry of Health, and may differ from realtime numbers released by various state governments subject to confirmation from the Centre. Disney-Pixar treated fans around the world on Saturday by releasing a teaser trailer for their upcoming animated feature Soul. Soul is described as 'a story about finding the real, the brilliant, the passionate you' and features the vocal talents of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Daveed Diggs, and more. The film was originally set to debut in theaters in June, but - due to the coronavirus pandemic - the release date was pushed to November 20. Soul: Disney-Pixar treated fans around the world on Saturday by releasing a teaser trailer for their upcoming animated feature Soul Finding passion: Soul is described as 'a story about finding the real, the brilliant, the passionate you' and features the vocal talents of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Daveed Diggs, and more The one-minute teaser trailer gave avid Pixar enthusiasts a taste of the animated feature's art direction, as well as a first listen of the song Parting Ways written, produced, & performed by Cody ChesnuTT. Soul's main character Joe Gardner - voiced by Foxx - is described in the film's official synopsis as 'a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town.' 'But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Delay: The film was originally set to debut in theaters in June, but - due to the coronavirus pandemic - the release date was pushed to November 20 Original songs: The one-minute teaser trailer gave avid Pixar enthusiasts a taste of the animated feature's art direction, as well as a first listen of the song Parting Ways written, produced, & performed by Cody ChesnuTT Meet Joe:Soul's main character Joe Gardner - voiced by Foxx - is described in the film's official synopsis as 'a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town' 'Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul named 22 - voiced by Fey - who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. 'As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what's great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life's most important questions.' Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, and Questlove also lent their voices to the highly anticipated animated film. Catalyst: 'But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth' Human experience: 'Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul named 22 - voiced by Fey - who has never understood the appeal of the human experience' Important questions: 'As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what's great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life's most important questions' Though the teaser does not provide much insight into the elements of The Great Before, it does give viewers a more intimate view of Joe's normal world and the 'Soul' of New York City. It moves from Joe's days spent as a middle school teacher to his days spent lusting after his dream and aiding to his ailing parents. Disney released a full-length trailer for Soul in March, but this week's teaser trailer offered fans plenty of never-before-seen moments. Day in the life: Though the teaser does not provide much insight into the elements of The Great Before, it does give viewers a more intimate view of Joe's normal world and the 'Soul' of New York City Emotional: The film is directed by acclaimed director Pete Docter, who was the mind behind some the studio's most emotionally driven films, including Inside Out and Up The film is directed by acclaimed director Pete Docter, who was the mind behind some the studio's most emotionally driven films, including Inside Out and Up. According to the New York Times, Soul 'features jazz tunes by Jon Batiste, the bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' It also featured 'an original score by Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.' Original songs: According to the New York Times , Soul 'features jazz tunes by Jon Batiste, the bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' By Trend Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, the Republic of Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev has been putting forward the necessary initiatives and taking tangible steps to strengthen international solidarity in the fight against coronavirus at the regional and global levels, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said, Trend reports. Hikmat Hajiyev noted that the pandemic had not only created serious health problems that endanger people's lives, but also created devastating global socioeconomic and humanitarian threats, the negative consequences of which will be felt for a long time. In the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic that is comparable to World War II, there is a greater need for global solidarity and global vision than for measures of self-isolation and fragmentary events. To this end, an extraordinary summit of the heads of state and government of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States was held on the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev as chairman of the organization in April. The Turkish Council was the first international organization to hold a summit on the fight against COVID-19. On the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, an online summit of the Non-Aligned Movement Contact Group in response to COVID-19 pandemic was held on 4 May. The event was attended not only by members of the Non-Aligned Movement, but also by the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, senior representatives of international organizations such as the African Union and the European Union. The Non-Aligned Movement, an organization that brings together 120 countries, is the second largest political institution in the world after the United Nations. The assistant to the President stressed that the Republic of Azerbaijan had made a donation to the World Health Organization as an example of global solidarity in the fight against COVID-19, and also provided humanitarian assistance to more than 30 countries. As an example of global solidarity, President Ilham Aliyev suggested in his remarks at the Non-Aligned Movement's online summit that a special video conference of the UN General Assembly be held at the level of heads of state and government to combat the pandemic. Under the UN Charter, the General Assembly may convene special sessions if necessary. Special sessions may be convened by the Secretary-General at the request of the UN Security Council or the majority of its member states. A limited number of special sessions of the General Assembly have been held since the founding of the United Nations. The proposal was unanimously agreed by 120 non-aligned countries in New York. After that, the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent an appeal to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement with a proposal to hold a special session of the UN General Assembly at the level of heads of state and government in the format of a video conference. On 28 May, the UN Secretary-General appealed to all member states in accordance with Article 9 (a) of the General Assembly's Rules of Procedure, asking them to respond to the initiative within 30 days, i.e. by 27 June. According to the rules, a special session is to be convened if the majority of UN member states (97 countries is enough) support the initiative. According to the official information available to the Azerbaijani side, about 130 countries have informed the Secretary General's office that they support the initiative before the indicated deadline. Hikmat Hajiyev noted that the support by about 130 UN member states for the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev acting in the status of Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement to hold a special session of the General Assembly is further evidence of the great confidence in Azerbaijan on the part of the international community. The countries that have supported the initiative represent all regions of the world. They range from permanent members of the UN Security Council to small island nations. The letters sent from such states to the UN Secretary General in relation to this issue emphasize that President Ilham Aliyev's initiative to hold a special session of the General Assembly is very timely and appropriate. We express our gratitude to all the countries that have supported Azerbaijan's initiative. We believe that these countries have once again demonstrated their commitment to the UN Charter, multilateral cooperation and multilateralism, Hikmat Hajiyev said. In the coming days, the UN Secretary General is expected to officially inform member states. The Azerbaijani side hopes that a special session will be held as soon as possible. Since the initiative put forward by President Ilham Aliyev, supported by the Non-Aligned Movement member states and has been approved by the majority of the world's states, holding the special session has become a common matter not only for the countries involved, but also for all UN member states. The Republic of Azerbaijan is open to cooperation with all member states to determine the format and modalities for the organization of the special session of the UN General Assembly on pandemic control at the level of heads of state and government in the format of a video conference, and to achieve results at the end of the special session. We believe that all member countries will show maximum flexibility during the consultations. The Prersidents Assistant said: We are confident that the special session will create conditions for the full mobilization of the international communitys efforts in the fight against the pandemic and make a positive contribution to finding a global response to this global threat. The continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates once again that there is a great need and demand for the heads of state and government of the world to come together without delay in a special session of the UN General Assembly, which is regarded as parliament of the world, to discuss ways out of the COVID-19 scourge and find the necessary solutions. During its chairmanship in the Non-Aligned Movement under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue its activities focused on multilateralism, joining the global efforts in the face of common threats and strengthening global solidarity. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Banks have quietly launched a vital security crackdown to prevent fraudsters intercepting payments. Online bank transfer payments will now be blocked if the recipient's name and account number do not match. A box will pop up asking you to check the payee's details for errors and alerting you to potential fraud. This will happen even if you only enter one wrong letter or use someone's nickname. Previously, banks did not check whether the name was correct on a bank transfer. It meant you could put down 'Bugs Bunny' and, as long as the right sort code and account number were entered, your payment would go through. Security: When all the payee's details match, money will be sent But that made it too easy to get a digit wrong and send money to a stranger's account. Some customers have struggled to get their money back again after these so-called fat-finger errors. Fraudsters also found ways to exploit the loophole, masquerading as Revenue & Customs or a victim's builder or estate agent while giving out their own bank sort code and account number for payment. All the major banks were originally told to introduce the new 'confirmation of payee' name-check system by the end of March. But because of the Covid-19 crisis, the deadline was extended to June 30. The Mail on Sunday can reveal all the big banks have now rolled out the technology. Here's what you need to know... SO HOW DO BANK PAYMENTS WORK NOW? If all this new technology sounds like a big headache, it needn't. There are no new security passwords to remember you just need to know exactly who your money is being sent to. When you make a banking payment online or via a mobile banking app you will be asked to put the recipient's account number, sort code and name as usual. If the name you enter matches the one registered for that account number and sort code, you will receive a confirmation on screen and the payment will go through. However, 'fat-fingered' users will find that any spelling mistakes or typos will flag up an alert. This includes abbreviations when you believed the correct details have been provided. For example, paying someone you know as Dan Smith whose full bank account name is Daniel Smith may not work. If you've entered the wrong details, a confirmation of payee alert will pop up asking you to check for errors. You will be able to cancel the payment, edit the recipient's details or send the money anyway, over-riding the security warning. If the name entered is close to the real one linked to the account the alert should tell you. When making a banking payment online or via a mobile banking app you will be asked to put the recipient's account number, sort code and name as usual ARE ALL THE BANKS USING THIS SYSTEM? No. It has taken until now for the Payment Systems Regulator watchdog to knock the heads of the banks together to get them to agree to the changes because ultimately beating the fraudsters saves both customers and banks money. But not all banks are involved at this stage. Those signed up to the deal include Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest (as part of Royal Bank of Scotland), Santander, HSBC and Nationwide Building Society. Yet others, including Co-operative Bank and Metro Bank, are not being told they must also fall into line. According to the watchdog, major banks have until the end of June to ensure they have introduced this new checking system to avoid a fine. WHY BRING IN THE EXTRA HASSLE? To beat criminals. According to the consumer group Which?, bank transfer fraud has seen people cheated out of 320million over the past three years. This new move aims to put a stop to some of the most brazen scams. For example, say you get an email from a crook pretending to be your builder and providing an account number and sort code for payment. Now, the system will prove a major help. According to the consumer group Which?, bank transfer fraud has seen people cheated out of 320million over the past three years. When you enter your builder's name in your online banking payments screen, an alert will flash up saying that name doesn't match the account and sort code. You can cancel the payment and contact your builder directly to confirm the scam. Beware, though, the security isn't totally foolproof. Far from it. For example, the crook may have set up an account with a very crafty name which may not raise suspicion. Equally, they may try to trick you into believing that the unfamiliar name on the account is nothing to worry about. Frankie Dowling, head of compliance for the online banking service Amaiz, says: 'Although this is a step in the right direction, I fear the system is potentially flawed and it might catch less than 10 per cent of fraudsters so customers should remain wary. Crooks can get around these checks. It will not stop you being defrauded if you use the account details given to you by the scammer and then tap in a name used by them.' She adds: 'It may also cause problems for people wanting to make a genuine payment. It might be a typing error or caused by you putting in an abbreviation of a name, perhaps the one you know them by not the one officially registered.' Frankie Dowling, head of compliance at Amaiz, fears the new system is potentially flawed and might catch less than 10 per cent of fraudsters so customers should remain wary WILL ALL PAYMENTS BE CHECKED? Most everyday payments to friends, family and businesses will be checked. This is because confirmation of payee will be used for sending money via so-called faster payments where cash goes within a couple of hours by electronic transfer. Also included are new standing orders. Same-day electronic payments using CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System) will also be subjected to the name checks. CHAPS is run by the Bank of England and enables different banks to seamlessly transfer money between each other. It can be used for transferring high values, such as buying a house. But payments that are used through another electronic payment system used for bank-to-bank transfers known as BACS (Bankers Automated Clearing Services) are not signed up to confirmation of payee. These can take three days for money to move between accounts. Also excluded are direct debits and payments authorised via third parties such as PayPal or Visa. WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE I'VE PAID BEFORE? If you've paid someone before, often those details are stored for quick access in your online banking. The banks told us these payments shouldn't be affected by the new confirmation of payee checks. However, there are reports of gremlins in the system so be wary. And any 'amended payments' people or businesses that you have paid in the past but have changed bank account details or perhaps a name will be affected. If one of the major banks signed up to the security checks fails to flag up an alert and you fall victim to a scam, the Payment Systems Regulator says the bank should reimburse you. It might also face a fine for having failed to offer the new service. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 20:54:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HEFEI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A new high-speed railway route, connecting east and central China, started operations Sunday to serve regional integrated development. With a designed speed of 350 kph, the newly opened, high-speed section links Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, with Huzhou in Zhejiang Province. The stretch extends southward to Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, and northward to Shangqiu, central China's Henan Province, via the already operating high-speed railways. As the train, known as G9394, pulled out of the Hefei South Railway Station at 8:56 a.m. Sunday, Chen Tao said he felt excited to be among the first batch of passengers on the new route, heading for Hangzhou. "I have to travel between the two cities for business reasons about five times a month. The new route provides me with a faster choice," said the 25-year-old who arrived in Hangzhou, more than 400 km away from Hefei, in about two hours. With a total length of 794.55 km, the Shangqiu-Hefei-Hangzhou high-speed railway can help further promote the development of central China and the regional integration of the Yangtze River Delta, which consists of Shanghai Municipality, and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. Last year, China unveiled an outline for the regional integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, which is one of the country's most economically active, open and innovative regions, and produces about one-fourth of the national GDP. Local governments have rolled out a raft of measures to enhance cooperation and communication in the region. Transportation interconnection is just one example of the coordinated development of the region. The investment for railway construction in the Yangtze River Delta is expected to hit more than 87 billion yuan (about 12 billion U.S. dollars) this year, with the total length of new railway lines to exceed 1,000 km, according to the China Railway Shanghai Group Co., Ltd. "The opening of the new route ends the history of no railways in our county, and makes our transportation network with the outside more comprehensive," said Shen Mingquan, secretary of Anji County Committee of the Communist Party of China. Anji is well-known for tea production in Zhejiang. "The development of our company can also benefit from the new route, as it makes business exchanges more convenient, and greatly shortens the distance between our company and the target markets," said Shen Aqing, general manager of a machinery technology company in Huzhou, Zhejiang. The firm's products have been sold to Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, and other provinces. The Yangtze River Delta has the country's densest distribution of cities and towns, and is a strong driving force to the central and western regions, according to Fu Jiajia, an official with the Anhui provincial development and reform commission. Enditem MANILA -- The Philippine government has dropped a plan to import up to 300,000 tonnes of rice from various governments as its traditional main supplier, Vietnam, has resumed selling grains, the agriculture department said late on Saturday. The Philippines, the world's biggest rice buyer, had planned to import under a government-to-government scheme to ensure sufficient supply during its lean harvest season in the third quarter. State agency Philippine International Trading Corp (PITC) had issued a tender to import 25% broken, well-milled long grain white rice, with bids from India, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar opened on June 8. Based on the ranking of qualified bids, Myanmar was on top with an offer of $489.25 a tonne for a volume of 33,000 tonnes and $494.25 a tonne for a separate volume of 42,000 tonnes. Vietnam's Vinafood 1 would have also won a supply contract for 30,000 tonnes at $497.30 a tonne. Other bids were rejected, including those from India and Thailand. In a statement, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the rice import plan had been dropped as it was "no longer necessary under the current situation". Vietnam resumed its rice exports from May after a brief suspension to assess its local supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippines imports around 7% to 14% of its rice requirements, with 90% coming from its Southeast Asia neighbour. Potential tightness in domestic supply "has been properly addressed with the lifting of the rice export ban by Vietnam and the rice import arrivals of around 1.3 million metric tonnes as of the third week of June," Dar said. He expressed optimism that the country's remaining import requirement can be secured within the remaining six months of the year by the private sector. One of New Mexicos greatest draws is its natural beauty and the ample opportunities to enjoy that beauty. A bill moving its way through the U.S. Congress will help not only preserve that beauty but keep it accessible to the public. On June 17, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act 73 to 25, a move Greg Peters, advocate with Conservation Voters New Mexico, called a bipartisan victory. Peters said the Act does two things. It provides funding to address the backlog of maintenance at state and federal parks. Second, it ensures the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which helps pay for the creation of high quality recreation areas, remains flush with cash. With full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Peters said. We can protect our wildlife, way of life, culture, and access to the outdoors, while creating economic opportunity for small towns across New Mexico. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has been used to help create outdoor recreation opportunities in almost every community across the state, many dating to the 1960s. Most New Mexicans have probably themselves used at least one of these sites. Jesse W. Deubel, executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, said there are many examples of wilderness areas that will benefit from the act but inner city, urban communities have created outdoor recreation places with the fund. Its especially important now, Deubel said. There has been an increased love and enthusiasm for public lands because of Corona. Elephant Butte Lake is a popular destination for boaters and campers alike. The lake was created in the early 1900s by a man-made dam. LWCF grants in the 70s and 90s helped further develop the areas for recreational use. The popular Tingley Beach along Albuquerques Rio Grande bosque as well as the river itself and the Petroglyphs, which features several trails, have benefited from the fund. Tent Rocks, the Gila National Forest, Bandelier National Monument and the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge have all used LCFW grant money to improve their recreational opportunities. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. co-sponsored the bill and said the outdoor industry in New Mexico is a major economic driver. Americas public lands are at the very core of who we are, Udall said in a news release. Families in New Mexico and throughout the nation enjoy access to millions of acres of public lands for hiking, camping and fishing because of LWCF. And investments in our public lands fuel our economy, and our way of life. A 2020 report published by the New Mexico Outdoor Division, which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham created in 2019, said outdoor recreation contributes $2.3 billion annually to the states gross domestic product and creates 33,500 jobs. The fund was created by Congress in 1964 in an effort to protect natural areas, waterways, and sites of cultural significance and heritage. However, the money behind the fund has never been a guarantee. Congress frequently siphons money from it for other priorities. Since its inception, Peters said the Land and Water Conservation Fund has only been fully funded twice. The Great American Outdoors Act, Peters said, guarantees the fund will now receive its designated $900 million every year, which comes not from taxes but royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling. Deubel said the fund is costing the taxpayers nothing. I know its a little bit of irony because the extraction can have a negative impact on the environment sometimes, Deubel said. But it helps preserve and protect wild spaces and across the country it funds parks and fields. Just last year, it appeared the fund was in serious jeopardy when Pres. Donald Trump put forth a budget proposal that slashed the fund to a mere $8 million. A few Republican senators set out to change his mind and were successful. Trump has said publicly he will sign the Great American Outdoors Act if it comes across his desk. Ahead of the vote, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who was also a co-sponsor, had this to say. We have protected such incredible with the Land and Water Conservation Fund, Heinrich said. This is a bill that is going to allow us to ensure that every kid is within walking distance of a neighborhood park. Deubel and Peters are optimistic the bill will pass the House, which is controlled by Democrats. However, whether it will pass as presented or when it will be heard is unknown. We are hopeful they will take it up in the next few weeks, Peters said. And we hope its a clean bill with no amendments. We may not have another chance like this. A former owner of Flybe has criticised the Government for failing to bail out the regional airline in January just months before issuing hundreds of millions of pounds to a rival that opposed the rescue deal. Flybe investors said the airline could have played a key role in Boris Johnson's 'levelling up' strategy for the regions. They included Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, Southend Airport's owner Stobart Group, and the hedge fund Cyrus Capital. The sentiment appeared to have been shared by then Business Minister Andrea Leadsom, who announced on Twitter that she was 'delighted' a rescue had been agreed to ensure 'UK regions remain connected'. Grounded: Stobart chief executive Warwick Brady says regional airlines and airports are vital to the Prime Ministers plan to level up Britain But, speaking out for the first time since Flybe's collapse in early March, Stobart's chief executive Warwick Brady said the 'politics of Branson got in the way' of a deal, which subsequently failed to materialise. Brady said it 'does grate' that Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways' owner IAG, complained the proposed 100million commercial loan was 'unfair' a day after Leadsom's announcement and just a few months before IAG was granted a 300million Government loan. IAG was also granted 900million of Spanish aid for its Iberia and Vueling divisions. Branson, who has repeatedly clashed with Walsh, has yet to agree a state loan for his beleaguered Virgin Atlantic, in which his Virgin Group has a 51 per cent stake. The rest is owned by Delta. Brady spoke to The Mail on Sunday during an exclusive tour of Southend Airport, which is due to restart flights next month. Stobart has spent the past months installing new safety measures for the reopening. It is set to become Britain's first airport where no passenger will have to remove liquids or laptops from their carry-on bags while going through security. IAG filed a complaint with the EU in January over the planned rescue of Flybe, arguing it breached state aid rules, giving Flybe an unfair advantage. A string of carriers have since been bailed out. Brady said: 'The Government did agree to a 100million commercial loan. Then I think the politics of Branson got in the way. I think it changed the sentiment and then the politicians changed their minds.' He added: 'I think he's been scuppered because people just don't like bailing out a billionaire.' Virgin Atlantic held a 30 per cent stake in Flybe, Stobart also held 30 per cent and Cyrus 40 per cent. The three shareholders had agreed to invest more money in Flybe if the Government bailout went ahead. Brady called Flybe 'a strategic asset for the country' and the rescue deal 'the right thing to do'. 'Now there's no one flying from Newquay,' he said. 'Southampton was decimated, Belfast is decimated. All those airports had 80 per cent of Flybe traffic.' He said a delay in EU approval for the loan also caused problems. 'If we had our time again we'd probably try to work out how to avoid an EU competition delay of six months and then accelerate the restructuring plan,' he said. 'There's a core, good business.' Brady also criticised the Government's current quarantine demands on travellers coming to the UK for their holidays and on Britons when they return from trips overseas. The Government is set to introduce so-called 'air bridges' tomorrow bilateral agreements allowing travel to popular destinations such as France and Spain, without tourists having to go into quarantine. But Stobart, which is raising up to 100million through new and existing investors, wants Ministers to let people travel freely to a wider range of countries not just the most popular summer hotspots. Glyn Jones, chief executive of Southend Airport, would like to see countries in central and eastern Europe, which have seen low rates of Covid-19 infections, included in the 'air bridges' Glyn Jones, chief executive of Southend Airport, said the five most popular destinations being considered at the time accounted for just 51 per cent of Southend's passenger traffic. He would like to see countries in central and eastern Europe, which have seen low rates of Covid-19 infections, included. Brady added: 'If you're going to lock down and do the 14-day quarantine, they should have done that at the beginning. It's like they woke up halfway through a bad dream.' At an eerily quiet Southend Airport, vending machines selling personal protective equipment (PPE) and Perspex screens at check-in desks have been installed. Passengers' temperatures will be tested before security in case other countries decide this is necessary. There is currently just one new 'touch-free' X-ray machine in place, but with reduced passenger numbers, no one should have to remove liquids or laptops from bags. Some two million passengers used Southend last year, but Stobart is planning for five million, helped by a new arrivals terminal, security route and more space for shops. Global airline industry proposes alternatives to quarantine View(s): Geneva The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents global airlines, has urged governments to avoid quarantine measures when re-opening their economies. IATA is promoting a layered approach of measures to reduce the risk of countries importing COVID-19 via air travel and to mitigate the possibility of transmission in cases where people may travel while unknowingly being infected. Imposing quarantine measures on arriving travellers keeps countries in isolation and the travel and tourism sector in lockdown. Fortunately, there are policy alternatives that can reduce the risk of importing COVID-19 infections while still allowing for the resumption of travel and tourism that are vital to jumpstarting national economies. We are proposing a framework with layers of protection to keep sick people from travelling and to mitigate the risk of transmission should a traveller discover they were infected after arrival, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATAs Director General and CEO, in a media statement. IATA encourages a layering of bio-safety measures in two areas: Reducing the risk of imported cases via travellers: Discouraging symptomatic passengers from traveling: It is important that passengers do not travel when ill. To encourage passengers to do the right thing and stay home if they are unwell or potentially exposed, airlines are offering travellers flexibility in adjusting their bookings. Public health risk mitigation measures: IATA supports health screening by governments in the form of health declarations. To avoid privacy issues and cut the risk of infection with paper documents, standardised contactless electronic declarations via government web portals or government mobile applications are recommended. Health screening using measures such as non-intrusive temperature checks can also play an important role. Although temperature checks are not the most effective screening method for COVID-19 symptoms, they can act as a deterrent to travelling while unwell. Temperature checks can also shore-up passenger confidence: In a recent IATA survey of travelers, 80 per cent indicated that temperature checks make them feel safer when travelling. COVID-19 testing for travellers from countries perceived to be higher-risk: When accepting travellers from countries where the rate of new infections is significantly higher, the arrival authority could consider COVID-19 testing. It is recommended that tests are undertaken prior to arrival at the departure airport (so as not to add to airport congestion and avoid the potential for contagion in the travel process) with documentation to prove a negative result. Tests would need to be widely available and highly accurate, with results delivered quickly. Test data would need to be independently validated so as to be mutually recognised by governments and securely transmitted to the relevant authorities. Testing should be for active virus (polymerase chain reaction or PCR) rather than for antibodies or antigens. Mitigating risk in cases where an infected person does travel Reducing the risk of transmission during the air travel journey: IATA encourages the universal implementation of the Take-Off guidelines published by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Take-Off is a temporary risk-based and multi-layered approach to mitigate the risks of transmitting COVID-19 during air travel. The comprehensive Take-Off guidelines are closely aligned with the recommendations of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These include mask wearing throughout the travel process, sanitization, health declarations and social distancing where possible. Contact tracing: This is the back-up measure, should someone be detected as infected after arrival. Rapid identification and isolation of contacts contains the risk without large-scale economic or social disruption. New mobile technology has the potential to automate part of the contact-tracing process, provided privacy concerns can be addressed. Reducing risk of transmission at destination: Governments are taking measures to limit the spread of the virus in their territory that will also mitigate the risk from travelers. In addition, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travel protocols provide a pragmatic approach for the hospitality sector to enable safe tourism and restore traveller confidence. Areas of the industry covered by the protocols include hospitality, attractions, retail, tour operators, and meeting planners. There are some hurdles to being able to implement the full suite of measures. Data transmission, required for health declarations, testing and tracing, raises privacy concerns. And mutually recognised standards would be needed for testing. Governments have a common interest in finding solutions. The rapid agreement by governments to ICAOs Take-Off guidelines demonstrates that progress on complex issues is possible where there is the political will to do so, said Mr. de Juniac. The statement said that mandatory quarantine measures stop people from travelling. Recent public opinion research revealed that 83 per cent of travellers would not even consider travelling if quarantine measures were imposed on travellers at their destination. And analysis of trends during the lockdown period shows that countries imposing quarantine saw arrivals decrease by more than 90 per centan outcome that is similar to countries that banned foreign arrivals. Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday accused India of being behind a conspiracy to topple him for publishing the countrys new map that depicts Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepalese territory. Oli made the remarks while addressing a meeting held in Kathmandu to mark the birth anniversary of late communist leader Madan Bhandari. The comments come at a time when Oli is facing intense criticism from within the ruling Nepal Communist Party for his governance and handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. A conspiracy is being hatched to remove me for releasing the countrys new map and getting it adopted through Parliament. In light of these discussions, the media reports from New Delhi, [the Indian] embassys activities and meetings in different hotels in Kathmandu, its not difficult to understand how people are openly active to topple me, Oli said, speaking in Nepali. He added, There is a race to remove me. It has been said people who commit such crimes should not be allowed to stay. Printing a map is called a crime. Also read: Nepal-India border tensions rise, one killed. Explained in 10 points There was no immediate reaction to Olis remarks from Indian officials. The Indian side has described Nepals new map as an artificial enlargement of territorial claims and said the onus is on the Nepalese side to create a positive atmosphere for talks to resolve the border row. On June 18, Nepals President Bidya Devi Bhandari signed the bill to give legal backing to the new map after it was approved by both houses of Parliament. During an ongoing meeting of the standing committee of the Nepal Communist Party, Oli has faced withering criticism from the faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. A majority of members of the committee are with Prachanda and Oli skipped the committees session on Friday. Oli has also said several times that his stance on a nationalistic issue such as the new map will lead to efforts to oust him. Nepals nationalism is not so weak that someone can dream of removing the countrys prime minister for publishing the new map and making it part of the Constitution...It is unthinkable, Oli said on Sunday. Nepal hadnt made a mistake as it has only asked for its own land back, and it has not claimed or tried to grab anyone elses land, he said. Also read: As Nepal preps to vote on new map, a hint about Indias stance from Army chief Oli also contended he had been removed as the premier in 2016 for signing a transport and transit agreement with China. Now, theyre having the same dream because the constitutional amendment has been passed and the map has been issued. They are upset on the inside for this crime being committed, he said. He added that he didnt covet the post but it was essential for him to remain. If he stepped down at this juncture, it would set a wrong precedent and any other premier who spoke in favour of Nepal would also be forced to quit, he said. The new map became a popular issue among the public and gained widespread backing from all political parties. However, experts said Oli himself doesnt enjoy the same sort of popularity within his own party. Boeing is set to begin a week of flight safety tests in a bid to get its 737 Max back into the skies, after the plane was grounded following two fatal crashes. The best-selling aircraft was grounded around 15 months ago after two fatal crashes killed 346 people. Now, the Boeing 737 Max is set to begin a series of flight safety tests near Boeing's manufacturing base in Seattle, the BBC reported. Flight safety tests on the Boeing 737 Max (pictured) are set to begin this week after the aircraft was grounded around 15 months ago following two fatal crashes which saw 346 deaths Three days of flight safety tests on the 737 Max (above) will potentially begin on Monday at Boeing Field near Seattle Pilots and technical experts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing are thought to be planning three days of tests, potentially beginning on Monday. But even if the tests go well, months of further safety checks will still follow. Aviation regulators grounded the 737 Max around 15 months ago, after two aircrafts crashed within five months of each other. On October 29, 2018, a Lion Air flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea just 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia. The flight crew made a distress call shortly before losing control but the crash killed 189 people. The aircraft was almost brand-new, having arrived at Lion Air just three months earlier. Less than five months later, a second crash occurred on March 10, 2019, when the Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew members on board. The aircraft had departed from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and was bound for Nairobi, Kenya. The Lion Air flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea on October 29, 2018, 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia. The fatal crash killed 189 people on board (pictured, investigators examine parts of the plane recovered from the sea) The Lion Air plane was almost brand-new, having arrived just three months earlier. Pictured, debris from the Lion Air crash is examined Just after takeoff, the pilot radioed a distress call and was given immediate clearance to turn around and land. But the plane crashed 40 miles from the airport, just six minutes after leaving the runway. The aircraft involved was only four months old. The grounding of the 737 Max triggered lawsuits and investigations by Congress and the Department of Justice. Questions were also raised about the FAA and Boeing's safety approval process. Investigators blamed faults in the flight control system, which the 103-year-old company has been overhauling for months to meet new safety demands. In this week's flight safety tests, a 737 Max kitted out with test equipment will run a series of scripted mid-air scenarios at Boeing Field near Seattle. On March 10, 2019, the Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed (site of the plane crash pictured) soon after taking off from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew members The two fatal crashes (pictured, the wreckage from the Ethiopian Airlines crash) led to the grounding of the 737 Max, which then triggered lawsuits and investigations by Congress and the Department of Justice Pilots will intentionally trigger the reprogrammed stall-prevention software, known as MCAS, that was blamed for both the crashes, according to Reuters. Test flights had originally been planned for last year, but investigations uncovered new safety issues that delayed its return to service. After the flight safety tests, FAA officials in Washington and Seattle will analyse the data to access if the jet is airworthy. But the European Aviation Safety Agency maintained that clearance by the FAA will not automatically mean a clearance to fly in Europe. Regulators in Europe and Canada, while working closely with the FAA, will also conduct their own assessments. Norwegian Air, TUI, and Icelandair are among airlines that use the 737 Max in Europe, while others have the aircraft on order. Boeing and the FAA declined to comment. It is a highly volatile and dangerous situation between two nationalistic, nuclear powers at a time when American influence has badly diminished (but this a good sign)! by Anwar A. Khan A spine-chilling tale, played out in pitch darkness on jagged precipices at 14,000 feet above the Galwan River valley at Ladakh between the foot-soldiers of two nuclear-armed regional superpowers, India and China on 15 June, 2020. The worthwhile words of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam can be justified as a moral lesson, War is never a lasting solution for any problem. In our living lives, we have seen horrors of many wars during almost seven decenniums. The more money you spend on guns; the less money you spend on people! More weapons, less happiness; more guns, more misery! A country which prefers guns to flowers will live the beauty of the flowers only in its graveyards! The real and lasting victories are those of peace and not of war. No more war, war never again! Peace, it is peace which must guide the destinies of people and of all mankind. No war has ever won in the history, because people died in every single war! Where there are deaths, there is no victory! It is in unity that we find strength, in unity we find hope, and in unity, we can stand firm as the darkness approaches. Let us stand together and stand firm against the many faces of hatred. Society has arisen out of the works of peace; the essence of society is peacemaking. Peace and not war is the father of all things. China and India have accused each other of instigating deadly border clashes between their forces in the recent past, pledging to safeguard their territory, but also to try to end a standoff between soldiers from the two sides that began in the recent past in the disputed Himalayan frontier. Twenty Indian troops were reportedly killed in the clashes in the Ladakh regions Galwan Valley, and China also suffered casualties. Indo-China Border Indian Foreign Secretary Jaishankar, in turn, accused China of erecting a structure in the Galwan Valley, which he called a premeditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties," according to a statement. He added that the incident would have serious repercussions on India's relationship with China, but that both sides were committed to further disengaging on the remote plateau of the Himalayan terrain. It is a highly volatile and dangerous situation between two nationalistic, nuclear powers at a time when American influence has badly diminished (but this a good sign)! It was the deadliest conflict between the sides in 45 years, and escalated a standoff in the disputed region that began in early May, when Indian officials said Chinese soldiers crossed the boundary at three different points, erecting tents and guard posts and ignoring verbal warnings to leave. That triggered shouting matches, stone-throwing and fistfights, much of it replayed on television news channels and social media. China said it wanted to avoid further clashes with India along their border after the first deadly confrontation between the two nuclear powers in decades. But they added that the two sides "will continue to resolve this issue through dialogue and negotiations. We of course don't wish to see more clashes," Zhao on behalf of China said. As India celebrated its 70th Independence Day, the Indian Army held a ceremonial Border Personal Meeting (BPM) with their Chinese counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh sector. A programme showcasing Indian culture was also presented with traditional grandeur to mark country's 70th Independence Day. The delegations of both interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment. Both sides also sought to build on the mutual feeling of upholding the treaties and agreement signed between the governments of the two sides to maintain peace and tranquility along the LAC. The United Nations urged both sides to exercise maximum restraint. If we look back: The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is a loose demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory in the Sino-Indian border dispute. The term was first used by Zhou Enlai in a 1959 letter to Jawaharlal Nehru. It subsequently referred to the line formed after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and is part of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There are two common ways in which the term "Line of Actual Control" is used. In the narrow sense, it refers only to the line of control in the western sector of the borderland between the Indian union territory of Ladakh and Chinese Tibet Autonomous Region. In that sense, the LAC, together with a disputed border in the east (the McMahon Line for India and a line close to the McMahon Line for China) and a small undisputed section in between, forms the effective border between the two countries. In the wider sense, it can be used to refer to both the western line of control and the eastern line of control, in which sense it is the effective border between India and the People's Republic of China. The entire Sino-Indian border including the western LAC, the small undisputed section in the centre, and the McMahon Line in the east is 4,056 km (2,520 miles) long and traverses one Indian union territory, Ladakh, and four Indian states: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. On the Chinese side, the line traverses the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Indian government claims that Chinese troops continue to illegally enter the area hundreds of times every year. In 2013, there was a three-week standoff (2013 Daulat Beg Oldi incident) between Indian and Chinese troops 30 km southeast of Daulat Beg Oldi. It was resolved and both Chinese and Indian troops withdrew in exchange for a Chinese agreement to destroy some military structures over 250 km to the south near Chumar that the Indians perceived as threatening. Later the same year, it was reported that Indian forces had already documented 329 sightings of unidentified objects over a lake in the border region, between the previous August and February. They recorded 155 such intrusions. Later some of the objects were identified as planets Venus and Jupiter by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, appearing brighter as a result of the different atmosphere at altitude and confusion due to the increased use of surveillance drones. In October 2013, India and China signed a border defence cooperation agreement to ensure that patrolling along the LAC does not escalate into armed conflict. India says at least 20 of its soldiers were killed after hand-to-hand fighting with Chinese troops at a disputed border site on that night, in the deadliest clash between the two Asian giants in decades. China said its troops were engaged in a "violent physical confrontation" with Indian soldiers, but has given deliberately no details of those killed or wounded. Both Indian and Chinese officials accuse each other of crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the nuclear-armed Asian giants. The LAC is largely based on the ceasefire line after the war in 1962, but both sides disagree on where it lies. The latest clashes took place at a disputed border site in the Galwan area of Ladakh, in the western Himalayas, an area at an altitude of around 14,000 feet where temperatures often fall below freezing. The disputed site lies amid remote jagged mountains and fast-flowing rivers on the northern tip of India, abutting the Aksai Chin Plateau, which is claimed by India but administered by China. Both countries claim vast swaths of each other's territory along the Himalayan border, with some disagreements rooted in demarcations by British colonial administrators of India. India and China fought a brief but bloody border war in 1962 and distrust has occasionally led to flare-ups ever since. Infrastructure building near or within disputed territories is often blamed for increases in tensions. I quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. (To be continued) -The End The writer is an independent political observer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs. Recognising unsung heroes By Dr Ajith C S Perera View(s): View(s): Persons who deserve honour for their patriotic deeds and distinguished services to the country are rightly recognised as National Heroes, National War Heroes and Recipients of Sri Lankan National Honours. There are also other persons who have performed extraordinary deeds often voluntarily especially at times of calamity and distress. They are the people who elevate us emotionally; heal our psychological ills; or even call us to come forward to win our inherent rights to enhance the quality of day-to-day lives, etc. Although their outstanding efforts often go unnoticed, they indeed are our UNSUNG HEROES. These include doctors, nurses, attendants, pharmacists, technicians, innovators, taxi drivers and grocers, and all those who unhesitatingly go that extra mile to serve us in response to a crisis. Sri Lanka National Heroes Sri Lanka National Hero is a status of civil honour bestowed on an individual recognised and declared as Patriotic War Hero who fought for the freedom of the motherland especially in the Uva Wellassa Great Rebellion (18171818), the Matale Rebellion (1948) and, the Independence movement against the British Empire. Our country known as Dominion of Ceylon (1948-1972), declared February 04 as its National (Independence) Day. It proclaimed itself a republic on May 22, 1972. On this day each year declared Sri Lanka National Heroes Day these patriotic fighters are remembered and celebrated. National War-Heroes May 19 in 2010 was celebrated as Victory Day for defeating separatist terrorism after 30 years of fighting. Since 2011, on this day each year, a ceremony is held under state patronage to commemorate and honour the ultimate sacrifice the heroes from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Police, Civil Defence forces and civilians irrespective of ethnicity made with their lives or limbs for the sake of unity and integrity, peace and wellbeing of our country. The annual celebratory event was renamed as National War Heroes Day on May 19, 2020. It also recognised the extra-ordinary deeds of some living war veterans. Members of the triforces are further recognised at various levels of service and personal accomplishments and presented with different awards and their associated ribbon bars. They are means to outwardly display the highlights of a servicepersons career. Recipients of Sri Lankan National Honours There are exceptional individuals who are recognised and honoured in the form of medals, decorations and titles for a variety of distinguished services to the country or for eminence in various fields of endeavour. Unsung heroes There are other exceptional people with eminence in an important field of endeavor or who have made a significant difference to their community, but have not received the honour for it. India this year recognised 21 unsung heroes. They include: 84-year-old Jagdish Ahuja, who serves free food daily to hundreds of disabled and poor patients outside Chandigarh, and Arunoday Mondal, a doctor who travels six hours every weekend to treat such patients in remote Sundarban villages. Do we need an Unsung Heroes Day? Unsung heroes appear often voluntarily in many a field. Hence it is not feasible to have such a formal day for them. But still, there are ways of celebrating their achievements. 1. The media can play periodically an important role in helping to raise awareness of their inspiring inputs to society and spur them on to keep persevering in spite of challenges. 2. We have several international days designated in many a field. More importantly, governments, civil society, the public and private sectors, media, schools, universities, and, more generally, citizens, should, as their moral duty, grab these opportunities as a springboard for awareness-raising actions and celebrate the significant achievements of those unrecognised heroes in those fields concerned. i.e. For example: For War Veterans Living August 21st International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. For those Doctors, Nurses and others in health sector April 28th World Day for Safety and Health at Work. For exceptional disability rights activists who themselves are disabled and fought for the betterment of Humanity August 19th World Humanitarian Day. For those significant inventions April 21 World Creativity and Innovation Day. Even International Mens or Womens Days. Disabled War Veterans and Civilians The war veteran heroes disabled for life have now joined the countrys largest minority nearly four million people living with limitations in mobility, stability and/or eyesight. It is, therefore, an opportune time to ask, 11 years after ending the separatist war, how many seniors, war victims, those with debilitating medical conditions, etc., can enjoy the right to hassle-free inclusion in society with dignity and with minimum unwanted dependency on caregivers? How are the government, the private sector, the media and our communities as their social responsibility and moral duty supporting them to be socially included without costly unwanted dependency? We do appreciate with gratitude the improved facilities helping the disabled soldiers to access and be safe in some institutions like the Military Hospital and Ranaviru villages. However, these are exceptions; a lack of facilities is more common in auditoriums, theaters, restaurants, temples, etc. Even in the tourism industry and health sector toilets and other basic facilities at most 5 and 4 Star Hotels and leading Hospitals are inadequately provided for independent wheelchair users. Fighters for others Two Supreme Court Orders (in 2011 and 2018) regulate the construction of buildings and facilities that are essential for the public to access and use in daily life. Fighters for Accessibility are providing the right advice and guidance to comply with these court orders, promote social inclusion with equal access to a better quality of life for all Sri Lankans and thereby eliminate danger of physical injury and the trauma of exclusion crippling precious human life causing colossal losses to the country. Implementation of accessibility measures is not costly and requires no allocations of additional funds. Accessibility is not an add-on. Hence the fighters for designing buildings for inclusion (who are very limited in number here) require commitment to a cause of national importance with a wide and thorough practical understanding of the intricacies involved. By mere reading of books this prerequisite cannot be acquired. Their silent service to the Nation thus is of national importance. Perhaps, that is the very reason why, Article 8.1(a)(c) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Persons with disabilities (CRPD) a binding legal document even Sri Lanka ratified in February 2016 states: State Parties should initiate to adopt immediate, effective measures: To honour and promote awareness of the capabilities and substantive silent contributions these heroes have made in fighting for the rights of others, often marginalised in the society. IDIRIYA In Sri Lanka, many organisations stand up for the rights of disabled persons. In May 2005, 43 visionary individuals, grouped together voluntarily, registered themselves as a not-for-profit, humanitarian organisation and founded IDIRIYA. They are the pioneer and perhaps the only organisation here yet, fully focused and committed to this very pertinent subject of Inclusion by Design with the vision Accessible Sri Lanka for All. Inaugurated in this very month of June in 2005, its sole mission is to promote and assist in creating built environments free of the tormenting consequences of poor design. It is our moral duty to commemorate with deep gratitude the unhesitating contributions by some founder members who are no longer with us. These pioneers include: Anne Abayasekara, Dr Cameron Battersby A M, Dr Chandra Tissa Fernando, Theera Fernando, Edwin Gunasinghe, Joseph Grimberg (legal advisor), Darrel (DG) Perera, Rita Beatrice Perera and Maureen Johanna Perera (Founder President) along with, Christopher Martin-Jenkins MBE (Founder Patron), Sam Wijesinha (Patron), Professor V K Samaranayake (Founder Vice-Patron), Dr Wickrema Weerasooriya (Founder Vice-Patron) and Professor Carlo Fonseka (Vice-Patron). They were not born heroes but circumstances made them so by unhesitatingly rallying round amidst other commitments, age and disabilities as a team, towards a cause of national importance. Although not members of IDIRIYA, perhaps it could be the lifetime only opportunity we get, also to remember fondly with sincere gratitude other pioneer heroes who they themselves were either visually or physically impaired, fought and rendered yeomen service but gone unrecognised. They include; Rienzie Alagiyawanna, J P Pathirana, Pramadasa Dissanayaka, S L Hettiarachchi, Cyril Siriwardane, W J Ratnasekera, R A Sirisena, Alex Jayawardena, Rienzie Benedict and Professor D P M Weerakkody. Our disabled war veterans have joined the largest minority in Sri Lanka. We plead on behalf of them and for all our fellow citizens living with a disability, for more meaningful and prompt ongoing progress to help all live with dignity, social inclusion and equality. We, however, feel the winds of change, as the President is the former defence minister and believe that he will take it on himself to ensure that all his people with disabilities will be able to enjoy their inherent right to access by design and thereby turn; Sri Lanka Accessible for all, a long felt reality. (The writer (acsp@sltnet.lk) a paraplegic since 1992 is a professional and a former Senior Manager in industry. Personal adversity has turned him the Pioneer Voluntary Accessibility Rights Activist here. He is an internationally recognised and a competent advisor on Accessibility trained in England with over 23 years of widest practical experience. See: https://is.gd/aoFU72) Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 12:55:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and another injured on Saturday night in a shooting incident during a protest in the U.S. city of Louisville, Kentucky, local authorities said. Enditem LISHUI, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2020 / "We invite architects and planners from all over the world to help us map the landscape of Lishui and design a new era landscape city where we can live." On the morning of June 23, at the launch of "2020 Lishui New Era Landscape City Lishui Shanju Map Urban Design International Competition", Lishui invite designers from all over the world to design the urban development blueprint for Lishui. The competition has issued a formal announcement on May 20th, based on the good ecological environment of Lishui, it invited the world's outstanding designers, based on the mother river of Oujiang, to integrate landscape culture into urban development for Lishui, and to explore a set of landscape urban development models represented by the Oujiang in the new era. By June 15, the official website of the competition has received registration and information downloads from more than 650 companies and individuals, including 90 famous overseas architectural firms, 36 famous domestic design institutes and 126 famous domestic architectural firms. According to statistics, the competition attracted design firms and architects from 25 countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan. In addition, there are also teachers and students from Harvard University, Oxford University, Tsinghua University, University of Hong Kong and other famous architecture planning universities in China and abroad. The design project is located on both sides of the Oujiang in Liandu District, Lishui City. It is the core leading function for the city's tourism development. The project covers 152 square kilometers and 38 kilometers along the Oujiang. The designer is required to string beads into a chain of superior resources and innovative elements on both sides of the Oujiang, bring Gucheng Island, Zhonganwei, Da-Xiao-Baiyan, Sidu and other cities to be developed and constructed into the design scope, so as to create a new era landscape city that is suitable for living, industry, tourism, and production and life ecology. Story continues Lishui will award 8.8 million yuan to the outstanding designers, among which the first, second and third prizes will be awarded 3 million yuan, 1.5 million yuan and 800,000 yuan respectively. Institutes that submit qualified documents but fail to get a spot in the top 3 will also receive design compensation of 500,000 yuan respectively. In the end, Lishui will select the best and most suitable scheme according to the results of the competition, formulate and introduce relevant investment policies on the basis of soliciting good suggestions from the public, attract the implementation of high-quality investment projects, and create the most perfect Lishui residence map in the mind of the public. Media Contact Organizer: Lishui Municipal Peoples Government Co-Organizer: Lishui Municipal Development and Reform Commission Dwellings in Lishui Mountains Project Planning and Construction Leading Group Office Ms. Li: +86 156 1826 5030 (mobile) Ms. Ji: +86-183 5786 3927 (mobile) Ms. Ji: +86 0578-2091842 (telephone) competition@onetenth.cn competition@archipractice.cn Web: http://www.zjsr.com/ SOURCE: Lishui Municipal Peoples Government View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/595497/MoreThan650InstitutionsAroundtheWorldCompetetoDesignLishuiResidenceMap Turkish churches vandalized, Christians becoming 'scapegoat' amid pandemic woes: SAT-7 Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Attacks on churches in Turkey have spiked during the coronavirus pandemic as some blame Christians for the crisis and other social woes, according to a leading international Christian satellite television network. SAT-7, which broadcasts Christian programming into the Middle East and North Africa, warns that angry individuals have attacked churches, including incidents of attempted arson and removals of crosses, as coronavirus-fueled anger" has led to a "climate of fear [and] hatred." In Turkey, there have been at least 191,000 cases of coronavirus and 5,000 related deaths as of Thursday. Even before the pandemic, Turkey was experiencing economic struggles with increasing unemployment, a problem made worse by coronavirus-related financial hardships. In a statement to media this week, SAT-7 warned that some Turks have been looking for a scapegoat to vent their anger, which has put Christians and other minorities in the direct line of protests. We know firsthand the climate of hatred and its devastating effects on Turkey and on the churches exposed to it, Turkish SAT-7 presenter Senem Ekener said. We aim to counter that with lives that reflect Christ. In early May, a person attempted to set the front gate of the Dznunt Surp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Church in Istanbul on fire. No officials of the church were hurt and the gate sustained no structural damage. Church leadership filed a complaint with police and were told that authorities would do all they could to catch the perpetrator. The Armenia-based News.am reports that a suspect was apprehended. This week, a Turkish citizen named Mazlum Serin was sentenced to five years and four months in prison after he was caught on camera breaking a cross on the gate of the Surp Krikor Lusavoric Armenian Church in Istanbul on May 23. According to Middle East Monitor, Serin told investigators that he was just angry that day and didnt plan or intend to harm the church, adding that he respects all religions. Serin was charged with the crime of damaging places of worship and cemeteries. SAT-7 is the only Christian network that broadcasts every day in the Turkish language. It is trying to use its platform to get the point across that Christians are not a threat and to encourage local Christians to respond to the attacks by living out their faith with love and taking the path of peace. The pandemic has created fear and frustration in Turkey, with Christians sometimes being blamed for the problem, SAT-7 President Rex Rogers said in a statement. According to the nongovernmental organization International Christian Concern, Armenian churches in Turkey are not strangers to vandalism and defacement. The group warned in a statement Wednesday that attackers of churches and Christians often escape justice. Turkish media also perpetuates and even encourages these incidents, making it even more common for justice to remain fleeting, ICC, a United States-based advocacy group, contends. Turkeys media is mostly state-run and it frequently posts hate speech directed toward Christians, Jews, and other religious minorities. These instances of hate speech are often linked to an increase in persecution incidents. ICC reported in May that the Turkish magazine Gercek Hayat published a 176-page special edition that alleges key religious minority leaders, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, are part of a terrorist movement and accused them of staging the 2016 coup attempt of trying to overthrow the Erdogan government. According to ICC, religious leaders condemned the allegations and warned that they could incite attacks and desecration. A similar accusation was made against American missionary Andrew Brunson, who spent two years in a Turkish prison before being allowed to return home to the U.S. in October 2018. Alexander Gorlach, a senior fellow with the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and a senior research associate at the Religion & International Studies Institute at Cambridge University, warned in a recent op-ed that Christians are becoming a welcome scapegoat for Ankara, even on issues relating to Syria and Libya. The marginalization of Turkey's Christians isn't new for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: He's been busy reorganizing his secular republic into a mixture of Ottomanism and Islam for some time now, Gorlach stated. Turkey, one of the worlds largest Muslim countries, ranks as the 36th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA, a U.S.-based group monitoring persecution in 60 countries. Open Doors notes in an online fact page about Turkey that media reporting on Christians there is very biased, resulting in discrimination. Those from ethnic minorities, such as Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Syriac Christians, experience discrimination in the workplace, especially where employers have government ties, Open Doors warns. Religious affiliation is recorded on ID cards, so its easy to discriminate against Christian applicants. Five more inmates at Mandoli Jail have tested positive for Covid-19, prison officials said on Sunday. With this, the total number of inmates who have tested positive so far has reached 45. A senior officer from the jail said three of the five inmates had been kept in isolation with nine others after an inmate at Mandoli Jail died of the disease on June 15. Three of them were sharing the cell with the inmate who succumbed to the infection. Two others are from another cell and had been keeping unwell. They had also been isolated and when they were tested, the results were positive, the officer said. All the five inmates have been kept separately in isolation and are under continuous medical supervision, the officer said. Sandeep Goel, the director general of Delhi prisons, said that with the inclusion of the new cases, the total number of inmates who have tested positive so far is up to 45. Of these, 17 have recovered and one has died. Among the prison staff, 75 have tested positive so far and 15 have successfully recovered, Goel said. The inmate who had died was lodged in jail number 14. He was found dead on the morning of June 15 when other inmates tried to wake him up but found him unresponsive. When jail officials took him to hospital, he was declared dead on arrival. A medical examination later revealed he was infected with Covid-19. Alabama State Troopers say a Dadeville woman was killed Saturday night in a single-vehicle wreck. The incident happened at 8:31 p.m. on Alabama 50 at the 29 mile marker about five miles north of Camp Hill, troopers say. Jarkia Jarnae Payne, 21, was driving a 2000 Nissan Maxima when the car left the roadway and struck a tree. She was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers continue to investigate. Guest columnist Jon Kozesky is an entrepreneur and current president of Jon Thomas Consulting, a boutique organization management and grant strategy solutions firm. He also serves on the executive committee of six local chambers of commerce and business trade associations representing over 1,600 statewide small businesses. This year, we approach the Fourth of July during one of the most unique and challenging times in our young nation's history. And while our country is no stranger to difficulty, we must use this opportunity to rise up and meet the challenges of our shared destiny and shared responsibilities, to ensure a more prosperous Independence Day for all in the years and generations to come. Every day, we are seeing staggering projections of how many of our locally owned small businesses have not, or will not, survive the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been reported by CNBC that since March, 3 percent of all businesses in the United States have already closed completely, with the real figure being a multiple of that by the end of 2020. Therefore, like many of you, I was angry and dismayed when I saw peaceful protests turn into destructive riots, damaging local businesses in the name of justice. These were not faceless conglomerates; no, these were our neighbors who support our charities, our churches, our youth leagues and our communities. But once the final piece of glass was broken, the fire burned out and the smoke cleared to a new day, I, like you, forced myself to consider the full picture: What brought us here? And is there a better way? Entrepreneurship embodies the American spirit and illustrates the vision that our founding fathers saw on that summer day in 1776. It is the tenacious ability to forge your own path and create your own destiny. Entrepreneurship empowers families and communities for generations. Despite that, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports that minority-owned small businesses account for only a fraction of American businesses, and average eight or fewer employees, with under $1 million in annual revenue. At those numbers, they are the true Mom & Pop small businesses in our nation. It also means, similar to the widely reported disproportional spread of COVID-19 in minority communities, that these businesses are far more vulnerable to be disproportionately affected by the financial fallout of the coronavirus. Any business of this size, simply by design, has less cushion for surviving the unknown, leaving little to reserves. On a recent business trip to Israel, I was shopping for souvenirs to bring home to family and, knowing I was visiting Palestine later in the trip, I was surprised when my Israeli driver asked me to wait until I visited Palestine before making any purchases. For two countries at war for generations, I could not understand why he would suggest I spend my dollars with a perceived enemy. As he put it: People dont fight when theyve both had enough to eat. Israel is a strong country with a thriving economy. Our families have little reason to struggle. We can have all the peace treaties we want, but the fighting will never cease until our neighbors have the same opportunities that we do. In a muggy car that afternoon driving through the Negav Desert, that driver-turned-philosopher gave me an unexpected life lesson in humility, compassion and community, one we could all emulate today. The answer is never to tear down each others small businesses, but instead to build up our minority-owned businesses. I challenge all of us, in the spirit of our nations birth, to declare our independence from racial injustice and actively take part in the most effective peaceful action our capitalist country can perceive -- by giving much needed love and support to our minority-owned Moms & Pops. Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting todays topics are also welcome. 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. She recently celebrated her 23rd birthday with a Western-themed party aboard a mega yacht. And Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend Camila Morrone looked sensational as she enjoyed dinner with her mother Lucila Sola, 44, at Nobu Malibu on Saturday. The actress put on a busty display in a floral print dress which plunged at the front to accentuate her ample assets. Wow: Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend Camila Morrone, 23, looked fantastic in a plunging floral dress as she enjoyed dinner with her mother Lucila Sola, 44, at Nobu Malibu on Saturday Camila wore her long brown tresses down and slightly curled, letting her locks cascade over her shoulders as she left the restaurant. The beauty was joined for the meal by her glamorous mother Lucila Sola, who looked chic in a long white dress and cream wrap. Lucila, who previously dated Hollywood legend Al Pacino, completed her ensemble with a quilted black clutch bag and pair of sparkly trainers. Both of the women also donned face masks for their outing, with Camila opting for a black one and her mother complementing in a white face covering. Looking good: Lucila showed off her style in a floating white dress and sparkly trainers It comes after Leonardo, 45, gave his girlfriend of three-years a luxurious birthday party onboard the 141ft Leight Star super yacht. The Titanic star and Camila sported cowboy hats for the festivities and were joined by pals including Nina Dobrev and her beau Olympic snowboarder Shaun White. Everyone enjoyed a full day of food, friends and fun, returning back to the marina around 4:30pm, according to Page Six. Leo and the Camila have been together since 2017, but only made their red carpet debut during the 2020 Academy Awards. Mother and daughter: The duo both wore their long brunette tresses down and opted for face masks as they left the restaurant It was the first time the Wolf of Wall Street star brought a date to the show since bringing his ex girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen in 2005. According to reports, Camila and Leo have been enjoying the past few months of lockdown together in his Hollywood home, and have even adopted a pup together. 'They're always together, but like maintaining privacy,' a source told Us Weekly recently. They continued: 'They're really great for one another and have been enjoying this time together off the grid.' Karnataka CM BS Yediyurapp. Private hospitals can't deny treatment to patients having COVID-19 or symptoms in Karnataka. (PTI Photo) Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Saturday issued an order, directing private hospitals not to deny treatment to patients with coronavirus and COVID-19 like symptoms. "Non-compliance of this order will attract punishment under sections of Disaster Management Act 2005," an order read. Meanwhile, people coming from Maharashtra will be placed in seven-day institutional quarantine followed by seven-day home quarantine in Karnataka, the state government said. People coming from other states will need to undergo 14-day home quarantine. 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. When you need to warm up, what's your favorite winter comfort food? Biden meets his aides to discuss situation around Ukraine, talks with Russia New Zealand PM cancels her wedding due to new Omicron restrictions 814 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia UK begins developing new sanctions on Russia Thousands protest against COVID-19 passports in Sweden Chinese automaker Geely in talks to buy Meizu Kaunas officially becomes European Capital of Culture 2022 Turkish journalist who insulted Erdogan on live TV arrested Ipsos poll predicts Macron's landslide victory in French presidential election Germany elects new CDU leader Media: US on Monday will begin evacuation of families of diplomats in Ukraine UN expresses concern over disappearance of 2 activists in Afghanistan Carnival in Rio de Janeiro postponed due to omicron strain More than 9,300 Afghans claiming protection were taken to Germany Scientists suggest that under surface of one of Saturn moons lies ocean Russian Foreign Ministry: US and NATO launched toxi campaign against Moscow Sergey Nersesyan dismissed from post of Yerevan Deputy Mayor British Foreign Secretary to visit Moscow in February for talks with Lavrov 48-year-old man dies of frostbite in Yerevan 1,822 criminal cases launched in Kazakhstan after January riots Tatoyan: Expired drugs found in mental health centers in Armenia 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Alaska Putin and Pashinyan discuss by phone prospects for further cooperation within CSTO First batch of military aid to Ukraine from US arrived in Kyiv 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes off Philippine coast Armenia confirms 940 new coronavirus cases, no deaths Armenian rescuers pull out 50 stuck cars and provide necessary aid to 80 citizens 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 All pupils should be tested for coronavirus at school to prove it's safe to return, Tony Blair's think-tank has urged the Prime Minister. Parents will be too scared of coronavirus to send their children to school in September unless stricter testing systems are put in place, the Institute for Global Change found. There is an urgent need to 'build confidence' and avoid 'superspreading events', the Telegraph reported. Boris Johnson has said parents will be forced by law to send their children back to school in September, even despite Covid-19. But there is 'fear among pupils, parents and teachers, rooted in perceived health risks of the school setting,' the paper read. Boris Johnson has said parents will be forced by law to send their children back to school in September, even despite Covid-19. Pictured at Bovingdon Primary Academy in Hertfordshire Nearly 400,000 pupils and 30,000 teachers and support staff should be tested twice a week for the first three weeks after schools return, the IGC suggested. It said testing should be conducted at 1,054 nurseries, 679 primary schools and 136 secondary schools across the UK. 'This approach of focusing on [potential] super-spreading settings will catch outbreaks in their nascent stages and ultimately help to prevent a second wave', says the paper. It comes after many schools around the world reopened following the pandemic. As of June 19, some 123 countries still had school closures, according to data collected by Unesco. Samples are taken at a testing facility in Temple Green Park and Ride, Leeds. Nearly 400,000 pupils and 30,000 teachers and support staff should be tested twice a week for the first three weeks after schools return, the IGC suggested Early evidence from mid-May, after 17 countries returned early, primary and final years in secondary showed no large increase in infections. It has been widely touted that children do not experience severe symptoms when infected with the disease. Meanwhile, campaigners have urged Ministers to send pupils back to school a fortnight early in the autumn to reduce the damage to their education. The idea is part of a five-point plan proposed by the influential education policy group, Parents and Teachers for Excellence (PTE), to get children back into the habit of learning. Dame Rachel de Souza, chief executive of the Inspiration Trust, said children risk becoming part of a social catastrophe unfolding before our eyes unless they return to the classroom PTE co-founder Dame Rachel de Souza, who is chief executive of the Inspiration Trust of 14 academies across East Anglia, said schools provided vital structure in young peoples lives and without it we risk allowing them to drift aimlessly and damaging their futures irreparably. She claimed that online learning had failed to bridge that gap, with students losing motivation and spending their time watching Netflix or playing video games. It comes after Gavin Williamson vowed to end the 'softly, softly' approach for dealing with teaching unions and get all children back in school by September. The Education Secretary said he plans for all children to go back to school at the start of the next school year 'come what may'. It was said Mr Williamson 'got the knuckle dusters out' while addressing backbench Tory MPs at a meeting this week, The Telegraph reported. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson (above) has vowed to end the 'softly, softly' approach for dealing with teaching unions and get children back in school by September 'He called the National Education Union the 'No Education Union' and said that William Wragg [the Conservative MP for Hazel Grove] is their only sane member,' a source said. Mr Williamson has previously come under criticism for his handling of reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. He argued on plans for primary school children to return to school before summer, but later changed his mind, saying this would be encouraged. Robert Halfon, a senior Tory MP and chairman of the education select committee, said: 'The risks to children not learning beyond September are enormous. We can't delay any longer.' This comes soon after education unions set up a fresh clash with politicians and parents over Boris Johnson's plan for full school attendance in September, branding it 'pure fantasy'. The Prime Minister told MPs this afternoon that school education will restart fully at the start of the autumn term under 'one metre plus' social distancing rules. A senior Tory MP and chairman of the education select committee Robert Halfon said 'We can't delay any longer' as he pushed for schools to return for the next academic year The measures introduced on Friday, allow people to sit less than two metres apart as long as they use some other mitigation measures, such as masks or plastic screens. The Government faced widespread criticism last month after shelving plans to get all children back this term before summer, after finding there was not enough room in classrooms. Under the previous two metre social distancing regime classes were limited to just 15 pupils and union leaders tonight cast doubt on whether today's changes would make enough difference. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'There has been a lot of conjecture that relaxing the two-metre social distancing rule to one metre will allow all children to return to school in September. 'This is pure fantasy. It may be possible to accommodate more pupils in classrooms with a one-metre (plus) separation, but not all pupils. There just isn't enough space in many classrooms to do this. 'It isn't a magic bullet, and nor is the Education Secretary's suggestion on Friday of doubling the size of social bubbles to 30, in order to facilitate a full return to schools.' The Prime Minister told MPs that school education will restart fully at the start of the autumn term under 'one metre plus' rules Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said Mr Johnson's claim was 'pure fantasy', and Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said even one metre distancing would be difficult He added: 'We need a proper strategy to bring children back into schools and colleges based in reality and on public health guidance.' Approximately 78 per cent of education settings that normally have children in nursery, Reception, Year 1 or Year 6 were open to at least one of these year groups on June 18. This is up from June 11 when over two in three (67 per cent) primary schools opened more widely to pupils. Around 92 per cent of settings were open in some capacity on June 18 - the same as the previous week, according to the Department for Education (DfE) statistics. Approximately 1,160,000 children attended an education setting on June 18, representing 12.2 per cent of pupils who normally attend, up from 9.1 per cent on June 11. Attendance continues to be highest among Year 6 pupils, with around a third (34 per cent) of all Year 6 children in attendance on June 18, up from 26 per cent on June 11. Attendance was around a quarter (26 per cent) in Year 1, up from a fifth the previous week, and 29 per cent in reception, up from 22 per cent on June 11, the figures show. Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: 'The NEU is of course in favour of all children being back in school, but even with a one-metre rule that will need more teachers and more spaces. 'It is not clear whether in less than three months the science will permit classes of 30. If social distancing of one metre remains in place, that will still be difficult for schools.' The Prime Minister told the Commons on Tuesday: 'Primary and secondary education will recommence in September with full attendance and those children who can already go to school should do so because it is safe.' His plea came as figures showed the number of pupils returning to school in England increased last week as more than three in four primary schools reopened their doors to more children. Schools, colleges and nurseries closed more than 13 weeks ago due to the Covid-19 outbreak, remaining open only for vulnerable youngsters and the children of key workers. Last week, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said class size limits could be expanded to allow every child to return to school. Under Government guidance, primary school class sizes should be limited to 15 to minimise the number of people they come into contact with. But Mr Williamson told the daily Downing Street briefing on Friday that these so-called 'bubbles' could be expanded to include the whole class. 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. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Quarantine rules for domestic helpers may be revised to ban employers from isolating at home 10,000 workers expected to fly into Hong Kong from the Philippines in the coming weeks, the citys labour minister has revealed, as he warned the influx could bring in an estimated 65 imported Covid-19 cases. Secretary for Welfare and Labour Law Chi-kwongs remarks came as Hong Kong on Saturday reached two weeks without any locally transmitted cases of Covid-19. One imported case involving a 39-year-old woman arriving from the Philippines was reported, taking the citys infection tally to 1,197. The city has been hit by a surge of imported cases recently, recording 69 infections from residents returning from abroad this week, mostly from Pakistan. Nine cases were from the Philippines. Law Chi-kwong ruled out subsidising employers for accommodation costs. Photo: Jonathan Wong Law ruled out subsidising employers to find other accommodation for their helpers or providing government facilities, saying such moves would go against the citys efforts to contain the virus. We really want to help, but any way which will directly or indirectly encourage the movement of domestic helpers from Hong Kong to their homeland or from their homeland back to Hong Kong is not consistent with our policy to restrict such movement to reduce the risk of spread of the virus, he said. Hong Kong has an overall capacity of 2,323 units in three official quarantine centres, but on Friday, the government announced the largest of them, the public housing Chun Yeung Estate in Fo Tan which provides 1,739 places, will cease operations in late July and take in tenants in August. In view of the situation, Law said, his bureau was in talks with the Department of Health to add a condition in the quarantine orders for domestic helpers to stipulate they were not suitable for home quarantine. Because we have seen in the last month, Hongkongers coming back from the Philippines have a 0.65 per cent infection rate, he said. Story continues Citing an estimation that there might be as many as 10,000 workers arriving from the country in the short term, he said that would mean a possible 65 patients between them. If they are to be quarantined at home, then there will be a pretty high chance of them spreading the virus in the community. We think that will be suboptimal. The Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies made the prediction last week of the arrival of 10,000 maids over the summer as governments in the Philippines and Indonesia gradually resumed normal operations and started to issue more travel permits. Law pointed out the official quarantine spaces were insufficient to house all arrivals, but he said the Labour Department would provide information on cheap hotels to employers. Meanwhile, a pilot study by Chinese University on the stool samples of 30 Covid-19 patients discovered significant alterations in faecal components when compared with those of nine pneumonia sufferers and 30 healthy individuals. The research, published in the medical journal Gastroenterology on Saturday, found increased proportions of two categories of pathogens, Candida and Aspergillus, in samples collected from Covid-19 patients. Two respiratory illness-related pathogens Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger could be detected up to 12 days after the patients nasal samples were cleared of the virus. The researchers said further studies of how those microbiotic changes came about could shed light on the mechanisms of pathogenesis, and hold the key to long-term monitoring of Covid-19 patients. Professor Ng Siew-chien, associate director of the universitys Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, said: Stool test is a useful non-invasive test that can not only detect SARS-CoV-2 but also can help serve as biomarker for disturbed gut microbiota and immunity. Ng added that the academics were assessing the benefits of regular stool tests for the citys Covid-19 patients, including how often and for how long they should be done. This article Coronavirus: Hong Kong mulls ban on home quarantine for domestic helpers as influx expected in coming weeks first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. President Donald Trump insists on the campaign trail that he wants to protect insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. His legal team just told the Supreme Court otherwise. The 82-page brief submitted late Thursday night by Trump's representatives states crisply that the president wants to get rid of every provision of the Affordable Care Act. Solicitor General Noel Francisco packs in a string of rhetorical flourishes that may draw cheers at a Federalist Society legal conference but will inevitably appear as factual citations to back up attack ads that Democrats plan to run this fall against vulnerable Senate Republicans, in a redux of the messaging that proved so potent in the 2018 midterms. The Trump team's core argument is that every Republican who voted for the tax cuts three years ago knowingly voted to destroy the 2010 law in its entirely, not just to get rid of the mandate that individuals buy health insurance. And, because the Supreme Court previously upheld the constitutionality of the law on the grounds that the individual mandate is a tax, Trump's lawyers say that the whole system became invalid once Congress got rid of the penalty for not carrying health insurance. "Nothing the 2017 Congress did demonstrates it would have intended the rest of the ACA to continue to operate in the absence of these ... integral provisions," Francisco writes in his brief, which is co-signed by four other Trump appointees at the Justice Department. "The entire ACA thus must fall with the individual mandate." The brief is full of little gifts like this to Joe Biden and Democrats who hope to ride his coattails down the ballot. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted against repealing Obamacare in 2017, which she touts as evidence of her independence, but then she voted for the tax legislation. This brief can also be used as a cudgel to attack GOP Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa and David Perdue of Georgia, who separately each voted to repeal the underlying law. Recent polls show those three senators are locked in tight races as they seek second terms. Appointed Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., who trails Democratic challenger Mark Kelly in multiple polls, also voted for the tax bill as a member of the House. From a political perspective, the timing of the Trump administration's maneuver to get rid of the law, root and branch, is suboptimal for GOP candidates on the ballot this year. The justices are unlikely to make a final decision until after the November election on the legal challenge by Republican state attorneys general, ensuring that this looms as an issue in the fall campaign. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed earlier Thursday that 487,000 people signed up for health-care plans during the special enrollment period on Healthcare.gov after losing their employer-covered plans, probably as a result of the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee who was vice president when the law was enacted, began a concerted effort during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Thursday afternoon to link Trump's response to the coronavirus with his bid to uproot the ACA. He argued that having survived covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, could be considered a pre-existing condition and said this could be used to deny coverage. "Those survivors, having struggled and won the fight of their lives, would have their peace of mind stolen away at the moment they need it most," Biden said. "They would live their lives caught in a vise between Donald Trump's twin legacies: his failure to protect the American people from the coronavirus, and his heartless crusade to take health-care protections away from American families." The House joined the opposition to the lawsuit when Democrats took control of the chamber last year. "Trump and the Republicans' campaign to rip away the protections and benefits of the Affordable Care Act in the middle of the coronavirus crisis is an act of unfathomable cruelty," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement responding to the new brief. "If President Trump gets his way, 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions will lose the ACA's lifesaving protections and 23 million Americans will lose their health coverage entirely." (The 23 million figure comes from a recent analysis by the liberal Center for American Progress think tank.) To be sure, Trump's team maintains that the president still wants to protect people with pre-existing conditions but with a new law that replaces the ACA. But he has never presented a plan for how to do so. White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that "Obamacare has been an unlawful failure" and "the American people deserve for Congress to work on a bipartisan basis with the President to provide quality, affordable care." Perhaps the American people do deserve that, but there is no indication it would actually happen if the law got struck down. In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in police custody, for example, it has become increasingly clear that no meaningful federal legislation will be enacted on police reform before the election. Thursday night, the House advanced a bill drafted by Democrats that would limit qualified immunity for police officers and ban chokeholds, but Trump has threatened to veto it. And a competing proposal in the Senate was filibustered earlier this week after Republicans in that chamber declined to try to negotiate a compromise with Democrats. Similarly, despite the numerous mass shootings of recent years, the Senate has failed to pass any gun control measures. Privately, some in the Trump administration have urged the president to argue for preserving some parts of the law to avoid political fallout for Republicans in November, especially amid the pandemic. Attorney General William Barr reportedly made that case during a private meeting at the White House last month. But he was overruled. "If Donald Trump refuses to end his senseless crusade against health coverage," Biden said Thursday in Lancaster, Pa., "I look forward to ending it for him." Jiyan 'Jai' Onay, 21, was reported missing by his family on Saturday who have not heard from him for a week A desperate search is underway for a young Lifeline counsellor who has not been heard from after leaving on a road trip to Byron Bay from Sydney. Jiyan 'Jai' Onay, 21, was reported missing by his family on Saturday who have not heard from him for a week. He left his home on Douglas Road at Blacktown in Sydney's west earlier this month on a planned road trip to Byron Bay. The 21-year-old was driving a silver Toyota Corolla with NSW registration 'DTD-12J'. Police say he was contacting his family via phone throughout his trip but was last heard from on Saturday June 20. Officers from Blacktown Police Area Command commenced inquiries after he was reported missing on Saturday. He left his home on Douglas Road at Blacktown earlier this month on a planned road trip to Byron Bay Both police and Mr Onay's family hold grave concerns for his health and safety due to medical conditions. Mr Onay is described as Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, has a thin build with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone who has any information about his whereabouts is being urged to contact Triple Zero or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Boris Johnson will today pledge to rebuild Britain's crumbling schools and colleges as he prepares to offer an 'opportunity guarantee' to young people. The Prime Minister will unveil a 1.8billion package to rebuild and refurbish dozens of schools and colleges across England. Education will also form a central message in a major speech tomorrow in which Mr Johnson will relaunch the Tories' 'levelling-up' agenda. Yesterday he confirmed that attendance at schools will become mandatory again in September for the first time since mid-March when they were shut to slow the spread of coronavirus. Today he will unveil the biggest school improvement plan in years. The Prime Minister will unveil a 1.8billion package to rebuild and refurbish dozens of schools and colleges across England. Education will also form a central message in a major speech tomorrow in which Mr Johnson will relaunch the Tories' 'levelling-up' agenda (pictured: Mr Johnson visits Bovingdon Primary Academy in Hemel Hempstead earlier this month) A ten-year strategy will be launched with 1billion to fund a 'first wave' designed to rebuild 50 schools across the country. A further 560million has been released to fund a programme of refurbishment this year, taking total spending on repairs in 2020 to almost 2billion. And 200million spending has been brought forward to fund repairs at further education colleges. Mr Johnson last night said the new strategy would ensure schools and colleges are 'fit for the future'. He added: 'All children deserve the best possible start in life regardless of their background or where they live. As we bounce back from the pandemic, it's important we lay the foundations for a country where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, with our younger generations front and centre of this mission.' Sources said a significant portion of the new funding would be targeted at the North and Midlands. A handout image released by 10 Downing Street, shows Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson joining pupils during a socially distanced visit to Bovingdon Primary School in Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire on June 19, 2020 The decision to launch a new school building programme is part of a wider strategy to fast-track investment in infrastructure to help the UK claw its way out of the recession caused by lockdown. In tomorrow's speech, Mr Johnson will pledge to invest billions in new hospitals, roads, rail schemes, cycleways and broadband. A new taskforce dubbed Project Speed will try to accelerate the process. Mr Johnson will promise not to repeat the austerity that followed the 2008 global financial crash. And he will pledge an 'opportunity guarantee' to the young Britons losing their jobs. Analysis suggests unemployment is set to return to levels not seen since the 1980s. Mr Johnson will pledge a new scheme to provide the guaranteed offer of an apprenticeship for all young people wanting one. There will also be a focus on further education and adult education to help those who do not want to go to university and those who need to reskill after losing jobs. One Whitehall source said: 'Previous governments have talked a lot about the need to get more children into university. But 50 per cent of children don't go to university we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure they get the best opportunities. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will confirm plans this week to get all children back to school in September 'It's not just education, education, education it's further education, further education, further education.' Mr Johnson yesterday acknowledged that coronavirus had caused a 'huge, huge shock' to the economy. He told the Mail on Sunday: 'If Covid was a lightning flash, we're about to have the thunderclap of the economic consequences. We're going to be ready.' He insisted: 'We are absolutely not going back to the austerity of ten years ago.' Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will confirm plans this week to get all children back to school in September. The Prime Minister yesterday stressed: 'We need to get the kids back into school.' Asked if it would be compulsory, he added: 'Yes, it's the law.' Today, Lotus Tower comes alive with De Lanerolle Brothers From Sri Lanka with Love online View(s): This is the new normal and we wanted to do a concert for our fans until the situation returns to what it was before. We thought of an online concert not just for our Sri Lankan fans but for our fans all around the globe, Ishan De Lanerolle says as he talks to the Sunday Times Magazine about their online concert From Sri Lanka with Love, that will premier on their YouTube page today (June 28) at 6 p.m. The idea for an online concert manifested after their rendition of Youll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers which was uploaded on Facebook had around 153,000 views with audiences expressing their love for the video. That video that was created amid curfew restrictions featured the De Lanerolle Brothers and Neranjan De Silva on the keyboard playing their respective parts from the comfort of their own homes. With this particular show we want to show the beauty of the country. This way we can attract people from around the world to come to Sri Lanka not just for tourism but for business, networking and more, says Ishan. With that idea in mind, the De Lanerolle brothers chose the Lotus Tower for the location of their video. This is South Asias tallest self-supported structure, not South-east Asia mind you. We want to show people Sri Lanka is capable of having such structures that are unique and ingenious, Ishan shares. As the tower is so high with some areas of it being inaccessible and restricted, it was quite difficult to record them singing due to the interruption of the wind, vehicle noises and more. They decided therefore to pre-record the music and the video shot at the tower. The concert video will also feature subtle shots of Sri Lankas natural wonders and culture to garner the interest of viewers. The concert is just 20 minutes long and the music will pay tribute to the frontline workers who have been working tirelessly to safeguard the public from the coronavirus. Ishan shares his utmost gratitude to the healthcare personnel and others who have been in the forefront in curbing the virus somewhat locally to those overseas who are still battling this unseen enemy despite the many challenges they have to face. This is a big shoutout to all the health workers all around the world. The songs are structured in a way to send a message that they are not alone and that we stand by them, Ishan says. We hope that if people are moved by our concert, they would consider donating to the Itukama fund, Ishan adds. The Itukama fund is a COVID-19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund to support the heroes on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19. Ishan thanks their sponsors, partners, the Lotus Tower administration staff, film crew, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and especially keyboard wiz Neranjan De Silva for his musical expertise and for making the online concert possible. Subscribe to the De Lanerolle Brothers on Youtube in order to get a notification for the concert and any future videos they may upload. For those who just came back from a 15 year space mission: Wirecard AG (ETR:WDI) is a German company that according to its website is one of the worlds fastest-growing digital platforms for financial commerce. It managed (briefly) to achieve a market cap of close to 25 bn EUR and is part of the German Blue Chip index DAX 30. The stock lost -62,71% in one day last week which is most likely a record for a DAX company for a single day. Backstory / Personal history 2008 This is an article I wanted to write for a long time but I was actually afraid to do so for several reasons. Wirecard is a company/stock that I have been following for a very long time. My first encounter with the company ended in a kind of 5 minutes of fame situation with some very unpleasant side effects. The story starts in May 2008 when a post appeared under the pseudonym memyselfandi007 on Wallstreet Online, the largest German stock community/forum. (fun fact: This Thread seems to have been read 17,8 million times, so a lot more than all my blog posts on V&O combined.). The post has been redacted/censored substantially but in essence the issues back then were the following: intransparent reporting (back then no payment volumes were reported, the structure of the report did not reflect the business, some cash flow items were reported in the wrong category etc., it was never clear what cash actually belonged to Wirecard and what was customers money) strange M&A activities toward year ends aggressive profit accounting (too good to be true) continuous capital raising despite reported profitability and available cash involvement of the CEO and the former head of the supervisory board in a dubious company/bankruptcy (a bankrupt company called 10tacle) rumors that the company was money laundering Online gambling profits for US citizens in summary, Wirecard looked like a very dubious, low quality organization. The original post contained the German expression Bumsbude. Story continues Wirecard directly tried to block anything negative and if one reviews the threat, some of memyselfandi007s subsequent postings have been deleted despite only stating facts. Memyselfandi007 finally got kicked out of the forum. What happened next was even more interesting: A guy called Markus Straub copied this post and published it in a financial newsletter as a short recommendation under his name. This financial publication was/is (?) part of a shareholder organisation (SDK) that claims to protect share holders. It seems that he and a hedge fund friend of him shorted stocks before publishing the short reports and he seems to have done this with others stocks as well. For this he had finally go to jail for market manipulation. But even still in 2008, Wirecard tried to aggressively sue everyone even only remotely connected, even the poor memyselfandi007, who only had written this fact backed post in this stock forum and had nothing to do with the subsequent publication and market manipulation. The scandal back then hit even the front page of the major German financial magazine Handelsblatt and the anonymous blogger memyselfandi007 was mentioned as the starting point of the whole scandal (and got his five minutes of anonymous fame). In between however, memyselfandi007 had the quite unpleasant surprise to be called directly at his work place by the German Criminal Police (similar to the FBI) and asked to show up in the Criminal Police HQ the very next day. Luckily, the police officers were quite friendly and at the end concluded that memyselfandi007 was just a witness with no relationship to anyone else although they didnt mention this when they called him. They also mentioned that Wirecard desperately wanted to know who this memyselfandi007 was to sue the shxx out of him, but the police didnt pass on the real identity. Interestingly no one cared back then if the clearly observable issues at Wirecard were valid or not, both the police and the press only concentrated on the market manipulation of the evil short sellers One little success back then was that Wirecard actually republished their annual report, correcting some of the more obvious mistakes that memyselfandi007 mentioned. However as a result, the report became even more intransparent. Wirecard also tried to sue any other forum where memyselfandi007 was active and potentially negative things were written about the company. The result of that episode was that poor memyselfandi007 was pretty scared to publish anything against the company but was convinced that the company was a fraud. 2008-2018 During the following 11 years, every other year, some reports from short sellers surfaced that shed light into some of the issues Wirecard had. Interestingly this only lasted for days and weeks and the share price always recovered. Wirecard then smartly rode the fintech/payment wave and actually managed to build some real businesses on top the rotten core. memyselfandi007 followed the company but the reporting remained opaque and they never really explained how they make their money. Based on their transaction volume, Wirecard was multiple times more profitable (on paper) than direct competitors. No one knew how they did it. One theory was that they were active in more risky areas such as online gambling and porn sites but no one cared as long as reported profits and the stock price went up. 2018 - DAX The peak of this whole story in my opinion is that Wirecard made it into the Germany DAX 30 in September 2018. The stock syk-rocketed as we can see in the chart: wirecard german At its peak, this company was worth close to 25 bn EUR. 2019 - FT - Dan McCrum / BAFIN One of the very few persons who had the guts to openly criticize Wirecard was Dan McCrumm, who via FTAlphaville published some critical articles who were very well researched. If I am not mistaken, the earliest articles were published in 2015 before more substantial coverage came in in 2018 and 2019. In typical fashion, Wirecard reacted in suing McCrumm and managed taht even the German regulator BAFIN to go after McCrumm as a market manipulator. Nothing came out of this other that an official short selling ban for a period of time. Interestingly again, no one from BAFIn or the Police actually bothered to look at Wirecard itself. Personally, the FT for me gained hero status to not back down despite the massive effort to discredit them. April 2020 - The KPMG report In 2019, the boss of the supervisory board hired KPMG mainly to independently confirm that everything is splendid at Wirecard (E&Y is the auditor of Wirecard). This is the summary from Wikipedia: IN 2019, KPMG WAS HIRED BY THE GERMAN PAYMENTS COMPANY FOR AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT TO ADDRESS THE MENTIONED ALLEGATIONS. WIRECARD CLAIMED THAT KPMG CONCLUDED THAT NO DISCREPANCY WAS DETERMINED DURING THE AUDIT.[61] HOWEVER, ON APRIL 28, 2020, WIRECARD SHARES TUMBLED 26% WHEN ITS AUDITOR ANNOUNCED THAT IT DID NOT RECEIVE SUFFICIENT DOCUMENTATION TO ADDRESS ALL ALLEGATIONS OF ACCOUNTING IRREGULARITIES.[62] THEN ON JUNE 5TH WIRECARDS HEADQUARTERS WAS SEARCHED BY POLICE AS PART OF A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO POTENTIALLY MISLEADING STATEMENTS TO INVESTORS BY CEO MARKUS BRAUN AND THREE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS REGARDING THE AUDIT. I actually read the report in full and it was unbelievable. KPMG were denied access to most information and what they saw raised all alarm bells available. Any person familiar with the big 4 would understand that the language that KPMG used was so strong that there is now doubt that something was VERY wrong at Wirecard. The Wirecard statement just shortly before the release in my opinion was clearly a criminal act. My personal highlight of the report was an M&A transaction where Wirecard bought a company in India from an SPV for 300 mn USD that was acquired just one month before for 30 mn USD. Wirecard claimed that they didnt know who the ultimate beneficiary of the sales price was. If I ever have seen something looking like explicit money laundering at a DAX company then it was this transaction. Why I never shorted again I have to confess that I was short the stock in 2008 but then never shorted again, even not after the KPMG report. The issue was that although I knew it was a fraud, the company got away with everything. There were enough stupid analysts/investors who didnt care at all if the company was a fraud or not, as long as the share price kept rising. It was just impossible to tell when the company would go bust, especially as the management seemed to have an endless criminal capability. Combined with my obvious inability to time investments I decided not to short again since 2008. Lessons to be learned from The "German Enron" - Wirecard even a pretty obvious fraud can go on much longer than one would think if the organizers are ruthless enough. My original short position would have gone against me 25x over 12 years and the share price even after todays disaster would be higher than back in 2008 (just to be clear: the company is worth ZERO in my opinion) a company that goes against people who write negative articles as aggressively as Wirecard has something to hide if the profitability of a business can not be explained by its business model, then most likely something is very wrong (greetings Bernie Madoff) 99% of professional investors and analysts dont care about these things even if you tell them. A lot of people knew that the company was fishy but hey thought they can make many anyway and a lot of people made a lot of money over the years Small companies with far flung operations in difficult geographies should be avoided (see Globo Plc) as this makes fraud difficult to detect for auditors A big 4 Audit firm is no proof of quality. The German BAFIN is not very smart and German financial regulation is substandard Short sellers are smart but are easy targets for fraudulent companies as the public doesnt understand their function Summary: Overall I do think that it is very positive that this epic fraud has come to an end. It will be interesting to see if and who gets convicted. Personally I also find it interesting how some professional analysts and investors (hello DWS and Mr. Tim Albrecht) will justify their part in this. I guess the regulated part (i.e. the bank) will be rescued but the stock is fundamentally a clear zero. Although these days stocks who file for bankruptcy seem to be hot investments. As a very funny side story, Wirecard now claims that they themselves have been defrauded but I guess that is a pretty weak defense. I deeply hope that a good journalist will write a book about this and that they will make a movie about this "German Enron". Wirecard The German Enron & A Very Personal History 2008-2020 memyselfandi007, by Value And Opportunity Video: Top 5 Stocks Among Hedge Funds At Insider Monkey we leave no stone unturned when looking for the next great investment idea. For example, 2020s unprecedented market conditions provide us with the highest number of trading opportunities in a decade. So we are checking out stocks recommended/scorned by legendary Bill Miller. We interview hedge fund managers and ask them about their best ideas. If you want to find out the best healthcare stock to buy right now, you can watch our latest hedge fund manager interview here. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. Our best call in 2020 was shorting the market when the S&P 500 was trading at 3150 after realizing the coronavirus pandemics significance before most investors. You can subscribe to our free enewsletter below to receive our stories in your inbox: [daily-newsletter][/daily-newsletter] Related Content 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 KYODO NEWS - Jun 28, 2020 - 22:17 | World, All Hundreds of people took to the streets in Hong Kong on Sunday in protest as China's top legislative body reviewed a proposed national security law that critics say would spell an end to the city's semiautonomous status. Flocks of people walked toward the densely populated Mong Kok district in Kowloon, occasionally chanting slogans, in what was supposed to be a "silent march" to prevent police from disrupting the protest. Police nonetheless blocked part of a major street on which the protesters marched, dispersing the crowd with pepper spray at one point. The police later said 53 people were arrested on suspicion of illegal assembly. Some protesters were heard urging people to join a now-banned annual march that was scheduled for the July 1 anniversary of the former British colony's return to Chinese rule. On Sunday, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress started a three-day session during which lawmakers heard a report on the deliberation on the draft national security law on Hong Kong, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Hong Kong media reports say the law is widely expected to pass on Tuesday when the meeting ends. Citing the need to safeguard China's interests against a growing separatist movement and to stop foreign interference in Hong Kong, the parliament decided last month to enact the law. The proposed law would outlaw and punish acts of separation, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and Western countries, such as the United States, have criticized the proposed law as undermining the high degree of autonomy Hong Kong was promised under China's "one country, two systems" policy. Related coverage: FOCUS: China security law to deter foreign control of Hong Kong: legislator FOCUS: China faces off with West in bid to keep Hong Kong under its clout Hong Kongers yearn for stability after year of chaos: Lam Every week our Holiday Hero Neil Simpson takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you dont have to. This week: How trains can beat planes if youre heading to Europe this summer. Among holidaymakers with concerns about catching Covid-19, trains are a slower but safer route to the sun. Fans of Eurostar, which runs direct from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, say its the perfect way to begin your travels. Slow train to the sun: The Glacier Express on its way to Italy For starters, forget about sharing a crowded airport terminal with thousands of passengers coming and going from all around the world the only people allowed through security at Londons St Pancras station are passengers who are booked on to the next two departures. Boarding can feel safer too. Gone are hundreds of fellow plane passengers passing through one or two doors and touching dozens of seat backs as they squeeze up the aisle to their row. Instead youll be directed along the platform to the front or rear doors of your carriage. Only those with reservations can enter and each carriage has its own toilet. Take the train to Europe and you also avoid airline-style rows of three. Train seats are two abreast at most. Even in standard class, extra leg room and wider seats mean youre a little further from other passengers than on a budget airline. Pay for Premier Class and couples can create a bigger bubble by reserving a pair of single seats facing each other across a table. And touch-free passport controls are being trialled, where instead of stopping at immigration desks, passengers are identified by facial recognition technology. But for all these advantages, trains wont always beat planes. You still face queues at security, travel times are longer and fares are higher. However, the range of train-based trips is set to expand in July as the world reopens. Here are some of the best ideas for a safety-first rail journey. The big four direct destinations with Eurostar are Paris, Disneyland Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. A direct, standard-class return to Amsterdam for a long weekend in September starts at 102 and takes just under four hours. Stop for lunch in the glorious art nouveau Le Train Bleu restaurant in Paris Or enjoy old-world glamour on a seven-day Biarritz and the Atlantic Pyrenees tour with Great Rail Journeys, from 1,445pp departing from St Pancras. As well as trips to San Sebastian and Bayonne, a big attraction is having your luggage sent ahead for free, so you dont have to carry heavy bags on the train. Options open up if youre happy to change trains in Paris. Fancy Barcelona? Then consider a ticket on the high-speed double-decker TGV trains. Mark Smith, founder of train advice website Seat61, suggests leaving London on an early Eurostar then transferring to Gare de Lyon station in Paris. Once there, youll have time to follow in the footsteps of Salvador Dali and Brigitte Bardot by stopping for lunch in the glorious, art nouveau Le Train Bleu restaurant. Then board the TGV and youll be in Barcelona in time for tapas and cocktails. If youd prefer to be guided through a long-distance train trip, firms such as Great Rail Journeys and Rail Discoveries offer fully escorted tours from London. A top choice for healthy fresh air is the nine-day Glacier Express tour with Rail Discoveries that includes St Moritz and Tirano in Italy from 1,599pp. Hulu has removed an episode of The Golden Girls for a blackface joke, which featured stars Rue McClanahan and Betty White wearing mud masks, according to Deadline. In the episode, Mixed Blessings, which aired in 1988, Dorothy's (Bea Arthur) son Michael (Scott Jacoby) announces his intention to marry an older Black woman, despite his mother's hesitations about their significant age difference. Michael girlfriend's girlfriend, Lorraine, and her family arrive, shortly after Blanche (McClanahan) and Rose (White) have applied a dark brown mud masks. In poor taste: Hulu has removed an episode of The Golden Girls for a blackface joke, which featured stars Rue McClanahan and Betty White wearing mud masks 'This is mud on our faces, were not really Black ,' Rose says, as she attempts to break the tension. Later in the exchange, Lorraine's mother voices her disapproval of the interracial union because she doesn't want her daughter to tie the knot with 'a skinny white boy.' When Dorothy expresses she isn't keen about the pair's relationship, Lorraine's mom Greta (Virginia Capers) asks, 'Oh ya, why? Do you have something against black people?' Controversial joke: In the episode , Mixed Blessings, which aired in 1988, Dorothy's (Bea Arthur) son Michael (Scott Jacoby) announces his intention to marry an older Black woman, despite his mother's hesitations about their significant age difference 'Of course, not! And, I resent the insinuation! Why we firmly believe that all men are created equal,' says Dorothy's pal Blanche Devereaux, while appearing next to Rose Nylund in blackface. Rose quickly interjects to say, 'That's a bunch of baloney.' As everyone in the room looks horrified, she jokes they should turn on the television and watch 'a white person dance down the line on Soul Train.' 'This is mud on our faces, were not really Black ,' Rose says, as she attempts to break the tension Tension: Lorraine's mother voiced her disapproval of the interracial union because she doesn't want her daughter to tie the knot with 'a skinny white boy' 'Race is not even an issue, your daughter is twice my son's age,' Dorothy fires. 'What can a woman in his forties possibly have in common with a boy in his twenties?' Blanche quickly replies, from across the room, 'Sex!' Greta goes on to tell her daughter she doesn't mind the age difference, but urged her to date a young Black man, instead. 'Now, what do you say, can we all join hands and sing a chorus of the 1968 song Abraham, Martin and John?' Rose asks. Rose attempts to stop the fighting by reminding the families that the couple is in love and suggests, 'We should be celebrating, not arguing whether or not it's right!' 'Can we all join hands and sing a chorus of the 1968 song Abraham, Martin and John?' Rose asks, referring to a song created to honor Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. 'Is she for real?' Greta asks, while Dorothy confirms her friends' eccentric behavior is sincere. 'Is she for real?' Greta asks, while Dorothy confirms her friends' sincerity and eccentric behavior 'Frightening isn't it? Dorothy answers. The hit sitcom, which ran from 19851992, joins a number of popular television shows that have episodes being taken down or edited due to characters in blackface. Others have included 30 Rock, Community and The Office. Bhopal/Indore: Jitendra alias Jitu Soni, 62, the owner of a tabloid accused of rape, blackmail, extortion, human trafficking, land grab, was arrested from Gujarat on Sunday after remaining on the run for seven months, the Madhya Pradesh police said. Deputy inspector general Harinarayanchari Mishra said of the 64 criminal cases, Soni, an Indore resident, faces, 47 have been lodged over the last six months. He added a local court has remained Soni in police custody for interrogation. Soni had been on the run since escaping during a police raid in December after Harbhajan Singh, an Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) engineer, filed a case against the tabloid owner for defaming him based on unfounded conversation and for trying to blackmail him. The tabloid published a transcript of the engineers alleged conversation with certain women arrested on charges of luring, trapping, and blackmailing high-profile people in states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It also carried transcripts of purported conversations of two other high-profile people, including a former minister. Indore inspector general Vivek Sharma said six police teams carried out raids at several places to track Soni over the last six months. He added Soni was eventually arrested from his ancestral Dhargni village in Gujarats Amreli district when he was about to change his location. Sharma said Soni kept moving from one place to another in Maharashtra and Gujarat. He has had a criminal history since 1991. He added there was a Rs 1.50 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest. Sharma said Soni has primarily been arrested in connection with the case filed against him in December. So far, Sonis son, Amit Soni, and brother, Mahendra Soni, have been arrested. His other brother Hukum Soni, son Vikki Soni, nephews Jignesh Soni and Lucky Soni, four other members of his family, and 25 other accomplices are yet to be arrested. IMC and police razed Sonis two bungalows in Indore and removed illegal structures at his two hotels and a cafe in December as part of an anti-encroachment drive. The demolition began on December 5 when police claimed to have rescued 67 women and several children from the hotel and arrested Amit Soni, his bouncer, and several members of their staff. The Indore administration has cancelled the permission granted to Soni to bring out his daily. (With input from Neha Jain in Indore) Baroness Emma Nicholson said it would be 'rather fun' to meet transgender model Munroe Bergdorf who she previously called a 'weird creature' on Twitter. The Tory peer, 78, has been accused of bullying model and activist Ms Bergdorf, including by misgendering her in a since-deleted tweet. Baroness Nicholson said the barrage of abuse she faced made her 'a leper holding out a bell saying: 'Don't come near me - I'm toxic".' But she insisted that she never intended to hurt Ms Bergdorf and said: 'Hopefully we might be able to meet - which would be rather fun.' Baroness Nicholson also jumped to the defence of author JK Rowling, who is embroiled in a transphobia row after expressing 'deep concerns' about transgender activism. Baroness Emma Nicholson (left) said it would be 'rather fun' to meet transgender model Munroe Bergdorf (right) who she previously called a 'weird creature' on Twitter Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, she dubbed the outcry - including from some of the principal actors in the Harry Potter film franchise - a 'horrendous tsunami of horrific hostility to our most famous modern author'. Baroness Nicholson was reported to the Lord's Commissioner for Standards over the claims she bullied Ms Bergdorf, an outspoken advocate for social justice. In one now-deleted tweet, Baroness Nicholson misgenders the model and claims it was a typing error, as reported by PinkNews. She said: 'Musht be shome mishtake, my finger typed M. but the invisible editor forgot that I also use French.' Baroness Nicholson also jumped to the defence of author JK Rowling (pictured), who is embroiled in a transphobia row after expressing 'deep concerns' about transgender activism Ms Bergdorf responded on her Instagram account she said: 'In addition to calling me "a weird creature" and sharing transphobic memes featuring abuse that I received three years ago, reframed as if I said it myself.' Ms Bergdorf added: 'She has also deliberately misgendered me and begun retweeting dangerous propaganda from anti-trans hate group Transgender Trend, who actively go into schools to disseminate anti-trans rhetoric.' The Tory peer has come under fire from LGBT activists for tweeting that she voted against the same-sex marriage bill in 2013 as 'it would lead to degrading the status of women and of girls'. Speaking to MailOnline Baroness Nicholson did not deny misgendering the model, but said she was not aware what pronouns she uses and it was not clear on her Twitter account. She said: 'This really cannot be the case because this person who I do not know does not detail on their Twitter profile their preferred pronouns. There are two sexes and 112 genders so you cannot choose. JK Rowling and Baroness Emma Nicholson JK Rowling launches her new book 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' at Sotheby's, London, Britain - 10 Dec 2007 'It's a bit of a red herring, if transgender people want to be called by a specific pronoun you have to make it clear to people.' She added that she was trying to write 'M.' but made an error. She also admitted to calling the model a 'wild creature' but said it was a reference to Shakespeare's Sonnet Number 1 that she been engaging with during lockdown. 'It's about a creature who is really wonderful and beautiful,' she added. Following the outcry, Baroness Nicholson was axed as the vice-president of the Booker Prize earlier this week. The Tory peer, whose late husband Sir Michael Caine helped establish the prize, had held the role since 2009. Booker Prize announced the decision on Wednesday night and said it was scrapping all honorary roles across the organisation. A statement said: 'We, the Trustees of the Booker Prize Foundation, met today and wish to reiterate that the views expressed by Baroness Nicholson on transgender people are her own personal opinions. Ms Bergdorf welcomed the decision to axe the baroness and said on Twitter: 'See what happens when we all stand up TOGETHER against bigotry!' 'The issues are complex, but our principles are clear. We deplore racism, homophobia and transphobia and do not discriminate on any grounds.' 'Integrity is central to both Booker Prizes, whose judging process is conducted at all times in keeping with these values.' She issued an apology and said: 'Im asking her if we can have a meal together maybe we might find a lot in common you never know. Baroness Nicholson insisted she is not transphobic as many Booker trustees have publicly called her, and said she 'fully supports their rights and everyone else's rights'. Ms Bergdorf welcomed the decision to axe the baroness and said on Twitter: 'See what happens when we all stand up TOGETHER against bigotry!' Irish fishermen stranded off coast of Africa for 16 weeks amid coronavirus restrictions by Ellen Coyne A number of Irish fishermen have been stuck on boats off the west coast of Africa for at least 16 weeks, apparently due to Covid-19. Family members of the fishermen are worried about when their loved ones will be returning home amid concerns there may not be enough food and water on board. The Atlantic Dawn Group, which is based in Killybegs, owns a number of boats which have been stuck off the coast of Mauritania. It is understood that there may be half a dozen Irish men on board, many of whom are believed to be from Donegal. Fishermen would normally spend six weeks on board the fishing boat off the coast of Mauritania, which has some of the richest fishing waters in the world. After their six-week shift, the fisherman usually fly home to Ireland via Las Palmas Port in Gran Canaria while another crew take their place. The Atlantic Dawn Group told Independent.ie that its normal crew change had to be cancelled because of Covid-19 travel restrictions. When it became apparent that these restrictions were not being eased, we made plans to sail our vessels to the closest European port so that alternative arrangements could be made to repatriate the crew, it said in a statement. But it added that before the crew could leave Mauritania, a number of formalities and clearances were required. Unfortunately, Covid-19 restrictions have also affected the administration in Mauritania, resulting in an abnormally long delay in processing the formalities, The Atlantic Dawn Group said. A family member of one of the crew, who spoke to Independent.ie on the condition of anonymity, said that families were worried about the amount of food and water on board. Contact with the fishermen has been sporadic due to their lack of phone signal and intermittent access to WiFi, but family members said they were being drip fed information which led them to worry about how much drinking water was on board. The Atlantic Dawn Group strongly contested the claim that supplies of food and clean water were running out. Our crew members are not and have at no point been deprived of supplies or provisions. On the contrary, we always ensure our crew members are extremely well provided for and conditions on-board all our vessels are of a very high standard, it said. The Atlantic Dawn Group said that the matter was now concluded, and that the crew would sail to Las Palmas and fly back to Ireland as soon as our catch is discharged. I would like to reiterate that the comfort, safety and welfare of our crew is of paramount importance to our company. We very much appreciate their patience and indeed that of their families during this prolonged period on-board our vessels. The circumstances we faced were outside of our control, but we did our utmost to resolve the matter in as timely a manner as was possible, despite the challenges and obstacles we encountered, the Atlantic Dawn Group said. Family members were told last Friday that their loved ones would be able to return home on Monday. But by Wednesday, they were being told that it could be next week before they return home. The Department of Foreign Affairs said that it was not contacted or asked to provide consular assistance during the incident. It is understood that family members would have had to make a formal complaint, which they did not want to do amid fears that the fishermen could lose out on work as a consequence. Independent.ie Theme(s): Others. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 20:33:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NANCHANG, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China began a 10-year fishing moratorium from the beginning of this year in 332 conservation areas in the Yangtze River basin, which will be expanded to all the natural waterways of the country's longest river and its major tributaries from no later than Jan. 1, 2021. The full-scale ban is likely to affect more than 113,000 fishing boats and nearly 280,000 fishermen in 10 provincial-level regions along the river, according to earlier estimation. Members of a Yangtze finless porpoise protection team take part in a patrol mission on the Poyang Lake in Hukou County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 8, 2020. Eight of the 11 team members are fishermen-turned finless porpoise protectors who patrol the Poyang Lake on a daily basis. Their missions include dismantling illegal fishing facilities and preventing unlawful activities that damage the Poyang Lake's fisheries resources. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) This comes after decades of human activities such as water pollution, overfishing, sand excavation and quarrying have caused serious ecological destruction in the Yangtze River basin. The Yangtze, which stretches over 6,300 km, boasts rich and complex terrain and climate along its basin and has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Wu Houchun, an ex-fisherman who works at a Yangtze finless porpoise protection team, takes part in a patrol mission on Poyang Lake in Hukou County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) Official data shows that the average annual fishing output in the Yangtze River is less than 100,000 tonnes, accounting for only 0.15 percent of the national total, which has set alarm bells ringing for the need to take immediate action to restore its ecology. In areas around the Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake in the eastern province of Jiangxi, there are more than 300 traditional fishing villages housing over 100,000 residents. Due to the ban, those fishermen will have to bid farewell to their traditional roles and embrace new identities ashore. Aerial photo shows Wu Huashan harvesting crayfish at his fish pond in Xiangshan Township of Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 5, 2020. Having learned fishing at an early age with his parents, Wu was a skilled fisherman and was head of a local fishery association. In late 2019, he bade farewell to his boats and started a crayfish business. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) FINLESS PORPOISE PROTECTOR Shu Yin'an, 53, born of a fishing family of three generations, is currently working as a patroller in a Yangtze finless porpoise protection team in Hukou County, Jiangxi Province. The finless porpoise, an endemic species in China, is an important indicator of the ecology of the Yangtze. Known for its mischievous smile, the finless porpoise has a level of intelligence comparable to that of a gorilla. However, they rely on abundant food supply for survival. In recent years, overfishing in the Yangtze River has contributed to the decrease in their number. "I grew up on the Poyang Lake and finless porpoises used to be common here, but they've been seldomly spotted in recent years," said Shu, who decided to wave goodbye to his fishing boat and nets and began a new life ashore in 2017. In June that year, he went aboard again with a new career as a finless porpoise protector. Members of a Yangtze finless porpoise protection team attend a mission briefing ahead of a daily patrol on the Poyang Lake in Hukou County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 8, 2020. Eight of the 11 team members are fishermen-turned finless porpoise protectors who patrol the Poyang Lake on a daily basis. Their missions include dismantling illegal fishing facilities and preventing unlawful activities that damage the Poyang Lake's fisheries resources. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) Zhang Chuanguo, Shu's colleague, intended to have his two sons inherit his fishing boats after his retirement. But the 65-year-old was frustrated to find that catches of the once fish-rich lake have been dramatically dwindling. "We shouldn't leave a devastated river for future generations," said Zhang. "I'm proud to be a finless porpoise protector," he said. "We are fighting to secure a better life for the people living around the Poyang Lake and in the Yangtze River basin." Members of a Yangtze finless porpoise protection team pose for a group photo on a patrol boat on the Poyang Lake in Hukou County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 8, 2020. Eight of the 11 team members are fishermen-turned finless porpoise protectors who patrol the Poyang Lake on a daily basis. Their missions include dismantling illegal fishing facilities and preventing unlawful activities that damage the Poyang Lake's fisheries resources. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) RAISING CRAYFISH Wu Huashan, 42, never regretted stepping ashore. The former fisherman now farms over 26 hectares of paddy fields to raise crayfish. In just a few months this year, Wu has earned more than 300,000 yuan (about 42,400 U.S. dollars) from selling crayfish alone -- an income he could only dream of during his decades as a fisherman. Having learned fishing at an early age with his parents, Wu was a skilled fisherman and was head of a local fishery association. Wu Huashan wears an outfit to harvest crayfish in Xiangshan Township of Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) "The catch started getting smaller and smaller," said Wu. "In the past when I went fishing with my father, we would catch more than 500 kg of fish every day. The number has fallen to just dozens of kilograms in recent years." Last year, he bade farewell to his boats and received more than 70,000 yuan in subsidies, 12,000 yuan of living expenses and social insurance paid by the government. Wu Huashan displays photos of the fishing boats he once owned in Xiangshan Township, Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) "I was lost and had no idea what I should do next," recalled Wu. With the help of the local government, he finally chose to invest in crayfish, a delicacy popular with many Chinese foodies. Now he has turned into a crayfish expert. "The key to raising crayfish is to keep the water clean. I've had a good harvest this year and plan to try growing rice in the paddy fields this year," said Wu. Wu Huashan harvests crayfish in Xiangshan Township of Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 5, 2020.(Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) TOURISM SERVICES PROVIDER Zhu Yicai, a 67-year-old ex-fisherman in Yugan County, is the living embodiment of an old Chinese adage -- those living on a mountain live off the mountain, those living by water live off the water. He used to make a living by selling aquatic products captured in the Poyang Lake. He is now taking advantage of the beautiful scenery around the lake. Zhu Yicai conducts guestroom check at his farmhouse in the Poyang Lake scenic area in Yugan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 16, 2020. Zhu Yicai gave up his fishing business in 2012 due to the worsening aquatic environment in the Poyang Lake. In 2018, Zhu was running a family farm when he noticed that lots of tourists came to the lake to watch migratory birds. Zhu then captured the business opportunity and opened a 1,800-square-meter farmhouse. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) Decades of environmental protection have made the Poyang Lake an important hub for migratory birds, hosting up to 700,000 wintering birds every year. Local government has been taking advantage of the tourism resources by organizing a range of activities such as a bird-watching festival to lure tourists. It has also been encouraging fishermen to step ashore and take part in tourism-related industry by offering training on restaurant management and other skills to make them more competitive. Zhu opened a fish farm in 2012 and saw many tourists come to watch birds. Believing that birdwatching would be a good business opportunity, Zhu built a 1,800-square-meter farmhouse, which can accommodate more than 200 people dining at the same time, in February 2018. Zhu Yicai (3rd L) serves guests at his farmhouse in the Poyang Lake scenic area in Yugan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) "We closed earlier this year due to the COVID-19 epidemic, but we've already made over 300,000 yuan since we reopened in March," Zhu said. Zhu Yicai (Rear) and his son make a daily menu for guests at his farmhouse in the Poyang Lake scenic area in Yugan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) "Many tourists come here to relax and unwind. We can host nearly 200 people at the weekend in high seasons," Zhu said. Tourists visit Zhu Yicai's farmhouse in the Poyang Lake scenic area in Yugan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) Tourism brought the family a gross income of 1 million yuan last year and Zhu intends to convert the second floor of his home into a B&B to host more tourists. Zhu Yicai (L,front) poses for a photo with his family at his farmhouse in the Poyang Lake scenic area in Yugan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi) Photo editors: Li Mangmang, Yu Yang, Xie Ziyi, Lin Fanjing Writers: Ma Yujie, Lyu Qiuping, Luo Chen, Zhou Mi, Peng Zhaozhi, Min Zuntao Video editors: Peng Zhaozhi, Zhou Mi, Min Zuntao, Luo Chen, Wang Kaifeng, Meng Chenguang 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 SriLankan Airlines makes no loss on repatriation flights By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s): SriLankan Airlines is facing a number of hurdles in overcoming its financial losses as they garner revenue off repatriation of nationals stranded overseas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The national carrier has repatriated 7800 Sri Lankans stranded overseas so far with no loss to the airline as the costs were covered in full, SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage said at a media briefing in Colombo on Monday. The airline still has to bring down a further 30,000 Sri Lankans living overseas, he said. He noted that the airline continued to make losses and its plan to turnaround the company in one year will be stalled under the circumstances and in this respect they will be looking at borrowing from foreign funds in future. We want to borrow from overseas and at the moment we are talking to some foreign funds, he said. Earlier he explained that the current debts of the airline will be restructured by the two state banks from whom they have heavily borrowed. Currently they owe US$187 million to the Peoples Bank and $220 million to the Bank of Ceylon, he said adding that they owe $275 million to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). The airline made a loss of $130 million last year, he noted. Further the government has given a sovereign guarantee where the airline can raise $75 million. The government has also agreed to remove the Withholding Tax (WHT) that would generate a savings of $30-40 million per annum, Mr. Pathirage noted. The airline would reconsider the markets they fly to as well looking favourably at resuming operations to Frankfurt and Sydney in addition to increase their channeling of tourists from countries like South Korea, Melbourne, Sydney and the Maldives. Following staff reductions by about 900 and salary cuts the airline has saved about $30 million per annum, the Chairman said. He explained that currently since they continue to have an excess staff they would consider reducing further. In this respect, they hope to obtain the relevant approvals to introduce a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) that would enable the airline to reduce staff by another 500. Currently the airline has a permanent cadre of 6000 employees. By December the company hopes to resume about 40 per cent of its normal operations and by next March get back to normal by about 70 per cent. Pictured: Filipe Mahe during filming of Our Boys A man has sensationally claimed that he is the real Jonah from Tonga and slammed Chris Lilley's depiction of him in the hit show Summer Heights High. Filipe Mahe was filmed as part of an ABC documentary entitled 'Our Boys' which followed disadvantaged students at Canterbury Boys High in Sydney in 2004. After the series aired Lilley came to Mr Mahe's school, observed classes as they were taught and watched a Tongan dance. When Summer Heights High debuted four years later Mr Mahe and his friends gathered eagerly for the first episode. But as soon as he saw Jonah from Tonga, Mr Mahe's heart sank and believed the character was based on him. Jonah, like Mr Mahe, was from a single-parent family, had a larger than life and cheeky personality, could dance and had problems reading. Jonah was also portrayed as being rebellious toward teachers - asking one if she was 'on her period'. It mirrors a scene in the ABC documentary when Mr Mahe discretely asked in Tongan if a friend was menstruating because she was giving him a hard time. Pictured: Chris Lilley (centre) in his role as Jonah Takalua in his program, Jonah from Tonga 'I knew from that episode that Jonah was me,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'I've always thought it was racism to Tongans but never spoke out,' he said. 'I would have been labelled a "sook" or "can't handle the banter" so I didn't say anything.' He added that he felt 'absolutely embarrassed, full of hate, angry and exploited' by the program. Mr Mahe, now 33, is a successful dad-of-two living in Queensland but his start to life was much tougher. His father had been killed in a motor accident, his mother was wheelchair bound after contracting polio as a child and his sister suffered from epilepsy - which later killed her. Mr Mahe has dyslexia and by grade nine he still couldn't read or write in English or Tongan, and his math capabilities were equivalent to a grade six student. However he'd always managed to get by in class because of his great verbal and observational skills. The character of Jonah had similar learning difficulties and compensated by being brash and rude to his superiors, a trait that Mr Mahe said didn't come from him. Mahe (centre) is certain the character of Jonah is based on him and his experiences at school. Pictured with Our Boys producer Kerry Brewster (left) Chris Lilley visited Canterbury Boys High after Our Boys aired to conduct research for his upcoming show, Summer Heights High 'I can 100 per cent say that, if any Tongan kid was to speak that way to their parents, they would have got a smack to the mouth,' he said. 'We just don't speak that way.' Kerry Brewster, the woman who produced and directed Our Boys, also immediately identified the character in Lilley's show as Mr Mahe. Poll Should culturally insensitive shows be 'cancelled'? Yes No Should culturally insensitive shows be 'cancelled'? Yes 169 votes No 1205 votes Now share your opinion She had worked closely with him during filming and was alarmed at how he was 'exploited' to create 'a brown faced caricature'. 'In its mocking portrayal of Jonah, it was racist and cruel, even if this was not Lilley's intention,' she said in an opinion piece for Sydney Morning Herald. 'It appealed to an audience that still looks condescendingly at Pacific Islanders.' Ms Brewster said some of the lines used in the show were almost word-for-word repeats of things Mr Mahe had said in the past. Mr Mahe (pictured) was charismatic and adored by his peers and teachers. He struggled with learning difficulties and had a tough upbringing Mr Mahe's wife said her husband was 'hurt and embarrassed' by the character Jonah from Tonga But Ms Brewster also feels guilty for the 'terrible price' Mr Mahe paid for participating in her documentary. The entire first episode focused largely on his struggles and led Lilley to visit the school when researching his own ABC-funded project. Mr Mahe moved to Brisbane after he left Canterbury Boys High, where he found a job and met his now wife, Vera. The couple have two children and are very happy with their lives, though Vera said he still deals with the hurt and embarrassment over the show. 'He is hurt and embarrassed,' she explained. 'Is he embarrassed by the way he was? Absolutely. His dad died in a car accident, his mum is a paralysed from the waist down, his sister died from epilepsy - he didn't have the easiest childhood. Could be the reason why he played up.' Vera told Daily Mail Australia the couple both 'understand the comedy part' of the show and accept that it has cultivated a cult-like following since it aired. 'But he was a child and was exploited,' she added. Four of Lilley's shows, including Jonah from Tonga, were removed from the Netflix catalogue earlier this month in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. The programs had been criticised in the past for their use of brownface and blackface. In Jonah From Tonga, Lilley painted his face brown and wore a curly wig to portray Jonah. Pictured: Chris Lilley in 2015 Daily Mail Australia tried to contact Lilley for comment regarding Mr Mahe's claims. Lilley has previously defended his style of comedy. Last year he told The Weekend Australian: 'I'm not trying to do the thing that is trendy at the moment.' The award-winning comedian went on to say he would continue making 'clever, layered' characters. Defending his controversial characters, he said: 'When you meet them, you think 'I know that type of person', but then there is a twist, something crazy.' '[In] the end you think 'Actually, I kinda relate to this, she just did that thing that I do everyday'.' Around Leinster House on Saturday, there were three groups - those who got the call, those who didn't although they hoped they might, and those who entered the day with no expectation of a call at all. In many ways, that third group was the happiest because they could enjoy the pomp and ceremony, such as it was. But for those stuck in the middle, it was a tough weekend, with many failing to make the rank of minister and many more having the title stripped away. As the outgoing Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar had the highest volume of difficult conversations. He broke the news early to Michael Ring and brought Michael Creed's time at cabinet to an end. He also told big party names Charlie Flanagan and Josepha Madigan that they would not be in the final six Fine Gaelers to take seats at the cabinet. Joe McHugh's tenure in education was also ended. But perhaps the biggest loser of all was Eoghan Murphy. The former housing minister had been a lightning rod for criticism of Mr Varadkar's government for some time but continued to go to bat for the party's policies. A longtime ally of Mr Varadkar, it now seems that he won't even be considered for a junior ministry. As a party which had many frontbenchers and negotiators to find space for, Fianna Fail had many people to reward and even more to disappoint. The biggest loser was undoubtedly Dara Calleary. The party's deputy leader, Mr Calleary had put in huge work in the party's lowest days, traversing the country from his Mayo home to take on media appearances and help rebuild the party. While as chief whip he will sit at cabinet, his new role will have all the demands of a ministerial portfolio but with none of the profile or ability to affect change. Others who may feel aggrieved were Thomas Byrne and Anne Rabbitte, key negotiators and Jim O'Callaghan, a party heavyweight with a high profile. Party leader Micheal Martin's choice of Stephen Donnelly to take the health role certainly raised eyebrows amongst a number of TDs and ensured a number of longtime loyalists were left out in the cold. Green Party The Green Party ended the programme negotiations with three clear choices for their cabinet seats, but the fate of their Super Junior position was up for debate. Few however expected the nod to go to senator Pippa Hackett. Within the party, Brian Leddin was seen as a safe bet due to his geography and his ability. Certainly, the party's only other female TD, Neasa Hourigan might have thought Eamon Ryan would extend her an olive branch after her opposition to the deal. Dublin Fingal TD Joe O'Brien had been tipped for Cabinet but missed out on both senior and junior roles. A woman allegedly murdered her ex-lover by pinning him up against a wall with her Toyota Kluger after finding him at home with a love rival. Jackline Musa, 44, allegedly hit her former partner Payman Thagipur, 31, with her vehicle in a car park of a unit complex on Hill Road near Half Street, Wentworth Point in Sydney's inner-west just after 8.30pm on Saturday night. Mr Thagipur was treated at the scene by police until New South Wales ambulance paramedics arrived but he died a short time later. Musa was arrested and taken to Concord Hospital under police guard for treatment and mandatory testing before she was charged with murder. Shocking footage has since emerged of police officers trying to revive Mr Thagipur while he lay dying of the car park floor. Payman Thagipur was allegedly hit by his ex-partner Jackline Musa (pictured), 44, after the pair got into a fight at a car park of a unit complex Payman Thagipur (pictured) was treated at the scene by police until New South Wales ambulance paramedics arrived but he died a short time later 'Mate, keep breathing, don't stop breathing,' an emergency worker could be heard saying in a video released by 7 News. 'You're doing well mate, you're doing well. Stay with us.' Police tried to calm Mr Thagipur and make him comfortable as he took his final breaths. Officers allege that Ms Musa attacked her ex lover after she found another woman inside his apartment. Naaz Ali lived next door to the victim and said she witnessed the alleged attack from just metres away. Her hands shook as she recalled the moment Ms Musa allegedly walked by her former lover's mangled body and admired it 'as though it was a canvas she painted'. 'The man's body was just so badly mangled and blood and I think I just lost my mind after that,' she told the network. She said she was the one who first raised the alarm with police. Residents inside the apartment complex said the whole building shook after the collision in the car park. Police tried to calm Mr Thagipur and make him comfortable as he took his final breaths (pictured: police surrounding the victim) Naaz Ali lived next door to the victim and said she witnessed the alleged incident from just metres away (the car park pictured) One said: 'He was on his side, in the corner, struggling to breath.' Friends gathered at the scene to grieve the loss of Mr Thagipur, who was described as a 'gentle man'. They said he had only recently moved into the unit complex with a dog named Coco. Musa appeared at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday morning where she was refused bail and will remain in prison until another court appearance on Thursday. Police said the entire incident was captured on CCTV and there had been numerous witnesses at the scene. The pair were previously in a relationship but police say there were no prior domestic violence incidents between the pair. Police said witnesses have been traumatised by what they saw and described the scene as 'chaotic'. Emergency services were called to a car park at a unit complex (pictured) on Hill Road near Half Street, Wentworth Point just after 8.30pm on Saturday night A man and a woman, believed to be Musa's children, told the Daily Telegraph that they were not aware of incident when approached at her home in Quakers Hill on Sunday. They said they had not heard from their mother since Saturday night and had assumed she was at work. The man said he was not aware that his mother had ever had a boyfriend and had never heard of Mr Thagipu. Friends of Mr Thagipu, who is originally from Iran, said he told them he was meeting a woman on Saturday and would meet them afterwards. They crew concerned when he didn't answer his phone. The victim's best friend, Samuel Zizi, said Mr Thagipur worked as a painter and had never mentioned Musa to him. 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 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Beta Zeta Omega Chapter, Orangeburg, recently awarded a total of $12,000 in scholarships to six academically talented, local high school graduates who are attending college this fall. Scholarship selection criteria are based on scholastic achievement, character, leadership ability, finer womanhood and community activities. Financial need is also the basis of two of the scholarships. Funding for the scholarships comes from the chapters annual Calendar Doll benefit program. Sanaa L. P. Haynes, an honor graduate of Calhoun County High School, was awarded the Academic I Scholarship and will attend the University of South Carolina-Columbia majoring in pharmaceutical science. Upon graduation from USC, Sanaa would like to continue her studies to earn a pharmacy degree. Sanaas dream of becoming a pharmacist is attributed to her late father. Haynes is the daughter of the Mrs. Sarah Haynes and the late Eric Haynes. Hannah Dantzler, a graduate of the High School for Health Professions, was also awarded the Academic I Scholarship and will attend the University of South Carolina-Upstate. She plans to major in nursing and become a pediatric nurse practitioner with hopes of opening her very own clinic. Dantzler is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy (Shirley) Dantzler. Jordan McKenzie Twitty, salutatorian and honor graduate of the High School for Health Professions, was awarded the Academic II Scholarship. She will attend the College of Charleston and will major in public health. Twitty aspires to become a pediatric dentist. Twitty is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Greg (Valesta) Twitty. Nyasia Jannira Argrow, valedictorian and honor graduate of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, was awarded the STEM Scholarship. She will attend Claflin University and major in biology. Argrow aspires to become a nurse practitioner specializing in pediatric hematology and oncology. Argrow is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eddie (Janet) Argrow. The Bethune-Bowman Adopt-A-School Scholarship was awarded to Talicia Benjamin, who recently graduated from the school. Benjamin will attend Coastal Carolina University majoring in biology and aspires to become an anesthesiologist. Benjamin is the daughter of Ms. Patricia Newton. Jaden Amari Williams, a graduate of Orangeburg- Wilkinson High School, was awarded the Sisterhood Scholarship. Williams will attend Francis Marion University and major in pre-nursing and aspires to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. Williams is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Russell (Aisha) Williams. The mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. is to provide service to all mankind. As the first black Greek-letter organization for college trained women, the AKAs have provided service in their respective communities since 1908. The Beta Zeta Omega chapter is celebrating 85 years of serving Orangeburg and surrounding areas this year. In addition to the high school scholarships and donations made to the local universities, the organization addresses community needs with programs in five target areas: educational enrichment, health care and wellness, economic advancement, the arts and global impact. Mrs. Barbara Elliott-Kirkland serves as the president of Beta Zeta Omega and Ms. Latosha C. Legree serves as the High School Scholarships Committee chairperson. Love 10 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 0 Raveesh Kumar Twitter page New Delhi/IBNS: Amid heightened tensions between the two nations in recent times, Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli on Sunday alleged that meetings are being organized in India to topple his government. Oli said the ouster plan will fail. Plots are being hatched to topple me for releasing the countrys new map and getting it adopted through Parliament, said Oli on Sunday while addressing a function organised by the Madan Bhandari Foundation at Baluwatar to commemorate the leaders 69th birth anniversary as quoted by The Kathmandu Post. Given the ongoing intellectual discussions, media reports from New Delhi, embassys activities and meetings at different hotels in Kathmandu, it is not very difficult to understand how people are openly active to oust me. But they wont succeed," he said. The House of Representatives of Nepal this month passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill revising the Coat of Arms of Nepal which has included a stretch of land in the mountains that India claims as its own. Out of the 275 members of Nepal's House of Representatives, 258 votes went in favour of the amendment bill, which was passed by a two-thirds majority. The new map of Nepal includes a portion of land on the east of river Kali, which extends out from the northwestern tip of Nepal. The area includes the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and also Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, which are strategically significant areas for India and the country has been guarding since the 1962 war with China. UK Reportedly Ready to Pump $600 Million into US Satellite Operator as Alternative to EU's Galileo Sputnik News Oleg Burunov. Sputnik International 10:54 GMT 27.06.2020 In 2018, then-UK Prime Minister Theresa May pulled out of the EU's Galileo satellite navigation system project as Brussels excluded London from its development in preparation for Brexit. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to invest at least 500 million ($616 million) in the US satellite operator OneWeb as the UK lost access the EU's rival Galileo satellite navigation system due to Brexit, The Financial Times (FT) reports. According to the newspaper, Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Thursday night signed off on the purchase of a 20% stake in OneWeb, which filed for bankruptcy in March in the US, where most of its operations are located. The operator, which is headquartered in the UK and has 74 satellites in orbit, said in April that it was in advanced negotiations for investment. The UK government perceives OneWeb as a company which could deliver the same civil and military tracking services as the Galileo system. The Thursday developments come after the FT reported last week that UK ministers were looking to revise plans for an independent satellite navigation system worth 5 billion ($6.18 billion) that was touted in 2018 as an alternative to the Galileo project. The newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying that the ministers were considering a spate of options, one of which presupposes using OneWeb, which reportedly offered to move its satellite production from Florida to Britain if its bid gains support from the UK government. This followed then-UK Prime Minister Theresa May in November 2018 withdrawing the country from the Galileo project, to which the UK had contributed 1.2 billion ($1.4 billion), as Brussels excluded Britain from Galileo's development ahead of Brexit. May lashed out at the European Commission's "decision to bar the UK from being fully involved in developing all aspects of Galileo", adding, "I cannot let our Armed Services depend on a system we cannot be sure of; and as a global player with world-class engineers and steadfast allies around the world we are not short of options". A multibillion-euro satellite navigation system that was launched by the EU in 2016, Galileo aims to offer Europe an independent and more accurate alternative to the US Global Positioning System (GPS). A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Modified On Jul 15, 2020 01:02 PM By Dhruv Attri for Honda City You can reserve yours online or through any Honda dealership near you Update: Honda has launched the fifth-gen City in India with prices beginning from Rs 10.90 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). You can read more about it here. Honda City bookings amount pegged at Rs 5,000 for online and Rs 21,000 for dealership transactions. The 2020 City will be available in three variants: V, VX and ZX. Engine options are a set of 1.5-litre petrol and diesel units. Optional CVT limited to the petrol; no diesel-CVT like the Amaze. Rivals the Skoda Rapid, Hyundai Verna, VW Vento and Maruti Ciaz. Honda India has started official pre-bookings for its upcoming compact sedan, the City, ahead of its mid-July launch. The fifth-generation City can be booked either through the Honda from Home online platform for a token amount of Rs 5,000 or by visiting a dealership and shelling out Rs 21,000. The 2020 Honda City brings a host of updates over the previous generation sedan which is likely to remain on sale alongside. It will be available in three variants: V, VX and ZX. Prices of the new City are likely to range between Rs 11 lakh and Rs 16 lakh (ex-showroom). In terms of features, the Honda City gets all-LED headlights with daytime running lamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, and LED treatment for the tail lamps as well. It might have become wider and longer than the previous model but the wheelbase has remained constant while boot space has taken a hit. It bears a dual-tone black and beige interior which is headlined by an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Weblink. Other features include automatic climate control, 7-inch semi-digital instrument cluster, Alexa voice command, connected technology and, of course, a sunroof. The safety net of a top-spec variant comprises Honda LaneWatch, blindspot monitor, six airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX anchorage mounts. The engine options are a set of 1.5-litre petrol (121PS/145Nm) and diesel (100PS/200Nm) units. Both get a 6-speed MT as standard whereas a 7-step CVT is offered with the petrol engine. The Honda City renews its rivalry with the Maruti Ciaz, Skoda Rapid and Hyundai Verna. If youd like to know about the Citys driving experience, stay tuned to CarDekho for the first drive review which will be up shortly. Read More on : City on road price The recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests and June's Pride Month celebrations are highlighting racism within the LGBTQ+ community, specifically toward Black transgender people. Driving the news: Cities across the U.S., including Philadelphia, New York City and Providence, Rhode Island, have hosted "Black Trans Lives Matter" rallies this June. The demonstrations have called attention to the deaths of Black trans individuals, including 38-year-old Tony McDade, killed by Tallahassee, Florida, police just two days after George Floyd was killed. Tallahassee police originally misgendered McDade in their report on his death. By the numbers: The Human Rights Campaign reported at least 26 deaths of trans or gender-nonconforming people in the U.S. in 2018 due to fatal violence. Most were Black transgender women. HRC later reported at least 22 trans or gender-nonconforming people were killed last year through November, marking the fifth straight year that more than 20 trans or gender-nonconforming people have died due to violence. Year over year, Black trans women prove to be the most frequent targets. Between the lines: White privilege still gives some members of the LGBTQ+ community an advantage compared to LGBTQ+ people of color specifically Black trans folks. Not all violence toward Black, transgender individuals is directly motivated by a person's gender identity or race, HRC notes. 1 in 5 trans people in the U.S. has been discriminated against while searching for housing, per the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). NCTE also reports that more than 1 in 4 trans people have lost a job due to discrimination. The Supreme Court this month ruled employment discrimination against transgender individuals to be unlawful. 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. If there is one area in which Indias politicians have led by example, it is in observing the protocols that have come about due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From day one, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, the ministers in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and chief ministers have all been seen in public with masks and observing social distancing. And rightly so. The lockdown too was implemented much earlier in India than in many other countries. I was struck by a clip of Frances President Emmanuel Macron reaching out to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The latter promptly folded his arms to prevent Macron from hugging him. Macron realised his error and backed away. This is the same Johnson who ridiculed Covid-19 and put himself and citizens at risk by disregarding the precautions required to contain the virus. But now, better sense has prevailed, with perhaps the exception of United States (US) President Donald Trump and Brazils President Jair Bolsanaro. As a result of the Trump administrations mismanagement, over 2.5 million Americans have been infected so far. Last week, while launching his election campaign at Tulsa, Oklahoma, Trump shattered all physical distancing rules. Many of his supporters neither wore masks nor gloves, nor did they observe social distancing. Bolsonaro has refused to observe any precautions in public gatherings. So far, more than 55,000 people have succumbed to the coronavirus and the total number of infected in Brazil has crossed 1.3 million. He is the only Head of State in the world, who was not only reprimanded by the federal court for not wearing a mask, but also warned with a fine. While Indians are generally not known for their discipline when it comes to obeying rules, the virus has brought about a welcome change. News has come from Aligarh that now the ritual of touching feet in weddings is being done away with in many instances. Longer planks are now being used to seat the bride and groom near the vedi during weddings. The pandit too sits a distance away and uses a special bamboo stick to conduct the ceremonies. Has Covid-19 then started changing social customs? Not nearly enough, it would seem. The rising numbers of cases and fatalities suggest that much more needs to be done in adopting safer practices. The virus is raging in the developed countries of Europe and the less-densely populated countries of Africa. We have to worry as Indias population density is high and the health care system is poor. We are inching ahead in the positivity and fatality tables. The number of people getting infected daily in India has crossed 15,000. So far, more than half a million people have been infected and the fatality figures are in excess of 15,000. At the time of writing, we are the fourth most-affected nation in the world. Little wonder that there is fear all round. Last Sunday, I went to Sector 18 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, which is the busiest market in the city. Two decades ago, when I first visited this place, I hoped that this market would soon beat Connaught Place in New Delhi in popularity and business. But today, the opposite holds true. There are hardly any shops open and no buyers at all despite the easing of restrictions. This suggests an unprecedented economic slowdown. Let me give you a figure from the World Bank. Barring large corporate and traditional enterprises, the global economy is expected to suffer a loss of over $10 trillion due to the closure of schools alone. This is four times more than Indias economy. The real upheaval will come when the results of the first quarter of this financial year come out. Many experts believe that those figures will accurately reflect the magnitude of the situation. It is likely that we will find that the unemployment situation will be exacerbated and people will plunge further into economic difficulties. A certain degree of fear is natural, but we have to let our other natural instincts for survival kick in to deal with this. Humans have rarely been tested like this before. We have to be scrupulous in following the new protocols and rules. We must keep in mind that even after a cure or a vaccine is developed, the virus will not go away. The economic slide will continue. Citizens need to make efforts to protect themselves. Outsourcing everything to the government wont work. We have to take the initiative to protect ourselves and those around us as best we can. This is the only way we will emerge from this crisis as individuals, communities and as a nation. Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief, Hindustan The views expressed are personal Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-28 11:32:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SINGAPORE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that a global pandemic requires a coordinated global response, especially in scientific research and government actions. He wrote that Singapore has been doing its part collecting and analyzing data on the COVID-19, in order to better understand this new threat. "But our efforts alone are not enough," he added. According to his post, Lee emphasized the importance of vaccine multilateralism in the common fight against COVID-19, when he spoke to the virtual "Global Goal: Unite for our Future" Pledging Summit on Saturday. He said that Singapore looks forward to working with the European Commission and like-minded countries, as well as the World Health Organization, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, to develop vaccines and distribute them fairly and expeditiously to people in all countries. "The search for vaccines may take some time, but we will maximise our chances of tackling COVID-19 by working together," the prime minister wrote in the post. Enditem A group of Zomato food delivery platform employees in Kolkata tore and burnt their official T-shirts on Saturday in protest against the killing of 20 Indian soldiers by the Chinese Army in Ladakh last week. During the protest at Behala, some of them claimed that they had quit their job as Zomato has a sizeable Chinese investment and urged people to stop ordering food via the company. In 2018, Ant Financial, part of Chinese major Alibaba, had invested USD 210 million in Zomato for a 14.7-per-cent stake. The food delivery major recently raised an additional $150 million from Ant Financial. Chinese companies are making profit from here and attacking the Army of our country. They are trying to grab our land. This cannot be allowed, one of the protesters said. Also read: India deploys air defence systems in eastern Ladakh Another protester said they were ready to starve but would not work in companies having investment from China. In May, Zomato laid off 520 employees or 13 per cent of its workforce in a huge retrenchment exercise due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. There was no immediate reaction from Zomato and whether the protesters were among those who were retrenched was not known. Also read: Chinas Xi Jinping is a successor to dictator Joseph Stalin, says US NSA OBrien Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in a fierce clash with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15. New Delhi: Aiming to reduce travel time significantly, Railways will ink a pact with Germany for running high-speed trains in the country. Accompanied by a high-ranking delegation, German Minister for Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Alexander Dobrindt, will meet Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on October 14. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the two countries for bilateral cooperation in the rail sector, said a senior Railway Ministry official. Dobrindt is visiting India from October 12 to 15. According to railways, it is a "follow-up" to Prabhu's visit to Germany in April. The German minister will hold talks with Prabhu in Rail Bhavan. Both ministers will focus on deepening collaboration and strengthening ties in the field of railways and high speed trains. After the meeting, the MoU will be signed between Indian Railways and DB Engineering and Consulting of Germany. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. US President Donald Trump denied Sunday being briefed on intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan. The report by The New York Times sparked renewed questions about Trump's reluctance to confront Russia over behavior that, if accurate, would represent a serious national security challenge. In a pair of early-morning tweets, Trump angrily slammed the report as "probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax." "Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an 'anonymous source' by the Fake News @nytimes," he wrote. "Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us...." "Nobody's been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration." The Times, citing anonymous officials, said Trump was briefed on the US intelligence findings in March, but has not decided how to respond. According to the report, US intelligence had concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill troops of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan. The rewards were purportedly incentives to target US forces as Trump tries to withdraw troops from the conflict-torn country -- one of the militants' key demands -- and end America's longest war. While Trump cast aspersions on the Times report, neither he nor other top administration officials denied the underlying intelligence conclusion about the Russian activities. John Ratcliffe, the new director of national intelligence, issued a statement late Saturday denying Trump or Pence had been briefed "on any intelligence alleged by The New York Times in its reporting." He also vouched for an earlier White House statement that denied Trump had been briefed on the matter but left open the possibility that the intelligence existed. "This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. - 'Another day at the office' - John Bolton, Trump's former national security advisor and now peddling a highly critical tell-all book, said if it's true Russia was paying to have US troops killed, "that is a very, very serious matter." Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Bolton said, "To me it looks like just another day at the office in the Trump White House." Top Democratic lawmaker Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of seeking to "ignore any allegation against Russia." "This is totally outrageous. You would think that the minute the president heard of it he would want to know more instead of denying that he knew anything," she said on ABC's "This Week." - Taliban, Russian denials - The Taliban have denied the report, reiterating that they were committed to an accord signed with Washington in February that paves the way for withdrawing all foreign forces from Afghanistan by next year. The militants also said homemade explosives account for most fatalities among US forces. "The 19-year jihad of the Islamic Emirate is not indebted to the beneficence of any intelligence organ or foreign country," the Taliban said in a statement issued in Kabul. The group, widely believed to have received years of support from Pakistani intelligence, also denied previous US accusations it was given arms by Russia. Russia also denounced the report, with its embassy in Washington tweeting that the "baseless and anonymous accusations" in the Times story had "already led to direct threats to the life of employees" at its embassies in Washington and London. - Tortured history - Russia has a tortured history in Afghanistan, where the former Soviet Union in its final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamist guerrillas, backed at the time by Washington. The Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban attacks, including a desire to keep Washington bogged down in war. It said Russia may also be seeking revenge over the US killing of Russian mercenaries in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad. According to the newspaper, the Taliban operation was led by Unit 29155, an arm of Russia's military intelligence agency GRU, which has been blamed in numerous international incidents including a 2018 chemical weapons attack in Britain that nearly killed Russian-born double agent Sergei Skripal. Some Republicans called for clarity from the White House over the allegations, with Representative Liz Cheney asking on Twitter "Who did know and when?... What has been done in response to protect our forces & hold Putin accountable?" burs-st-jm/bgs/mdl AURORA, Colo. Elijah McClain's name has spread far beyond his memorial in Aurora. The will hold a nationwide agitation on Monday against the rising prices of petrol and diesel and its MPs, MLAs and leaders will submit memorandums to President demanding a withdrawal of the hikes. AICC General Secretary, In-charge for Organization, K C Venugopal said through the protest programmes, the party aims to underline the government's "extortionist looting" of the common man during the COVID-19 crisis. In the following week, between June 30-July 4, the party will also conduct massive protests at the Taluk, Teshil and block levels, Venugopal said. For the last twenty one consecutive days, the government has been increasing the price of petrol and diesel, in the process putting undue extra burden on the shoulders of the common people, he said in a statement. The central government had "amassed" huge profits on account of exorbitantly increased central excise duties on petrol and diesel, even as prices of international crude have been at a record low, the Rajya Sabha MP alleged. Rather than passing on the benefits of the low cost of procurement to the people, the government had deliberately kept the price high by increasing the excise duty, Venugopal said. The protests by the party will include dharnas on June 29 from 11 am to 12 noon in front of central government offices across the country following social distancing protocols, under the auspices of PCCs and DCCs, he said. Apart from this, party MPs, MLAs, office bearers, leaders and workers will submit memorandums to President seeking the withdrawal of hikes in the prices of petrol and diesel. On the same day, the party will also hold a social media campaign called "Speak up on Petrol and Diesel Price Hike" to highlight the plights of farmers, taxi and bus owners, transporters, Ola and Uber drivers, labourers and the common people who suffer a cascading effect of such hikes, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: About 180,000 tons of products worth $42.6 million were exported through the customs of the Mazandaran Province (northern Iran) during the first three months of current Iranian year (March 20-June 20, 2020), an official of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administrations (IRICA) branch in Mazandaran Province Ali Yousefimanesh said, Trend reports citing IRICA. The official emphasized that the products mainly exported to Iraq, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and the UAE via customs of Noshahr, Amirabad, Amol, Sari and Fereidoonkenar. Yousefimanesh added that the exported products are mainly dairy products worth $23.9 million (56 percent of total exports), cement worth $3.11 million (7 percent of total exports), ice cream worth $2.1 million (5 percent of total exports), fruit juice worth $1.42 million (3 percent of total exports) and paper worth $1.3 million (3 percent of total exports). About 750,000 tons of products worth $244 million were imported through Mazandaran Province's customs during three months, he said. Yousefimanesh noted that the products were imported from 23 countries, including Russia, the UAE, Turkey, Germany and Netherlands. The official said that the imported products were mainly barley for animal feed worth $73.9 million (30 percent of total imports), corn fodder for animals feed worth $64.2 million (26 percent of total imports), animal fats worth $60 million (25 percent of total imports). In addition, oilseeds worth $7.8 million (3 percent of total imports), wheat worth $5.19 million (2 percent of total imports) and timber worth $4.7 million (2 percent of total imports) were imported, he said. Yousefimanesh noted that 442 tons of products worth $2.26 million were transited during three months. The cigarettes, rubber products, excavation pipes, chemicals and timber were transited to the UAE and Iraq. Srinagar: The encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmirs Pampore entered third day on Wednesday. Terrorists have once again attacked the Entrepreneur Development Institute (EDI) at Sempore-Pampore in south Kashmirs Pulwama district. Terrorists had targeted the same EDI building in February this year. Five security personnel and a civilian employee of the institute were killed in the attack, while three militants were gunned down in a 48-hour operation. Terrorists targeting the same building twice in eight months have raised questions as to why they are specifically targeting the EDI building. The exact reason for this is not known yet. In recent times, the state government has taken several initiatives in an effort to bring peace to the Kashmir valley, which has been witnessing unrest for months. The initiatives are aimed at inspiring the Kashmiri youths to pursue something to make themselves self-reliant instead of stone pelters. By attacking the EDI building, which provides vocational training to the youths, the terrorists, it seems, want to send a message to keep them away from such institutions. Watch | Pampore encounter enters day 3; two terrorists gunned down, standoff continues What Omar Abdullah said about the attacks? In a series of tweets, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has raised this point in detail. All the EDI ever did was train young Kashmiri boys & girls to stand on their own feet & not seek government jobs. Militants dont like that! No wonder for the 2nd time this year they have attacked the institute. They want young Kashmiris to be subservient & bitter not self-reliant.Every day its either militants snatching guns or then militants staging attacks. How can the centre be so blase about where J&K is headed?? he tweeted. No wonder for the 2nd time this year they have attacked the institute. They want young Kashmiris to be subservient & bitter not self-reliant Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) October 10, 2016 All the EDI ever did was train young Kashmiri boys & girls to stand on their own feet & not seek government jobs. Militants don't like that! Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) October 10, 2016 About JKEDI In an effort to effectively enable entrepreneurship development in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir government established the JKEDI in March 1997. The regular activities of JKEDI begin from February 2004. The JKEDI Community Organisers are spread in all of the 22 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.